Page 128 - Unseen Hands by Nona Freeman

Unseen Hands
prehension. They only wanted to know how soon work would begin on the projects, how many of them would be employed, and how the village would be benefited. The day ended in mutual disappointment.
When the preacher saw his hope for easy gain about to slip away, he began to preach diligently, and seven honest souls responded to the Word and found salvation. In April 1971, Brother Wendell decided to try again in Hamusi and built a two-classroom school and chapel. He sent Worku Gebremariam and Negussie Haile to teach school and hold services.
Brother E. L. Freeman visited the site that month during construction, and Brother C. G. Weeks came for a visit shortly after completion of the building. Things went well for several months, then the same crowd that had welcomed the missionary enthusiastically turned against his efforts. Half the village became accusers and the other half gave false witness against the workers and members. Four Coptic priests manipulated the malicious trial.
Six of those judged guilty went to jail for a month. The judge claimed that Worku and Teferi Dinku, one of the believers, had been the ringleaders in the imaginary crime and sentenced them to six months of hard labor. The brothers suffered in jail, but judgment came on the priests. Three died violently in a short time and the fourth has been bedfast, suffering in agony and praying to die, for fourteen years.
Diseases have plagued the village, making many regret their action against the small church. They expelled Worku from the district when he got out of prison, and for thirteen years no preacher was allowed to set foot in
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