Janet O'Shea, Chair of SLM shares news of an eventful day in late January - and the unexpected blessings she received to help our communities in Sierra Leone. Read her account below:

Friday 26 January proved to be a very interesting day for me and SLM. At the beginning of the school term a local school had given out an appeal for shoes for Africa. A parent at the school had instigated the appeal and then contacted me to tell me that the three-week appeal was for Sierra Leone. I collected a car load of shoes, mainly children’s, and managed to pack them into boxes ready for the shipment. The parent who launched the appeal is not connected with Zion Community Church and as far as I am aware has no Christian contact.

Later on the same day, I met with David Price (SLM treasurer) and Jonathan Redmayne (SLM finance and legal guru!). We discussed the support that SLM gives to Sierra Leone each month: grants for pastors, teachers, Bethesda, Theology students etc etc. The monthly money has not been increased for several years and at the SLM quarterly meeting it was decided that grants for the teachers and pastors should be increased from January 2024. A teacher in one of our Connexion schools receives a quarter of the money paid to a teacher in a government school.

I stand firm on the truth that God supplies our every need and I hesitate to ask for money. Therefore I am asking for our Connexion Community and churches to pray about the situation. Our current monthly commitment to Sierra Leone is approximately £6,000.

When I returned home from our meeting there was a huge parcel on the doorstep. Intrigued I opened it straight away to find well over 100 knitted items for babies and children. There was a letter from a lady called Sheryll in Sheffield...???? She organises 350 knitters across the north of England and they knit for charities. How she knew about Sierra Leone I have no idea!

January has certainly not been a quiet month and I am forever being surprised at the generosity of God. Our work in Sierra Leone has opened up so many opportunities to work with and witness to non-Christians in this country. If you haven’t already ‘spread the word’ DO !!

God Bless

Janet

MAKING A DONATION

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

Each month we join Rev Amidu Koroma in prayer for our communities in Sierra Leone. Following his ordination, Amidu took up the role of Minister under the leadership of Magnus Bendu. Read more about his life and career in his testimony below.

Childhood

I was born and grew up at Mongegba Community, Western Area Rural District of Sierra Leone, on 23 June 1986 with my mother, Marie Kargbo, and Lamina Koroma.

My mother was a Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion Church member from the 1980s, and one of the founding members of my first church in the Mongegba Community.

I was brought up as a Muslim because of my father, but I also attended King James Countess of Huntingdon's Primary School in Mongegba. On one occasion, the Head Teacher, John Brima Koroma, invited our class to attend a church thanksgiving service at the newly constructed King James Countess of Huntingdon's Church in Mongegba. After that service I felt the spirit of God in me, and from then on I made sure to always attend church services.

When I finished my primary school education and moved up to the Huntington Junior and Senior Secondary school, I was an active Christian. There was no problem with my father, thanks to the Grace of God, and I went on to become a Youth President at King James Church.

I received my official baptism and confirmation on 5 November 2005 at Christ Church Hastings, under the superintendency of the late Rev Sylvanus Alaba Nicol.

Dream

I had a dream after my baptism. In this dream I was standing in front of a church preaching. I was surprised at the time, but a year later I was encouraged by Rev Daniel Bockril Koromato to teach Sunday School. 

I saw myself as victorious and felt the power of God within me. Service and commitment to the church and my personal conviction had led me to believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Saviour.

Becoming a Pastor

I became a Pastor after my senior school education, under the Leadership of Rev Theophilus Nicol, and I was ordained as a Minister under the leadership of Rev Magnus Bendu, Bishop of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, Sierra Leone.

I feel much gratitude to the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion in the UK. I have successfully completed my course as a Bachelor of Theology and I really appreciate the scholarship that was given to me. I also pass on the appreciation of my wife Deborah and my two children, Daniel and Firstina.

With Thanks

I am what I am by the Grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10). Thank you, Jesus, for my life as a Pastor. I spent several years at King James Church, Mongegba before transferring to St John's Circuit, Goderich, Western Area Rural District.

I finally want to thank God for his blessings over my life, and the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion in the UK and Sierra Leone.

Please join Rev Amidu Koroma in prayer for the New Year in Sierra Leone

Firstly our children send thanks for the joy and delight of their shoebags for Christmas! Thank you so much to everyone who helped provide these precious gifts.

Prayers for the New Year

We bless the name of the Lord for a glorious year 2024. (Psalm 103:1-5).

