Dear Friends,

“Voting time – Blessing time, Blessing time – Voting time”. That was the favorite song transmitted by the radio stations in Sierra Leone on August 11, 2007. Nicely dressed women and men hurried to the voting stations throughout Sierra Leone. The people celebrated and decided to make a change not by bullets but by ballots. God’s favor obviously covered the election time. Though it was the middle of the raining season, here in Makeni not even a drop was sprinkled until all the stations were closed.

The weeks before the election were not easy. Supporters of different parties rallied on the streets lifting high their colorful emblems. Some of the processions were joyful, others frightening but the police were in their place everywhere.

Occasionally disturbing news were spread by the “bush radio” (grapevine telegraph, gossip chain). Some shops closed down, but the pastor of the church encouraged me: “Sister, don’t run away, that will be the most peaceful election we ever had in Sierra Leone. We know what the devil is capable to do but we have a God who is greater than he. We have confidence in Him.”

We had to wait two weeks for the result of the election. It turned out that the opposition took the lead, but the ruling party followed them so closely that a run off for the presidency was scheduled to September 8. The tension escalated, here and there the supporters of the ruling party and the opposition stoned each other. Churches came together for fasting and whole night prayer meetings. God again had the victory. It turned out that September 8 would be again a peaceful day. In the afternoon even those got courage to cast their ballots that were afraid to put out their legs from their houses in the morning of the day of election.

National, international observers, representatives of churches, different organizations carefully watched the process of the election. The media reported accurately from minute to minute what was going on in the different voting stations. When the counting of the votes was started, small radios were glued to the ears of pastors, imams, farmers, traders, bankers and housewives. Lectures at the BBI occasionally had to be stopped that we could listen to the partial results of the election.

The final result was announced on September 17, 2007. The candidate of the opposition won. On the same day pastor’s wife gave birth to a long waited bouncing baby girl. She was named Christiana Ernestine Kamara; after the chairwoman of the National Election Committee, Christiana Thorpe and His Excellency Ernest Bai Koroma, the new president of Sierra Leone. We knew that meaning of the name Christiana was “follower of Christ”, it is a name fitting to a daughter of a devoted pastor. I was happy to find out from an encyclopedia that the name Ernest/ine is connected to the word: honest, trustworthy. Please, pray together with us that as the new president as the daughter of the pastor would be faithful to their name.

Meantime the BBI in Makeni completed its third term and prepared for the fourth one that would be started next week. A new BBI Center was opened on September 5, 2007 in Lunsar. That town is about one hour drive from Makeni. At check points police and military police searched motorcars, however I always had free passage as I went to Lunsar several times in the last weeks. My constant prayer was a line of a song: “From the old things to the new keep me traveling along with you…” And God answered my prayer, we had a good start with the Bible School in Lunsar. Photos will be posted soon on www.evangeliumihirnok.net . (Click on Furedi Kamilla/pictures, everything else is in Hungarian. If you want to read earlier prayer letters in English, go to www.tikvatcleveland.com click on mission/Gabriella Furedi.)

Every BBI center different a little bit. Though we have the same curriculum and the same books, we have to adjust the program to the local situation. In Lunsar we have a blind student, the chaplain of the Eye Hospital. He records the lectures and instead of filling in test papers he has verbal exam. He just made as well in the end of the first term as the other eight students. The students of the Freetown BBI center are now preparing for their final exams, after completing the two years study program we hope all of them can graduate in the beginning of 2008.

Please, continue to pray for lasting peace in Sierra Leone, that we would able to reach to more and more church districts with the BBI. In the end of 2008 I would like to see at least one hundred students enrolled to the Bible School. Please, pray for adequate financial support as well. I thank all of you who generously contributed already to this work. Thank you for the Birthday cards as well. Some of them I received already in the beginning of August, others arrived in September. So the Post is working, though mysteriously. The Calendar from Ungers’ Kosher Bakery arrived here in less than two weeks, other letters only after two months. Please, do not send money or checks in letters. If you want to support me send your donation to:

HUNGARIAN BAPTIST CONVENTION OF NORTH AMERICA
MISSION IN SIERRA LEONE
Mr. Louis Drescher Treasurer
2636 EAST 124th Street
Cleveland, OH 44120

Gabriella Kamilla Furedi
31 Yiks Rd
Makeni
Sierra Leone

(Some of you already have my address; but it changed from 19 Yiks Rd to 31 Yiks Rd. It was not me who moved but one day the workers of the City Council painted a new number to my house…)

I have a new e-mail address as well, gfuredi@yahoo.com. Please, answer this letter clicking on this address. There is a possibility to read your e-mails on my phone, if I use this address

If you want to support me financially as well not only with prayers please send a check to: HUNGARIAN BAPTIST CONVENTION OF NORTH AMERICA MISSION IN SIERRA LEONE Mr. Louis Drescher Treasurer 2636 EAST 124th Street., Cleveland, OH 44120

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace."

Yours in Christ,