Hailu's Story
Some Amazing Spy Hailu remembers clearly the day he gave his life to Christ. Like many in Ethiopia, he grew up in a nominally Ethiopian Orthodox home. (The Ethiopian Orthodox church is out of the Coptic tradition and holds considerable influence in the country. It traces its roots to the first century and the baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 6. Just under half of the total population of the country belongs to the Orthodox church. Ethiopia follows the Orthodox calendar which celebrates Christmas on January 6 and dates years roughly 8 years behind the western calendar). In the fall of 1975, Hailu found himself in a fight with his parents, locked out of his house and sleeping on the sidewalk outside his home. A friend invited him to a church meeting. Thinking a pew would be a better place to sleep than the sidewalk, Hailu agreed to join him. He found the meeting packed and as the pastor began to preach, Hailu felt like he was speaking directly to him. In fact, he turned to his friend and accused him of telling the preacher about his entire life. When his friend assured him that he had never done such a thing but that it was the Holy Spirit convicting him, Hailu replied that the Holy Spirit is "some amazing spy." The pastor preached from John 10:10, offering abundant life in Christ. Hailu went forward and gave his life to Jesus Christ at that meeting. Intended for Harm When the communists first came to power in the 1970's in Ethiopia, the government was peaceful and largely received the support of the churches as they sought to address the country's rampant poverty. However, as they government tightened their grip, they became increasingly hostile to the church and to Christians. Loyalty to the government and the party was essential. Those who would not espouse their political slogans were labeled "enemies" of the state and often sentenced to prison for "re-education." In 1979, while working as a state health worker, Hailu experienced his first imprisonment as an enemy of the state. He was not yet an official leader in the church, but was viewed as hostile to the government because of his Christian faith. Refusing to recant his faith, the guards first sought to put him into solitary confinement as a punishment to break his will. However, they quickly realized that as a Christian, he would simply use the time to sing and pray. So they decided to place him in a crowded cell with 24 other violent criminals and witch doctors. By the end of Hailu's stay, 14 of the 24 had come to faith in Christ. "For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain. – Phil. 1:21. Two weeks into his prison stay, Hailu recounts that he was up late at night, praying and lamenting about his situation before the Lord when one of the witch doctors approached him. He said, "your face is shining. I have served the devil for the last 43 years, but he has left me abandoned and humiliated. I have sought the dark forces and power, but the devil never cared. Your God is with you in the middle of this. When I leave, I will worship your God." News of the conversion spread quickly in the cell. For the next two weeks, Hailu would spend entire nights talking with the inmates about Christ. After a month in prison, the government needed him back at his post in the health clinic and he was released. He left behind 14 new believers in the midst of a cell that was supposed to break him of his faith. Hailu returned to work, but spent the next two years under a form of house arrest, unable to leave his town without permission from the local government officials.
In 1982, the government officially closed all protestant churches. They confiscated buildings and property, and the church was forced underground. Hailu continued to serve in leadership while working for the government health clinic. In 1985, he left his position and became a full time leader in the illegal underground church. Hailu would spend the next six years knowing that anytime he left his house he might not return. The government continued to track the church leaders, imprisoning many of the leaders. Fortunately for the Christians, the war with neighboring Eritrea consumed much of the government's attention, making widespread persecution less common. After the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of the Soviet Empire, the communist party lost power in Ethiopia as well. In 1991, the government was overthrown and the churches emerged from underground. In 1982, Hailu's denomination consisted of 14 churches and about 5,000 church members. During nine years of persecution, the church grew ten-fold, consisting of more than 50,000 members and a network of thousands of house churches. What they intended for harm, God used for good, bringing tens of thousands to life-giving faith in Christ. Moving Forward 
Hailu has continued to lead the school, serving as its president. As a CISF supported scholar, Hailu is currently pursuing his PhD in Systematic Theology with an emphasis on establishing a theology of work and work ethic. He believes this a vital topic for his home country where unemployment is rampant (more than half of men between the ages of 15 and 30 do not have jobs), the effects of communism linger, and the impact of the Orthodox calendar take their toll on the development of a productive economy.
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