Jesus Loves the Little Children – Alex's Story
October 2021
When Alex’s father died, he left Alex and his six siblings parentless. Alex’s uncle took them in, but he had a family of his own to take care of, and seven extra mouths to feed is a lot to ask of anyone. Thankfully, there was a Hand in Hand school nearby. Hand in Hand Orphan Schools partner with local churches in the Central African Republic to provide three years of foundational schooling for orphaned kids. Right now, there are 40 schools helping over 1,800 kids. Alex and his family were not believers. Alex had never even been to church before. So when he started attending the Mardochee Hand in Hand school, he was exposed to Christian teaching for the first time. In his second year, he understood the gospel and trusted Jesus as his Savior. Shortly after, he got baptized and started talking to his family about Jesus. Little by little, his grandmother understood the gospel and gave her life to Christ. Now Alex is 11 years old and is in his third year of school. He is praying that his uncle will also trust in Christ as his Savior. Hand in Hand schools are built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, and they teach of Him and His love to kids who don’t know Him yet. Alex’s story, and many others like it, reminds us of why we are praying and giving and serving to care for and disciple orphaned children in the Central African Republic. Learn more about Hand in Hand Orphan Schools and how you can help make a difference for kids in Central Africa!
More Stories
When Anna* was challenged to think about her goals for 2026, she sensed a clear nudge from God: begin preparing material to train others....
February 17, 2026
“In the 1980s, if you walked into a Christian bookstore in France, you’d find maybe two shelves of Christian books,” Florent...
February 13, 2026
As someone who’s spent much of his life planting churches in Asia, Ted now serves as the Director of Encompass...
February 10, 2026
Reaching the unreached is a beautiful idea, but it’s a lot easier said than done. Even so, Auburn Grace Community...
February 9, 2026
“I had no idea what Japan was,” Kya says. “Then my parents took me when I was 10, and now I wake up every day and think about...
January 30, 2026
Mika* grew up in Japan as part of a family that was culturally Buddhist, yet God gently placed people in her life who...
January 29, 2026
Grace Church in Simi Valley, California has been partnering with Encompass for over 60 years now, making us their primary missions agency. That...
January 23, 2026
The environment a child grows up in becomes their baseline for what’s normal. As you can imagine, children growing up overseas often form a...
January 23, 2026
“I never set out to become a crisis response person,” says Barb. In fact, if you had asked her younger...
January 21, 2026
