Dr. Bella is on her journey to West Africa to minister to the women and girls through trauma healing. See updates in all her newsletters since September 2022 which are posted on the home page of the website.
The Long Plain UMC is partnering with Bella on her journey to become a missionary in Cote D’Ivoire. We are excited to have this opportunity to support Bella in this amazing way. Please prayerfully consider how you too can support her with your prayers and finances as she prepares to be Christ’s hands and feet in this broken world. (See more about this mission below). Dr. Bella’s Journey of Hope & Love – (A Trauma Healing Mission to the women and children of West Africa) – Thank you to all who support this mission with your presence, prayers, donations and love!
Dr. Bella embarked on her journey in September 2022 and immediately began her ministry working in a safe house for young girls caught in human trafficking and sexual abuse. Many of the girls are under the age of fourteen.
Shortly after Dr. Bella started ministering to the girls at this safe house, she brought a gift to the girls. In her words, “You would have thought it was Christmas morning.” What was the gift? Bug spray. In a place where a gift of bug spray brings joy to people, Dr. Bella also brings the light and love of Jesus.
As her sending church, we at Long Plain UMC, are committed to providing financial, emotional, and spiritual support to Dr. Bella and her missionary work.
Bella’s Journey of Hope and Love
I am writing to you to share about my upcoming Journey of Hope and Love through a trauma healing ministry to the women and children of the Mandinka* people group of West Africa. The Mandinka people groups are among one of the most unreached people groups in the world for the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Mandinka people group’s pride and identity resides in Islam, and their cultural practices are deeply rooted in mystical rituals. It is estimated that 95% of the Mandinka people groups are Muslims.
The condition of Mandinka women and girls is grave because they are considered commodities. They are trapped in Islam and the abusive tribal rituals practices. Furthermore, with civil wars, unstable government, and now the constant jihadist attacks in West Africa, the Mandinka Muslim women’s condition is even more devastating since they have also become a commodity of wars. The only hope found in Christ Jesus is the one that they have been taught to revile. Most of the women and girls of the Muslim Mandinka tribes
are left with wounded hearts caused by trauma with no way of escape, no choice, and no opportunity to hear the Good News which makes them vulnerable to soothsayers and human traffickers as they seek a way of escape. I was one of them. These heart wounds cause trauma in need of urgent intervention.
I am a descendant of a Mandinka prince, a Muslim scholar. Thirty-three years ago, I converted to Christianity and I was given religious asylum by the American government before becoming a naturalized American citizen years later. I have a mission; the Lord has willed me to go to the Mandinka Muslim tribes of West Africa to be his witness because there are so many women and children who are trapped (just as I was) in the net of Islam and animism. My sending church, the Long Plain United Methodist Church in Acushnet, MA, shares this global mission vision, in partnership with SIM USA, which has been a catalyst for global mission sending missionaries to dark places since 1893. Mandinka women and girls are living with heart wounds caused by trauma in need of urgent intervention. My extensive work and research in the mental health and psychoeducation field has prepared me for a cross-cultural trauma healing ministry for the unreached Mandinka people group of Cote d’Ivoire. The Lord has equipped me for such a time.
I am multicultural and multilingual. I will be using my expertise in mental health and psychoeducation to minister to the Mandinka tribal unreached people groups of Cote D’ Ivoire in West Africa. The goal is to create a safe environment for women and children where they can receive trauma healing care including psychoeducation and wellness. Organizations, such as a YMCA and other community help centers, are non-existent in Cote D’Ivoire. I will also be traveling to local villages to minister to women and children in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our savior, our healer.
With gratitude,
Bella, Ph.D.
*Commonly called Malinke, and Djula in Cote D’Ivoire
Bella’s Journey of Hope of Love – Support Program
SIM (Service for International Ministries)
God has called Bella to go to Cote D’Ivoire as a long-term missionary for SIM. SIM engages in many types of ministries around the world. SIM missionaries work in specialized missions such as clean water, education, general relief as well as Bible translation, radio outreach, community development, medicine, HIV and AIDS ministry, and more. SIM has a church-focused vision. Many of their missionaries work as church planters in pioneer areas and in partnership with local churches in discipleship, evangelism, or theological education. www.simusa.org
Sending/Sponsoring Church (Long Plain United Methodist Church, Acushnet, MA)
The Long Plain United Methodist Church is a faith-filled small country church who believe in being the hands and feet of Christ in the community and beyond through mission and ministry. Our active ministries currently include hosting the Shepherd’s Food Pantry, many AA groups and supporting local ministries such as the Bethesda House (a Christ-centered shelter for young mothers and their babies) and a women’s treatment center. As Bella’s sending church, we have committed to supporting her through our prayers and finances as she prepares for her journey of hope and love!
FAQs
- What is the SIM mission? “Convinced that no one should live and die without hearing God’s good news, we believe that He has called us to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in communities where He is least known.”
- Is SIM international? SIM is an international mission organization with more than 4,000 workers serving in about 70 countries. SIM members are multi-ethnic and multinational themselves, representing more than 70 nationalities. They also serve in a wide variety of career fields.
- How are SIM missionaries supported? SIM missionaries raise prayer and financial support from churches and individuals. This team of supporters and prayer partners surrounds each mission worker. The level of support needed depends on several factors, such as the location and type of ministry. SIM (Service for International Ministries) has worked with Bella and her sending church to create a budget that will be necessary to meet her overall financial needs for this long-term mission.
Ways to Support
- Join 200 others in prayer for Bella on a daily or weekly basis
- Receive Bella’s monthly newsletter
- Support the start-up funds/contingency in any denomination
- Join others who have chosen to support one month of her mission
I would like to support Bella’s Journey of Hope and Love through:
- Receiving her monthly newsletter and sharing her mission with others in Christ.
- Joining her legion of fellow Christians lifting her and her mission in prayer
- To donate, make a check payable to: Long Plain United Methodist Church and mail to 1215 Main Street, Acushnet, MA 02743 (Dr. Bella in memo)
- Contribute online by visiting https://www.simusa.org/give – Bella D. # ; write “Bella D. #053984” in memo line. Tel: 1-800-521-6449
- OR: contribute online at www.lpumc.church (Ways to Give); online Vanco: Bella’s Journey of Hope and Love