Page 139 - Unseen Hands by Nona Freeman

Oppositionfrom Within and Without
He said, "Write it down for me; I cannot accept verbal accusations."
In his effort to establish the church in the right way, Kenneth Wendell wrote the report, and on his way out of town, gave it to the commander. The police arrested Tekle, Temare, Hailu Fentaw, and Ashenafi, an evange list, put them in prison, and closed the church, all in the same day.
The police commander telephoned the missionary the next day to come and declare his case against the men. In shock. Brother Wendell explained that he had not meant for any action to be taken against them. He had written the report to make the stand of the church clear in such matters. Not only would he not come and testify against the men, but he begged for their immediate release. When he said, "Let them go," the commander
laughed at him and hung up.
The men endured extreme misery in jail. In her
weakened condition after a difficult childbirth, Erkenesh could not bring them food or minister to their needs. The court prosecutor brought the case against the men on the dayoftheirtrial, basedonBrotherWendell'sreport.He read their names and said, "These men are guilty of teaching doctrines contrary to the Pentecostal church."
This threw the court into confusion. The whole legal system had been geared against the Pentecostals accord ing to the emperor's decree. As Pentecostals, they would be judged guilty, whatever the charges. But the words "doctrines contrary to the Pentecostals" put them on the other side of the fence. Since the judges did not know what else to do, they sent them back to jail and postponed the case.
137