Page 206 - Unseen Hands by Nona Freeman

Unseen Hands
Officials at a high level said, "No! This church is not subversive; Tekle is a helpful man. Scrap these plans." Although the local authorities had jailed only twelve people, for months they had spread many rumors: "All
of the Pentes are in jail!" "Tekle is dead!" "Tekle em bezzled millions of birr and fled to Nairobi. We caught him and have brought him back to prison!"
The people answered, "Our faith is not built on Teklemariam. Our faith is built on Jesus, and we will not deny Him."
After two weeks on the verandah, Menbere persuaded a guard to take her to a telephone, and a call to a prestigious friend brought about their release.
A vicious man burned the church at the village of Murri where Godana was pastor. The believers prayed in the ashes and began building another church. The ar sonist went on a trip and burned three more churches located in other villages. He became furious when he returned and saw that the believers had rebuilt the church at Murri, so he decided to burn the new church, too.
Then an invisible fire made his flesh so hot that no one could bear to touch him. He screamed, "The God of the Apostolics is burning me because I burned His church es!" He screamed and cried for fifteen days before he died, and his family had to pour water continually on his burn ing body. They covered him with wet clothes and wet leaves in order to bury him. Many of the spectators came
to repentance, crying to God for mercy, which He graciously gave.
An armed band came to the village of Denbeb and killed the livestock of the believers. They prepared themselves a feast, then beat the saints in an effort to
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