We ask God for mercy and forgiveness.

Please pray for our nation Sierra Leone’s leadership - and for God’s divine direction.

We pray for a better economy in Sierra Leone, as we experience high cost of living.

Please also pray for God’s provisions over the leadership of The Connexion, Sierra Leone Mission (SLM), Bishop Magnus Bendu and Executive Team.

We ask for prayers for the SLM leadership in UK -  particularly for 'Aunty' Janet O’Shea and the SLM Committee. 

We pray that God will continue to establish and expand our churches and schools in Sierra Leone.

And we pray that God will continue to bless our pastors, working in 'God’s vineyard'.

Please pray for our teachers who make sacrifices in order to teach our children. May God continue to bless and inspire them.

We pray that God will continue to bless our relationship with The Connexion in the UK.

Please pray for all missionaries around the world who suffer from preaching the Good News to others. May God continue to give them Grace. 

We pray for all the sick people in the UK and Sierra Leone, especially our church members. May God’s healing power fall on them in Jesus' mighty name. (Isaiah 53:1-5)

We join together in prayer for God’ richest blessing in this New Year of 2024. 

Please pray for faith, courage, wisdom, obedience and love for one another. 

Finally, we thank God for answering our prayers. (Matt 7:7).

Amen

Receiving shoe bags at Christmas is the highlight of the year for many of our children in Sierra Leone.

Every year the bags are put together by volunteers from all over the UK and sent to Magnus for distribution to children from our churches, schools and Bethesda Orphanage on Christmas Day.

The shoe bags are made up from donations received throughout the year and contain a mixture of treats and practical items, small items of clothing, books and toys.

Typical shoe bag contents

2 x toys
water bottle
either T-shirt and shorts
or pants and vest (boys)
or dress and pants (girls)
2 x face cloths
2 x soaps
2 x toothpaste
2 x toothbrushes
2 x writing pencils
2 x pens
2 x exercise books
coloured pencils
ruler
rubber
pencil sharpener

Thank you!

Magnus Bendu sends huge thanks to all of the churches and individuals in the UK for contributing to the shoe bags, which provide an exciting and happy treat for the children in our Sierra Leone communities!

The Ministers' Retreat in Sierra Leone took place from 15 to 17 December at Makeni.

This year the ministers explored the theme of ‘Enlarging our coast in Christ’, examining the scriptures from 1Chronicles 4:9-10.

'Jabez was more honourable than his brothers.
His mother had named him Jabez, saying,
"I gave birth to him in pain."
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel,
"Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!
Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm,
so that I will be free from pain."
And God granted his request.'

Speaking about the event, Magnus Bendu said, ‘It was a great retreat for everyone, very educative, refreshing and spiritually reviving. We are so grateful to the Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) for their continued support, which make these gatherings possible. It is really worth it!’

On Sunday 26 November significant unrest was reported in Freetown, which appears to have been a failed attempted coup. Please continue to pray for lasting peace.

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

We thank God for this great opportunity to see December 2023. We pray for His goodness and mercy over our lives.

We ask for prayer for the current situation of political unrest, which has involved shooting of armed men in Freetown.

Please also pray for the current economy and the high cost of living and ask that God continues to bless Sierra Leone.

We praise God for his continuing guidance and blessings over our leadership teams, in particular for Janet O’Shea in the UK and  Bishop Magnus Bendu in Sierra Leone.

We pray for all of our pastors working in God’s 'vineyard' during these difficult times, and ask that God continues to strengthen their ability to serve The Connexion.

Please pray for God’s provision over our UK partners, enabling them to continue their support for our communities in Sierra Leone.

We also pray for God to continue to establish and bless our relationship with the UK, and bring peace and love to our UK partnership.

We pray for all the elderly and sick people in our churches and for God’s healing power over each of them.

Please pray for our Connexion school pupils, giving them wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

Please pray also for God’s guidance and protection over our Connexion teachers, continuing to empower them to teach our children.

We thank God for answering our prayers.

Amen

The Huntingdon Vocational Senior Secondary School (SSS) in Sierra Leone is located at the FooFoo Water Community approximately 25 miles from Freetown.

SSS is an offshoot of The Huntingdon Vocational Junior Secondary School (JSS), founded in 2013 by the late Rev Frank Conteh, who was an active Connexion Minister. It  opened initially with 12 pupils from JSS following achievement of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). These pupils would now study for three years at SSS in preparation for College or University.

