We would be grateful if you would join Amidu Korma from Sierra Leone in prayer for the following requests.

Amidu's prayers for July

We thank God for His blessings for our lives every day.

We ask God for His goodness and mercies for the people of the UK.

We pray for God's healing power over for all those who are suffering from various sickness and diseases.

'But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.' (Isaiah 53:5)

We pray also that God will continue to strengthen our relationship with The Connexion in Sierra Leone. 

Please pray that God will also continue to grant the peace of Jesus over the UK and Sierra Leone, and not impact upon political issues in Sierra Leone.

We ask for prayer that God rescue all missionaries who experience difficulties and are visiting danger zones when preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We pray that God will provide for The Connexion in the UK, enabling them to continue to provide support for us in Sierra Leone. 

Please pray for God's guidance and protection over our leadership in Sierra Leone, and that He will continue to strengthen Bishop Magnus Bendu to lead our churches in Sierra Leone. 

We pray that God will continue to heal our land Sierra Leone. 

We pray also for the leadership in UK and ask that God continues to guide their paths and keep the country safe.

Thanks be to God for all of His Grace over our fellowship in these difficult times.

There has been a serious fire at the Church Elder's house in Kamakonthakay.

The family of seven have been made homeless and are currently staying in three different locations within the village.

The Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) will be sending out money to rebuild the house as soon as possible.

Please pray for the family and the rebuilding of their home.

If you would like to give some money to help, please see the DONATION options below.

 

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

Since April 2023 Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) has so far provided money to construct new roofs for five schools in Sierra Leone.

Fogbo

The village children at Fogbo came together as a 'school' for many years in a local church, which was later deemed unsuitable by the Government Education Board. As a result the villagers came together to make bricks and provide labour to build a new school, which has now been roofed by SLM.

Kamakonthakay

By God's grace, the Muslim villagers in Kamakonthakay came together to build Christian church, which is now thriving. Following which they supplied materials and labour for the construction of a new school building, with SLM providing money for its roof, which is looking very fine indeed!

Kabala

Kabala is another Muslim village where a small school was established in a private house until the anti-Christian owner threatened immediate eviction. Again with God's grace, the decision was delayed until a new school could be constructed. The village made a gift of the land, and the community have completed the new school building, with another very fine roof supplied by SLM!

Mabang

Secondary school children were meeting in the village of Mabang in an erected ‘structure’ which was condemned due to its poor condition. Once again, the villagers made bricks for the construction of a new school and once again SLM gave them funding for its roof!

SLM Work

May this wonderful work continue in helping Sierra Leone's children to receive the education they deserve in fully habitable school buildings!

Appeal for Tombo!

The existing school in Tombo is insufficient to say the least. It is too small to accommodate the number of children attending and in a dreadful state of dilapidation, with a leaking roof that allows water to pour in. Since we posted an appeal for donations to help to finance the cost of a new roof - or a complete new building - money has been steadily coming in. That is wonderful news and SLM send huge thanks to all of the donors. We pray that this generosity will continue and it will not be long before we can publish a photograph of a new school building, complete with a new roof and some very grateful children!

(The image shows the existing school building in Tombo with taped up plastic attempting to separate the 'classrooms')

 

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 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!