You may have read the recent article 'Roof Disaster in Makomba' and learned how God wonderfully provided through his people in the UK for Makomba School's roof to be repaired after a storm. It was an urgent need as the walls are made of mud bricks and the rains were coming. The lovely blue roof was installed just before the rains came the next day. 

Praise the Lord for His perfect timing!

 

Magnus' prayer points for June 

• Pray for the Government to be endowed with special wisdom to govern well at this time of serious increase in the cost of living in Sierra Leone. In a country where the vast majority live on under $1 a day, escalation of prices is a big trouble.
• Pray for strength and courage for our evangelists in Kabala, Mathoir, Kono and Kamakontakay - Mark, Michael, Kwame and John respectively.
• Let us continue to pray for the funds needed to complete the Health Centre. The need for a proper heath centre, particularly facing on children's health, becomes urgent as everyday there are parents losing their lovely children due to lack of access to quality health care.
• Please pray for the sick. Michael Cargo at Fufu water (hernia and foot sore), Elder Jobbie Williams at Conteh, Waterloo (diabetes & stroke), Rachael Dove at Goderich (kidney issues), Zainab Kakai at Bureh Town (stress related) and many with malaria, typhoid and cold, which is common here in this season.

 

A portion of the grant received annually from the Cheshunt Foundation has been allocated to an educational programme for new Sunday School Teachers and Lay Preachers in Sierra Leone.

The training, which is provided by the Whitefield Christian Institute, began on Saturday 21 May for six weeks. During the course, participants are required to complete various assignments and also take examinations.

The origins of the Cheshunt Foundation go back to its roots as a Training College for Independent Ministers, founded in Trevecca in 1768 by the Countess of Huntingdon. When the College moved to Cheshunt in Hertfordshire in 1792, it was renamed Cheshunt College, before moving again to Cambridge in 1905 and finally merging with Westminster College from 1967. 

It is wonderful to see the work of the Cheshunt Foundation continuing the Countess's legacy in Sierra Leone. Offering opportunities for individuals to gain the type of theological training that would ordinarily be unavailable to them.

 

A violent windstorm completely destroyed the roof of one of The Connexion’s schools in Makomba, Sierra Leone in early May. 

Magnus Bendu contacted the Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) the following day (5 May) to ask for prayer and assistance as the only option would be to replace the entire roof, measuring some 23 ft x 50ft. In the meantime, children had been asked not to attend school as they could not be safely accommodated. 

Broad Oak School was originally constructed in 1997 from mud blocks with a roof of corrugated iron sheeting on rafters. However, these had worn over time, enabling the strong winds to lift the roof right off. And with the threat of the heavy rain season imminent this posed an even more serious problem to ensure protection of the mud block building.

The SLM shared the news with members of the committee and prayer was quickly answered, with one member generously agreeing to donate funds to cover the cost of building a new roof.

By Monday 9 May the money had been sent and work began immediately. By Wednesday 11 May the roof was completed, just in time before the rains arrived on Thursday!

We thank God for his miracles and continued generosity. Without this fast and benevolent gifting, the entire school may have been destroyed.

 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 origins of the Countess of Huntingdon’s missionary work in Sierra Leone date back to the 18thcentury, and go on today through the support of The Connexion and Sierra Leone Mission (SLM).

At the annual Connexion Conference, Magnus Bendu shared a selection of messages he’d gathered from a range of individuals who have benefited from this valuable partnership between the UK and Sierra Leone, which continues the Countess of Huntingdon’s legacy.

Magnus Bendu - excerpt from his Conference Report

‘The administration of The Connexion is very highly indebted to our UK partnership and friendship through the Sierra Leone Mission. Our friendship has flourished greatly over the years and they have been our major life support after God. They are always willing to help us and to unconditionally partner with the ministry in Sierra Leone. They continue to provide for the running costs of the Bethesda Orphanage, provide grants for teacher and pastor stipends and support other projects including scholarships for teacher's education and pastoral training as and when they can. They have also met the personal needs of many. They pay hospital bills, school and college fees, give stipends to poor widows, give gifts to friends and send the almighty shoe bags every year to the children – the list goes on!’ 

