Please join Rev Amidu Koroma in prayer for our communities in Sierra Leone during December

The December 2024 shoe bag distribution has begun, which is always accompanied by great joy. We send great thanks to everyone who donated and helped to make up the bags.

We also thank God for this glorious month of December. Lord, we ask for your mercy and forgiveness. Please pardon us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9)

We praise God from whom all blessings flow, for the life of our leadership in Sierra Leone, especially Bishop Magnus Bendu, for his good leadership character. We pray that God continues to strengthen him in Jesus mighty name.

We also pray for our leadership in the United Kingdom, especially for 'Aunty' Janet O’Shea. We ask God to continue to direct, bless and protect her.

Please pray for our country Sierra Leone, the president and all cabinet ministers. We ask that the good Lord will continue to direct them.

Please also pray for all our teachers and pastors, for their sacrifice to teach and preach the word of God.

We remember faithful missionaries preaching the good news, especially those in the Middle East.

We pray that the Lord will continue to help our churches in Sierra Leone to grow and expand our vision to reach out to all districts. 

We also pray for our sponsors in the UK. May God bless them.

Finally we ask for prayer for the families of Rachel Dove and Theophilus Bindi who have recently passed away and gone home to be with our Lord.

We thank God for answering our prayers. Amen.

Happy Christmas to you all from Sierra Leone.

The shipment of the Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) container arrived at Freeport in good time,
early in November. However, its arrival at Bethesda was delayed by a puncture and
failure of the air brakes.

After several hours of deliberation, it was decided to unload and reload the goods into
two lorries, plus eight cars of medical supplies heading for the Health Centre.

As well as books, toys, clothes, furniture, personal and medical items, this year's container
also included 2300 shoe bags! SLM send huge thanks to all of the UK volunteers and
their hard work for producing them. 

Some of our schools are in villages that are five hours distant from Bethesda, but Magnus
guarantees that every shoe bag will go into the hands of a child - and they are so gratefully
appreciated. One little girl said it was her best gift ever!

 

Please join Rev Amidu during November with the following prayer requests for Sierra Leone.

We thank God for this month of November 2024.

We pray for all of our teachers and pastors, for their dedication in preaching and teaching the Word of God.

Please join us in prayer for the Gospel to reach to the borders of Sierra Leone.

We pray for our leadership and the team in the UK, especially for 'Aunty' Janet O’Shea. We ask that God will continue to guide and keep them safe.

Please pray for our dynamic leader, who is working very hard to develop The Connexion in Sierra Leone, Bishop Magnus Bendu. We ask that God will continue to strengthen him in Jesus mighty name. 

We also pray for the body of Christ in Sierra Leone, and that God will continue to unite us together.

Please pray for all of our sponsors in the UK. May God bless each of them.

We pray for the entire membership of the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion, Sierra Leone. May God bless them all.

 

Finally. we pray for our economy in Sierra Leone. May God continue to heal our land in Jesus’ name.

Thank God for answering our prayers.

We pray with Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd…

In Jesus name, Amen

Please join Rev Amidu in prayer during October for the following requests.

We thank God for this blessed month of October, and ask Father God for his mercy. ‘Be merciful to me for I cry to you daily.’ Psalm 86:3.

Mighty God, we pray for your protection over the life of our UK Chairman of SLM, Janet O’Shea and our friends and family in UK.

Please pray for our leader in Sierra Leone, Bishop Magnus Bendu. We ask that God continues to strengthen him and his work for The Connexion.

We pray for all pastors and teachers in Connexion, who are working very hard to teach and preach. May God continue to bless them in Jesus mighty name.

Please also pray for the Gospel to reach the unreached, through evangelism in Sierra Leone.

Father God we pray for our country, Sierra Leone, asking that you will continue to give us peace.

We also pray for God to heal the economy in Sierra Leone and the current high cost of living.

We pray that God will continue to strengthen our relationship with the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion in the UK.

Finally we pray for our churches, children’s ministry, youth fellowship, women’s fellowship and men’s fellowship. Asking God to continue bringing love and unity to The Connexion in Sierra Leone.

We thank you, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, for answering our prayers.

Amen

A Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) 40 ft container filled to the brim with items for our communities in Sierra Leone is on its way to Freetown!

What’s in the container?

