By early 1971 the brothers in Ethiopia had many reasons to rejoice. Brother Henschel of the Governing Body visited Addis Ababa and Asmara and spoke to an audience of 912.

In one area, police entered a meeting hall, confiscated 70 Bibles, and briefly detained some Witnesses. Subsequently, the Kingdom Hall in Asmara was closed, forcing the congregation to meet in small groups again. Yet the work did not slow down.