Abdul Mansaray, Mabang

‘I have been a teacher for over 15 years now at the school in Mabang. The Government is not paying me. The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion has paid my fees to do a Teacher's Certificate course and has been giving me transportation to get to the class and pay a salary every month. I thank you so much. What I feel so good about is that even though the money is small, they pay us very promptly and they say it is the people from England. I thank them so much.’ 

Ambrose Junisa

‘The relationship between the Countess of Huntingdon’s Mission in Sierra Leone and that of The Connexion in UK, I personally believe has been a kind of mother and son relationship, which does not get broken. Your blessing in my life as a person remains uncountable. I trust that the good Lord will strengthen this unending friendship as ever.’ 

Nancy Sawyer, Hailsham Gospel - referring to FSL support

‘What they did for me! I have never seen this kind of goodness in my life. After my husband died, they paid me every month as if I am a worker for 12 years. That amount was what sustained me and my children until I had a stable garden.’

Alieu Kamara, Magbafty

'My house was almost falling when the roof was leaking. They covered my shame and bought the corrugated iron sheet for me. That one thing that our partners in the UK did for my family, besides many more as a Pastor, I will never forget.'

Hassam Bangura, resident of Manallo - referring to Mortimer West End's support to re-roof burned houses

‘I am a Muslim and my house was burnt down as a result of political violence, these white people did not only help their Christian brothers but also few of us who are Muslims. Since that day I know that Christians are very generous and good people. I don’t know how to thank them.’ 

Christiana Mansaray, elderly woman in Manallo

‘One good thing I will always remember about our friends in England; I don’t remember their names now, but I can see their faces, all of them, is that during the war in Sierra Leone, they supplied us rice every month and even Muslims were coming to Church and some of them never returned to the Mosque again.’

 

(The photograph shows some of the Sierra Leone children receiving their shoe bags)

 

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

 

 

Bethesda Orphanage in Brama, Sierra Leone was originally founded in 2013 to provide a place for children to come for food. But on one particularly rainy night in September 2013 the visiting children asked to stay, thus beginning the future of Bethesda as a full-time home and sanctuary. 

Today Bethesda accommodates 19 children, who now live in a purpose built home that was constructed in 2016, following a miraculous answer to prayer.

The house is run by Magnus Bendu, assisted by Marie the ‘House Mum’ who takes care of the home, meals and the children’s general needs and James, the ‘House Dad’, who gives the children extra tuition and is responsible for the maintenance of the building. The Orphanage also has a security man who lives on site.

The aim of Bethesda is to rescue abandoned or ‘lost’ children from the streets and give them a secure and loving Christian environment in which they can grow and thrive.

Many of the children are unaware of their exact age, but roughly they range from 8 to 18 years. Two of the older children, Abdul and Mariatu, are leaving to start University, but Bethesda will still remain their home.

Funding the Orphanage relies entirely on charitable donations, much of which comes through the Sierra Leone Mission; as does the raising of additional money to keep the children healthy and enable them to reach their potential.

Sponsoring a child is invaluable in helping to achieve this. The sum of £27 per month gives enough to cover the cost of food, clothes, health care and education for one child.

If you, or your church, would like to sponsor one of the children, please get in touch with Janet O’Shea: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Janet will then send you details of the child you are helping and set up a standing order. Your sponsorship has the power change a child’s life completely, so please do consider.

Thank you!

 

(The photo shows the children of Bethesda Orphanage, pictured with Magnus Bendu on Christmas Day 2021)

Following the generous support for Abdul's and Mariatu's progression to university, the two students from Bethesda Orphanage in Sierra Leone, would like to express their gratitude.

Thanks from Abdul

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.  

Thanks from Mariatu

On behalf of all of the children at Bethesda at Brama Town in Sierra Leone West Africa, I would like to thank you all for your generous support to the orphanage. I am happy to tell you that your generous and selfless support made me achieve more than I ever imagined. 

Everything that has happened to me is just like a dream. Through your unimaginable support, you have made us achieve personal happiness, social life and academic success. We have gradually progressed from one stage to the other, just because of your support. If it were not for you, we would not have come this far. Besides academic achievement, our ways of life have been transformed morally and we have also influenced our peers to something good. As a member of Bethesda, you have made me understand the importance of helping the poor and needy. Your investment in my life will never go in vain because when my life fully succeeds, I will try very hard to replicate your generosity and kindness to hopeless children wherever they are, in the street, at homes or the villages. This is closest to my heart. 