Unprecedented Closure

The next year, however, brought the outbreak of an Ebola epidemic, which forced the school to close its doors from May 2014 to March 2016.

More problems followed in August 2018, with the introduction of Free Quality Education (FQE) by President Bio, which resulted in the total withdrawal of pupils, who had gained admission into Government assisted schools.

During these trying years the school completely stagnated, and it wasn’t until 2019 that a few dedicated and inspired teachers, with a passion for teaching and education, took it forward into a position of growth - and hope.

Ambrose Junisa, Principal

Today's acting Principal, Ambrose Junisa, is proud to have been educated by The Connexion and the Sierra Leone Mission (SLM). Since qualifying as a teacher in 2011 she has worked with both the Junior and Senior Huntingdon Schools, rising to Deputy Principal and now Acting Principal. Ambrose has faced multiple trials and challenges throughout her career, including a need to stand firm against discoveries of injustice, bullying and disrespect. This she has achieved with the continuing support of Magnus Bendu, who vowed to ‘provide support until the school succeeds’ and has kept his promise!

Ambrose and Magnus have worked with dedication and discernment to bring The Huntingdon SSS back to life and help it to develop further, but the school still faces a number of challenges:

• Restricted funds to pay teachers
• Constraints on the collection of fees
• Issues with the infrastructure of the school building
• High rent and running costs for the building currently in use
• Insufficient furniture and teaching/learning materials

Sierra Leone Mission (SLM)

The SLM committee have resolved to make a difference in all of our schools in Sierra Leone. There are over 5000 children currently being educated in Connexion schools, and help is always needed to help them to remain open and achieve their full potential.

MAKING A DONATION

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

Seven of the teenagers at The Connexion's Bethesda Orphanage are now studying for their degrees at University.

Mariatu Kamara is at Ernest Bai Koroma University (Year 3) taking a BSc in Nursing.

Issa Kamara (left) is at Earnest Bai Koroma University (Year 2) taking a BSc in computer science. Abdul Mansaray (middle) is at Canadian University (Year 3) studying Mass Communication. Andrew Alpha (right) is at Njala University (Year 2) taking a BSc in Rural development.

Fatmata Sesay is at Lunsar University (Year 1) taking a BSc in Nursing.

Ibrahim Kabia is at Canadian University (Year 1) taking a BSc in Agriculture.

Abie Gbla is at Canadian University (Year 1) taking a BSc in Nursing.

Three of Bethesda’s older boys, David, Alhassan and Bernard, have also passed the necessary examinations to enable them to move up to Senior Secondary Education.

There are currently 11 children living at Bethesda (full time) as well as our university students, who still have a 'home' at the orphanage.

Please join Rev Amidu Koroma in his prayers for Sierra Leone over the coming weeks.

Amidu's prayers for November

Please pray for the nation of Sierra Leone, especially during the current economy crisis.

Please also pray that God will continue to establish our Connexion Churches in Sierra Leone and the UK.

We ask for God’s provision over our UK partners, helping them to continue to support our communities in Sierra Leone.

May God keep giving Grace to our Pastors and enable them to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

We pray that God will continue to bless our leadership in Sierra Leone, in particular the work of Magnus Bendu.

We also pray that God will continue to bless and establish the Sierra Leone Mission and its Chair, ‘Aunty Janet O’Shea’.

We request prayer for God’s provisions over all of our schools and churches in Sierra Leone.

We ask that God may continue to protect Christian missionaries around the world. 

We also ask for protection over Christian workers in Israel and Palestine.

Finally, we pray for God’s guidance and protection over government leadership in Sierra Leone and in the UK.

We thank God for answering our prayers.

We would be grateful if you would join Amidu Koroma in prayer for the following requests.

Amidu's prayers for October

Please pray for God’s provisions over The Connexion in Sierra Leone. 

Please also pray that God will continue to direct and bless the leadership in Sierra Leone, especially Bishop Magnus Bendu for his timeless effort to develop The Connexion. 

We ask for you to pray for all of the people within the Connexion who are suffering from illness. 

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

We ask you to pray for the peace of the Lord to reign in the world at large.

We also pray for spiritual growth within The Connexion.

Please pray for the Sierra Leone Mission Chair, Janet O'Shea. May God continue to guide her and keep her safe..

We pray that God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will rest over The Connexion.

Please pray also for Christian Missionaries throughout the world who are suffering persecution. May God be with them.

Amen