Page 155 - Unseen Hands by Nona Freeman

Molding a Cliurcli
O n a brief visit early in 1973, Brother Freeman found the ban effective. Of sixteen churches, only those in remote places dared to hold services. No one knewhow many of the approximately twelve hundred believers still held the faith. The lepers disappeared soon after the ban, and persecution whittled the Addis church considerably. A few people worked with the board members in secret, uneasily. The nickname "Pentes" for the Pentecostals had surfaced earlier as an expression of increased contempt, and Brother Freeman thanked God for the church's name change.
The supervisor found no indications that Amare would become a dedicated leader. His main concern seemed to be income from the school. Tekle still wandered on the "backside of the desert."
Just after Bro. Freeman's visit, Tekle had a vision of a magnificent, towering, glossy-green tree spreading an abundance of fruitful branches as far as he could see. "This is My church; I am the tree," the Lord said. Tekle
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