INTRODUCTION
We have come again with exciting news regarding the spread of the Gospel and the training of men to spread the Gospel more! We are appreciative to God to have come your way again with our April 2024 report, our committed readers, partners, and supporters. We know that the successes that we are recording here all come from the prayers and the financial support you are giving us and we do not take that for granted. Our team here (the staff, students, graduates and evangelistic teams) are also not relenting in pursuing the cause of Christ. That is why in April 2024, our students excelled in their academics, evangelistic campaigns and lectureships were conducted, fifty four (54) souls were converted, and our Agricultural farm yielded some good fruits.
THE STUDENTS CONTINUED WITH THEIR ACADEMICS
Our students (full time and part time) continued their classes and were very committed to their studies. Our full-time students progressed to their second quarter of their first year while our part-time students continued with their fourth quarter, which is anticipated to end by May. Apart from academics, you have always been informed from our reports (and for those who have visited us from firsthand knowledge) that our students are always going on the evangelistic field to demonstrate practically the skills they are learning in the classroom. To this cause, they have truly been committed and we truly covet your prayers for them.
THE SCHOOL CONDUCTED AN EVANGELISM CAMPAIGN AND CONVERTED 31 SOULS
Truly, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are very few! This is very true with the situation of the Churches of Christ in Sierra Leone. Souls are thirsty to hear the word, but there are not many committed brethren. So when you find few that truly love the Lord, they need to be prayed for and encouraged. By March of 2023, we sent you a report that we conducted an evangelistic campaign at Segbwema with six souls converted which led to the establishment of a local congregation. And you were also informed that we were going to nurture that congregation through our External Mission Program. You were given the description of the typical setting of Segbwema, how it is dominated by Muslims (though few denominations are there) but that there were many prospects there. Based on how we have been engaging this community with the Gospel since last year, we decided to launch a Gospel campaign there. Before the campaign, something interesting happened. We found a denomination, bearing the name “Church of Christ” but practicing error (instruments, tithe and everything that is erroneous) and started studying with her members. By December of 2023, many of her members were converted (though we did not report this, but our coordinator, Steve Ashcraft knows about it and he and brother Francis Musa, a long time Sierra Leonean Missionary to Guinea, even gave us some good guidance. Brother Mike Udam and his wife, upon their visit in December last year, were also taken to these new Christians for exhortation and encouragement). Therefore we brought those who accepted the truth together with our previous members and they made up a congregation. We have been going to build this congregation up consistently. In fact, one of our last year graduates, Epaphras A. Missailie has been assigned to this congregation as her preacher. Not only Missailie, but the school is involved with the congregation because many are people who are just coming from error, therefore they need a more mature and sound teacher to uphold them with the doctrine of Christ. So it was an attempt to strengthen this congregation that we took a campaign there from April 10 to 15. During this time, evangelism was done vigorously and as the result, thirty one (31) souls were converted. This congregation, with the addition of the 31 brethren, has a big challenge of a place of worship. And as you will be praying for them, please remember to include that also in your prayers.
EVANGELISTIC SEMINARS AND CONVERSION OF SOULS BY THE EVANGELISTIC TEAMS AND ALUMNI
You are already aware of the active works of the evangelistic teams across the country. So training seminars were held in Freetown, Kenema, Kpayeh, and Kono Most of these programs actually go along with evangelism and not just sitting down in a church building to receive lectures. Therefore, as a result of the combined efforts of the teams and alumni, twenty three (23) souls were converted.
FOOD PRODUCTION THROUGH AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM
It was in February this year that we informed you that we received good and educational training from Healing Hands International through Dr. Udofia. We immediately went ahead to apply the skills we learnt and this has yielded us some good benefits. We are even very optimistic that it would help us greatly as we continue to embark on Agriculture as a school in order to augment your cherished finances you send to us to feed our students and staff. In April, we had an encouraging harvest of cucumbers, corn, beans and lettuce. This is truly good as preachers so that we can also be trained on how to find food for our families. We are on the Operation Feed Bear Valley Family, hence we will continue to pursue this cause.
CONCLUSION
As you went through this report, it was evident that the Lord is promoting His work here through the instrumentality of people like you. We are also making our efforts here. Therefore, we continue to be grateful to God and to you. We look forward again to updating you in our May report.
Peter Sahr Makundu
Director, Sierra Leone Bear Valley Bible Institute