Kindly note that my achievement this far couldn't be done without your intervention in my life. Therefore, I deeply appreciate your willingness and determination to come in and sponsor us. We hope and wish that our association and relationship will be maintained even in the future. Together we can always change the world to become a better place. Thank you.

A serious fire broke out in the early hours of 21 February at the Milton Margai School for the Blind in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The fire ignited at the centre of the school building, which cut off a means of escape for the 30 resident girls who were asleep in their dormitory. Matron raised the alarm and she, with members of the local community, bravely ran through the flames to rescue the pupils. 

Thankfully, there were no fatalities and none of the girls are badly hurt, but they are receiving counselling to help them to deal with the effects of trauma.

Sierra Leone Mission has donated £1000 to help with the initial rebuilding costs, and any further donations would be greatly welcomed to assist the school.

To Donate

If you would like to make a donation, please click on the Donations button, located at the top of each website page. Please 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

You may recall an article we posted on the website this time last year about Abdul and Mariatu. They are the two oldest children at Bethesda Orphanage, having been rescued at a very young age from the streets of Freetown by Magnus Bendu. They were brought to live at Bethesda, which gave them a home, new brothers and sisters, and ensured that they had a good education with opportunities to study hard.

With their time at Bethesda coming to an end Abdul and Mariatu were making plans to move on to further education - something they could never have dreamed of doing living on the streets. 

They continued to apply themselves to their studies throughout their time at Bethesda. Abdul was appointed Head Boy and Mariatu was elected Student Chaplain. Having worked hard for their final exams, they hoped for results that would make them eligible to gain a place at University. Abdul to study law and Mariatu to study medicine.

An appeal was made at the end of 2020 by the Sierra Leone Mission for financial contribution towards the cost of enabling these bright, hardworking teenagers to achieve the next stage of their education. The estimated cost of Abdul’s four-year course was £542 and Mariatu’s seven-year course was then estimated at £620. Thanks be to God for his answer to prayer in bringing a generous donation to the SLM to enable them the possibility of going to University. 

We are now delighted to inform you that both Abdul and Mariatu received good exam grades and as a result have been able to apply for University courses. Abdul had at one time considered studying Law, but decided to apply for a BSc course in Computer Science, as an alternative, at the Canadian University of Modern Technology. During his application interview, however, he was advised to switch to Mass Communication. This option  reduces the need for a strong background in science (which has been limited for Abdul) and also offers a path to study Law as further study. Mariatu continues to seek a career in medicine and has successfully gained a place on a BSc course in nursing at Njala University. 

We are hugely thankful to the sponsors who came forward with money to cover Abdul's and Mariatu's University tuition fees (which have since doubled). However there are still additional costs that have not yet been funded...  

Both Abdul and Mariatu will need a personal computer and mobile phone. The computers are estimated at £368 each and the phones are £103 each. In addition, the costs that will be incurred for their food is estimated at £23 per month.

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 again prompt 'someone out there' who may consider making a contribution, or perhaps a one-off payment, to cover these additional costs. And in doing so they will enable a hugely exciting and beneficial adventure for two street children.

Thanks be to God!

 

Donate

If you would like to make a donation, please click on the Donations button, located at the top of each website page. Please state if you would like your donation to go towards a particular project (eg Abdul and Mariatu).

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. When making a bank transfer donation, the donor's name is needed for auditing purposes, but 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

Our communities of children in Sierra Leone were delighted to receive their shoe bags on Christmas Day.

Especially excited were the children at our new church in Kamakontakay, who had never seen a shoe bag before - let alone receive one!

The shoe bags contain treats and toys donated and packed by members of our Connexion churches in the UK. These gifts are an extra special gift for our Sierra Leone children, whose families live hand to mouth and are unable to afford toys and treats. 

 

 

 

Bethesda

On Christmas Eve the children from our orphanage in Bethesda had fun day trip to Bureh Town beach. They were invited to the beach by the charity, Home Leone, who very kindly covered the cost of the outing.  

