“Pray for Nations,” Created by ORU’s Habtamu Heyi, Is Building a Global Community Dedicated to Prayer
Hometown: Adami Tullu, Ethiopia
Computer Science
Most children don’t use their spare time on engineering projects, but at ten years old, Oral Roberts University (ORU) junior Habtamu Heyi was already creating things like free-energy light bulbs and learning internal hardware like chips, transformers, and capacitors. However, pursuing this passion became very difficult for him when he was diagnosed with cancer at a young age. Through a six-year-long search for healing, Habtamu continued to hold on to his dreams and faith. One day, this search came to an end when Habtamu heard a Scripture during a church service.
“My father had taken me to every hospital he could,” said Habtamu. “I was taking a lot of medicines, but still no healing. One day, I went to a church in my town, and this Bible verse was spoken: “It wasn't any herb or ointment that healed them but your word alone, Lord, which heals everything.” (Song of Solomon 16:12). That was the Word that healed me.”
Discovering God’s Direction
Once healed, Habtamu finished high school and then traveled from Ethiopia to India to study software engineering. But while in India, Habtamu received a prophetic word that he wouldn’t be in India for long. This was followed by a dream where he saw himself studying at a Christian college. He didn’t know which college, so he prayed for God’s direction. Soon after, he heard about ORU from a friend.
“My friend was applying for scholarships, and I told him, ‘If you apply to a Christian college, that’s where I'm going,’” said Habtamu. “And my friend responded, ‘There's only one Christian college I'm applying for; it's ORU.’ I knew then the Lord was confirming where I would go.”
God's direction brought Habtamu to ORU, where he’s now learning to combine his passions—prayer and technology. Habtamu serves as Vice President of ORU’s Association for Computing Machinery and sees technology as a crucial tool for spreading God's message. Habtamu envisions a future where “Christians use technology to protect and promote the Word of God, standing out for God's glory in their respective fields.”
Habtamu and the ORU Association for Computing Machinery
The Global Power of Prayer
To further his vision, Habtamu helped start “Prayer for Nations,” a website dedicated to uniting believers in prayer. The site was launched in partnership with Asma “Aaron” Siebler and Nikki Victorious, the President and Vice President of ORU’s Student Association. Each day, “Prayer for Nations” highlights a different country, providing information on its challenges, prayer points, demographic data, and more. For those who want to pray for a global impact, “Prayer for Nations” offers a better understanding of how they should pray.
“The website required a lot of research,” said Habtamu, “to find details about various countries. We started without a blueprint, so gathering all the information took about five months. But God was always guiding me. He calls us to live a life of faith and action, and we’re putting our faith into action by uniting believers around the world in prayer.”
"With Pray for Nations, every life and every nation is valued and included in the global prayer community, leaving none excluded or overlooked.”
With “Pray for Nations,” Habtamu is on a mission to build a global community dedicated to prayer. The emphasis is that “every life and every nation is valued and included in the global prayer community, leaving none excluded or overlooked.” Through technology, Habtamu is extending the power of prayer across borders, languages, and cultures, uniting every nation in the world. It’s a global undertaking, though Habtamu reminds us that in this big world, God is always right next to us.
“You don't have to go far to see God,” Habtamu said. “Just believe His Word, and things will happen in your life. In everything I do, I want my life to be living proof of the work of God’s hands. Life with Jesus is an extraordinary life, one that would be impossible without Him.”
“Pray for Nations” graphic
UNIVERSITY BRIEF
ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with 15 years of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor’s level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 152 nations in the last four years to be whole leaders for the whole world.
The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #8 university in the nation for student experience and one of America's Best Colleges (2024). This new category rates the best colleges in the U.S. to have a great experience while attending. This ranking is powered by one of the largest ever independent surveys of verified college students and recent graduates in the United States. Niche recognizes ORU as one of the top 25 most diverse colleges in America, # 1 best Christian college in Oklahoma, and # 1 in Oklahoma for diversity. Princeton Review ranked ORU as the best regional college, and College Raptor ranked ORU as a Hidden Gem in the Southwest.
ORU has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as:
- #1 in Undergraduate Teaching
- #2 in Most International Students
- #3 in Best Value
- #6 in Best College for Veterans
- #7 in Best Regional Colleges in the West
For more information, visit www.oru.edu.