JAARS Volunteers Speak

Thom Elkinton leaned forward on the edge of his seat, blue eyes riveted to the closed circuit TV broadcasting from the Houston Space Center. The screen showed an astronaut repairing a damaged satellite. He was able to operate independently of the shuttle thanks to the newly developed Manned Maneuvering Unit. Thom and his colleagues were responsible for designing and fabricating the unit and were only too aware of the perils if anything should malfunction. Only when the astronaut stepped safely back into the shuttle did the tension break and the celebration begin. Everything had gone perfectly.

Thom’s work had been of the highest quality from the beginning. His first love was the metal shop discovered during high school days, but he did equally well in carpentry and ultimately in engineering with the aerospace industry. Unfortunately his personal life had not been as excellent as his professional career. Without a spiritual component, it had been marred by failures in relationships, and by a foul mouth and quick temper. It was during a stint with the Navy Seabees on Midway Island that the event occurred, which turned his life in a different direction.<

Thom reached a crisis point one day while supervising the carpentry shop. Ripping the insignia of rank off his collar, Thom strode into his Chief Petty Officer’s office and threw it on his desk. His chief’s response was the last thing Thom could have anticipated—he shared the message of God’s love and forgiveness with the angry young man. Although Thom was 27, he had never before heard the gospel. Yet he could identify with everything he heard. Thom realized he was a sinner, and he knew that the guilt he was carrying was too heavy to bear any longer. Sitting on his bed that night he knew he had a choice to make. He chose to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Not everything changed overnight, but colleagues were quick to notice the differences. He had become a new man in Christ.

Years and jobs and locations came and went. Thom, at 53, was living in his beloved Montana, but feeling strangely restless. His spiritual life felt dry, and he considered becoming a modern-day hermit. He took a few days from work to pray and seek God’s direction. He’d heard that God could speak to people, but he wasn’t convinced it could happen to him. But God did speak to Thom, using the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.

Thom knew he’d reached another decision point. He could bury his talents, or use them specifically for God. He chose the latter, and the course of his life opened dramatically in new directions. Within hours of his new commitment he was talking to the aviation department at JAARS. Within a few short weeks he’d sold house and property and moved south, the last place he’d ever planned to live. The JAARS machine shop staff is glad to have him. Thom’s gifts and skills and can-do attitude fit perfectly with their needs.

What’s Thom doing now?

Thom helps with a variety of aviation maintenance, but his special gift is machining. Thom can take a block of metal and craft a shiny new, replacement for a damaged aircraft part. He can also make the specialized tools needed by the mechanics to repair helicopters and airplanes.

His goals in life now?

To do the jobs he’s skilled at, to draw alongside others and encourage them, and to be the best support for the Bible translation task that he can be. Oh, and he’s planning on being active ’til 2025, Wycliffe’s goal year for seeing a translation in progress in all the 3000 (or more) languages that need one.