Page 148 - Unseen Hands by Nona Freeman

Unseen Hands
aroundthe world to pray for you, and I will return when God makes it possible."
Brother Freeman left soon after that service. The two oldest Wendell children had gone back to America the year before, and Sister Wendell, Jeanie, and Chet left in April. Tekle and Erkenesh grieved over the departure of
the missionaries and went to Addis to be with them in their last days in the land. They asked forgiveness again for the misunderstandings of the past and enjoyed
restoredfellowship. Thethree deacons made another at tempt to drive a wedge between them, but this time they did not succeed.
Brother Wendell left Ethiopia in June 1972 after mak ing his deacons, Amare, Teshome, and Solomon, board
members anddesignating Ashenafi Andargei and Negus- sie Haile as evangelists. The John Harris family trans
ferred to Kenya in the same month to foimd the United Pentecostal Church there.
The atrocious attack on the church at Awasa had probably been triggered by Tekle's baptizing Hailu Fan- taw, a Coptic church official, in Jesus' name. Fear that morechurchleaders would follow his example stirred the persecutors to make new plans to eliminate Tekle and his followers. They widely distributed a circular asking anyone who found Tekle to kill him at once, and they threatened to bum the homesof believers while they slept at night.
On November 23,1973, Tekleand Erkenesh went to Addis to appeal to the emperor. The emperor often granted favors, money, and land to those who managed to get to him through the barricade of guards. No com mon person could come in the palace to see him, but if
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