After having entered the seminary in the ninth grade and attending for three years, he was forced to leave due to the death of his father, which left DJ supporting his mother and five younger siblings.

"I wanted to be in the seminary," he said. "But there was nobody to help my family. If I go to the seminary, they won’t have anybody to take care of them. I prayed to God, ‘Help me; I want to take care of my family.’ I talked to my priest, and he said, ‘You have to save your family.’"

In a bittersweet answer to prayers, DJ soon won the immigration lottery (instead of cash, the prize is a life in the United States) and found himself heading for Colorado, where he was able to support his family like he never could in Ethiopia.

Tsige "TG" Wordofa was a girl of 19 in Ethiopia when she, too found herself facing the ever-difficult trek down the airplane concourse, waving a long, sad goodbye to her sister and three brothers. A winning lottery was her ticket to the United States as well.

TG was a child of four when her father, a soldier, was killed in battle. Her mother died five years ago. When she arrived in Colorado, she had no family to greet her, just a few friends to welcome her to her new home.

"I was scared," she said from her apartment, as the couple’s baby, Hannah, giggled in the background. "I couldn’t work before in my country. My first job [here] was in a hotel."

The pair had never previously met. They were both young, both single, both devout Catholics, and despite 200 different languages spoken in their homeland (each representing a separate and unique culture), the two shared the same language. About a year after her arrival in the United States three years ago — thousands of miles away from their homeland – the paths of the two met, and they fell in love.

"We met the first time at a party," DJ said. "Sometimes our people just come together to pray, eat, and have a party."

While TG worked in a hotel and lent financial support to her family in Ethiopia, DJ worked two jobs, one for his family back home, and one for his family here. He has since continued his college education to become an accountant. TG also intends to go to school — one of the perks, she said, of living in the United States.

"Over there we don’t have the opportunity for school and jobs," she said. "Here we have opportunity."

"Before one year ago, I had two jobs," DJ said. "I have one job now, and I go to school part-time. I bought my mom a house, and now she is in a nice way. She said, ‘Thanks, my son.’"

Fortunately, the exchange rate supports their efforts. DJ noted that if he sends $500 home, it is as if he sent $5,000.

DJ was the son of a farmer and rancher, trading in cattle, corn, wheat – and a few bananas, lemons and oranges. Like TG, he said that he misses "all my family, my brothers and sisters. My hope is they continue their education and their faith in a nice way."

DJ and TG and their four-month-old daughter, Hannah, can be seen walking the four or five blocks each Sunday to the Shrine of St. Anne Church in Arvada, Colo.

It just so happens that also attending St. Anne’s is a couple who have a personal link to Ethiopia, and who know much about its history and struggles. In 1977, Jim Myers spent several months working in Sudan – which neighbors Ethiopia — and since that time, he and his wife, Ruth, have sponsored more than a dozen refugees from warring African nations, many of whom were from Ethiopia. They had heard the stories; they knew the history; they knew the country. And when they spotted DJ and TG, they recognized their nationality instantly.

The four became quick friends, and when time came for Hannah’s baptism, it seemed natural for the couple to turn to the Myers’ to be the child’s Godparents. On July 2, 2006, Hannah was baptized by Deacon Rodger Creel at the Shrine of St. Anne, with Jim and Ruth proudly looking on.

What do they like most about their new life? As for TG, it’s the ability to go to school.

And for DJ? "I can’t tell you, I like it too much," he says, laughing. "Burger King. Every week I have to eat Burger King or McDonalds. The main thing is that I like America because there are many opportunities here. You can go to school, do whatever you want.