Faith and Life of witnessing in Addis Ababa University
“And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and mighty in words and deeds”. Act. 7:22
When I was a third year student, we were using brother Lemma Misganas’ house for the filling of the Holy Spirit. My faith in God began to increase when I continued to listen to Pastor Cho’s cassettes that were translated in to Amharic by Wossen Alemu. The cassettes contained titles such as the Law of Listening, the Law of seeing, the Law of Speaking, and Victory over Evil Spirits. Since I was translating what I heard into practical reality, the Christians started to name me as the “The little Cho”. The faith I had in God was great. I was repairing the calculators owned by both believers and non-believers through prayer. At that time anybody who owned a calculator was considered as a person who owns a computer today. One evening I was praying and starring at the sky in the recreation area close to the freshman building, and when I gazed at the stars, I said, “God, Who put the stars in the sky, since I love to hear spiritual songs, please give me a tape recorder.” I went to the dorm of my fellow Christian brothers and claimed by faith that God has given me a tape recorder and they asked me to show them. I told them that it is not available now, but God shall bring it soon. They therefore advised me not to be a stumbling block, and I said in my heart that faith is not available to all and kept quiet.
One day, Negassi Hailu and I went to the house of a Christian family. The owner of the house was a servant of God. I do not remember his name, but his children’s names were Emnet (Faith), Tesfa (Hope) and Fiker (Love). The servant of God was coming back from participating in the Billy Graham conference for the servants of the church in Holland. He mentioned that he had brought two tape recorders. One was for somebody but the Holy Spirit was reminding him to give the other one to Gebru. He said I should pay tax revenue of Birr 42:00 and take the tape recorder from the customs authority. I took the tape recorder from customs. My elder brother who was an employee of the Disaster Prevention and Rehabilitation Commissions covered the amount that was charged by customs.The Tape recorder was working either manually or by Electricity. I took the tape recorder to the next students’ Christian fellowship and inserted a cassette and the song of Pas, Tesfaye Gabisso, was heard clearly. Thus I gave my testimony that the Lord was able to provide me with a tape recorder.
According to the university regulation, as soon as we finish the academic year, we had to fill in the clearance forms and hand it to the university registrar. As we completed the third year, they purposely told us that the name of the communist youth association should be included in the clearance form. It was targeted against us. All the departments signed for us, but the youth association labeled us unruly and rejected us as if they do not recognize us. The stamp of the other departments was thin and four-sided while the stamp of the youth association was round and big. It was easily recognizable whether it was present or not.
The youth association in the Arat kilo campus (science faculty) was the most radical of all. They prevented our seniors from obtaining employment or receiving their temporary degree. When the youth association refused to give us clearance, we prayed to God. God gave me wisdom and I collected all our clearance papers and prayed over it and took it to the registrar and they finally accepted it. The faithful Lord showed us wonders.
As we started the second semester of the fourth year, we were trained in the 37th round of Campus Crusade International Ethiopia in the Hibret Amba church by Pastor Abraham Yosef and Evangelist Moges Tadesse, and graduated at the Lutheran church. When they provided the lessons, they emphasized that “the blood of the person would be in our hands if we do not witness about the Love of God reviled in Christ Jesus.” I was highly frightened that if I did not abide by this advice, something would happen to me.
As soon as we finish this lesson, the student committees in every campus organized a conference in Entoto Mekane Yesus church. As soon as Dr. Alem Bazezew instructed us on spiritual leadership, God told Evangelist Solomon Tesfaye “Get ready to meet your God,” and he interpreted it as either we are going to serve God or we were to depart to meet Him. I was worried that I might die without giving my testimony to others. Evangelist Solomon was one of the servants of God inspiring us. I was especially listening in awe of what God was accomplishing through his hands. This evangelist, besides his church ministry, spent most of his time with the student committee leaders.
