The Power of Investing in ONE child

Evans’ Story

This past summer, our Royal Promise family celebrated a first, as Evans became the very first one of our children to graduate from University in Ghana.

Evans has been part of our family from the time he was a small boy and before we even knew all that God wanted to do through Royal Promise. Evans and his family helped shape the vision of how God wanted to reach people in Ghana through us. We didn't know it at the time, but Evans and his family were a foundational building block to help Royal Promise become what it is today.

Like all the children Royal Promise has been in position to help, Evans’ life has been filled with tragedy and hardship that most of us could not fathom to walk through in a lifetime. Evans grew up in the village of Asikuma with his mother, father, older brother, older sister and younger brother. When Evans was 13 years old, his eldest brother passed away at the age of 16 from an unexpected illness. And then when Evans was 15 years old, his father passed away from an unexpected hunting accident, which threatened to change the entire future for Evans and his younger brother, Obed.

Now being a widow with two young boys to care for on her own, his mother sought out our help. We cared for the family financially as needs arose, and when it was time for Evans to attend high school, God provided a sponsor from the United States who committed to Evans’ educational needs for the next seven years…through high school and university. It’s been through this faithful commitment of one person that has allowed Evans to take hold of every opportunity that has come to him through education. 

At the time of his father’s death, Evans was in his final year of junior high at the local government school. His father’s death happened five days before he was scheduled to take his BECE exam, which is a very important test taken by students in Ghana who are looking to attend high school. As a result of his father’s death, Evans was unable to get the grades on the test necessary to attend high school at that time. But Evans didn’t give up. By God’s grace, he was able to temporarily move in with one of our staff members where he spent time preparing to write the exams again. One year after his father’s death, Evans retook the BECE exam and this time he passed with the necessary scores to attend high school.
 

Not only did God provide for Evans’ educational needs, but Evans’ love for the Lord, the Bible and following after God with his whole heart started to grow as well. He began to read his bible, ask questions, and turned all the pain he had endured in his life into a testimony of grace through a relationship with Jesus. In January of 2015, on one of our team trips, Evans made the decision to give his life to Jesus and be baptized in the Atlantic Ocean…making his faith in Jesus and dedication to the Lord public. 

In June of 2019, Evans and his siblings experienced more life altering news as they learned their mother had passed away from a long-time illness. Our Royal Promise family took Evans and his younger brother, Obed, into our care full time, and we have watched as these two boys have grown into young men who are striving after the Lord and making the most of every opportunity given to them.

Evans has had every reason to give up on his hopes and dreams for the future, but we believe God has set him apart to showcase the power of God’s love and the power of what investing in someone’s life consistently and for the long-term can look like. 

On September 6, 2023, Evans graduated from the University of Professional Studies in Accra with his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Finance. He is currently fulfilling his requirements to the Ghana National Service by working in an accounting firm in Accra. At the completion of his GHS, Evans hopes to find full-time employment as an accountant in Ghana. His dream is to become an accountant, and his prayer is that God will make that dream a reality. 

Evans also hopes to have more opportunities in the future to lead at our Asikuma mission center. He recognizes that God has made him a role model for many of the children, and he embraces that role and looks forward to filling it for other children who are now part of the RP family.

Evans was the first to graduate high school and university through Royal Promise, but he certainly will not be the last. We currently have close to 500 students receiving education through our organization…all with hopes and dreams of going further in life through the door of education. Evans serves as a role model to these students as to what is possible, no matter what you face in life. 

Evans’ life and story showcase the power behind investing in one life. 

A special thank you to Mark Henderson, Evans’ sponsor, for your faithful commitment to Evans!