A Glimpse of Your Impact

A GLIMPSE OF YOUR IMPACT YOUNG LIFE DEVELOPING GLOBAL LEADERS

"A g e n e ro u s p e rs o n w i l l p ro s p e r ; whoever ref reshes others will be r e f r e s h e d ."

— Proverbs 11:25

Thank you, Esler Family!

Your sponsorship of 10 DGL students creates a powerful ministry multiplication effect. On average, DGL students directly impact 10–30 teens per year through consistent one-to-one relational ministry—inviting them to club, taking them to camp, leading Campaigners Bible studies, walking with them through life’s highs and lows, and training them to become leaders themselves.

Over four years, your investment in these 10 DGL students will have a far-reaching impact as they collectively reach 400–1,200 teens—or many more.

Your generosity is fueling hope and transformation around the globe, creating a ripple effect that goes far beyond individual lives—impacting entire communities and shaping the next generation of leaders.

July 2025

MAGDALENA POLAND

EMILI ALBANIA

YOUR GLOBAL IMPACT

DONALD

SIERRA LEONE

MAGIRI TANZANIA

FATMATA

SIERRA LEONE

RAJAB ZANZIBAR

SOLACE GHANA

FORTUNE ESWATINI

THABISO

SOUTH AFRICA

MNCEDISI SOUTH AFRICA

THABISO

MOKOPANE, SOUTH AFRICA UNIVERSITY: Edutel MAJOR: Education

When I was nine years old, my father passed away. We had to move back to my grandmother’s house because my father had not married my mother.

At home, we were only eating twice a day, so I started gambling to buy food. However, my life changed when I heard about Young Life from my aunt. I started going to Young Life clubs for the fun, but did not listen to the talks until I went to camp. I accepted Jesus Christ into my life at Young Life camp. Since that time, I have been on a journey of faith in Jesus, knowing that I am forgiven and that I will spend eternity with Him in heaven. I finally have peace and purpose in my life. Jesus changed my life.

What is your field of study and why did you choose it? I am studying education at Edutel University in Roodepoort, South Africa. I will be the first person in my family to graduate from university. Being involved in Young Life has given me the desire to get a diploma in teaching so that I can change the lives of other young kids and help them succeed. When I graduate, I want to be a teacher and inspire a lifelong love of learning in others.

How school is going? School is going very well; my favorite class is health safety and nutrition and also communication and ICT skills.

How have you seen God moving in Young Life ministry these last months? I've seen God moving through a noticeable increase in of former leaders coming back to be involved in ministry.

High/Low of the last 3 months: I don't have lows. My high is that I was so excited to attend my 2025 class.

Prayer Requests: Please pray for me so that I can be able to reach my goals, to overcome obstacles, and for guidance and wisdom.

— THABISO

MNCEDISI PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA UNIVERSITY: University of South Africa MAJOR: Environmental Management

My faith has played an important role in my life. As a child, I knew I should go before the Lord with prayer, but I did not know what a true relationship with the Lord looked like until eighth grade. That’s when my Young Life leader invited me to an outreach camp. During that camp, my faith grew and I began to experience the Lord on a deeper level. I knew I wanted to walk with Him all my days and share His love with others.

What is your field of study and why did you select it? My field of study is Bachelor's of Arts in Environmental Management, The reason I chose it is because I developed a love for the weather and how nature works. It saddens me that we are mistreating natural resources so it is in my heart to care for the nature God made for us.

Prayer Requests: I have a new role to find and open new Young Life clubs in Pretoria. Please pray that with this new role, I will be able to carry on. I am nervous but I know that my God is capable.

— MNCEDISI

DONALD WATERLOO, SIERRA LEONE UNIVERSITY: Freetown Poly Technic MAJOR: Business Information Technology

I was born into a Muslim family and I am the second of eight children. My father was a farmer and resources were always limited. When I reached high school, I had to move in with my uncle to work odd jobs to assist with fees. One day I was invited to a Young Life Club where I heard of Jesus. After listening to the message, I knew I wanted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. The love shown to me by the other Young Life kids and leaders was something I had never experienced before.

List some of your favorite hobbies and tell us why you enjoy them.

Playing football, running sports, and hunting. Football helps me to be known in the village and running helps me to know different places.

Hunting is something I did when I was living with my parents in the village.

After working in the garden, sometimes my dad and I would go to the bush to hunt.

High/Low of the last 3 months: High: I have completed my first semester exams. Low: Transportation problems because of the distance from my house I have to wake up by 3:00am every time that we have morning class so that I make it to my first class.

Prayer Requests: Please pray for a successful academic year and for an impactful ministry year. I am praying for my donors, for God to bless them more as they continue to support me and all the other DGL student around the world. Also for protection in my life and may God continue to give me the heart of a giver as I have started to give to people and more especially the less privileged.

