Estoni

My name is Estoni and I was born in Iringa town, Tanzania. I was the first child of my parents and lived with my stepbrother. When I was young there was suffering due to our poor life; we lacked money for our school fees, there was rarely enough food, and our shelter was not sufficient. My grief compounded with the death of my parents. It was hard for me and caused pain in my heart and I didn't know what to do which resulted in living a destructive and rebellious lifestyle.

For a long time, I was a nonbeliever in God, though I used to go to church as a tradition. I met a Young Life leader who invited me to Young Life camp where I heard the word of God. It was hard for me to accept it at first, but when I began realizing that God is everything, I asked for help and forgiveness from God, and everything changed. As a team leader, I am grateful for the ways God is using my relational gifts to create relationships with countless teens in my community as I share hope and Good News about the love of God.

Now a Developing Global Leader, I am studying psychology at the University of Iringa. I want to become a psychologist or counselor because our community needs help. While in the DGL program, I will continue to tell students how great God is and grow to be a better leader in Young Life and in my community. I am committed to reaching every corner of my community and leading them with love and patience. I will be the first one in my family to graduate from university.