Lost and Found
Tim Bahula, Trinidad & Tobago
Because the students at the Baptist Seminary of the West Indies (BSWI) speak English as their first language, the school’s library is home to many donated books. Some bear the imprint of a school, like that of the former Seaway Baptist Bible Institute, where David Irwin (ABWE board member) was president. Others contain the name of a pastor or a missionary.
In February 2006, veteran ABWE missionaries Wally and Jeannie Stephenson traveled to Trinidad and Tobago to teach at BSWI. While browsing through the library, Jeannie recognized the name Oluf Jensen in many books.
After many years of serving as a pastor, Jensen, at the age of seventy, moved to Florida to teach at Spurgeon Baptist Bible College. He taught for twenty-six years before being promoted to glory in 2001 following a short illness. The Spurgeon library was named The Oluf and Lois Jensen Library in recognition of the 2,000 books Pastor Jensen contributed and the countless hours his wife Lois served there.
In 2004, Spurgeon merged with Piedmont Baptist College. The library books were packed and shipped to North Carolina. Since many of them duplicated what Piedmont already had, the extras were set aside for other purposes. Mrs. Jensen heard that most of the books from their library at Spurgeon were sent in a large shipment to Europe, and that they had been confiscated and burned before arriving in hands that would put them to good use.
After discovering Oluf Jensen’s name in many of the BSWI books, Wally and Jeannie visited Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and talked with the Jensen’s daughter, Julianne Beard, an administrative assistant at ABWE. When Julianne heard the news, she broke into tears. Because BSWI partnered with Piedmont to offer a degree through the new Spurgeon School of Online Education, BSWI had received many of Oluf’s books.
Shortly afterward, Mrs. Jensen wrote to Jeannie, “Julianne showed me the photograph of the library where you saw various books from Spurgeon. I am so glad someone is able to use Oluf’s books.”
The donated books of pastors and missionaries continue to bring glory to God at BSWI as a generation of church planters, pastors, and missionaries are being prepared in the West Indies for ministry.
Tim Bahula is an ABWE missionary serving in Trinidad and Tobago. He is the principal of the Baptist Seminary of the West Indies. BSWI is a collaborative effort of nationals and missionaries, training men and women to serve God throughout the Caribbean.
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