Sent by his Ethiopian church, Owar Ojulu came to the United States to further prepare himself for service to God as a pastor and evangelist.

Being called to evangelize people all over the world, 34-year-old Ethiopian pastor Owar Ojulu knows God wants him to work for Him.

Since Ojulu came to the United States, many people have been attending services on the phone and listening to the word of God all over the world -- people within the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, as well as from Africa. God has been working to bring people to Himself. Many have come to know the Lord and lives are being changed, Ojulu said.

Being in a different country has not been easy for Ojulu. There is a lot of culture shock, but he believes that even when he is apart from his people and does not see their faces, they can hear his voice speak of God. Through His love for them, they can help each other.

Because of his commitment to Jesus Christ and his faith walk, Ojulu was chosen by his church in Ethiopia to attend seminary. His church helped him complete college and attend seminary in Ethiopia. In 2006, he applied for a diversity visa so he could come for further study in the U.S. His application was accepted, and he left for America in 2008.

Ojulu is married and has three children. His wife is also a Christian and told him he should study in America, even though it meant they would be apart for several years.

“It is painful. My two boys are 10 and 5, and my daughter is 2 years old. They would like me to come home. My youngest would say, ‘Baba, come home, come home,’ whenever I talk to her on a phone. It is hard,” Ojulu said. “When I can’t cope, Jesus offers me hope.”

Ojulu is currently studying at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. He also is working in Sioux Falls, S.D., with those who are very ill with cancer or other illnesses and with people in nursing homes. The hope is the student will see the pain and suffering so they can relate to and understand the patients and people they will be working with later.

Ojulu recently visited Reta Engelhardt at Avera Hospital in Sioux Falls.

“Owar was working at Avera in the chaplain’s program as part of his training,” Engelhardt said. “I sensed something very unique about him, and from the first moment I found myself asking him how he came to know the Lord. For the next 15 minutes, I felt ushered into a Heavenly realm. It wasn’t just his words; it was the touch of Jesus on him as he spoke. I felt I was on sacred ground.

“He turned to read Psalm 91 from his Bible as though the pages were treasured gold. As he read, he delivered a wonderful gift to me. Later, he held my hand and prayed for me. I felt like Jesus Himself was praying for me.”

Ojulu grew up in Southwestern Ethiopia in a family of farmers who believed in the country’s traditional gods and used sacrifices to appease them. As a child, Ojulu remembers being scared. An old man from the village would threaten them with dying, and Ojulu was very fearful of the night and what might happen to him.

One summer, his uncle brought the message of Jesus Christ to their village. Ojulu learned about God, Christianity and Jesus. He was baptized on Ethiopian Christmas Day in 1996 at age 19.

Ojulu became very interested in God’s work. He worked several years for the church and the government in Relief, Agriculture and Disaster Prevention. After seminary, he was director of the Department of Missions and Theology for the church synod in Ethiopia.

“Being in the States is difficult. It requires self-giving and admitting where you are,” Ojulu said. “I do nothing alone. God takes care of me each day.”

Ojulu believes it is great to be in a democratic country where you can achieve your dream. Evangelism is his passion, and he believes God will show him what He wants him to do with his life. Ojulu ministers to Ethiopian and Sudanese refugees in Minnesota and all over the country.

“I don’t live by myself; I live with God,” Ojulu said. “God is preparing me for further affective ministry wherever he can use me.”