— DONALD

FATMATA FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE UNIVERSITY: Milton Margai Technical University MAJOR: Procurement and Logistics

I live with my mother who is a single parent in Freetown, Sierra Leone. I have never known my father as he died when I was young. Since then, our mom has been taking care of my older siblings and me with the meager income from petty trading. I have seen firsthand the impact of poverty and discouragement and refuse to walk in the footsteps of hopelessness.

I met Jesus when I was a child through baptism at church. However, I stopped going to church and attending church activities because my life was so full of stress and struggle. I was reintroduced to Christ in secondary school through Young Life. I began to grow in faith as I was involved in clubs and campaigners. Now I am a Young Life team leader and a Developing Global Leader. I am pursuing a degree in procurement and logistics with goals to become a role model in my community and be able to give financial stability to my family.

How have you seen God moving in Young Life ministry these last months? For the last months my club has been increasing from 50 teenagers to 70 teenagers at club, for which my team and I are grateful to God. High/Low of the last 3 months: My high was being the key presenter in my my class group presentations! I was so excited to be chosen. No lows, thank God. Prayer Requests: I pray that God will continue to guide and protect my donors who are supporting me through Young Life to help me achieve my education successfully. I pray for wisdom, knowledge and understanding so that I will be able to handle my ministry and university successfully.

— FATMATA

FORTUNE HLATHIKHULU, ESWATINI UNIVERSITY: Southern Africa Nazarene University MAJOR: Pharmacy

My mother passed away when I was a child, and my father is an elderly man who is unable to work. Coming from poverty and being the eldest, I had to take on the role of breadwinner and focused on helping my siblings with food and school fees. I did not attend school for three years and sold chips and sweets to help provide for my family. I was determined to take care of them, but I experienced much despair.

Everything changed when I was at my lowest and heard the voice of Jesus.

I was introduced to Young Life which brought me closer to Christ because I no longer felt alone. I was surrounded by a Christian community who supported me and I began laughing again and feeling loved. I now volunteer as a team leader, hoping to offer the same kindness I was shown.

What is your field of study and why did you choose it? I am studying pharmacy because I want to help others access the healthcare they need and to nurture future leaders. My goal is to establish a children’s village in my area to offer physical and spiritual care for other kids. I want to start my own pharmacy that will hire more YL leaders and also donate back to Young Life Eswatini.

List some of your favorite hobbies and tell us why you enjoy them: I like singing gospel songs because I am good in vocals and I have a passion for singing. I also like playing soccer with other guys because I'm talented and skilled.

— FORTUNE

RAJAB ZANZIBAR, ZANZIBAR UNIVERSITY: Zanzibar Alliance Institute MAJOR: Tourism Management

I am from the village of Bungi. I come from a large family as my father had multiple wives and I have seven siblings. In 2020, my father passed away due to a paralytic disease. After his death, some of my father's relatives rejected me because of my Christian beliefs.

A goal I have set is earning a college degree. I will be the first to do so in my family and it would mean a great deal to me. As a part of the Developing Global Leaders program, I attend Zanzibar Alliance and I am working on a degree in tourism and hospitality. My prayer is that I will be able to support my family, help my community, and feel respected in society.

Prayer Requests: I am grateful that the clubs are going well, young people are coming in large numbers, and leaders are increasing every season. I ask for prayers for the areas of Mtule, Pete, Kizimkazi, and Jambiani which are very challenging areas because the majority of their population is Muslim.

These are the areas where we want Young Life to grow. I ask for prayers for these areas so that we can reach the young people and tell them about our friend Jesus.

I pray that regarding my personal life, God will open the doors of sustenance so that I can support myself and help my family. I ask for continued prayers for my mother so that her condition may continue to improve. I ask for prayers so that I can understand more and do well in my studies.

— RAJAB

MAGIRI ARUSHA, TANZANIA UNIVERSITY: Institute of Accountancy MAJOR: Computer Science

The best thing about my childhood was being a charming kid and intelligent kid. This actually helps me now doing contact work because I know how how to interact with many different people. The challenging part of my childhood was living without my mother while seeing other kids laughing and playing with their mothers. It was hard to find a friend in my neighborhood because their parents wouldn’t allow it because of my upbringing in the streets.

High/Low of the last 3 months: This has been so wonderful because it is the first time to be in university, a big step that I have been waiting for. So I thank God and all my sponsors and those who praying for me for this to happen. I keep praying that God will give me courage to stand and keep teaching me how to live.

List some of your favorite hobbies and tell us why you enjoy them. I like to read books and read the Bible because I receive knowledge and ways to solve some problems around me. I also like exercising; I do workouts almost every week.