There was an episode that brought a breakthrough in my life. While the committee leaders from Arat kilo, Amist kilo and Sidist kilo were waiting for the arrival of Solomon in the house of Paulos Legesse, Temesgen Berhanu raised a question why we do not pinpoint our mistakes and correct them. But Asfaw Kenno opposed this view because we might stumble. Anyway Temesgen wept and asked us to tell him his mistakes and immediately afterwards, Brother Solomon arrived and prayed for some time. He told us that according to James 5:16 we should confess our sins so that we might serve God with complete confidence and receive our healing. This idea struck a chord with me and we started confessing our sins one by one. When it was Asfaw’s turn he told him to confess, withholding nothing, and cited the example of Annanias and Spphira who stole and were killed. The rest of us got frightened so we began to confess again. After all this is was done, something like a rain drop landed on my neck three times, and a big change happened in my life.
After attending the training on how to be a living witness of Jesus Christ organized by the Campus Crusade International/Ethiopia (which was followed by an Entoto committee conference), I was walking by the Egyptian embassy for a funeral sermon, and on my way found a girl wearing a short miniskirt. A voice urged me to witness to her. I was afraid what might people feel if they saw me talking to her and ignored the opportunity. She passed me by. But the Spirit of God warned me “that her blood is in my hands.” I returned and searched for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. I asked God for His forgiveness and promised to Him that from now on I would witness to anybody I meet. As I continued my way, I meet a drunkard who was wearing his shoes the opposite way, singing and dancing in English. Since I was afraid to witness in Amharic and the man was singing in English, I said “Jesus loves you.” He replied back and hugged me. He smelled terrible because besides tobacco he drunk a lot of wine and other alcohols, and I was about to vomit, but he released me soon enough. He asked me if we can walk a bit alone. He told me he was working as a librarian in Kennedy Library in Addis Ababa University and wants to get something that can separate him from this habit. I cancelled my plan to go to the dead man’s house and took the man to the Entoto Mekane Yesus church to receive the Lord as his personal savior.
In addition, I asked the Lord in prayer to wake me up early in the morning and witness to anybody I met. Next morning the Lord waked woke me at 5:00 AM as if touched by another man. “Oh Lord, did You do it! Are You Series about it?” I said and asked first and foremost the guards of the university at the gate if they received everlasting life. I gave them a few tracts and went out of the campus to witness to others. Some of them accepted what I told them, while others insulted me. Some would tell me about their religion.
I walked up to Arat Kilo and waited until breakfast was served, then went towards Sidist kilo and to Piazza, as well as to the area around the National Palace, and witnessed to the people I met there. Near the Palace I was encountering security people and they were waving their pistol at me, warning me that they would take action against me if I continued, so I worked to avoid them the best I could.
If the Holy Spirit forced me to change my direction, I immediately follow the plan without any complaint, because He is my Lord. One time, it was my intention to go to Piazza, but the Holy Spirit guided me to go to Afincho Ber (behind the Sidest Kilo University). I accepted the guidance of the Holy Spirit and went there. As soon as I arrived in the place, many people had gathered. A man was hanging on a tree. So many people were saying that the man was a banker and a generous person. A lot of students from Menen and Teferi Mekonnen secondary schools were watching the spectacle. I intervened very quickly and told the people that they have confirmed that he was a good person, and I proceeded to tell them about a kind Person who was very kind and crucified on a cross for us, and I urged them to follow Him and I said that Person is named Jesus Christ.
The students asked me where to meet again. I told them to come to the café behind the university in Sidist kilo at 1:00 PM. However the condition of the payment gave me a headache. I wondered where I could find the money to invite them all. The café was small and I did not know how it could accommodate all these people. The decision was tough. First of all I told God that since I did not have money, I would let Him prepare a person to invite us. Since the café was narrow, I could let the clients go out as the students go in. As the time approached and the students came, God answered the two issues. As the students came, all the clients went out. And one of the students volunteered to cover the expense. I witnessed to them in depth and they confessed their sins. (Even now I meet most of them in various churches.)
On another occasion, when I was about to go through the national palace to the Fitber, the Lord told me to go to Abuare. As I went down the road from the parliament I saw a young man lying on the ground shivering, surrounded by others. Some of them said he was attacked by an evil spirit and others commented that if his parents wanted him to be healed; he should drink holy water from the Coptic Church. One priest even tried to give holy bread. The members of his family who brought him from Ambo worried very much. I asked them to give me an opportunity. They gave me and I said, “Raise up in the name of Jesus!” at that moment not only the unbelievers were shocked, even I was shocked by what the Lord did. He immediately rose up and I continued to preach. When the individuals decided to follow Jesus, I taught them thoroughly about Jesus and how to carry the cross in the compound of the trinity church before they join a church. I did not directly send them to join a church because the church was persecuted and it had to be protected from intruders and wolves.
