Iván Felipe

My name is Felipe, I was born and live in the city of Sogamoso, an agricultural hub of Columbia. When I was born the situation in general for my family was not good, but with the help of God, we have been able to face good and bad things and grow into the people we are today. We are not perfect and don't have money to spare, but we do know how to appreciate all that God has given us and strive to always improve according to God's will and the effort we make.

From a very young age my parents took me to church; faith in God was central to life for our family. When I was a teenager, I chose to be baptized. In a way that I can't explain, I began to make changes in my life from that day on that brought me closer to God. One day some friends from school invited me their church small group; I was greatly impacted by their dynamic way of talking about Jesus. It didn't take long before I began to leave my notoriously shy nature, and felt comfortable contributing to the group. When they told us about starting Young Life in Sogamoso, I did not hesitate to jump in as a leader. Being a volunteer leader was fun. I held few responsibilities other than enjoying and investing in kids; I was in my comfort zone. In 2019, God placed me as the head of the ministry in my city and I have tried to be the leader that Jesus would want me to be, beginning by depending on God as my Father, looking for Him daily.

I do not consider myself normal for my age because I aspire to very serious things and I work hard to attain them. In terms of academics, I constantly aspire to grow in knowledge, particularly in my field of study, Electrical Engineering. I feel that the demands of my degree at Pedagogical and Technical University of Columbia, qualifies me for many things that I hope in the long run, will be the cause of a notorious, positive impact on my community. As a Developing Global Leader, it is my privilege to be team leader and support the growth of Young Life in my community. Through Young Life, God has given me so much and I want many other young people not to miss the opportunity to meet Jesus and follow him.