Greetings From Concordia Seminary St. Loui
From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries Dixon and Christy Gbeanquoi (Serving in Tanzania):
We finally arrived on the 7th of August at our new apartment at 8 Founders Way, Unit B. Clayton, St. Louis. There were few things set up in the apartment for us and for the rest of the household items we needed we had to get them on our own. However, we are blessed to have good and loving people in America, especially on campus who came to our aid and donated many of the things we now have in our apartment. This was a big relief for us financially.
Milcah’s New School and Friends in the Seminary Community and Church
We arrived in St. Louis at a time where kids were beginning in-person schooling for the first time after almost a year of covid-19 lockdown and restrictions. After going through all the processes of getting the needed requirements, especially the issue of vaccinations Milcah was accepted and she is now having a wonderful time at school and getting to meet new friends.
Also in our new home Church (Hope Lutheran Church, High Ridge) here in Missouri, Milcah had the opportunity to play Mary (the mother of Jesus) in the children’s Christmas program. She did so well.
Our Experience(s) as Students for the First Time in America
It has been challenging so far for us as students and parents. The academic standard for Concordia St. Louis is set very hard and we were told to work hard academically to meet up with this challenge. Having been out of the classroom for more than ten (10) years is having an effect on our pace as students. For Christy, it was a big challenge for her as she is now in a field that is completely different from the previous one. Coming from a science background and going into theology and with the kids needing her attention is a challenge for her.
Celebrating Our First Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year in St. Louis
Relocating to St Louis was one of the greatest challenges in our lives as a family. We are again thankful that we were able to arrive in time to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, here in America. The beautiful part about all these celebrations was that we got our car in time for us to drive to church for all the programs that were lined up for the festive season. Here in St. Loius, due to the winter, we only visited a member of our Church on Christmas day and returned home. The rest of the day up to New Year’s day we stayed indoors for almost two weeks due to the weather. We couldn’t even drive to Church on the Sunday after the New Year, and this was one of our saddest moments in America.
Our Ministry Continues Even as we Focus on our Studies
We are making this appeal to all of you who have been praying for us and supporting us financially to please continue to support us even as we study to equip ourselves for future ministry. The scholarship does not pay for that. The monthly allowance from our Scholarship is just between $450-600 for the two of us. If Dixon was the only one studying he would have been getting only about $225-300 and this would have been the only amount the family would have lived on in America. This is one of many reasons the scholarship encourages awardees to get support from home congregations or organizations. We went through a very difficult time between August to December living on $450-600 per month as a family, and we are begging you to please go to our website and donate to our ministry. We still need your support, if not it is going to be a serious challenge for us financially living on less than $600 as a family of four and it will have a serious effect on our stay and studying in Concordia. We are not allowed to work any time soon until we can reduce most of our course work, probably not until 2023.
To learn more about Dixon and Chrity Gbeanquoi, click here to read their latest newsletter!
.jpg)
Recent Comments