-
Birth of Haileab Asgedom (father)
Mawis father Haileab was born in Seraye, Eritrea.
Mawis grandfather died shortly after Haileabs birth. -
Haileab left monastery
Haileab was sent to live with Coptic Christian monks. His father had died and mother was too ill to take care of him. He stayed there until he was nine and then left the monastery to live with a relative. -
Haileab left Eritrea
Haileab was treated poorly by the relative that was supposed to be taking care of him. So at age 14, he left Eritrea and went to the province of Tigray (Ethiopia). -
Birth of Selamawi Asgedom Tigrinya Amharic
September 29, 1979 Selamawi Asgedom Tigrinya Amharic (Mawi for short) was born to Haileab Asgedom and Tsege Asgedom. -
The journey to freedom
Vivid memories of the journey with his mother and two siblings through the desert.
Reunited with father and found safety at refugee camp in Umsagata. Although they were seeking freedom they found judgmental, abusive teachers, low food supply and daily fights with other children. -
America (Amerikah)
World relief brought the family to Chicago but was unable to find a sponsor so they moved to Wheaton. Hnsta-Eyesus was born, the youngest sibling.
The family could not speak English but their father could speak an Etheopian- British dialect.
Father taught them that strangers could be angels in disguise. -
Wheaton Public Library
At age 13 Tewolde began to “develop a heart”. This seems to be a way of saying he was compassionate. Mawi remembers the two brothers going to the library with sandwiches. They saw a man outside in the winter, cold and alone. Tewolde told Mawi they should give him their sandwiches. Tewolde stayed outside with the man until him and Mawi left. Even with so little, Tewolde wanted to give to others. -
School Issues and Holidays
Scholarships were at the forefront of the parents minds. The kids continued to get into fights at school, not of their choice. The school advised they would be expelled if they continued.
Father told them to stop fighting and take the beatings or he would "make them lost".
Mom is still Mawi's angel and he continues to meet other angels on his journey through life.
At 11yr old Mawi stole a parking meter for the money inside. Dad got mad and again advised if they stole he would "make them lost". -
More than just a couch
Haileab purchased new couches as a surprise for his wife when she was visiting her family in Adi. All other couches had been given to them or picked up for free. Little did they know, these couches would not only last many years but hold so many precious memories for the family. What is often considered a simple item to some people, represented so much to this family. -
Loss of brother Tewolde Asgedom, age 17
Tewolde was a hard working 17 year old. Eager and determined to excel. He felt like God called him to do "impossible" things. He would watched the night cleaners at the library and learned from their mistakes. He felt very strongly that he could do a better job than them and with his motivation he was probably right. He wanted to talk to management and offer his services but unfortunately he was killed by a drunk driver before he got the chance. -
Tewoldes compassion
After Tewolde died Mawi found a picture of a South American boy in his brothers belongings. The back of the photo read "Here is your child. Thank you for sponsoring him..." Tewolde worked very hard to survive but also to help this child live, learn and be healthy. He donated $20 every month for this stranger, even though he was struggling to help his family and save for college. -
Haileabs last Christmas
Mawi got to spend two weeks with his father during Christmas break at Harvard. He was a junior at the time and didn't know this would be the last time he would see his father. -
Haileab Asgedom (1934-1998)
During Mawi's junior year in Harvard, his father Haileab was killed by a drunk driver. While this hard working angel did not get to see his son graduate, his legacy and morals live on in the hearts of his children. Before he died they sat on the couch and Haileab told his children stories they had never heard before.
