Young Leaders International blog

Clean water in Kassapoe!

Ash Zook — Thu, 14 May 2026 16:35:11 GMT

(Originally published April 25, 2025)

We made an urgent request in the April mailed newsletter…

and YLI donors showed up for Kassapoe in time for Easter!

Here’s how it happened.

At the end of March, YLI Coach Oswin, traveled several hours to visit a remote village called Kassapoe, which is home for more than 1000 people. What Oswin witnessed made his stomach turn. Children were fetching and drinking filthy yellow liquid from a small pond. We had already planned to drill a borehole with a hand pump in the community this month, but when Oswin saw the large population of Kassapoe, he became concerned that having only one source of clean water would create stress in the community.

The problem was that we only had funding for 12 water projects this season, and Kassapoe was number 12. Our water fund was empty. Also, the five month rainy season was bearing down upon us. Once it starts raining we are unable to drill until November when the ground dries up again.

If we were going to adequately solve the water need in Kassapoe we had to act very quickly. I just had this feeling that YLI donors would respond to the need, so I told the contractor to go ahead with the second borehole. That week we sent a newsletter asking for an additional $3500 and in a matter of days we received almost $4000 which allows us to pay our contractor. For the record, the contractor, David Baba Tiffu, knew we were moving forward on faith and he didn’t hesitate a bit.

As our Coaches in West Africa say, “God is good, all the time…and all the time, God is good!”

Now it’s time for us to begin raising funds for the next water project season (Nov 2025 – Apr 2026). If you would like to make a gift you can visit our website, use the QR code below, or send us a check.

Thank you, YLI donors, for coming through for Kassapoe!

Da Onyame Ase!

Ash Zook — Thu, 14 May 2026 16:35:10 GMT

(Originally published December 13, 2024)

Friends,

Da Onyame Ase (thanks be to God) is a line in a Ghanaian children’s song, Da N’Ase. Da N’Ase is like the American song, “Jesus Loves Me”. It’s often the first song a child learns in Sunday School. Similarly, it is spiritually deep despite its lyrical simplicity. “We thank God!” not “Wow, that’s awesome!” is the reply when good news is shared in Ghana. Somehow divine gratitude seems to come more easily for people who possess little, than for those who are buried in excess!

Mike Moye addressing the children in Kpenchila

I remember in 2009 visiting the most impoverished village I had seen to that point. YLI board member, Mike Moye was with me. Surrounded by sick children I couldn’t help but imagine my own young children sitting among them on the dusty ground. It was incredibly unsettling. I said a few words about God’s love which felt useless as they left my mouth. Then, I asked Mike if he would share a word with the children. Instead of talking, he responded by singing Jesus Loves Me. It felt Holy. The wrestling match in my heart happened as we drove out of the village that day. I had no doubt that Jesus loved those children as much as my own, and I knew that discipleship demanded something more from me personally and from YLI as a ministry. Continuing to just teach about discipleship from the comfort of churches was not an option when beloved children of God suffered for lack of water. That village Kpenchila, became the site of the first YLI water project. Da Onyame Ase!

The first YLI water project

YLI’s ministry and training is centered in Love.

1. We pursue an intimate love relationship with God.

2. We build loving friendships with lost people.

3. We disciple other people out of love.

Love sounds happy and free, but in practice, love is often uncomfortable and costly. Jesus’ love for us came at an incredible cost. His obedience to God’s love required that he leave the comforts of heaven, endure immense suffering and die. This is the love He invites us into.

Because of their participation in Jesus’ divine Love, YLI Coaches radiate joy in the midst of levels of physical hardship, financial poverty, and threat of persecution that are unknown to us in the United States. I can testify that, like the poor widow from Luke chapter 21, YLI leaders give all they have because Jesus gave all of Himself. We are thankful for what He endured out of love to save us. We are thankful to you for supporting YLI leaders, who don’t just talk about love, but leave their comfort zones and live love.

Da Onyame Ase!

YLI Coaches singing "Da N'Ase" just for you:

Ash Zook, Executive Director

News from YLI IN Nigeria

ashzook@gmail.com (Ash Zook) — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 20:01:29 GMT

YLI’s ministry in Nigeria, on the surface, resembles YLI in Ghana: young Christian adults making disciples and lovingly pouring their lives into younger leaders. Nigeria, as a country, however, is enduring incredible violence, especially toward Christians. In recent years, more Christians have died as a result of religious violence in Nigeria than in any other country. According to Nigeria-based human rights watch group, Intersociety, more than 7000 Christians were killed within the first 220 days of 2025. Although violence is common in Plateau State, where the majority of our leaders live, it has mostly not yet reached their communities. An exception is the town of Miango, a focus area of YLI last year. Muslim attackers have slaughtered over 100 Christians in and around Miango in 2025.

