Young & Spiritually Inspired: A 15-year movement turning pain into purpose

Before it became a global faith movement, Young & Spiritually Inspired was born from the life of a little girl who was abandoned at birth and left in a hospital with no trace of her biological parents. That little girl, later adopted at the age of three into the Mpinda family, would grow up to transform her pain into purpose.

Bulelwa Mpinda’s early life was marked by questions of identity, belonging and rejection. Though raised in a loving home, the reality of her adoption slowly unfolded as she grew older. “It felt like life was a series of rejection,” she has shared, reflecting on moments that ranged from early abandonment to financial barriers that prevented her from attending university after matric. Watching friends move ahead academically while she entered the workforce intensified feelings of isolation.

Yet even in those formative years, there were signs of purpose. She was expressive, creative, bold and won dance competitions in primary school and writing poetry that was later published in her high school magazine. “I’ve always loved writing,” she says. “I’ve always had those diaries where you write your heart out.” What she did not yet know was that those private pages would one day form the foundation of a ministry impacting thousands.

Founded in 2011, Young & Spiritually Inspired (YSI) did not begin as an organisation with funding or formal structure. It began as obedience. Encouraged by a friend from church, Bulelwa launched a Facebook page to share her poetry and devotionals publicly. “I had this baby,” she says affectionately. “Young & Spiritually Inspired.”

At the time, she was completing a learnership at MultiChoice. Each morning, she would send devotional emails to colleagues. “They knew there would be a group email coming,” she recalls. “To this day, those people still follow the ministry.” What seemed small was, in fact, strategic. A community was quietly forming.

Over the years, as Mpinda built her corporate career serving as a personal assistant and later as a social media marketing manager for a pharmaceutical company, she was simultaneously building YSI. The administrative precision she learned, the excellence required in corporate communication and the digital marketing training she received all became tools for ministry. “God was cultivating Young & Spiritually Inspired in all those years,” she explains. “Everywhere I went, I was a banner for this vision.”

But the growth of the ministry was not separate from her personal healing journey. Around 2013, she entered a severe depressive season. “Even waking up was hard. Opening the curtains was hard,” she recalls. Worship music became her lifeline. “That’s the only thing that could resuscitate me out of those dark moments.” In hindsight, she believes ministry was part of God’s restoration plan. “God brought ministry into my life to save me,” she says.

That understanding shapes the culture of Young & Spiritually Inspired today. The ministry is not built on perfection but on process. “Healing is an ongoing journey,” she says. “I will never reach a point where I say I’m fully healed.” Instead of waiting to be completely restored before leading, she chose to serve while still surrendering her own wounds.

Now 15 years strong, Young & Spiritually Inspired has evolved into a global, multi-platform ministry. Its website offers faith-based articles addressing real-life struggles, rejection, identity crises, feeling distant from God, and navigating life transitions. The goal is practical spiritual guidance. “If someone feels left out by God, they can read an article and learn how to navigate it,” she explains.

One of the ministry’s most powerful features is its anonymous prayer box, allowing individuals to submit prayer requests privately. “Not even I will know who the request is coming from,” she says. In a world driven by visibility, YSI creates sacred space for vulnerability without exposure.

The ministry also operates a WhatsApp community where members receive shared prayers, including midnight intercessions, as well as curated worship playlists. For Mpinda, worship is not an accessory, it is survival. “I share what healed me,” she says simply.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, YSI hosted in-person events, charity initiatives and collaborative gatherings with faith leaders and creatives. The ministry interviewed international gospel artists and built partnerships that extended its reach beyond South Africa. A significant milestone includes a partnership with a global brand, where YSI is launching a Bible reading plan in March. A Sacred Space Membership Club is also in development, designed to offer deeper discipleship and structured spiritual growth.

What sets Young & Spiritually Inspired apart is its emphasis on sustainability over performance. “Ministry is not about relevance or trending,” Bulelwa says. “It’s about orchestrating healing.” She openly embraces seasons of pause when necessary. “If I need to step back, I will,” she explains. “Because I also need healing.”

At its core, YSI carries a clear message: God restores. God heals. God redeems broken narratives. “We may feel underqualified,” she says, “but He is the potter and we are the clay.” The ministry encourages young people to stop hiding their testimonies in shame. “It’s empowering when you narrate your own story,” she explains. “No one can use it against you.”

Young & Spiritually Inspired also challenges the notion that faith must be dull or disconnected from excellence. “Christianity doesn’t need to be boring,” she says. Believers can embody professionalism, style and spiritual depth simultaneously. Excellence becomes representation.

Fifteen years after its humble digital beginnings, Young & Spiritually Inspired stands as proof that pain can birth purpose and obedience can build legacy. What started as a young woman sharing poetry online has become a global movement rooted in prayer, authenticity, and surrender.

“I use words to heal,” Mpinda says, summarising the heart of the ministry, “and I serve God for a living.”

For many across the world, Young & Spiritually Inspired is more than a platform, it is a reminder that healing is ongoing, identity can be rebuilt, and no story is too broken to become a testimony.