The national elections in Sierra Leone took place on Saturday 24 June. Julius Maada Bio has now been sworn in as President for a second term of office, after the National Electoral Commission declared Bio the winner with 56% of the votes, against the main opposition APC candidate – Samura Kamara scoring 41%.

Candidates need more than 55% for outright victory and avoid a second round of voting.

The announcement comes after three days of political tension and violence in some parts of the country, namely opposition strongholds where casualties have been reported.

As President Bio begins five years in his second term as President, he faces the challenges of extreme economic hardship within a politically divided nation.

Sierra Leone’s economy is in serious decline with very high unemployment. Food inflation is currently more than 40% and government borrowing is at a record high.

Following the unrest that accompanying the election, President Bio has appealed to Sierra Leoneans to “keep the peace”.

Please join us in prayer for the whole nation.

We would be grateful if you would join Magnus and the Sierra Leone Mission in prayer for the following requests.

Magnus' prayers for June

Sierra Leone's national elections are due be held on the 24 June 2023. Unfortunately, these elections can incite a lot of violence, some of which is already taking place. Please ask God for a peaceful ballot, that voters will be guided by Him and that leadership positions will be of God's choice.

Please pray for sickness among our elderly community. Mother Ombala and Mother Renikeh have ill health and Jobbie Williams, Elder at St Mark's, has diabetes. Christiana Braima of Manallo (widow of Rev George Braima) suffers from a cold, and Simeon John, of Ebenezer Church, has failing eyesight.

Please also pray for God's intervention in controlling the rains, to enable completion of the Sierra Leone Mission's new roofing at Mabang, Kabala and Mathoir.

Please pray against the recent typhoid outbreaks in many parts of the country, in particular Kamakontakay, which has reported many cases. Typhoid is a water borne disease and Kamakontakay does not have a water well in the entire village.

We also ask for prayer against the spread of radical Islamism in West Africa, especially Sierra Leone. Many Muslim evangelists have been coming to the country, bearing material items as an attempt to influence people. The Church is aware of the situation and considering how to respond. Please ask for God's direction as the Church prays and plans its response. 

Our Connexion women will be meeting in July for training in how best to communicate with Muslims. Please pray that their training sessions will be fruitful, leading them to transform the lives of other women. 

We pray together for peace in Sudan and for a peaceful resolution of the recent crisis in Senegal. 

We thank God for victory over Covid, Ebola and other diseases. We also thank God for the effort made in developing a Malaria vaccine. 

We praise God for helping Governments to deal with the looming world economic crisis. We pray that Africa and Sierra Leone will be able to reverse the problem of price increases and the economic suffering of so many people.

Thank you for continuing to support the Sierra Leone Mission and our communities.

 

Receiving shoe bags is one of the highlights of the year for many of our children in Sierra Leone.

Every year the shoe bags are put together by volunteers from all over the UK and sent to the children at our churches, schools and Bethesda Orphanage in time for Christmas.

The bags contain donated treats of useful and practical items, small items of clothing, books and toys.

This year Janet O’Shea has found that sharing the ‘shoe bag idea’ with others pays dividends as it captures people’s imaginations. Janet recently went to a U3A meeting and mentioned this work by the Sierra Leone Mission, and as a result she has already started to receive some made up shoe bags, which is fantastic!

Thinking along these lines, it may be a great idea for more of our church members and regular volunteers to start spreading the shoe bag word at clubs, meetings and events they may attend. Who knows? This could turn out to be a bumper shoe bag year, making more of the poorest children in Sierra Leone very happy indeed!

The deadline for completing this year’s shoe bags is September 2023.

Typical shoe bag items

Hygiene

2 x face cloths
2 x soaps
2 x toothpaste
2 x toothbrush

School

2 x writing pencils
2 x pens
2 x exercise books
coloured pencils
ruler
rubber
pencil sharpener

Personal

2 x toys
water bottle
either T-shirt and shorts
or pants and vest (boys)
or dress and pants (girls)

 

Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) has sent money to six Sierra Leone villages to roof their schools.

Kamakonthakay

Kamakonthakay is a Muslim village where villagers came together to build us a church, which is now thriving. The community then supplied materials and labour for the construction of a new school building, with SLM standing the cost for a roof. 

