Educational Assistance in Sierra Leone
Rev. Emmanuel Farma, pastor of one of our Bo congregations in Sierra Leone, is also a superintendent and leader in the Sierra Leone Conference. He began his education years ago, and was not able to finish it. At this time, he is able to begin again at The Evangelical College of Theology in Freetown. As with each of our SL students, Pastor Farma needs a hand of assistance to finish his pursuits. Global Ministries believes strongly in Pastor Farma and the work he is doing, and trusts that God will provide partners for him to complete his education. His educational costs for one year are $900.
Sierra Leone: A Missionary Doctor back into Mattru Hospital
Dr. Jerry Putman is a gynecological surgeon from Texas who has worked for several years with Mercy Ships as their chief medical officer at the clinic in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He has done hundreds of surgeries on women who have come to the clinic there. During his time in Sierra Leone, he has visited several hospitals in the country, including Mattru, to assess the gynecological problems faced by women all over this West African country. As he came to the end of his contract with Mercy Ships, he decided that he wanted to return to Sierra Leone, but in a different role. Because of friendships that had developed, Dr. Putman offered to come to Mattru on the condition that we would provide housing for him and his family. He also advised us that he would have fellow specialists willing to come for short-term medical trips, if we can provide housing for them.
The decision was made to assign the "senior medical staff” quarters to Dr. Putman because it is large enough to accommodate his family and have room for visiting guests.
We are seeking to do our part in this wonderful opportunity by raising $2,000 toward the construction materials needed to renovate this structure. Your investment in this will help bring significant advancement in medical missions through Mattru.
Rotifunk Church Plant
Rev. Francis Bendu-Laggah came from the Moyamba District of Sierra Leone. In addition to his pastoral experience, he is a qualified teacher. His assignments have taken him all over the southern parts of Sierra Leone where he served as teacher/pastor in villages, some in very remote places.
Rev. Bendu-Laggah has now reached retirement age and like a lot of men in Sierra Leone has decided to go back to his home village. But unlike other men, when he looked around and saw that there was no church in his village or surrounding villages, he decided to start one and plant a UB church. From a small beginning, they now have a group large enough to fill a good size building. With the help of the people and local materials, they have erected a building that has now come up to roof height.
They have now exhausted their resources. They need help with windows and a roof that is made out of zinc because it will last longer than the grass roof people use. The estimate for the completion is about Le 6,000,000.00 (six million Leones), about $2,000.00.
These people have done a lot of work on their own, and any help we can provide them to complete this church building would be a boost for the work of the Sierra Leone Conference. Reverend Bendu-Laggah would like to see this completed while he is still able to work and guide the church.
Danville School and Church - Gbangbaia
Danville is one of our historic church congregations in the Sierra Leone Conference. It was the site of the first full-time boarding school for boys in the country. For a long time, it counted many of the Conference leaders among its graduates. By the side of the school is a cemetery where several UB mission dignitaries are buried.
Today the church at Gbangbaia has flourished under the ministry of one who has come to UB work in Sierra Leone from far away, like the early missionaries did. The Reverend Omar Sheriff is from Mauritania. A convert from Islam, he came to us through friends and joined us particularly because he liked our doctrine and evangelical stands on issues. He reports that he does not have much of a family left in Mauritania. His only contact with his homeland is with the Mauritanian community in Freetown, the capital. Rev. Sheriff has taken the church far in its outreach and he has a great burden for, and an understanding of Muslims and their beliefs. The church has been on an expansion project for which the members have carried sand from the riverbanks, and have bought materials on their own. They have suffered delays and set backs connected to the unrest of the war. Now they would like to complete the job, but they face mounting costs that increase monthly due to high inflation rates in Sierra Leone.
Gbangbaia church is appealing for assistance that would help bring this building project to completion before the costs gets farther out of reach, Le 11,333,000.00 (Almost $4,000.00). If you can help this hard-working pastor with a heart for reaching Muslims, please consider investing in the expansion of their ministry.
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