A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who recently donated money to help Pastor Joaquim repay an unforeseen loan.

BGBC supports the Evangelical Church of Guinea Bissau, with a particular focus on the work of Pastor Joaquim.  In a recent update the church heard how a sudden tornado last year had destroyed the roof of the Bible and Agricultural Training building that Pastor Joaquim runs.  Pastor Joaquim was forced to take out a loan in order to carry out the essential repairs to the roof.  The majority of the loan had been repaid, but there was still £500 outstanding that Pastor Joaquim had no means of raising.

Rick Woodward, who was leading the service that morning, challenged the congregation to raise the money by the end of coffee that morning, by pledging and donating the money to Margaret Alford (our ambassador for Pastor Joaquim at BGBC).  Margaret was overwhelmed by the response – not only were enough donations made to cover the £500 loan, but gifts were also pledged that will enable the food needs of Joaquim’s family to be supported for the next 12 months, and for a chicken project to be set up.  This will provide Pastor Joaquim with 200 chickens, 20 cocks and chicken feed for 12 months, which will provide food for the family and give them produce (eggs and meat) that they will be able to sell to raise some much needed finances for everyday items and school fees etc.

On behalf of Pastor Joaquim, Margaret would like to say a big THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU to all those who have financially supported this family and their community, both in response to this particular trauma, and throughout this year.

The team will be looking into other sustainable projects (like the Chicken project) which will help the people in Pastor Joaquim’s community to become more self-sufficient and bring them out of poverty.  If you are interested in this work, please do let Margaret know, so that she can keep you informed of their progress.