By Savannah H. and Faith L. | edited for clarity by New Life Academy
Jacque Olson’s background with missionary work is helping her pursue her current mission at New Life Academy as a Middle and Upper School Bible Teacher.
In 2011, while attending Bethel University, Ms. Olson connected with Luke Bostrom, now an Upper School Bible teacher at New Life Academy and Associate Pastor of Christian Education at New Life Church. The two had served as team leaders for Bethel’s Vespers and chapel services. Mr. Bostrom later reached out to Ms. Olson about an opportunity to teach in the Philippines. “There’s a job that we have open next year that would be perfect for you,” Mr. Bostrom told her. “I think you should pray about coming out here.”
Ms. Olson was already open to the idea of teaching overseas. After prayer and consideration, she felt confident that God was leading her to the Philippines.
Photo Credit: Val Bunting
Photo credit: Don MacKay
At first, Ms. Olson was unsure if she wanted to continue teaching in the Philippines. By her second year, however, things began to feel more familiar. “Oh, I know how this goes,” she remembers thinking as teaching became more of a routine. As her time in the Philippines came to an end, her decision to return home became clear because she still had a mission to fulfill there.
After much prayer, she had the revelation that many people had uprooted their lives to serve on the mission field, just as she had. “That was good and wonderful for the sake of the kingdom,” she says, “but my family’s not all saved.”
Ms. Olson realized that if she left the Philippines, God would provide another teacher to take her place. This made it easier for her to return home, where she felt she still had a mission to fulfill within her own family.
Teaching in the Philippines taught Ms. Olson many lessons and helped her know the Lord and His goodness. It also gave her teaching experience which prepared her for her Bible teaching position at New Life Academy.
When asked about how teaching Bible at New Life Academy is still a mission field, Ms. Olson responded by saying there are still new, upcoming generations that need to know God’s Word.
Everybody is on a journey. I count it as a privilege to walk with people in their journey, and I have a privilege to be able to use the experience I had in the Philippines to serve this community.
– Ms. Jacque Olson
Despite the challenges with traveling alone overseas, Ms. Olson got to explore God’s goodness through her mission at the school, while acknowledging that it was time to come home and teach Bible at New Life Academy.
Throughout her journey, she witnessed the beauty of the Church, with an even broader view than when she was younger. Ms. Olson concludes, “I came to find out He was actually preparing me for something much closer to home, that is still its own mission field, but to a different demographic.”