April 17, 2003
Jo Towell, a member of the Peninsula Church of Christ in Portland, Oregon, tells the following story about one of her WEI students in Ethiopia:
“My student Wariso Abesho was a teacher at the Catholic school in Zeway, Ethiopia. When he received the first packet of WEI lessons, the Head Master at the Catholic school opened the packet, discovered the Bible study materials, and immediately fired Wariso.
“Wariso was confused and very concerned for his family’s welfare. However, he completed the lessons and returned them to me, along with a letter telling me about being fired from his job for studying the Bible—which he thought was a good thing.
“I wrote and explained that sometimes we are persecuted for doing what God wants us to do, but God has promised to bless us when we choose to follow Him and obey his commands. I also suggested that he look up the Church of Christ. I mentioned some of the things the church in Ethiopia is doing.
“Wariso’s next letter was full of excitement. He had gotten a job teaching at one of the state schools in Zeway. He had found the Church of Christ in Addis Ababa and was so excited about it that he wanted to start a Church of Christ in Zeway. I gave the information to Art Hitt who contacted John Ed Clark, who then contacted Behailu Abebe in Ethiopia.
“Brother Abebe and others contacted Wariso and studied with him and his wife Hawa, a Muslim. They were both baptized into Christ on February 23, 2003. Brother Abebe thinks they will soon be able to establish a congregation of the Lord’s church in Zeway, a city of 30,000 people. Praise God.”
