My
Summer at JAARS….. By
Nathan Landis
Nathan (right) with his supervisor
It was the middle of May in Waxhaw, North Carolina, and one of the first days of
my internship down at JAARS Inc.
I and another intern were
eating lunch in the company dining room and meeting new people. We had started
up the usual small talk at our table and were introducing ourselves as the new
summer interns in the IT department. Yes, it was our first week; yes, we would
be here for another two months or so. The trim looking guy sitting across from
us introduced himself as Scott Zibell, a former college professor. Then he
casually mentioned that he had just returned from Singapore. Singapore! Pardon
me, but I’m not used to eating lunch with people who just got back from the
other side of the world! But I was at JAARS, and God had some cool things in
store for me.
JAARS was originally begun by William Cameron Townsend as Jungle Aviation And
Radio Service. He started it in Peru in 1948 and they later moved to Waxhaw,
North Carolina in 1961. Since its founding, JAARS has broadened its scope much
farther than aviation and radio support. It now provides transportation,
logistical, technological, and media services to Bible translators all over the
world.
My part in this work was to write help content for some of their software. I was
impressed with the part that computers play in Bible translation and was amazed
that I could be a part of Bible translation in this way. One of the first
programs I worked with was Translation Editor. It was a word processor designed
to handle Scripture passages. So there I was at my desk, working through some
training material for the program using Matthew chapter 1 in the Sena language
of southeast Africa! I actually printed the first two pages of Matthew in that
language and marveled at God’s Word in another language on the paper in front
of me. That training course helped me realize how my office work helped the
Bible translators all around the world.
I was also privileged, during my stay at JAARS, to mix with many missionaries.
Some were at the center for training or on furlough; some were getting ready to
go overseas; many had been overseas and had decided to continue serving in North
Carolina. It gave me a whole new perspective to meet and talk to people who had
given 10, 20, or even 30 years of their life overseas, working with a group of
people to translate God’s Word into their heart language.
During
my internship I attended a week of classes on translation and linguistics and as
part of that we were able to eat supper at missionaries’ houses and hear their
stories. And did they ever have stories! Anything from mixed up flights to
poisonous snakes to flooding rivers to African sandstorms! But through all the
stories, I gained a sense of their deep relationship with God and their
commitment to His work. It challenged my plans for the future and what God would
call me to do for Him.
I’ll
never forget what one of the missionaries said about the 18 years his family
spent in Indonesia translating “I am happy to the core of my being here, and I
was happy to the core of my being in Indonesia. I would go back in a heart
beat.”
I had a great experience at JAARS and I believe God used it to challenge my commitment to Him. It was almost as if God was saying “So what part of the Work are you going to do?” With JAARS committed to having a Scripture translation in progress in every language that needs it by the year 2025, they have a lot to do. And there are needs for servants in many other missions around the world and right here at home. Right before I left JAARS I emailed Scott Zibell who had been so friendly to me my first day in the dining hall. I thanked him for his welcome, and friendship, and said I was leaving. He emailed me back and ended with these closing comments: “The question now is: how will you direct your energies and talent? How can you expend your life to invest in eternity? Don't go through two careers like I did before you get serious about that question.” And so I am left with that challenge from my time in North Carolina.
Thank you Lord.
Nathan Landis
For
more JAARS info see me or contact them at:
JAARS
Inc.
Box
248, Waxhaw, North Carolina 28173
1-800-890-0628
Email:
info@jaars.org
www.jaars.org