Bethel Christian’s Connor Williams, right, volunteered on several mission trips to the Ivory Coast and made a friend in Moses Som, a man he is trying to help get to college. Submitted photo.

By Junious Smith III

The efforts of a Bethel Christian student are being used to send a man to college.

Connor Williams has taken three trips to the Ivory Coast since 2017, volunteering through 1040i, an organization which works toward providing safe drinking water, health care and education to impoverished areas in that part of Africa. Williams volunteered for two weeks in his first trip and two months over the next two, making friends with Moses Som, who lives in the Ivory Coast.

“We both worked in construction when I was out there and we got to talking about what we wanted to do when we were older,” Williams said. “He wants to be a policeman, and to have that job you have to go to school and have a nice education. I asked him why he hadn’t done it, and he told me college was too expensive.”

Learning about Som’s desires to go to college, Williams said he wanted to do something to help his friend.

“The price of college there is about $500 a year, so I wanted to put together a way to help him get there,” Williams said. “So far, I’ve been able to raise about $280.”

Michelle Williams, Connor’s mother, said college is vital in the country.

“Education is power there,” she said. “For a kid to go to school here, it’s no big deal — in the Ivory Coast it’s a privilege. Moses has to work every day, so none of his extra money is able to go toward saving for school.

For those looking to make a donation, send all funds to Greg Fordham at Bethel Christian Academy at 1936 Banks School Road, Kinston, N.C. 28504.