Kabala

Kabala is another Muslim village where a small school had been established in a private house. 

Magnus recently asked for prayer concerning this school, as the house is owned by a Muslim who has become increasingly anti-Christian. Armed with prayer, Magnus attended a meeting with the local Imam and Village Chief at Kabala to discuss an eviction notice that the house owner had issued. With God's grace a decision was made for the school to continue using the house until the end of the academic year, awaiting the construction of a new school. The village has made a gift of land for the new building to The Connexion and the community has begun making bricks. SLM has sent the funds needed to complete a roof.

Mabang

The village of Mabang had built a ‘structure’ for their secondary school children, but its condition was so poor the building has been condemned. As a result, villagers have made bricks for a new school and started work on its construction. SLM have again sent money to cover the cost of a roof.

Fogbo

For many years the children at Fogbo came together as a 'school' in the church, which unfortunately generated disapproval from the Government Education Board. As a consequence villagers have now built a new school, with SLM  providing funds for the roof.

Songo Loko and Mathoir

In addition, residents living in the two villages of Songo Loko and Mathoir have built small churches, with help from SLM to supply them with funding for the roofs.

Tombo

The next big project is to help the school children in Tombo. Their existing school is insufficient in size to accommodate the children and in a terrible state of dilapidation, with a leaking roof that allows water to pour in. SLM plans to either repair the roof and add an extension or replace the building completely. Any donations received that can be put towards this valuable cause would be extremely welcome!

(The image shows the existing school building in Tombo)

 

DONATIONS

If you would like to make a donation, to help SLM's work in Sierra Leone, just click on the Donations button, located at the top of each website page. Please also state if you would like your donation to go towards a particular project.

Alternatively donate by Bank Transfer

Barclays Bank

Sort code: 20-16-08, Account number: 30799076, Account name: Sierra Leone Mission 

(NB We are very grateful to receive anonymous donations, but when making a bank transfer donation, the donor's name is needed for auditing purposes. Please be assured this information will remain private.)

Or send a cheque to 

Sierra Leone Mission. Postal address: Janet Foord, 2 Cheyne Close, Church Milton, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 2SQ

 

The Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) is committed to plans for the improvement or reconstruction of a much-needed school for the children in Tombo.

The present school in Tombo, which was erected in 2006, is both inadequate for its purpose and in a terrible state of disrepair. The size of the building is unable to accommodate the number of village children at school age (currently more than 200 and rising) and the few classrooms it has are divided by torn sheets of paper, supported by bamboo sticks. Water regularly pours in through the leaking roof, the temperature inside the building is often unbearably hot, and the existing toilets are unsanitary to say the least.

SLM plans to either repair the roof and add an extension or replace the building completely. There is enough land available to house a bigger school, so this would be the preferred solution if sufficient funds can be raised. It is wholeheartedly agreed that the children deserve a much better place to receive their education!

Tombo is a small fishing town on the southern coast of Sierra Leone, approximately 30 miles east of Freetown. The population incorporates several ethnic groups, including Christians, but the town overall is predominantly Muslim.

Donating to help SLM

If you would like to make a donation, to help SLM's work in Sierra Leone, just click on the Donations button, located at the top of each website page. Please also state if you would like your donation to go towards a particular project.

Alternatively donate by Bank Transfer:

Barclays Bank

Sort code: 20-16-08, Account number: 30799076, Account name: Sierra Leone Mission 

(NB We are very grateful to receive anonymous donations, but when making a bank transfer donation, the donor's name is needed for auditing purposes. Please be assured this information will remain private.)

Or send a cheque to:

Sierra Leone Mission. Postal address: Janet Foord, 2 Cheyne Close, Church Milton, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 2SQ

 

With Bethesda Orphanage and the new Medical Centre now established, the Sierra Leone Mission believe the time is right to start focusing on the needs of our schools in Sierra Leone. During Janet O'Shea's trip earlier this year, every school she visited reported rising pupil numbers, resulting from many people migrating from Freetown to the surrounding areas.

The first project will be to send funding for six buildings to be roofed. It is important to secure and protect these buildings from weather conditions as soon as possible, bearing in mind that the rainy season starts in May. 