In the words of our lead Coach, Peter Iliya:

“What we are facing as a country is multifaceted. There is terrorism fueled by an Islamic Jihadist ideology. With Christians as the primary target, Muslims who do not subscribe to their fanaticism are also slaughtered by the terrorists. For the terrorist acts we are facing in Nigeria, Islam feeds that ideology. Whether the terrorists are practicing the true version of Islam or not is a topic for another day.

In the Northwest, there is a thriving banditry and kidnapping business facilitated by armed Fulani herdsmen and sometimes aided by non-Muslims who act as informants and enablers of these acts. Both Christian and non-Christian communities have been severely affected.With land being at the center of the conflict, the culprits seek to annihilate natives or displace them and take over their lands. Again, this is a radical Islamic expansionist move.The claims of a Christian genocide is a reality. It may not paint the complete picture, but it is a true fact. The real challenge before them (the government) now should be the protection of the lives of those butchered on a daily basis and not a loud defense of the sovereignty of our nation.”

Please join us in praying for peace as we also lift up Peter and the team in Nigeria.

2025 Discipleship Training

ashzook@gmail.com (Ash Zook) — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 19:52:59 GMT

“…so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” - 1 Thessalonians 2:8

At YLI trainings it is important that our message is taught with excellence, but our training is more than instruction. The YLI Basic is designed to emphasize the key points of 1 Thessalonians 2:8. 1. “We loved you so much…” We have unstructured time for games so the young people feel acceptance and connect with the Coaches. 2. “Delighted to share with you…” our presentation of evangelism, intimacy with God, and the call to discipleship is interactive and communicated with delight, humor and enthusiasm! 3. “Our lives as well…” the personal sharing and conversations that begin at the YLI Basic are just the beginning. Relationships continue to grow through follow up events, phone calls, texts, and social media. Over the last few years we have developed friendships with young men and women who will become the next group of YLI Interns. Our commitment as the generations continue to grow and multiply is to maintain the course, to focus on spiritual depth in our relationship with God, and depth of discipleship with the few that God entrusts to us.

News: Clean water | living water

ashzook@gmail.com (Ash Zook) — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 19:40:15 GMT

“The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” - John 14:4b

This year we were privileged to bring the first source of clean water to Nankurb.

https://videopress.com/v/hkEvxd6a?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

As construction began, a mother in the community could not help but sing and dance her praise to Jesus!

In Ghana, 3.9 million people do not have access to clean water. That’s one in five people, created and loved by God, just as we are. YLI leaders primarily serve in impoverished villages among this 20% who lack safe water. These places are often so remote that they are overlooked by larger health organizations. When I visit these villages, people express surprise and joy that outsiders even know they exist.

When I visit water communities I try to get “before photos” of their water situation, and after 15 years it is no less shocking. It’s been 15 years and 40 water projects since a YLI Coach asked, “How can we convince people that God loves them when they don’t even have clean water to drink?” Its humbling how over the years God has responded to our obedience with His faithfulness. Starting out we knew nothing about clean water, but it has added power to discipleship and evangelism as YLI leaders have loved people with Word and also in deed.

Drinking water in Kassapoe: Before (March 29, 2025) and After (June 7, 2025)

One thing I love about our clean water work is that our projects are driven by our relationships with the a local YLI leader, and with the community. Usually communities just need a simple borehole with a manual hand-pump. But if a community is better served with a mechanized pumping system, or an innovative solution we’ll try to make it happen. In 2025 we installed ten hand pump boreholes, but also a mechanized system with multiple access points in Kimeoteek and a unique configuration with water fountains for the Nessim School in Gushegu.

Transporting water storage tanks for Nessim School and it’s water fountains

A very large population and access to electricity allowed us to construct a high yield water system with multiple access points in Kimeoteek.

This year we completed 12 clean water projects, the most we have done in one year. In 2026, our goal is to construct at least 15 new clean water projects. To do this we need to raise the remaining $46,000 of our goal of $70,200. We invite you again to partner with us in this ministry that has become core to YLI’s mission. We are excited to see what God continues to do as we offer the gift of Living Water and clean water!

