Andrew

My name is Andrew, and I live in an apartment in Stirling, Scotland, with another university student. I grew up on the Shetland Isles in a small rural community with a loving family. I developed a love for Jesus at a young age and was surrounded by a close-knit Christian community. However, when I was a child, my parents divorced, and we stepped away from church. Not long after that, my dad was in a serious road bike accident, which shook our family. My teenage years were also hard because I had to step away from a high-level sport due to illness but God eventually rebuilt my identity in Him.

Although I had known about Jesus since I was young, my personal relationship with Him did not begin until university. There, I met Christian friends who challenged me, and I attended a Christian conference, where I truly experienced the love of God. I then started attending church and got connected with Young Life. I am now on student staff with Young Life high school and middle school ministries.

As a recipient of the Developing Global Leaders scholarship, I am studying Environmental Geography with Outdoor Education at the University of Stirling in Stirling, Scotland. My hope is that this degree will open doors in both youth and outdoor ministry. My heart is to serve through Young Life and beyond, building trusted relationships with young people and helping them see God’s love for them in both everyday life and through creation.