Shoe bags for the children - estimated 2,370 bags.

Medical items - ranging from bandages to wheel chairs and everything in between for the Health Centre.

Personal - home made reusable sanitary towels for teenage girls.

Schools - boxes and boxes of school reading books.

Headteachers - boxes of tools to mend furniture in their schools.

Christian books - more boxes of text books for the library from the UK charity, Christian Books Worldwide.

Church furniture - chairs from a UK church, sent to one in Sierra Leone.

Villages - boxes of clothes and shoes for children and adults, to be distributed by Magnus.

Toys - boxes and boxes of toys for the children and also bigger toys for the nurseries, including ride on cars.

All in all it is a phenomenal shipment! 

Huge thanks are sent to everyone involved in making this possible.

 

Shipping costs

A shipment like this costs a lot of money – £8,500 to be precise.

SLM have received a donation of £50 from Horsham URC towards sending out the shoe bags and a bookshop in St.Ives has also raised money from a sale of bric a brac to assist with the expenses, but funds are low. SLM would welcome any further contributions – big or small – to help towards the cost of getting these items to the folk in Sierra Leone, and supporting so many of those in need.

Sierra Leone 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

 

 

 

Following contact with Martin at Hailsham Gospel Mission, Janet O’Shea, Chair of Sierra Leone Mission received an email from Bob Lewis, the Founder and Joint Chairman of Medi Tech Trust.

The email had an attachment of items that Medi Tech Trust is donating to our Medical Centre in Sierra Leone. The estimated value of this donation is £50,000. Unsurprisingly this left Janet speechless!

Medi Tech Trust is a UK registered charity. It is dedicated to donating equipment and supplies to medical institutions; arranging training courses for surgeons in low income countries; and advancing health care education in the community.

This wonderfully generous donation, combined with funds raised by our churches, will make an enormous difference in the Medical Centre. We praise the Lord and send huge thanks to Medi Tech Trust and all those who help our communities in Sierra Leone.

Please join Rev Amidu Koroma in prayer requests for Sierra Leone in September.

Firstly, we thank and praise God for the receipt of generous donations that have enabled our schools in Mabang and Foo Foo Water to complete necessary building works, which will make a huge difference for the schools’ teachers and children.

Amidu also gives thanks to God for this new month of September 2024 and for the gift of life. 

Prayer requests

Please pray for our Leadership Team in Sierra Leone, especially for Bishop Magnus Bendu. We pray for God’s blessings and protection over his life and family.

We also pray for our Leadership Team in UK, and ask that God will continue to strengthen our Connexion relationship. Especially for ‘Aunty’ Janet O’Shea. May God continue to strengthen and protect her. 

Please pray for our country Sierra Leone, and for God to continue to heal our economy.

We pray for the pastors and teachers in our Connexion churches and schools, and ask that God will continue to strengthen them as they preach and teach. 

Please pray for God’s healing power over our community members. May God continue to heal those in particular who are suffering from sickness and ill health.

We pray for unity and the love of Christ to continue to reign amongst us in Jesus’ name, and we thank and praise God for his many answers to our prayers.

Amen

The Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) is resolved to making a difference in our Connexion schools in Sierra Leone, as they are vitally important to our village communities.

With the realisation that this might take several years, the SLM committee unanimously agreed that the children and teachers deserve better. There are over 5000 children currently being educated in our schools, and they need help to enable them achieve their full potential.

Following Janet O’Shea’s visit to Sierra Leone this year, the SLM committee discussed the condition of two schools in particular; Mabang Secondary School and FooFoo Water Primary School.

Mabang Secondary School

During Janet’s visit to Mabang in 2023, she witnessed first-hand the difficulties teachers and pupils faced. Classrooms were cluttered with broken furniture, ceilings were missing or incomplete, and very often one room was divided into two or three classes, separated by ripped flimsy partitions. The teachers had no teaching aids and very few books to serve large and still growing classes. Frequently, it was so hot that the rooms were unbearable, the well was broken and also the toilets!

