Our Story

The Shewey family has always had a heart for people. For as long as they can remember, serving others has been at the center of their lives. Whether on the mission field or back home, they’ve poured their time and energy into loving those who needed it most—and they’ve made some beautiful memories along the way.

When Stacy started Hands 4Life, it wasn’t just her calling; it became the whole family’s mission. Her husband and three kids jumped in with both feet, eager to be the hands and feet of Christ. Eager to show God’s love to those from “womb to tomb.” Their oldest son, Alex, had just graduated with a degree in aviation management. He had big plans to become the organization’s missionary pilot, ready to fly anywhere he was needed, willing to serve.

But everything changed on June 5, 2022.

The phone rang at 4 a.m. Stacy, still groggy from the pain meds following her breast cancer surgery just three days earlier, answered with a heavy fog over her mind. Then came the words that would break her heart into a thousand pieces. She describes it as if her heart was ripped straight from her already battered chest.

Alex had fallen 90 feet into a stone quarry. The accident was sudden. The loss was unbearable. In a single moment, everything changed. Their world was shattered. As a family, they had a choice to make – either run toward Jesus or away from Him. They chose to run toward Him.

They clung to God’s promises with everything they had, even when the pain was unbearable. In the middle of heartbreak, they found peace. Not the kind that makes sense, but the kind only God can give. That quiet, unexplainable peace that carries you when your legs don’t work and grief makes it hard to breathe.

But Alex’s story didn’t end there.

Shortly after his passing, Stacy wrote a post about her son on LinkedIn. She poured her heart out; it was her way of processing the pain. That post reached 4.5 million people. Over 60,000 comments poured in – stories from strangers, words of comfort, people moved by the way Alex lived and loved. His life became a mirror for others, reminding them to live fully, love deeply, and make every moment count.

Alex’s legacy kept growing, even though he was no longer here. God was using his story to stir something in people, a desire to connect, to care, to live with purpose. And through all of it, the Shewey family kept going. They kept serving. Kept loving. Kept holding on to the truth that beauty can rise from ashes. 

The elders at Hands 4Life Nigeria made a special decision to name the first intergenerational home after Alex. It’s the kind of place he would have loved, created to serve the people closest to his heart: two vulnerable groups, the young and the old. A home where orphaned children and orphaned elders can live together, laugh together, and care for one another as a new unique family.

The ribbon-cutting day will be sacred. The Shewey family envisions Alex and Jesus watching from heaven, smiling as this home is dedicated to love, connection, and a legacy that continues to touch lives.

If you ask the Sheweys what keeps them going, they’ll tell you it’s love. The kind of love Alex gave so freely. The kind of love that reflects God’s heart. They believe Alex heard those words we all long to hear: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Welcome home.”

And now, through every hug they give, every life they touch, and every testimony they share of God’s goodness, Alex’s story lives on; not just in memory, but in motion.

Romans 8:28 has come to life,
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose“.