Joel

Joel lives in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. He had a relatively normal childhood with his parents in Abidjan until he lost his father due to illness. This was one of the biggest challenges in his life and his father was the only one who could financially support his education. With this loss, Joel was desperate to find some way to finish his schooling.

Joel met Jesus during his baptism class at church. He also participated in Young Life club and Bible study meetings, all leading him closer to Christ during a very difficult time. Joel shares that his greatest challenge in life was, “keeping hope during the years by staying away from the vices of life and not giving in to the temptation to touch drugs”, despite the difficulties of losing his father. Through prayer and the support of his leaders, Joel was able to fulfil his dream and obtain his high school diploma.

As a recipient of the Developing Global Leaders scholarship, Joel is studying languages at the École Superieur D’Interpretation Et De Traduction in Abidjan. He will be the first person in his family to graduate from college. With his degree, he hopes to achieve success in the field of translation, offering communication services to his community. Joel wants to be a witness for Jesus and a positive influence on other young people in his community and country.