Mesfin was a soccer player for the railways club. His residence was near Fitber. When I went to the Baata Mariam Church (Orthodox Church) for witnessing, I met him and witnessed to him about Jesus and he was pleased. But he hated the Protestants and insulted them severely. Since I approached him with love, we became good friends. We always met in the Baata church. We studied the Bible in the same place for three months. Since we were very friendly I invited him to go with me to the conference organized in the Entoto Mekane Yesus church. When he heard the word, he told me that what I taught him previously was the same and he received the Lord.
When the number of people who receive the Lord increased, I began to cancel breakfast and concentrate on witnessing for lost souls. When this went beyond expectation, I devoted the whole morning up to midday. Later on, as the issue became beyond control, I cancelled classes such as thermodynamics, solid state physics, economic geology, electro- magnetism, geophysics, quantum physics and education. I was only attending the engineering geology class that was given by Dr. Abera Getahun. (You must note that I was a fourth year, second semester student and it was like standing on fire.)
Except for the science faculty students, I was not brave enough to witness to the lecturers. Once there was a night prayer session and a message came from a sister who does not know me. She said, “Do not be afraid to witness to your lecturers, and I will do your part and you will never worry about your studies.” I was very happy. One day it was raining and I was in the library. I saw one of the structural geologist professors named John Morgan, who was a Canadian, walking to his office. I went out of the library immediately and went in to his office. We talked about structural geology for some time and I asked him if he goes to the I.E.C. He asked me what the I.E.C is. I answered it means International Evangelical Church. He said he is an evolutionist, scientist and geologist, and claimed that he does not believe in the existence of God. I was angry and irritated and told him that if he did not accept Jesus Christ, one day he would appear before the judgment of God and thrown to eternal fire and brimstone, and I advised him to think about it carefully. He asked how I knew of the existence of hell. I said it is written in the Bible and that that he went to church while he was a child. I knew he was trying to avoid the issue. I again told him it is not about your childhood that matters but about your present state. He confessed and promised to go to church and asked me to give him a Bible. At that time I did not have an English Bible. I knew Mesfin Shibre had one, so I took it and gave it to him, along with other books supplied by the navigators. After two weeks, he returned from Gore–Gambella Geo-traverse. While we were doing some experiments in the laboratory, Professor John Morgan had returned from the field and called me through another person and took me to the Tourist Hotel. It was my first time to go to the Tourist Hotel. As I was drinking coffee with milk, I had prepared a few tracts for him to read. At the bottom of the tracts the label printed in Canada was written in small letters. He was astonished! He commented that he did not accept the Lord in his country, but he believed now. He went to his country after finishing his contract. We corresponded for about two years once he left. He informed me that he had become a member of the Pentecostal church in Edmonton.
When I witnessed to the East German and Soviet Professors about Jesus Christ, and asked them to receive the Lord, they were warning me not to spread the word of God. (There were many Soviet citizens lecturing in the physics department.) My quantum Physics professor was from East Germany.
At that time it was possible to pay 12 cents (0.25 Ethiopian Birr) and enter the tower in the Bole International Airport where you can see the departing passengers. I had nobody to see depart from Ethiopia. But I had the opportunity to watch others see off their friends and relatives with tears and wailing. I comfort them by saying, “Don’t cry for Emmanuel is coming soon.” They ask me in turn, “Who is Emmanuel?” I would tell them Emmanuel is Jesus Christ…
[The moment I saw airplanes, I said, “God send me by these planes to foreign countries so that I might preach for You.” At that time I had only seen Ethiopian Airlines. However, since 1992, God has heard my prayers and assisted me to go all over the world through the various other airlines such as Lufthansa, Thai Airways, Japan Airways, Qantas, Anset Australia, United Airlines, Air New Zealand, Emirates, Gulf Airways, Qatar Airlines, Alitalia, Egypt Airways, Air France, Aeroloid, Al Nippon Airways, Bretons Safe, Singapore Airlines, SAS, British Airways, British Mid Land, Olympic Airways, KLM, Kenya Airways, Air New Guinea, Air Malaysia, Air China, China Airways, gulf Airways, Condor, Finish Air, Southwest, Northwest, Continental, Air Tran, Air Canada, Delta Airlines, Canadian Airways, Turkey Airways, Swiss Air, American Airways, and so on. I might have flown through more than 95% of the airways! I have flown through a wide variety of countries to serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ from North Norway to South New Zealand from East Japan to Western USA.]