On Christmas Day they attended church, where they received their shoe bags, before going on to enjoy a special Christmas lunch of chicken, which was generously funded by Ebley Chapel in Stroud.  

 

Donate

If you would like to make a donation towards our mission in Sierra Leone, please click on the Donations button, located at the top of each website page. Please 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 

Or send a cheque to:

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

The container of goods and treats for our communities in Sierra Leone arrived on 4 December this year – in good time for Christmas.

The shipments contain a variety of goods and treats, which are hugely appreciated, including bedding, towels, books, clothing, toys and the all-important shoe bags of treats and Christmas presents, put together by our dedicated church members in the UK. 

We have since been sent some lovely photos of the children in Brama School proudly wearing their new jumpers, cardigans and hats.

Last year the containers were stuck at Freetown docks for several weeks before being released, which was frustrating for all concerned and involved higher duties needing to be paid. This year, thankfully, things ran more smoothly at the destination port, though the journey was not without a few hassles on the way from St Ives to Crawley for transportation! 

Read on to hear the tale from Janet O’Shea. 

Sunday 17 October

The St.Ives team gathered to load two Luton vans to the gunnels with boxes ready for transporting them to Redcoat at Crawley, a round trip of 591.4 miles, which should take 6 hours 3 minutes each way. Van 1 was driven by Mark accompanied by his wife Kirsty and my son-in-law Andy and Van 2 was driven by Naomi, a retired midwife, who was recovering from a broken arm, plus Nina (my granddaughter) and me - nurturing a back problem. 

Monday 18 October at 7.00am

First hitch of the day. Van 1 has two flat tyres and Van 2 needed some coaxing to get out of the car park. This may have given a warning light to Nina, who has experienced a few other ‘adventures’ in the company of her grandmother, but filled with positivity we pressed on and upwards via the A30. 

We cheered as we passed from Cornwall into Devon. Mark was ahead, but he needed to get to a garage because an engine light had suddenly appeared. Losing power is never good, God is always good, and Mark was able to pull over into a ‘proper’ lay by before the cabin filled with smoke! At this point Nina gave me a look of ‘I don’t believe this!’ 

The rental firm was contacted and we were told to stay put. Two and a half hours later a young man arrived with a ‘replacement’ van. You really have to picture this: three ladies, one with a broken arm, another with a bad back, young Nina and a young man whose job description does not include packing boxes into a van – in the pouring rain!

With sleeves rolled up we heaved, hauled, pushed and forced the boxes from the broken van to the other, now named Van 2b. It took us an hour and a half to nearly complete the job, but we really struggled to fit in seven banana boxes full of shoes. 

Later on we found out that the ill-fated Van 2 had burnt a hole in the piston and needed a tow truck to travel up from West Cornwall to retrieve it – and on its return journey the van was also involved in an accident! 

Meanwhile, we had a mission, to arrive at Redcoat by the 5:00pm deadline – and by now it was 2:00pm. We’d learned that Van 1 had arrived and unloaded, with the crew waiting for us at Crawley ready to unload our van. We finally arrived at 5:02pm and it took a further hour to load the container.

At 6:15pm Van 1 and Van 2b left Crawley for the journey home. It’s all downhill so it shouldn’t take long!! By this time the occupants of Van 2b were starving and desperately needed the rest room – but we vowed to get onto the A303 before we stopped. 

The Mattia diner seemed like a good place to stop so we checked the opening times and found that it shut at 9:00pm. Great! Visions of a burger and a visit to the ladies room filled our minds. We arrived at 8:10pm to be told that last orders were at 8:00pm. Okay, we thought, but asked if we use the rest room. No, was the response we’d have to use the garage loos. The garage loos were out of order, so we returned to the restaurant to explain our situation, but they wouldn’t let us in!

We happily found a much-needed stop before we set off to Exeter and the last leg of our journey. We eventually arrived back at our respective homes at 1:15am Tuesday morning. 

So, would I do it again? The simple answer is ‘Yes!’ I have personally had the privilege of accompanying Magnus as he distributes clothes, bedding, towels, sleeping bags etc, all in the name of Jesus. Then there are the shoe bags. Who doesn’t want to bring joy to children who have nothing? 

This shipment definitely came with some challenges, and I did not disappoint my granddaughter. We certainly had another adventure!