by Jessica Olson
In February 2022, I had the privilege of traveling to Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR) where I participated in the launching of the New Testament in three different languages – Ngbugu, Gbeya and Kaba.
“This morning, God has sent us His Word. God will heal our country on account of His Word, translated into our local languages!“ the people called out, repeatedly.
Pastor Thomas Elvis Guenekean gave insight into the blood, sweat and tears expended. “We’ve faced challenges comparable to World War II. So many have suffered and died to make this work possible. Thank you for fighting the good fight with us. In so doing, you’ve fought the Battle of Normandy.” His audience, numbering in the thousands, agreed, and that day, we sang and danced for victory!
It took many years to write up the translations. The work was done largely by local translators who are native speakers of those languages. My husband Ken contributed to the work – first as a linguistics professor at Faculté de Théologie Évangélique de Bangui (FATEB) from 2001 to 2004 and later as a linguistics consultant from 2011 to 2019, specializing in the development of alphabets and writing systems. I provided my services as an administrative assistant, from the year that we married until now.
Ngbugu, Gbeya and Kaba aren’t the only languages of Central African Repulic. About 72 different languages are spoken in the country. Nzakara, Mandja, Gbaya, Bhogoto, Mpyemo, and Luto are next in line to have fully complete New Testaments. We’re working together with about 100 national colleagues to provide a New Testament translation for every language in Central African Republic that needs one. They’re part of an organization called the Association Centrafricaine pour la Traduction de la Bible et l’Alphabétisation (ACATBA).
In the day to day, I fill a more conventional role. I work anywhere from 5 to 20 hours a week. My primary tasks include decluttering office space, organizing paper filing systems, managing office supplies, gathering information, and maintaining partnerships. I also produce short videos on the topic of Bible translation. You can find them on my YouTube channel, Jessica Olson@Jessica_Olson. To God be the glory.
Jessica Olson works as an Administrative Assistant for SIL, serving Central African Republic remotely. She has served as a biblical exegete for SIL and the Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL) in Mamfe, Cameroon. She’s also served as a publicity writer and photographer for SIL in Dallas. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Linguistics from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. She’s the mother of four children, who are active participants in Calvary Kids and Youth Group, at Calvary Evangelical Free Church. She loves to encourage others through creative compositions, textile art projects, Latin dance, interpretive dance, songwriting and singing.