Prayer Requests: May God bless me and guide me to His ways. May God bless everyone who is there to make sure I go to class and fulfill my goals.

Prosperity in my ministry, family, education and spiritual life.

— MAGIRI

SOLACE ACCRA, GHANA UNIVERSITY: Heritage Christian College MAJOR: Communications

I am the youngest of four children. When I was three years old, my eldest brother passed away and then the following year, my father passed away leaving my mother suddenly alone to care for three children and herself.

Life became difficult as she lost her source of income and my siblings were made to stay with other relatives. Being the only child living with my mother, we struggled to make ends meet and sometimes went to bed on empty stomachs. I left school and stayed home until my mother could scrape together enough money for school fees. My mother had to do all kinds of menial work to earn enough for me to start school again; it was only possible with God on our side.

What is your field of study and why did you choose it? I chose to study Broadcast Journalism to be able to educate and inform people about the happenings in our communities and also enlighten them on some importance of policies in our community and country.

List some of your favorite hobbies and tell us why you enjoy them. I like to read. I do this partly for entertainment but now that I’m a communication studies student, I read for information.

Prayer Requests: My prayer request is that I would have a good memory, retention and alertness during lectures and so I can fulfill my duties as a DGL student. I also want you to join me in prayers for the growth of our ministry and all other leaders and kids working with us.

— SOLACE

EMILI TIRANA, ALBANIA UNIVERSITY: Lady of Good Counsel University MAJOR: Dentistry

Growing up in a small, close-knit family, I was deeply influenced by my mother, whose strong Christian faith shaped much of my early life. As an adolescent convert herself, she instilled in me the values of her faith from a young age, taking me to church regularly even when I was reluctant. A pivotal moment in my own faith was attending a Young Life camp thanks to a friend's invitation. Although my friend was not a believer, the experience was life-changing for me. I found peace and joy in the community and it inspired me to share my experiences with others, which in turn sparked interest among many of my friends.

What is your field of study and why did you choose it? While I am aware that the path of studying dentistry will be challenging, requiring six years of dedicated study, I firmly believe that God has opened this door for me. My faith has taught me resilience and confidence, qualities that I know will carry me through this demanding journey.

Highs and Lows in recent months: I've been learning how to drive and now I can say that I finally took my driver's license. I've been praying to God about more concentration in school and how to be more organized and these last few months I've been really putting my work together in school, although university has been challenging for me since I'm in first year as a dental student and the load has been a lot and I barely have time for myself sometimes.

Prayer Requests: I'd like for you to pray about my school life since I'm distracted and tired lately. Also, I'm trying to reach out to some girls at my neighborhood who are Muslims and I really hope they can come to the camp and get to know Jesus there.

— EMILI

MAGDALENA POZNAŃ, POLAND UNIVERSITY: Adam Mickiewicz University MAJOR: Psychology and Cognitive Science

I currently live in Poznań, Poland with my husband, but my roots stretch back to a tiny village in western Poland where I spent my early childhood with my great-grandmother. It was during this idyllic time that I first witnessed my great-grandmother’s deep faith which left a lasting impression on me. My faith journey took a significant turn in high school when I encountered a personal crisis that shook me deeply. I distanced myself from church and struggled to find meaning in anything. It was during a summer break, through frequent conversations and prayers with my great-grandmother, that I began to discover what it truly means to have a personal relationship with God. What is your field of study and why did you choose it? My field of study is cognitive science. I am pursuing my studies in psychology and cognitive science. My academic focus is on understanding the complexities of the human brain, decision-making processes, and improving the quality of medical practice through AI. I see this as a significant responsibility, and I am committed to continuously improving my skills so that I can serve others wisely and effectively, always guided by my faith.

How have you seen God moving in Young Life ministry? God has been constantly surprising me with His goodness and generosity. I have seen incredible growth in each of my girls, who increasingly trust each other and me, and also in several of them a great openness to bringing the good news to others. One of the girls is just starting leadership training, another recently asked if she could volunteer at the next camp.

Prayer Requests: Please pray for my husband and me, our family...that we would be able to balance caring for our marriage and time as a couple with time dedicated to family and responsibilities, while not forgetting that God has it all under control.

— MAGDALENA

DGL AT A GLANCE AS OF JULY 2025

active 658 Current DGL Students

2,101

83 countries

since the program began in 2009

representing

Total Developing Global Leaders

1,087

Total DGL Graduates

DGL AWARDS 250 FULL-RIDE SCHOLARSHIPS EVERY YEAR.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to f ill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing f ruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, — Colossians 1:9-10

THANK YOU

YOUNG LIFE DEVELOPING GLOBAL LEADERS

dgl.younglife.org