Unsurprisingly, Mabang’s original building was condemned by government officials, and the community came together to construct the shell of a new school. Whilst this was a huge step forward, during Janet’s visit to the new school in June 2024, she discovered that there was still much to do. The structure lacked windows, doors and veranda and the entire building needed painting. Thereby on her return, it was agreed by the SLM to use money from a donation to complete the school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 FooFoo Water Primary School

Unlike Mabang, FooFoo’s old school building was still being used, but in a sorry state of near collapse. Again the community came together to build the shell of a new block, which could house three classrooms. This was a welcome improvement, but the structure needed to be larger.

During this year’s visit Janet taught the children in one of the classrooms. It was the only room with windows and a door, but still without a ceiling, so the heat was intense. Following this, the SLM agreed to pay for the completion of this building, using a donation to fit doors, windows, ceilings, a veranda and a much-needed coat of paint.

The SLM are hugely grateful for the donations received to help the children in Sierra Leone. None of this work could be done without this generosity. We thank you also for your continued prayer and support.

Sierra Leone 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

 

Abdul Mansaray, one of our children (now adult) at Bethesda Orphanage, has started his final year at university studying Mass Communication.

At the beginning of August, Abdul began a two month practical internment at Bo, the second capital city of Sierra Leone, where he is gaining first-hand experience in presenting the news, editing news stories, controlling the camera, investigating news stories and writing television news scripts.

Abdul has also spent time working at the television station, Classic Media.

Looking back, it is hard to imagine that Abdul was a rescued street boy. He is an amazing example of how God is moving in the lives of children who come to Bethesda.

 

Abdul's rescue

Having been rescued at a very young age from the streets of Freetown by Magnus Bendu, Abdul was brought to live at Bethesda Orphanage, which gave him a home, new brothers and sisters, and ensured that he received a good education with a long-term opportunities.

Abdul continued to apply himself to his studies throughout his time at Bethesda. He was appointed Head Boy and went on to study for a degree in Mass Communication, made possible by generous donations from supporters of the Sierra Leone Mission, who came forward with money to cover his University tuition fees (which over time doubled). 

Prayer is a marvellous thing and every time help is needed, God prompts the right people to come forward. Our prayer today is that God will continue to prompt his people to support and enable more children to be led to a place of safety with new opportunities.

Heartfelt thanks from Abdul, preparing for University

'Our destiny is not created by the shoes we wear but by the steps we take. This is to express my gratitude and how thankful and happy I am with what is happening to me. Words are not enough to express my happiness and gratefulness to all of you. It is with vast pleasure that I send this special thanks from me, Abdul Mansaray, to all of you who conferred as a body to support me and my educational career in order to see me become a renowned person in the world at large. As Christians, we must always welcome the lost and receive people of all kind with Christ's love to support the weak and needy.  

'Let me take this opportunity to thank you all for the support you are giving me. This support has a great impact in my life, thinking back where Bethesda took me from. If I was not taken from my past life as a small boy 12 years ago, by now I would have been hopeless or in prison or dead. 

'Today I am talking about University. As I go to College I am going with a rest heart as you have given me a computer and a phone which will make learning easy for me. I really appreciate them and may God bless you. I promise to make you proud and to assure you that I will do my best to fulfil my aspirations. Please continue to pray for us, for God's direction and protection'.  

Photo: Abdul (centre) is with other Bethesda boys, Issa (left) and Andrew (right).

 

Sierra Leone 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

 

 

A new four-day Children’s Vacation Bible School began on Friday 19 July, held at Rotifunk, in Southern Sierra Leone. The school was led by Joseph Bangura, who is one of the children’s coordinators at Ebenezer, supported by an organisation team, Magnus Bendu and a number of invited speakers.

As a new initiative, the vacation school has been anticipated with much excitement. It offers a valuable opportunity to provide moral teaching through the bible, particularly relating to integrity issues, which as Magnus observes, ‘is sadly the biggest problem today in our country’.

Over the four days, the children were taught bible stories and took part in quizzes to encourage further learning. They enjoyed plenty of singing and dancing, along with time to play.

Approximately 100 children were expected to attend, but this number grew to 148!

Funding for the school was provided by The Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) and The Connexion’s Cheshunt grant. The intention is to run a similar vacation school every year.

Reporting from the event, Magnus said: ‘ At the childrens’ camp today, 148 of them converged to listen to the speakers. There was a lot of singing and dancing and, despite the heavy rains, a little time for outdoor play. We are so grateful that it has been possible for this to happen and we send thanks to SLM and Cheshunt for their huge support'.