ACTIVITY OPERATION REPORT FOR APRIL 2025
Full Time and the Extended (2) Programs
INTRODUCTION
We are at that time of a year where we are transitioning from the dry to the rainy season, whereby unexpectedly the rain comes. It is indeed a great blessing from the Lord that He sends rain to us. And this blessing has never negatively affected our work here. April was a lovely month for us even when the rains were introduced. In that month, the school embarked on a successful campaign, held two trainings (one for the evangelistic team leaders and one for the graduates), and converted some souls and restored some. Academically, our students held on. Here are the details:
STUDENTS UPDATE
You were informed in our March report that our full time students were to go on a short 2 weeks break which was expected to end on April 14, 2025. Indeed, they resumed classes just as expected. They started their 6th quarter which is expected to end by the mid of July, Lord willing. While they were on break, they continued to be very useful in their local congregations and beyond. Their congregations have been calling and appreciating the administration for the impact that the school is creating in the lives of their brethren. Yes, this appreciation ought to go to God as well as you for creating the opportunity for us to do much of what we are doing.
On the other hand, our 10 part time students continued committedly with their classes. Since they only come on Saturdays to take classes, we do not usually have plenty of time for breaks and they have been happy with that. Many of them are congregational leaders and are doing well in their congregations. The sisters (many are preachers’ wives) who are among them are not also relenting. From April 17 to 20, 2025, the women in Churches of Christ Sierra Leone had a ladies’ seminar and many of our students taught lessons. This is very important to us as it gives us joy that our students are making themselves available for service in the Lord’s vineyard! We are grateful to God for having such students.
EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGN AND CONVERSION OF SOULS
We have been embarking on evangelistic campaigns and weekly evangelism for two reasons: a. To obey the great commission and b. To instill the culture of evangelism in our students so that even when they graduate, they would be eager to win souls for Christ. And we can say that we are seeing great results.
From April 22 – 27, we directed our campaign efforts at Levuma Mandu, a town in Kailahun District. Three years ago (January 2022 report), we reported to you that we went to the Levuma community where the Church of Christ was established but became corrupted with false teaching. And that the congregation (over 70 members) was restored and had 15 more conversions. We went on to tell you that Levuma had been included in our external mission territory. So this past April, we decided to revisit Levuma again with a robust campaign. The congregation is doing well doctrinally and the members have been teaming up with other local congregations in Kailahun District to promote the interest of Christ. With the involvement of the local brethren at Levuma, we had 10 converts and 10 more brethren restored who had become weak in faith. Apart from this, as you know, the evangelistic teams on the field had forty-one (41) conversions and conducted several seminars to build up new converts and to strengthen weak brethren. These men and women are working harder and may God reward their efforts! We held training for their leaders (team leaders) and it was very successful!
ALUMNI UPDATE
Our graduates on the field are also not relenting in their efforts to demonstrate the mind of Christ in their communities. The school has been in constant touch with many of them and there is a good relationship existing between them and the administration. Because we understand that our graduates need to keep on learning and improving every day just like all of us here, we decided to conduct a 2 days training for them on the skills to relate and work with local congregations well (April 24 and 25, 2025). This training was conducted at the Kenema campus. All the graduates who were present for the training were sixteen (16) including Joseph Missailie Jr., our Dean of Students who is also a very serious alumnus. After the training, we held a closed door meeting with them. The aim of the meeting was to share their experiences with us, what challenges (not focusing on financial because everyone has that) they are going through, how they have been navigating through, what their strengths are, how successful they have been ministry wise, what plans they have for the future, and how we can both continue to team up to promote the interest of Christ and the school.
A STAFF’S PROFILE: Michael Sahr Triyoh
Today’s attention is drawn to our lovely and committed Brother, Michael. He was born on the 27th April, 1993, in the village of Weigiba, Republic of Guinea during the dawn of the civil war in Sierra Leone to Sahr Triyoh (Sahr Batta) and Kumba, Hawa Triyoh. The story of Michael is one of hope, resilience, faith and perseverance. Growing up in a polygamous family was tough and challenging. He survived with his extended family from subsistence farming, hunting and blacksmithing. He learned the craft from his father at an early age and for some time used it to sustain his livelihood. Due to the competition at home among the many siblings, many privileges and rights a child should enjoy Michael was denied. Sometimes he would fight for scraps of food and other things for survival. In all these challenges, he never gave up on life.
About his spiritual journey, Michael clarifies:
I was born in a typical African Traditional Religious family. My father, who was a blacksmith, belonged to many secret societies. One day, when I was growing up, he approached me in order to initiate me into his way of life but I respectfully disagreed; and from that point he respected my position and never bothered me again about the issue. During my high school days in Koindu, around 2013, I started interacting with a colleague who was a member of the Lord’s church by the name Sahr F. Johnson. He would give me tracts to read and we would discuss biblical positions on many things. Such discussions interested me so much. While we were having all those discussions, I was in a denomination. Later, the preacher of the Church of Christ in my village, Fasedu, Tamba Gborie engaged me again when I visited home for holiday. With more convincing proof, he succeeded in converting me. I started attending the Lord’s church in the village and after baptism I started teaching and preaching in the congregation, making lessons and sermons from the tracts I received from him.
My father was surprised when he saw the church accompanying me to the waters of baptism in 2014. And from that point, my journey in the Lord began.
Because of his focus on the Lord, Michael was recommended by his then preacher through the effort of Brother Francis Musa in 2017 to go to a preacher training school in Nigeria to study God’s word. While in the training school, he was of excellent moral character and academically did well. Before he could finish his B.A (Ministry), he was recommended to join the Bear Valley faculty in Sierra Leone. And since his involvement in 2021 till date, Michael has proven to be very committed and is adding value to the existence of the school day by day. Michael is also very evangelistically focused. That is why he serves as the coordinator of evangelism and the Dean of Academics for the school. He is married with two children and expecting the third one soon, Lord willing. We are truly blessed to have him in the family of BVBISL!
CONCLUSION
Thank you for reading this report to this point. Thank you for your prayers and support. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Your brother,
Peter Sahr Makundu,
Director,
Sierra Leone Bear Valley Bible Institute