Raphaela

My name is Raphaela. I live in Freising, Germany, in an apartment with three other girls. I grew up in a Catholic household in a small village near Rosenheim, Germany with my mom, dad and three siblings. My mother told us about Jesus and His love for us. However, as a teenager growing up in a community where it was not common for young people to believe in Jesus, I felt lonely and longed for an intimate relationship with Him. I started partying more, got into worldly relationships and put my self-worth in positive attention from boys and friends.

During my childhood, my mother taught me about Jesus and set the groundwork for my relationship with Him. We also went to church every Sunday. However, my faith did not become personal to me until I moved to Freising for college, and Jesus showed me what it was like to have a personal relationship with Him. He healed my past wounds and provided me with many amazing Christian friends, like my Young Life team. I am now a Young Life volunteer team leader for the university ministry in Freising.

As a recipient of the Developing Global Leaders scholarship, I am studying Landscape Architecture at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences. I will be the first person in my family to graduate from university. When I finish my degree, I want to be a Landscape Designer and continue leading with Young Life to create spaces where young adults feel loved, heard and seen by God. I want to support them with their struggles and fears so that they have a chance to get to know Jesus in a free and unpressured way, just as I experienced it.