As I was witnessing in this manner in Addis Ababa, the second semester exam was fast approaching. My dorm mates Gelana Chibsa, Gashawtena, Bayou, Feyissa Werku, and the second year students who were with us such Abduselam, Abdu Semad and Shekib, were warning me to study seriously if I was going to pass the final year without jeopardy. Although their advice was good, I was keeping the promise of God seriously and I had never been troubled by anything.
When the thermodynamics exam approached I asked my dorm mates what Dr. Haile Ezgi told them about the exam. They told me it was an open book exam and students could bring up to three books. I asked God to help me and borrowed three books from the Technology Faculty Library. We were handed four questions and the time allotted was six hours. I found three questions answered in the book and it took me about an hour to copy the answer. I left the fourth question out because it was difficult for me.
I also asked what the solid state physics teacher, the Czechoslovakian professor Mukshisčk, had commented about the exam. He had done eight problems for us and we were expected to answer three questions. I crammed the eight questions in two nights. (Of course, physics is mathematics and must be worked out and could not be crammed or memorized.) Since I had no choice, I crammed them all and God assisted me. Three questions appeared and the time given was six hours. I finished within an hour and went for my Christian testimonies.
Our electro-magnetism examiner was Dr. Late Meskel. Since I had memorized the answers, it did not take me fifteen minutes to complete the four hour long exam. The professor advised me to carefully review my answers. Upon review, there were no changes to my answers. Instead of sitting around and watching others perish, I opted to go out of the class and found three souls for Christ.
Since geophysics was my favorite subject, I studied it when I found extra time. While we were sitting for the mid- semester exam, everybody had taken materials to be copied. The Italian professor left the class during the exam, which was suitable for mischief. The three believers of the class (including me) scored the lowest grades because we refused to cheat as we believed copying was sinful. When we were ascending the freshman building to sit for the geophysics final exam, the students were discussing how they would copy from each other. The Biblical quotation “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright” Psalm20:7-8 came to my heart, and I felt happy. I implored the Lord to fight for us and consider about our condition. To my amazement, we were informed that since everybody had copied in the midterm exam, the results of it had been cancelled, and this final would be everything. To discourage the cheating process, three examiners were assigned for a batch of less than forty students. Most of the students did not study because they relied on cheating. Those of us who studied scored good results.
The GPA I attained during this semester was the best compared to my other semesters. During the street outreach which began in the fourth year of the second semester, about 300 people received the Lord and were baptized in the year 1986.
About one month prior to the final exam, I rose early in the morning and said to God, “In Addis Ababa and the other towns, You have many children to witness for You. Who can think for the people in the border of Ethiopia? Please send me to the mining exploration so that I may witness for You there.” The Lord was so faithful. Ten students were selected from the physics department for the geophysics study in the Geological Surveys of Ethiopia-ministry of mines a month before we sat for the final exam.
I obtained my first degree when I was exactly nineteen years of age. God gave me a job suitable for the service of God and my life as a junior- geophysicist in the institute of geological survey of Ethiopia, the UNDP,As Part time Hydro-Geophysicist in the World Vision international/Ethiopia, Air borne Engineer Petroleum-Geophysicist with v/o Techno export company.
The Addis Ababa University for me was not the place where I only obtained a degree. It was an institution, which I loved and would never forget, because it was there where I grew to be a professional in my field of study, matured in my spiritual life and was nurtured for the type of duty I am rendering today. May all honors be unto God who never leaves nor forsakes the very poor.
I got my B.Sc major in Physics and Minor in Geology from Addis Ababa University in1986 When I was a teenager-19 Years old.
(Origionally posted on Gebru Woldu's Facebook wall - 26/10/2012 )
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