Scan to join us in providing clean water in Ghana and Nigeria

Empowering young leaders to reach their world through discipleship.

ashzook@gmail.com (Ash Zook) — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 18:31:22 GMT

A word from our Executive Director, Ash Zook

Friends,

Mike Moye addressing the children in Kpenchila

In 2009, I visited the most impoverished village I had seen to that point. YLI board member, Mike Moye was with me. Surrounded by sick children I couldn’t help but imagine my own young kids sitting among them on the dusty ground. It was incredibly unsettling. I said a few words about God’s love which felt useless as they left my mouth. Then I asked Mike if he would share a word with the children. Instead of talking he responded by singing Jesus Loves Me. It felt holy. There was a wrestling match in my heart as we drove out of the village that day. I knew that actual discipleship demanded more than we were doing. YLI could not continue to just teach about discipleship and love evangelism from the comfort of churches while children around us suffered for lack of water. That village, Kpenchila, became the site of the first YLI water project, and since 2010 we have installed clean water solutions in 40 more villages where YLI trained disciples are ministering.

The first YLI water project

The work of YLI is focused on Love.

1. We pursue a Love relationship with God (Intimacy with God).

2. We build Loving friendships with people who do not know Jesus (Incarnational Evangelism).

3. We disciple other people out of Love (Spiritual Multiplication).

All of this talk about love may sound happy and free, but in practice love is often uncomfortable and costly. Jesus’ love for us came at an incredible cost. His obedience to God’s love required that he leave the comforts of heaven, endure immense suffering, and die. This is the love He invites us into.

Because of their participation in Jesus' divine Love, the YLI Coaches and Interns I am blessed to work with radiate joy in the midst of levels of physical hardship, financial poverty, and threat of persecution that are unknown to us in the United States. I can testify that, like the poor widow from Luke chapter 21, YLI leaders give all they have because Jesus gave all of Himself. We are thankful for what God endured out of love to save us.

And we are grateful to our donors for supporting YLI leaders, who don’t just talk about love, but leave their comfort zones and live it out.

Glory to God!

Ash Zook, Executive Director

A marathon trip (at a sprint)!

ashzook@gmail.com (Ash Zook) — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 16:11:10 GMT

This is a brief report from my third trip to Ghana in 2025. In short, I attended a discipleship follow-up training in one part of northern Ghana, took a three day road trip to inspect 12 new water projects, and then drove to Ghana's far upper east corner to join some YLI leaders who, due to an ongoing tribal conflict, had not led a YLI's Basic Training there for 15 years.

Ash with the Kassapoe chief on June 7, 2025.

What a trip!

It is always an honor to meet the chief of a village or community. Most of the African chiefs I've encountered over the years are not Christians, but every single one has had a sincere father's love and concern for their people, and have been incredibly grateful for the work of Christians to alleviate their suffering.

Last month I sent you a photo of brownish-yellow sludge which was the only thing to drink in Kassapoe. YLI donors stepped up so we could provide not just one, but two hand pumps for this particularly large community. Kassapoe is so remote that very few people even know they exist, but the Creator of the Universe knows them, sees them and loves them.

And thanks to disciples of Jesus, Kassapoe knows of the true God who knows them.

Kassapoe's water in April, and then filling up our water bottles on June 7

Discipleship follow up in Bunjai We attended a first time ever "tri-lingual" YLI discipleship gathering led in English, Twi and Konkomba languages by YLI Coach Constant Adzomani!
	12 water projects, 10 villages, 3 days We traversed northern Ghana with David Babatifu (the best water contractor), Oswin (YLI project manager), Peter (YLI Coach from Nigeria), and George, my long-time driver and assistant in Ghana.
YLI Basic Training in Nakpanduri We traveled north to Joel Jakpuri and a new group of young disciples who are committed to reaching their community for Jesus. Ongoing tension and violence has prevented us from visiting since 2007, so it was great to be back!

Thank you all for making it possible for us to continue investing in the ministry of young disciples in West Africa. Your generosity also allowed me to invite Peter Iliya, our Coach in Nigeria, to join me on this trip and spend some valuable time in ministry together.

YLI's work is growing faster than ever, and I find that I am spending more and more time just trying to keep up with all that God is doing. Please continue praying for us as a team, that God will give us wisdom to discern all that He would have us do to empower young leaders to reach their world.

Grace and peace to all of you,

On the road with Silas, Oswin, Peter, and Elvis and Barnabas in the third row.

https://vimeo.com/1097597365

Video of people in Kimmoateek fetching water from their new mechanized borehole and storage system.

YLI Basic discipleship training in Nakpanduri, Upper East of Ghana.

I love to see this. YLI leaders of different ethnicities, languages and nations, like Peter, Mordeciah, Elvis and Barnabas grow close in friendship during their time as Interns and Coaches. The lifelong fruit of this is immeasurable!

