Alumna Works with Bible Translators in Equatorial Guinea

Bridget Ulibarri attended SAGU 1999-2001. Upon graduating from the Education department, she taught kindergarten for two years in Venus ISD. She and her husband moved to Equatorial Guinea in 2004 to work with Bible translators.

While Bridget was at SAGU, God called her to Equatorial Guinea. The SAGU Education program, especially the different methods to teach reading, helped prepare Bridget for the teaching aspect of her work.

Bridget and her husband Charles moved to Equatorial Guinea in 2004 to serve with Outreach International. She has spent the last few years learning the Spanish and Fang languages while teaching English. There are at least 500,000 Fang people in Equatorial Guinea. Bridget is working with SAGU alumnus Allen Pierce to translate the Bible into Fang.

“In Equatorial Guinea, the national language is Spanish, but there are eight different people groups here, Fang being by far the largest,” Bridget commented. “Just imagine if all of them could read the Word of God, and how that could change their lives and that of this country! That is why I am here.”

Part of translation work is teaching the people to read their language. Most people in Equatorial Guinea have about a 4th grade level of Spanish, so many of them can easily learn to read Fang. Bridget has completed and distributed a primer in Fang geared for this group.

Bridget is now working on a primer for the illiterate. If it is successful, they will present it to the government as evidence that mother-tongue literacy is a better way to teach people to read.

Meanwhile, Charles is training local pastors through an extension program. Many pastors in Equatorial Guinea start churches without having any Bible knowledge. Charles is working among these pastors in leadership development.