by Steve Hale
"that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands that the word of God may not be blasphemed" ( Titus 2:4-5, NKJV).
Shannon Wright was a 32 year old school teacher in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She was happily married, and had her dream job, teaching English to the children in her own community. Mitch and Shannon worshipped with the Bono congregation, just north of Jonesboro. They have a two year old son, Zane.
It was a normal day at school, like many others, when suddenly, the fire alarm sounded. The students were making their way outside. For safety, the doors closed to prevent personnel from re-entering a potentially dangerous and burning building.
Suddenly, gunfire was rattling the side of the school and the walkway. A young sixth grade girl was in the line of fire, when Shannon Wright stepped between her and eternity. Shannon was shot twice, and died several hours after being wounded. Friends reported her last words were: "Please tell Mitch I love him."
Here is an intelligent school teacher, and faithful Christian, giving her life for a young student. Jesus said: "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you" ( John 15:13-14, NKJV).
When my daughters grow-up, I hope they are a lot like Shannon Wright: loyal to the Lord, loyal to their husbands, loyal to their children, sacrificial and courageous. In a world of lewdness, when girls want to be provocative and worldly, like many Hollywood starlets, a woman like Shannon Wright speaks powerfully. It's tragic that it takes a horrible circumstance like this to put such a woman in the public spotlight.
At her funeral, Gary Cremeens, minister at the Bono congregation, said: "If you want to hear the voice of an angel, if you want to see the face of a saint, the face of a hero, you have to look no further than Shannon Wright and Lynette Thetford."
Lynette Thetford is another teacher at Westside Middle School, an elder's wife at the Bono congregation, who was wounded at the Jonesboro shooting. In addition to Shannon Wright, four children were killed: Stephanie Johnson (12), Brittney Varner (11), Paige Ann Herring (12),
and Natalie Brooks (11).
The alleged assailants are Andrew Golden (11) and Mitchell Johnson (13), both students at Westside Middle School. They've been charged with five counts of capital murder.