Originally printed in the Connexion’s Voice magazine

I have always respected our revered editor’s power of persuasion but when he asked me to show my support for Sierra Leone by coming on a golf day I thought I had an impregnable excuse – I had never played golf and felt no golf shaped hole in my life. Alas, that was brushed aside as an irrelevance and I found myself having signed up to play a game full of mysterious things like handicaps (I thought I had plenty of those) and tee shots. Our firstborn son, David gallantly agreed to join me and gently suggested that perhaps we should find a way of practising and so we visited a driving range a few times to learn which way up to hold the stick (properly called “clubs) and to discover the mysteries of hook (where the ball goes nowhere near the hole) and slice (where the ball goes nowhere near the hole but in the other direction)

The day dawned, glorious and beautiful, and along with our secret weapon – David’s Father-in Law who has a very low handicap which is apparently a very good thing – we made our slightly nervous way to Horsham. There we met up with a generally joyous and excited bunch of golfers and had great fellowship before we were called at the appointed time to “tee-off” (that means start.)

Dear reader, if I needed an assurance of God’s goodness the first hole was the place for it for here were a crowd of people watching for signs of talent and prowess. I addressed the ball, looked, in vain, for the hole and took a mighty swing. The ball flew like a startled partridge up into the blue sky and curled just the right amount round the corner towards the hole to the amazement of those who knew me and the admiration of those who did not. I probably should have retired on the spot but we can draw a veil over the rest of the day for what can I say about the attraction of water and the poor placing of trees. It was a brilliant day and tremendous fun and the odd good shot was incredibly satisfying and blotted out the memory of the many wayward ones!

The winner was The Sierra Leone Mission but the opportunities for fellowship and being out among some of the beauties that our Father has made were a great privilege and joy. I have learned enough about the game of golf to be able to enjoy it even if I haven’t worked out how to find the time for it yet and I am grateful to have been invited

Originally written by Gordon Hamilton for the Connexion’s Voice magazine

The 5th annual S.L.M. Golf Day was attended by the largest group of golfers, forty in all, from some novices to some very experienced golfers. The sun shone for the whole day, without being too hot, ideal weather conditions for playing. Raul D’Oliveria, a first time player in the competition, although an experienced golfer, won the overall individual event, with

Andy Gutherie second. Christine Hamilton won the Ladies title for the fourth time, and it was good to see an increase in the number of ladies taking part.

The Texas Scramble event was won by Dave Huzzey, Dean Lifford, John McEwan and Bob Preece. The biggest winner was the S.L.M. with the profit from the event totalling £537.

Next year’s event is pencilled in for Friday 24th September 2010.

As you will no doubt be aware, the last year has been a trying time for the Sierra Leone Mission, with the ramifications of the ‘credit crunch’ began to bite with the crashing exchange rate wiping off a significant portion of our spending power in Sierra Leone. This caused us to reluctantly initiate cut backs in our expenditure in order to survive and protect our long term viability. I am very aware that as hard as it was for us as a Committee to instigate these, it was even harder for our brothers in sisters in Sierra Leone as salaries were effectively cut (even though we were spending the same if not more in the UK), and in the case of the teachers, jobs were lost. I have been impressed with their understanding and patience in these trying days. I have also been – as is so often the case – staggered by the generous response of the Connexion to our appeals for help. Thank you! God is good!

A special thank you must go to those who signed up to the Sierra Leone Champions scheme, committing to give regularly for a year to support our work with children. These contributions have gone a long way towards getting us through this difficult period whilst we look to set ourselves up on a securer footing for the future. At the time of writing, things are significantly better, with the exchange rate having moved closer to the level we were operating with a year ago. That said, please continue to pray, as the situation is still not stable, and the rates may plunge again. Of course, if you were thinking of joining the Sierra Leone Champions, although September has now passed it is not too late to sign up. Get in touch with me if you want forms, or download them from our website – yes we have our own website now! The URL is: www.sierraleonemission.org.uk The site is still being put together, so bear with us, but hopefully this will provide a quick and easy way to keep in touch.

Our gratitude must also go to all of you who helped with the shoebags filled with gifts for the children of Sierra Leone this year – those who put them together, gave towards transportation costs, got them to us, and finally helped transport them to our shippers. As I type, I am awaiting confirmation that they arrived so that they can be distributed for Christmas.

Just after posting this article, I received the great news that the shoebags full of gifts for the children in Sierra Leone have safely arrived!

As world leaders meet at the United Nations in New York to discuss increased funding for healthcare in developing countries, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan has launched a campaign to reduce maternal deaths in Sierra Leone.

The report ‘Out of Reach: The Cost of Maternal Health in Sierra Leone’ uses graphic and personal testimonials to show how women and girls are often unable access lifesaving treatment because they are too poor to pay for it.

In Sierra Leone, one in eight women risk dying during pregnancy or childbirth. This is one of the highest maternal death rates in the world, the NGO points out.

Thousands of women bleed to death after giving birth. Most die in their homes. Some die on the way to hospital; in taxis, on motorbikes or on foot. In Sierra Leone, less than half of deliveries are attended by a skilled birth attendant and less than one in five are carried out in health facilities.

“These grim statistics reveal that maternal deaths are a human rights emergency in Sierra Leone,” said Irene Khan, launching the report in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. “Women and girls are dying in their thousands because they are routinely denied their right to life and health, in spite of promises from the government to provide free healthcare to all pregnant women.”

First published by Ekklesia: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/10443

Reproduced with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 England & Wales License