A decision has also been made to build a new school in Tombo. The village's current school has over 200 children squeezed into a single building that is not fit for purpose. Action will be taken to try to raise funds for this project, and all prayers will be welcome.

Magnus has also requested prayer for our school at Kabala. The present school building is owned by a Muslim who has become increasingly anti-Christian, to the extent that he issued an eviction notice. Following prayer, Magnus attended a meeting at Kabala with the local Imam and Village Chief to discuss the issue, and found that God had gone before him! A decision was made at the meeting for the school to continue to use the building until the end of the academic year.

Folk from Kabala have now begun making bricks in order to build a new school on land that the village have given to The Connexion. This new school building will also be one of the recipients of roof funds allocated by the Sierra Leone Mission. 

We will keep you updated with progress made on improving our schools in Sierra Leone and, as always, are hugely grateful for your prayers and support.

(The picture shows children from the school in Kabala)

Making Donations to the Sierra Leone Mission

If you would like to make a donation, to help SLM's work in Sierra Leone, just click on the Donations button, located at the top of each website page. Please also state if you would like your donation to go towards a particular project.

Alternatively donate by Bank Transfer:

Barclays Bank

Sort code: 20-16-08, Account number: 30799076, Account name: Sierra Leone Mission 

(NB We are very grateful to receive anonymous donations, but when making a bank transfer donation, the donor's name is needed for auditing purposes. Please be assured this information will remain private.)

Or send a cheque to:

Sierra Leone Mission. Postal address: Janet Foord, 2 Cheyne Close, Church Milton, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 2SQ

 

 

Rev Amidu Koroma has asked us to please pray for the following points during April:

To thank God for our beloved Nation for His grace and mercy.

To give thanks for the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion Sierra Leone, and ask that God will continue to enlarge our 'coast' (growth and expansion) this year. ( 1 Chronicles 4:9-10)

We ask for peaceful, free and fair elections in Sierra Leone on 24 June 2023, and for the peace of the Lord to always be with us, as we approach the General Elections.

Please pray for God to continue to settle and mend our economy.

Pray also that God continues to guide and direct our Bishop Magnus Bendu with wisdom to overcome all challenges and expand his vision.

We ask for God’s provision for all of our projects and for our churches and schools.

We pray that God will continue to empower our UK team members, especially 'Aunty' Janet O’Shea who worked very hard to visit Sierra Leone.

We ask that God will bless the UK

And for God our Creator to give us grace to live and to serve Him faithfully.

Amen!

During her recent trip to Sierra Leone, Janet O’Shea was delighted to include a visit to the new health centre in Brama, which was officially opened in December 2022. The building stands opposite The Connexion’s Bethesda Orphanage, and has been named the Ralph O’Shea Memorial Medical Centre, in honour of Ralph’s friendship and support.

Health Centre Staff

The centre’s Director, Rev Karimu Kabba, is a well-respected competent and organised gentleman, with a quiet, respectful approach, and the Lead Nurse, Augustine Millo, adds equal value, having a wealth of experience and the ability to conduct minor surgery. Most health centres in Sierra Leone do not have a full time doctor, whereas Augustine has moved into accommodation on site, so is readily accessible.

In all, the centre employs 14 people, including security staff and cleaners. Several of the nurses are very experienced in midwifery and general medical care, and a laboratory technician and trainee are on hand to carry out necessary testing.

Health Centre Patients

Currently there are approximately 100 patients registered at the centre. This not only includes children, but a range of age groups. An increasing number of pregnant women are now gaining confidence in being treated at the ‘new’ centre. This is promising, because it is a common issue with folk who live in remote villages to rely on home remedies and the advice of local ‘practitioners’, rather than attend a medical facility.

For example, there are many cases of malaria and typhoid in Sierra Leone, which require treatment as early as possible, but on two occasions, young children sadly died because their parents left it too late to bring them to the health centre. Building trust is therefore key in helping those in need to receive treatment – and potentially save lives.

