Page 20 - Unseen Hands by Nona Freeman

Unseen Hands
the fire. They barely escaped the violent explosions that followed.
The days went by, and as Tekle herded cattle or workedin the fields, he became acutely aware of the world around him. He gazed at the awesome convolutions of craggy mountain peaks and wept; he marvelled at the symmetrical elegance of a tree. A gazelle's graceful leap or the soaring of a bird brought tears to his eyes. A grow ing desire to know the God who made this breathtaking beauty filled his heart.
One day he leaned backward in order to see the wide, blue-white expanse of the heavens. "0 God, Creator of allthese wonders," he cried, "I entreat You for only three things: first, makea wayfor me to learn to read and write; second, give me wealth of the world so that I can feed the poor and hungry; third, make me a priest and let me serve You all the days of my life. 0 God, I understand Your power by the work of Your hands. Please do not let me die before I receive these three requests."
His parents observed their disconsolate son often weeping and praying, and they were perplexed. After severalmonthsthey asked, "Son, what is troubling you?"
"I want to go to the church school so I can learn to read."
They allowed him to go for a month, then came for him. "You must return home," his father said. "I need your help with the farm work."
A year later, a desperate Tekle left without permis sion for a nearby town, where a storekeeper hired him forascantywage.Heregainedhisparents'favor bysend ing them the small monthly salary he earned for two years. All went well until with the aid of a mentor he
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