Reina

Reina is a resilient and responsible young woman from Jinotega, Nicaragua. She grew up in a neighborhood she described as, “a tense environment where there is a great need for Jesus; where children take refuge in vices such as drugs and violence and often feel that there are no other alternatives for survival.” Reina and her younger sister were raised by their mother under this backdrop. The threesome was reliant on her mother’s income as a housemaid after the death of her father when she was very young. Reina worked as a street vendor and assisted her mother in her cleaning jobs throughout childhood, bearing the burden of working for everything she had and maintaining her school responsibilities at the same time. The instability of her home life meant that they moved from place to place, often staying in unsafe environments that led to unspeakable abuse in Reina’s life. Unequipped to protect herself, Reina did not speak of her experiences and resorted to destructive behaviors as a way of coping with her pain.

At age seventeen, in a depressed state, overwhelmed by the emptiness in her life, and accompanied by insecurity, fear, and hate, Reina had a life-changing encounter with God when she heard the Gospel shared on the radio. She challenged God in her heart and asked Him to prove His existence by removing her fear and insecurity and by helping her forgive her abuser. Meeting a Young Life leader in her community soon after, Reina shares that she “left her burdens in the hands of Jesus and allowed Him to fill her heart.” God helped her to forgive and overcome and experience true joy in her life. Through her experience as a Young Life leader, Reina shares that she has found her true purpose in life as she pursues girls in her community with the love of Jesus.

Now a Developing Global Leader, Reina is pursuing a degree in tropical agroecological engineering at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua. She is passionate about a career that allows her to help her community by providing information on proper management of land use, emphasizing soil and crop health as well as ecological and human benefit. Reina has hope-filled dreams for her country as well as her family, as she will be the first person to graduate from university.