( A “Good
News” True
Story )
When Janice
and William
Wolfe of
North
Carolina
heard that
an Ethiopian
family was
fleeing
torture and
desperate
deprivation
and needed a
place to
stay in the
United
States, they
immediately
felt the
call of God
to respond.
Through an
arm of World
Vision
ministries,
refugees
were being
evacuated
every month
to give them
new hope and
a future on
the
condition
that they
could find a
sponsoring
family for
them.
Christian
missionaries
had led this
couple and
their
children to
the Lord and
though they
lived in
tents and
migrated to
any place
where the
husband
could find
work in
Ethiopia,
they prayed
desperately
that God
would
provide
passage to
the United
States.
Droughts,
famine,
unsafe
drinking
water, a
high
mortality
rate all
impacted
this
country, one
of the most
destitute on
earth.
The couple,
Debir and
his wife,
Frouwini,
lost three
other
children to
malnutrition
before they
reached
their first
birthday.
Miraculously,
a friend of
William
Wolfe’s made
available
for one year
free of
charge, a
two bedroom
house in
North
Carolina
into which
the
Ethiopian
couple and
their family
could
immediately
move.
As part of
their three
months’
planning and
preparation,
the Wolfe
family
alerted the
local
newspaper
and
television
station so
they could
provide
coverage of
the event.
Several
interviews
with the
Wolfes were
printed in
the local
newspaper
and were
seen all
over the
television
viewing
area.
Responding
to the large
number of
calls asking
how people
could help,
the
newspaper
reserved
space in
their
spacious
front office
where
citizens
could bring
wrapped
Christmas
presents for
the
Ethiopian
family, with
the names
and ages
appropriately
tagged on
each
package.
A list was
published in
the
newspaper of
all the
household
items needed
to set this
family up in
housekeeping.
The response
was far, far
greater than
anticipated.
Under and
around a
large
Christmas
tree in the
newspaper’s
front
office,
brightly-wrapped
packages
were piled
all the way
to the
ceiling.
The
newspaper
reported
that never
before in
its history
had a
response to
a story been
this
overwhelming.
Realizing
that the
family had
never seen a
Christmas
tree and
were not
aware of the
practice of
exchanging
gifts at
Christmas,
the World
Vision
interpreter
who
accompanied
them on
their flight
to America,
explained it
all to them
in detail
during the
long hours
of travel
from
Ethiopia to
their new
home in
North
Carolina.
Upon their
arrival, the
children,
dressed in
new clothes
for the
first time
in their
lives,
appeared shy
and
frightened.
Their
father,
Debir and
their
mother,
Froweeni,
were stunned
and
unbelieving
as the crowd
of
well-wishers
cheered and
waved flags
at the North
Carolina
airport.
Unable to
understand
English,
they
deflected
all
questions to
the
interpreter
that World
Vision had
sent to
accompany
them and get
them
settled.
Their first
stop was to
the large
newspaper
office which
was packed
with
well-wishers,
some still
bringing
gifts to add
to the
growing
pile.
The children
were
wide-eyed
but having
been told
that the
presents
were for
their
family, soon
were given a
few to
unwrap.
The six year
old boy
unwrapped a
soccer ball
and smiled
as he tried
to bounce it
on the plush
carpeted
floor.
His
four-year-old
sister
opened a box
with a large
doll,
dressed in
pink satin
and lace,
and stared
at it, the
first doll
she had ever
seen.
When the
children’s
mother
opened a
package
which turned
out to be a
white toilet
seat, she
assumed it
was a collar
and stuck
her head
through it,
trying to
balance it
on her thin
shoulders,
to the
delight of
the large
crowd.
Refreshments
were passed
out to
everyone,
compliments
of a local
Sunday
School
class, and
then the
family was
transported
to their new
home, to
find it
fully
furnished
with a
television
set, a
microwave
and a
Christmas
tree with
more
presents
piled high
around it.
This family
had to learn
an entirely
new culture.
Eager to
learn, they
nevertheless
made many
errors but
were easily
forgiven by
their new
neighbors.
They were
used to
using the
ground
behind their
tent in
Ethiopia for
a bathroom
so it took
some
explaining
to convince
them that
the toilet
was safe and
they
wouldn’t
disappear
into the
churning
water and
the plumbing
below.
Typical of
their
confusion
was their
first trip
to the
grocery
store by a
neighbor who
dropped them
off in front
of the
store,
intending to
join them
shortly
after he
made a quick
trip to a
nearby
store.
Following
the example
of other
shoppers,
Debir and
Frouweeni
filled their
grocery
carts to the
top,
selecting
some items
they were
familiar
with.
They assumed
that the
food must be
free in
America,
like all the
Christmas
presents and
the use of a
furnished
house had
been.
Commenting
on what a
generous
country they
had moved
to, they
walked past
the checkout
counters to
the parking
lot,
convinced
that all the
stories they
had heard
about
America were
true.
Shortly, a
policeman
arrived to
arrest them
but their
neighbor
explained
the
situation to
the
satisfaction
of the
policeman
and the
neighbor
returned
with the
couple to
the store to
make proper
payment for
the
groceries.
This past
Christmas
marked the
eighth
anniversary
of their
arrival in
the United
States.
Since their
arrival,
under the
sponsorship
and
friendship
with Janice
and William
Wolfe who
also served
as their
spiritual
mentors,
Debir has
had steady
employment
working for
a lamp
manufacturer,
the family
has learned
to speak
English with
facility,
and the
children are
well-behaved,
above-average
students at
the local
public
school.
They belong
to an
evangelical
church which
has provided
Christian
fellowship
and
friendship
to this once
desperately
poor and
undernourished
family.
To celebrate
their eighth
anniversary,
Janice and
William
Wolfe hosted
a Christmas
party in the
couple’s
honor in the
same large
newspaper
office which
had been
their first
stop upon
arrival in
America.
In
attendance
were the
mayor, many
prominent
businessmen
and
professional
leaders as
well as
members of
many
churches.
Asked to say
a few words,
Debir stood
and with his
usual
humility and
Christ-like
demeanor,
quietly
thanked the
crowd in
flawless
English but
with
tear-filled
eyes:
“ Now unto
Him Who did
exceedingly,
abundantly
above all
that we
could ask or
even think,
I give my
heartfelt
thanks again
to God and
to you, my
friends, who
took us in
and gave us
hope when
there was no
hope for us
at all. God
bless you,
every one.”
by Mariane
Holbrook
Mariane777@bellsouth.com.
http://www.marianholbrook.com
Mariane
Holbrook is
a retired
teacher, an
author of
two books, a
musician and
artist. She
lives with
her husband
on coastal
North
Carolina.
