History
In the spring of 1917, a visionary 21-year-old arrived in Guatemala, intending to sell Spanish New Testaments.
What happened during the following months, however, would change the course of his life—and eventually, the lives of millions of people around the world.
The young man, William Cameron Townsend, quickly learned that more than half of Guatemalans spoke Indian languages, such as Cakchiquel, instead of Spanish. They couldn’t read the Spanish Bible, yet had no Scriptures in their own language.
Deeply moved, Townsend abandoned Bible sales and spent 10 years learning and analyzing the complex Cakchiquel language. Working alongside talented Cakchiquels, he translated the New Testament into their language, which was spoken by thousands of Guatemalans.
During those years, he became convinced that every person deserved God’s Word in his or her own language—and dedicated his life to making that a reality.
In 1934, Townsend launched a rustic training program for new recruits to the translation movement. Two students attended “Camp Wycliffe” that summer, meeting in an abandoned Arkansas farmhouse. With each year, more students arrived, and the small camp eventually became the Summer Institute of Linguistics, now SIL International (SIL).
In 1942, Townsend founded a second organization to support translation work: Wycliffe Bible Translators, which would coordinate financial support and recruit Bible translators and support personnel.
Yet the time for his third organization, JAARS, had not yet come.
While still in Guatemala, Townsend dreamed of a missionary aviation service, and he was convinced it was essential for worldwide Bible translation. In 1930, he wrote:
“I still believe airplanes are the only possible method of reaching the jungle peoples. For safety and efficiency I am convinced that hydroplane transportation must be used to reach these out-of-the-way people.”
Yet it would be nearly two decades before his vision was realized. While Townsend recognized the need for an SIL-operated aviation program, others would be convinced only after near-tragedies and dangerous travel paved the way.
One distressing incident occurred in 1946, when a young missionary couple waited deep in the Amazon Rain Forest—for a flight that never came. Though the woman was four months pregnant, the couple was forced to travel by boat, foot and donkeys for 21 days to reach civilization and medical care.
Incidents like this certainly drew attention to the need for reliable pilots and aircraft, yet many were not convinced SIL should operate its own aviation program.
The turning point came, however, in 1947—when Townsend was in a near-fatal plane crash in Chiapas, Mexico. While lying in the wrecked plane, Townsend called out, “Get your movie camera and take pictures before they move us. People need to see how badly we need safe aviation for pioneering in the jungle.”
The crash put Townsend and his wife in bed for weeks, yet it only deepened his resolve to ensure the safety of translators. With unrelenting determination, he set out to establish a dependable mission aviation program.
And within a year, the SIL board approved the formation of "Jungle Aviation and Radio Service"—now, simply "JAARS."
Though the organization began with one aircraft in Peru, it quickly grew in size and scope. As translation efforts spread throughout South America, so did the ministry of JAARS. And as work expanded to the Philippines, Asia, Africa and the Pacific islands, JAARS began serving translation teams in dozens of countries.
The JAARS international headquarters was established in 1961, after businessman Henderson Belk and his wife donated 256 acres of land near Waxhaw, N.C. Two years later, the organization was incorporated in the United States.
As years passed, JAARS broadened its support services to meet the changing needs of translation teams. Construction and maintenance services were soon introduced, followed by information technology, purchasing and shipping, trucking, media services, and water and land transportation.
Today, the JAARS Center is 580 acres, and the organization offers much more than aviation and radio services—but its driving principles have never changed. As Townsend insisted, “Airplanes and radios don’t just make Bible translation easier; they make it possible.”
