Report from the mission in Sierra Leone

Dear Mr. President and dear members of the Board of Directors of the blessed missionary fraternity. I wish you peace and love from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ. I embrace you fraternally and heartily and thank you for your fraternal and practical missionary love, zeal and help to this traumatized country and the newly born Orthodox Mission (since February 2008) in Sierra Leone, a Mission which – with the help of the Triune God – began to plant the seed of the Church of Christ from scratch. As I wrote to you in the previous report, I acknowledge from the bottom of my heart that your help is not only important and historic for the spread of Orthodoxy in West Africa, but also a motherly gesture, because like a loving mother who cares for and nurtures her newborn infant, you, dear brothers in Christ, have nourished and cared for this new Mission at the most critical moment and hour of its existence. Surely as the Mission in Sierra Leone matures, its need for its parents in Thessaloniki will diminish. But now is not the time to remain almost orphaned. I am particularly grateful to you, Mr. President, for your personal interest and sensitivity for the success of our missionary work. The projects initiated with your exclusive help for the purposes of the Mission are many and with God’s help are going to strengthen the position and possibilities of our Mission.

• The address offices

As I informed you in my previous report, we have finished the administration offices at our Freetown Orthodox Christian School site. I thank the Brotherhood for the financial assistance for this project. It was imperative that new offices be built for the high school administration staff which was in a deplorable condition.

• The Cathedral

Work on the cathedral of St. Eleftherios and St. George have stopped. But the building has reached the roof level, the beams are in place, all the internal and external arches are finished. The roof, the bell tower, the souvah, the painting, the tiling remain. So far I have given about 58,000€. To finish the church, another 18,000€ are needed. But I would ask you to send us 25,000€ for the other needs of the church (church furniture, iconostasis, etc.)

• The Gymnasium-Lykeio

Within the existing school premises, the construction of a high school, which is being financed by your Brotherhood, continues. The plans were made with your cooperation, Mr. President, with Mr. N. Fournari and the African engineer here, Mr. V. …Mr. N.N. and Mr. B. Peua, a local African architect. The excavations were done, the foundations were laid, the first slab was finished, the first walls were finished and the second slab was laid. I am waiting for the next installment to continue the project. The total cost of the school is 125.000€

• Construction of a priest’s residence and guest house for visitors in Waterloo.

The construction of a priest’s residence and guest houses for visitors was a project of great need. The work was started under the responsibility of the mission engineer Mr. Vaiu Peua. So far I have given 22,777€ for this project. Mr. Peua intends to finish the reconstruction at the end of November. Until then our new priest (Fr. Stephen) is living with his family in a rented space in Waterloo. The building is finished except for the electrical, plumbing and tiling. There is no debt. I inform you that four handicapped homes have been completed and another is to be completed soon. Thank you for your interest in this program. There is already a school for the children of the handicapped and the neighboring community (200 children). In addition to the educational benefit to the children it will certainly have several missionary benefits. During the day we use one of the houses together with the temporary church as classrooms. At night they serve as bedrooms for the unmarried invalids. Obviously this is a temporary situation waiting for help to establish a permanent building that will serve as an elementary, middle and high school.

• The Clinic

I received your donation of €10,000 for the clinic a while ago. The location of the clinic is on our large plot of land in Waterloo and will serve the disabled and the surrounding community. The choice of the exact location has been made. Construction has begun. I am sending you photos.

• Ι. Church of the Resurrection of Christ and Saint Moses

At our site in Waterloo the church began. Excavation has been done, the first foundations have been laid and the first slab is about to fall. The total cost of the church is 45,000€. Please send us the second instalment so that we can continue the project.

• Desks for school Wilberforce

Of the €10,000 you have already sent for scholarships and in accordance with your proposal, €1,000 was given for the construction of desks for the recently war-damaged Wilberforce school. The carpenters under Mr Peua’s gaze finished the work. The Mission on behalf of the Brotherhood is to formally offer them shortly before Wilberforce Councillor Mr Gibson and the school staff. As you are aware Mr. Chairman and as we have already said this school has already been given to our Mission by the Mayor of Freetown (I enclose a photocopy of the Mayor’s letter to this effect). I have, however, asked that the field in front of the school be offered to us as well. I am also waiting for your advice on the next step.

• Scholarships

The remaining €9,000 is used for children’s scholarships. I am preparing to send you another educational adoption programme of 30 children. We need it very much. I will also soon send you a report with the progress of the children for the second year of the first educational adoption program you undertook last year. I thank your Brotherhood very much, Honorable President, for undertaking to fund important and essential projects of this new West African Mission in a country that is now beginning to recover from a tragic civil war (1990-2002). By the grace of God, I hope that this partnership in Christ between the Brotherhood and the missionary team in Sierra Leone will continue. I wish you the love and blessing of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you.

I am grateful in Christ

Αρχ. Themistocles Adamopoulos