In Carrie’s classroom, Jesus is shaping hearts and minds for his kingdom

By Susan Akyeampong | Liberia in West Africa

When mission workers with young families leave their home country, a major concern is how their children will get on. While the parents are out serving, the kids need stability, education, and spiritual nurturing. That’s where teachers like Carrie come in. Originally from Kansas, Carrie now teaches at a mission school in Liberia, part of Dakar Academy in Senegal, and located on SIM's ELWA (Eternal Love for West Africa) compound. 

ELWA Compound.

Teaching these children isn’t just about maths and grammar; for Carrie, it’s about weaving faith into every lesson. One of the most powerful moments of the last school term came when her class were reading a book about Mary Slessor, a Scottish mission worker who served in Calabar, Nigeria in the 19th century. The book’s themes include spiritual battles, witch doctors, and the darkness that once gripped some tribes and struck a chord with her students.

Sitting in a classroom in Monrovia, the students from mission worker families could see reflections of their own lives in Slessor’s story. While Liberia has a sizeable Christian population (42%), there are still pockets of deep spiritual darkness, including the presence of secret societies and witchcraft. Like Slessor, the children’s parents are serving in communities in which many people don’t know Jesus and are grappling with their own challenges and spiritual battles.

 “This was a chance to point them to Christ,” says Carrie, reflecting on the rich conversations that followed. 

It’s moments like these that remind her why she’s here.
“Teaching 3rd grade for six years in Kansas ended up being the perfect training ground for what I do now in Liberia” she says. In her Kansas classroom, Carrie learned how to teach across varying needs in a classroom, and how to create an environment in which every child feels seen and supported. Those skills have proved invaluable in her Liberia school.

Carrie’s teaching career began straight out of university, and she had been interested in missions for quite a while. She grew up hearing mission reports and attending conferences.

Her sending church, Emmaus Church in the US, hosted a series of mission conferences. As she listened, she felt the Holy Spirit nudging her, that this might be something for her. In the weeks that followed, she started asking questions and eventually sought guidance from her dad’s cousin, who worked with SIM USA. That conversation set the wheels in motion.

Carrie was open to serving wherever there was a need, and when she learned about the school in Monrovia, Liberia, which urgently needed teachers for the children of SIM mission workers, she felt a clear call to trust in God and be willing to go.

The school partners with a local academy to provide a quality education for mission worker children. The mission teachers help create a learning environment that blends academics with Christian values. Two years after starting to ask questions, Carrie found herself stepping into a classroom full of eager faces - exactly where God knew she’d be. 

Being away from her close-knit family has been difficult, but Carrie has found strength in the fellowship of other mission workers, who she lives alongside on the same compound as the school and the SIM hospital.

 She says, “Within the first week of arriving, different families had me and two other new colleagues  over for dinner” she recalls. “With SIM, we meet once a week for prayer, and those times are so important for staying connected and supported.”

There’s something special about sharing a meal and praying together. It’s a reminder that, even when you’re far from home, you’re never truly alone. God’s presence is felt and experienced through the unity of his people.

In much the same way, Carrie’s classroom is a place of unity and joy, where hard work is balanced with fun. Alongside the lessons, she has traditions like read aloud time after lunchtime. Her students really look forward to performing in front of their parents and the people on the compound. 

The school has its own set of unique challenges. With just three teachers, they are stretched thin, teaching across three different grade levels.  On top of that, the electricity supply is unreliable, so the fans and lights often  stop working, leaving both teachers and students feeling tired. The intermittent internet adds another layer of difficulty. Amid all these challenges, Carrie sees God’s provision at work, through the support of her teaching assistants and also through God’s hand. 

She remembers a time when the children needed a stable internet connection to complete an important exam they had worked hard for. The connection had periodically stopped working, and she worried they wouldn’t be able to finish. But , as she puts it, “by God’s grace, just when it mattered most, the internet held steady long enough for them to complete their exam. It was such a small thing, yet it reminded me that God is in both the little and big details of our lives.” As much as she loves her students, she knows that God loves and cares for them even more.

Carrie’s heart is focused on deepening her students’ understanding of God’s word and helping them grow closer to him. “I want them to enjoy the time we have together, soaking up God’s truth and knowing him more deeply” she shares.

She also has hopes for the broader school community, praying that the children will not only excel in their studies but also be equipped to face the struggles of life with the love of Christ in their hearts. She says, “I want the kids to know they are loved, to know the Lord, and to be able to withstand the struggles of life”.

More than just a teacher, Carrie - and other teachers like her - play an important role in these children’s spiritual growth. Through scripture, stories, memorising Bible verses, and everyday conversations, she is planting God’s word in their hearts, nurturing a love for the bible, and teaching them to find comfort and strength in God’s promises.

Prayer:
•    Pray for strength for Carrie and her colleagues as they teach and disciple their students. Ask God to sustain them through challenges like limited resources and to bless their efforts in shaping young hearts for his kingdom.

•    Pray that the children in Carrie’s classroom will grow in their faith, develop a deep love for God’s word, and be equipped to face life’s challenges with Christ at the centre. Ask God to also strengthen their parents as they serve in mission work across Liberia.

•    Lift up the mission school, asking God to provide for its needs - more teachers, reliable resources, and a strong sense of community. Pray that the students and staff will continue to experience God’s presence and unity as they serve him together.