Elya

Elya is a kind and hard-working girl from Central Asia whose name has been changed for security reasons. She comes from a Christian family and is the eldest child. At an early age, she had to take care of her younger sister, so she knows what responsibility is and what it's like to be an adult. A significant moment in her teenage years was when she moved to a predominantly Muslim country, when she found herself alone and very introverted. After some time there, she met Young Life, which was a defining moment. She found herself, true friends, and most importantly, she began to build a real relationship with Jesus, even though she had known Him since childhood through her parents.

Her friends from Young Life took her to church, where she feels safe and secure surrounded by brothers and sisters. "That was the moment I realized that now I know that I can love God with all my heart, and He gives me the love that I pass on to all people," she says. Now, she lives in another city because of her studies, where she serves as the head of the Young Life College club for students and helps out on the Capernaum team.

As a Developing Global Leader, she is majoring in languages and will be the first in her family to graduate from university. Elya hopes to become a "fully educated person", which will help her to have a greater impact on others. She dreams of developing a coffee shop business in her town in order "to create a team of believers who will work together and convey the atmosphere of God's love to everyone who comes there."