When Caroline Campbell first told her friends and family that she wanted to transcribe the entire Bible by hand, some doubted that she would be able to finish the daunting task. However, since she started in January 2012, she’s filled out 43 plastic binders – writing out over 10,493 pages!
At 28 years old, Caroline is incredibly energetic and participates in a variety of activities – from sewing and playing piano, to working at a local restaurant and volunteering at a local nursing home.
Containing 782,815 words, the Bible Caroline used as her guide was a 1973 New American Standard edition. Caroline was inspired to pursue the project by her pastor, Carl Broggi, and completed the final page in a special ceremony at Port Royal’s Community Bible Church on June 6, in front of her entire congregation.
Caroline holding some of the pages she transcribed – source: The Beaufort Gazette
When asked how they felt about Caroline’s latest feat, her parents said:
“It shows more about the ability, and not the disability… Caroline has carved out her own path… In her copying of the Bible, Caroline… provided lessons about discipline, the joy of writing and the capabilities of persons with Down syndrome or other disabilities that can serve as an inspiration for anybody… We’ll be curious to see what she does next.”
Although she knew the endeavor would take a lot of dedication, Caroline says that quitting was never an option. The nearly 10-year project brought her nothing but joy, and she hopes it will inspire others to transcribe their own Bibles.
Her parents plan to bind the contents of all 43 binders into a single book.
