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Ethiopian adoption story warms hearts for the holidays

Caption: The Wolfe “gang” includes dad Randi, mom Kathy, children Kristin, Brad, Bonny and new siblings Aschalew (17), Genet (16) and Yesalemush (15). The family travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Nov. 8 to complete the adoption of the three teenage Ethiopian siblings. (Homepage photo: While at the Kolfe Orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where Aschalew lived, the family handed out T-shirts donated by Liberty University and gift bags.)


One Michigan family had to buy a larger dinner table this Thanksgiving, due to the generosity of Liberty University students.

The Wolfes (mother Kathy, father Randy, and children Kristin, Brad, and Bonny) travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Nov. 8 to complete the adoption of three teenage Ethiopian siblings.

Within a week the family was back in the United States with double the number of children after the addition of Aschalew, Genet and Yesalemush.

Kristin, the eldest Wolfe child, is a Resident Director at Liberty University.

The whole adoption affair was funded by a “jeans offering” taken in a Campus Church service at Liberty University in January.

Kathy Wolfe said she is in awe of all God has done through this heartwarming story.

“We can’t wait to come back to Liberty. We can’t wait for the students to see all they have done, ” she said.

Campus Pastor Johnnie Moore, who accompanied the Wolfe family to Ethiopia, said this is one example of how students in Lynchburg, Va., can affect the farthest parts of the world.

“You can’t solve all the world’s problems, but everyone can, in some small way, affect the life of someone,” he said. “The collective worth of LU generosity was enough to totally change the future of these kids.”

Moore said he hopes the compassionate example set forth by LU students will be followed by churches, schools, and students nationwide, especially when it comes to adoption. Foreign adoptions dropped 12 percent this year, to their lowest level since 1999, according to the State Department.

***The February/March print edition of the Liberty Journal will feature the Wolfes and the story of how Liberty University made a difference in the lives of these three kids from one of the world’s least fortunate nations.

NOTE: View the Wolfe Family Blog for updates and watch a TV news feature at WSET.

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