Janet felt great confidence during her visit to the centre in February: ‘I found the staff welcoming, professional and knowledgeable. On one day, I was taken ill during a five-hour journey back to Bethesda, but on my arrival Karimu, Augustine, the lab technician and Hawa, a nurse, were all waiting for me, ready to spring into action! Within an hour I was tested, diagnosed and administered treatment. The whole experience was very efficient and Hawa stayed with me for 48 hours, caring for me with great love and attention. I believe that this is how every patient that enters the centre is treated. Magnus stresses that the health centre is not just treating the body but also the soul, and he is right. It is a truly amazing place, where the love of God is palpable.'

It is also reputed that the Minister for Health in Sierra Leone stated that if he becomes ill, he wants to be taken to the Ralph O’Shea Memorial Medical Centre (ROMMC) at Brama. Quite the recommendation!

Looking to the future, a new maternity unit is being added to the centre, but funds are needed for its completion. There are no births taking place at the centre yet but pregnant mothers are now attending for check ups.  

Regular eye surgeries are also being held. In just one day during Janet’s visit, 29 cataracts were performed. And Magnus is also considering the possibility of introducing a dental team!

The success of the new health centre is a wonderful answer to prayer and has the potential to transform the lives of local communities and their children.

We ask for continued prayer for its ongoing management and development and thank all of those who have so generously contributed to this valuable cause.

To Donate

If you would like to make a donation, to help SLM's work in Sierra Leone, just click on the Donations button, located at the top of each website page. Please also state if you would like your donation to go towards a particular project.

Alternatively donate by Bank Transfer:

Barclays Bank

Sort code: 20-16-08, Account number: 30799076, Account name: Sierra Leone Mission 

(NB We are very grateful to receive anonymous donations, but when making a bank transfer donation, the donor's name is needed for auditing purposes. Please be assured this information will remain private.)

Or send a cheque to:

Sierra Leone Mission. Postal address: Janet Foord, 2 Cheyne Close, Church Milton, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 2SQ

We would be grateful if you would join Magnus and the Sierra Leone Mission in prayer for the following requests.

 

Magnus' prayer requests for March

Please pray for peace in Sierra Leone over the coming weeks. Whenever General or National Elections are announced this is accompanied by a threat to the nation's peace. We ask for you to pray that competing politicians will be guided by reason and not attempt to fan the flames of war as a means of luring votes. Illiteracy is widespread in Sierra Leone and, as a consequence, the population can be very easily influenced. The elections are scheduled for Saturday 24 June 2023.

Please also pray for the medical staff at the new Health Centre. The number of patients using the centre is increasing as people from the surrounding villages gain confidence to seek help. In addition, staff have been faced with the challenge of late referrals, resulting in young lives being lost, which could have been avoided if they had arrived at the hospital earlier. 

We ask you to pray for Magnus and members of his family. Magnus has been suffering from recurrent malaria, his wife, Rugie, is still recovering from major surgery and his sister has typhoid.  

Prayer is also needed for the children and teachers at Mabang, who are dealing with the sudden and unexpected death of their Headteacher. 

We join in prayer for the economies of the UK, Sierra Leone and many other parts of the world. We pray that God will intervene and restore a period of economic development.

Finally, we pray for the Sierra Leone Mission Committee, as they review building reports for The Connexion schools in Sierra Leone, which currently educate more than 5,000 children.

Thank you for your continuing support for all of our communities in Sierra Leone.

During Janet's trip to Sierra Leone, she visited Kamakontaykay for a special Baptism Service.

Kamakontaykay is situated in the north of Sierra Leone and can be reached in approximately five hours by car. Up until three years ago the village was predominantly Muslim, with no facilities for Christian worship or teaching, but in 2021, a new church was constructed by local villagers, with the village Imam joining in prayer for its dedication.

Today, a school is also currently under construction and is due to open its doors to local children, following the completion of a roof. 

Arriving in Kamakontaykay on a sunny Saturday morning in February 2023, Janet was delighted to find she would be celebrating 43 baptisms! Following a short service, led by Magnus, the congregation made their way down through the bush to the river’s edge to witness the many baptisms, several baby dedications and a number of blessings for pregnant mothers, accompanied throughout by the joyful singing of ‘I have decided to follow Jesus.’

We thank God for his wonderful work in Kamakontaykay and ask for his blessings and protection over all of the participants.

To see more of the baptisms, click on the YouTube recording below.