FAQ

The LAN department was created in 2004.

We provide a wide variety of services, including:

• Transportation surveys.
• Consultation for vehicle purchases.
• Driver safety training.
• Basic maintenance training for bicycles, motorcycles and other vehicles.
• Research for alternative fuel options.

Currently, two people are working full-time to coordinate LAN services. Throughout the year, volunteers and career missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators also participate in short-term and part-time projects.

As resources allow, we provide support services throughout the world. Some of our recent projects have taken place in Ethiopia, Cameroon, Vanuatu and Tanzania. We also provide an Off-Road Driver Safety Course at the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, N.C.

Yes. As resources allow, we will gladly train personnel from other Bible translation or mission organizations.

We offer driving and maintenance training to everyone who drives a translation team’s vehicle. In many cases, local people are the primary members of the translation teams and organizations we serve.

Yes. In fact, one of our primary goals is to investigate how alternative fuels can benefit translation teams throughout the world. We are currently researching:

• Biodiesel for use in diesel-powered vehicles and generators.
• Ethanol for processing biodiesel and use in modified gas engines.

During a transportation survey, JAARS personnel visit a country to determine the specific needs facing translation teams—for air, land and water transportation. Then, our personnel make recommendations for improving the transportation situation in that region. With that information, JAARS offers any assistance possible, including training, personnel and equipment.

Typically, our department does not directly purchase vehicles for translation teams. Our role is to provide consultation and recommend vehicles, such as four-wheel-drives, pickups, ATVs and motorbikes. We then connect translation teams with discounted vehicle providers, such as MATS International.

In many locations, we have trained maintenance personnel that can upkeep the vehicles used by translation teams. In other areas, however, teams must rely on manufacturers' dealerships or local repair facilities—which are often lacking in equipment or proper training.

Therefore, to reduce transportation delays, we offer basic four-wheel-drive maintenance training for all people who will be driving a translation team’s vehicle.

Our Off-Road Driver Safety Course is designed to prepare students for driving in remote areas, where emergency assistance is often unavailable. The course is typically held at the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, N.C., though it is also taught as needed around the world.

Through a combination of classroom sessions and hands-on experience, we teach students to navigate harsh terrain and solve common transportation problems. We also train students in basic four-wheel-drive maintenance. Some topics we cover are:

• Choosing vehicles.
• Equipping vehicles for off-road driving.
• Understanding the drive train.
• Off-road driving techniques.
• Getting “unstuck.”
• Loading vehicles.

To request more information about our Off-Road Driver Safety Course, please submit our online contact form.

Any member of a Bible translation or evangelical mission organization is welcome to enroll in our Off-Road Driver Safety Course. If you are interested in taking this course, please use our online contact form to request more information.

Our greatest current needs are for:

• Mechanics.
• People with four-wheel-drive experience.
• Volunteers who can maintain our off-road driving course in Waxhaw, N.C.

We are also looking for people to participate in short- and long-term mission trips. If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please submit our online contact form for more information.

Yes. We have many short-term projects available—ranging from overseas mission trips to maintenance of our off-road driving course at the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, N.C. To request more information about short-term volunteer opportunities, please submit our online contact form.

Yes. We are currently looking for part-time volunteers to help maintain our driving course in Waxhaw, N.C. It is always in need of grooming, trail work and new obstacles. To request more information about volunteering part-time with LAN, please submit our online contact form.