5 things we've learned (so far) in 2025

ashzook@gmail.com (Ash Zook) — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 18:27:45 GMT

1. Through mother tongue translation discipleship becomes the story of a people. Although most people who attend our trainings are conversant in english, it's not easy to connect to the human heart in a secondary language. YLI is all about the work that God does in our hearts, so we set off on a multi-year project to translate the vital truth of intimacy with God, Love Evangelism and Spiritual Multiplication into the heart languages of our leaders. Ash witnessed the impact of this at a Basic Training in Wa, Ghana, where Intern Barnabas (below) led a training of 30 people in his local Waali language using Waali student workbooks. It was incredibly fun to see the engagement, excitement and joy as the young people responded enthusiastically in Waali to what they were hearing in Waali.

https://videopress.com/v/3rqDdJnc?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

2. We looked back and found that we've actually completed 42 YLI Clean Water & Living Water projects since 2010! The communities we have served with water each have a population of at least 500 which means YLI has helped provide a healthy source of water to more than 21,000 people over the last 15 years! Below are photos of some YLI water projects over the years. From water collection systems where drilling was not feasible, to basic hand-pump boreholes, to mechanized and solar systems with multiple access points, we have always striven to give each community a bespoke water solution that would meet their unique needs. YLI projects have been possible because we have donors who understand that discipleship is not solely an intellectual endeavor, and sustainable because of YLI disciples investing in the communities and pointing to Jesus, the Living Water.

3. Our newest team of Interns in Ghana and Nigeria are increasingly owning the work of making disciples in their own distinct cultural communities. In June, Ash is traveling to Ghana for the third time this year where he will be joined by Peter Iliya, our lead Coach in Nigeria. They will criss-cross the north to all twelve 2025 water projects, and then travel several hours more by road to Kpemale for a Basic Discipleship Training and to Nakpanduri where Ash will lead a retreat for the Coaches and Interns. Nakpanduri is the home of Joel Jakpali, who has been an Intern with YLI for the last three years, and has helped lead trainings around Ghana as part of our team. We are excited to now come alongside Joel and support his personal discipleship work in his hometown.

Joel Jakpali teaching at a YLI training in Tamale, Ghana.

4. YLI's Nigeria team continues to send down roots in Plateau State. Here in the USA we only hear about Plateau State in reports of many terror attacks on Christians. That is very real, but by no means the entire picture. Incredible ministry is happening in this region of Nigeria. A significant amount of YLI's ministry to Plateau State is in Jenta, a large slum in the city of Jos. Several of our leaders, like Peter, Ajiji, Andrew and Martha grew up and still live in Jenta. Please pray for them as they continue to announce the Kingdom and make disciples in Jenta, Jos, Plateau State, and Nasarawa State. Below are some recent photos of their ministry in Jenta.

and finally... #5! YLI is in a season of great fruitfulness and we need to grow our team. Yes, that means we're hiring! We are praying that God leads us to two disciples of Jesus who have a strong love for Jesus, commitment to the Great Commission, passion for disciple-making, and a desire to serve cross-culturally in mission. if you know of anyone who would like to join our team, please contact ashz@youngleadersint.org.

Language is the heart of a people

ashzook@gmail.com (Ash Zook) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:50:11 GMT

YLI Training in Wa, Ghana March 27-29th

Ash Zook

YLI’s message all has to do with the heart. Intimacy with God, Love Evangelism, Spiritual Reproduction are not just learned conceptually but known experientially in the depth of our hearts, where God resides. Over the years, YLI’s ministry has gone out from more developed towns into the most remote of villages where we install clean water; places where English fluency is less common. The way into the heart of a people is through their “mother tongue” so we set off on a multi-year project to translate not just words, but vital truths into some of the languages of our Coaches. It’s been beautiful to witness. Just a few weeks ago in Bunjai, Ghana, while our contractor David was installing clean water, Coach Constant Adzomani was there to lead a Basic Training which was translated into local Gonja, Konkomba, and Akan. He later posted on WhatsApp:

“It was unlike any training I have ever attended. All glory to the LORD. ”

And last week, in the upper West of Ghana, I attended a Basic Training where Intern Barnabas (below) led a training of 30 people in the local Waali language with translated student workbooks. It was incredible to hear the students responding to what they were learning in their own language.

Why is water important to discipleship?

ashzook@gmail.com (Ash Zook) — Sun, 27 Apr 2025 20:39:58 GMT

"For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in". (Matt 25:35)

The fundamental reason that we started building clean water projects is that so many of the people we encounter in our ministry suffer from thirst. At first, we didn’t even envision the synergies that we’ve seen between discipleship and water ministry. Since 2010, God has used YLI to provide clean water to drink for 42 communities, all places where YLI leaders have been working to evangelize, disciple and plant churches.

YLI's clean water system at Nessim School, Gushegu, Ghana