ASHLAND — Those who visit the Ashland County Airport this weekend can take an inexpensive ride on a helicopter or plane.
Jungle Aviation and Radio Service is a missionary organization established in 1948 that enables foreign missionaries with “locally appropriate and sustainable solutions in transportation, technology, media and training.”
JAARS, which travels the country for these Missions at the Airport events, has been in Ashland County all week and will be giving rides in three of its missionary aircrafts from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 2 to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Plane rides cost $25, while helicopter rides will be $30. Attendance at the event is free.
“We’ve been visiting Christian schools and larger churches that have multiple co-ops and telling them how we use aviation and all those other tools to get Bible translation to the ends of the earth,” said Jim Elder, partnership relations representative for JAARS.
Those attending can also talk with JAARS staff and missionaries to learn more about the organization. There will also be children’s activities, food, a missions challenge obstacle course, live music and special presentations throughout the day.
Weather permitting, JAARS will also have a flight demonstration of a Short Takeoff and Landing of a missionary airplane.
Along with providing support for missionaries, JAARS sole mission is to make Bible translation and language development possible by providing assistance to organizations such as Wycliffe Global International and SIL International.
“We’re sharing the gospel first and foremost, and secondly to raise awareness to the fact that Jesus Christ is building His church, and he is doing it through his people and through JAARS and the uniqueness of JAARS,” Elder said.
With the help of these organizations, there is currently work being done in more than 2,500 languages across 170 countries with active translation and linguistic development.
On Thursday, JAARS flew in a helicopter onto the intramural field on the campus of Ashland University on the corner of King Road and Garmon Avenue.
The trip to AU was a decision that made two weeks ago after Elder said the group could not pass up the opportunity to reach college students.
“They wanted to see in what ways they could partner with Ashland to promote that event and I said ‘Hey we have quite a few students on campus who would be interested in missions work and even more who would just be interested in seeing a helicopter up close,’ ” said Dr. Robert Pool, vice president for student affairs at AU.
Pilot Mike Dunn, who was a jungle flyer in Mozambique for JAARS, safely landed the helicopter onto the small patch of grass. JAARS representatives then spoke a little bit about the organization and then gave the public a chance to sit and look in the helicopter.
JAARS is based in Waxhaw, North Carolina and to learn more about the organization visit www.jaars.org.
