Overwhelmed, but stronger

Christiana Gbeanquois is facing many challenges as a teacher. About 75% of the parents of the kids in her class are on drugs or involved in one criminal activity or the other.

She is a third-grade teacher who cares for students and teachers with a Spiritual Care and Counseling degree at Unity Lutheran Elementary School, East St. Louis, United States. Teaching there, one of Illinois and Missouri’s most troubled and dangerous communities, comes with many challenges.

“Most of these kids are from single households, and some of the kids’ parents are serving jail time. For two of the kids in Christiana’s class, one father was convicted recently and will be serving four years of jail time, while the other kid’s father is on parole,” shares in his latest newsletter missionary Dixon Gbeanquois, Christiana’s husband.

The teacher was heartbroken and disappointed to learn that one of the kids’ fathers, whom she had met personally, expressed sadness over missing the next four years of his daughter’s life. “By the time he is out, he will have missed a crucial part of his daughter’s teenage years,” Dixon explains.

These daily realities weigh heavily on Christiana. However, they have made her “strong and have given her many reasons to pray for these kids daily, many of whom she has come to love as her kids,” Dixon says.

Let’s join in prayer, thanking God for Christiana and the impact she has on her students, especially those facing the pain of having a parent in prison.