Smoothing Bumps on the Road to Translation

"The pick-up arrived!” wrote Victor Gomez, a translator and leader of Latin Americans in Translation and Literacy (LETRA), Paraguay, an organization established in 2003. “We made our first trip in it to the northern Aché community.”

Victor, with wife Cristina and four team members, plans to train thirty Achés as literacy teachers and six as co-translators. Reliable transportation will help them reach their goals faster and smoother.

Hearing from satisfied “customers,” such as Victor, encourages JAARS as they seek solutions to travel difficulties for translation teams. An electric winch proved helpful for the survey team.

Towards meeting those needs worldwide, the Land Transportation Department has set these goals:

1. Conduct land transportation surveys;

2. Recommend to field teams the best match of vehicles to terrain;

3. Train in GPS (Global Positioning System) applications for navigation and safety;

4. Teach maintenance techniques for bicycles, motorcycles and other vehicles to nationals; and

5. Offer training in safe off-road driving techniques to members and partners

John Pepper, Land Transportation Instructor, says, “Land travel safety is our focus. That includes equipping vehicles with proper tires, a winch and other amenities; maintaining the vehicle; and offering off-road driver education.”

Your prayers and support for providing safe and reliable land transportation will help smooth out the bumps on the road to completing Bible translations.