Institute for Affordable Transportation and the BUV Overview

In addition to teaching two rounds of classes to new missionaries, Mike has been working on something very new and different.There’s a "new kid" in town, so to speak. It’s called a Basic Utility Vehicle, a.k.a the BUV.

It's a bit involved so we thought we'd first show you the photos. And then, to save a lot of explaining in written form, we have a five minute video to share below.

The BUV is a new type vehicle for the rugged terrain of the overseas countries in which our missionaries operate. It is a rugged three wheel vehicle with a diesel engine that is capable of carrying up to 1200 pounds of cargo or personnel. It can also be used for pulling a disc or other gardening attachments.

Mike, along with John Pepper, the director of Land Transportation, directed the modifications to adapt it to JAARS’ specific application in an overseas environment. The vehicle is designed specifically for overseas mission work.

The photos above are of Mike and John testing the BUV. The modifications were done at the JAARS Center under Mike and John's supervision. This specific BUV was then shipped to Cameroon. To refresh your memory, John and Mike traveled to Ethiopia several years ago to teach four-wheel drive classes to translators. They taught driving and maintenance. They are collaborating more and becoming a great team. John wrote an article for the winter issue of JAARS quarterly magazine, Rev7. There is an online version of this wonderful magazine available: http://www.jaars.org/multimedia/publications/rev7 
If you would like a hard copy mailed to you, let us know.   

The BUV actually has a dedicated website and it is quite interesting to explore. www.drivebuv.org
 
The following video is from the website and tells about their Institute for Affordable Transportation. We encourage you to watch it. The great thing about the BUV, in addition to its versatility, is its cost, which is about $4000. Plus, it is hopeful the manufacturing can take place in "micro-factories" in the different countries to provide jobs. We hope you will take the time to watch it. It’s very well done and explains so much more than we can. Mike has been invited to attend the event spoken of in Indianapolis in April.

Here is the video: 

We will leave you with the following story. May it encourage you as you partner with us in this ministry.

A Day in the Sepik, from a translator in Papua New Guinea

I was in a remote village in the Sandaun Province of Papua New Guinea. We had had a rainy weekend and the footpaths were more slippery than I realized. As I walked near the house, I fell flat on my back and hit my head on the ground.  Later I had a nagging headache and pain in my body. During my morning devotions after my fall, I prayed “Lord, let me be a tool in your hands.” 

Later that day we were working on Colossians 1:27 when one of the Kukwo translators truly realized that the gospel of Jesus belongs to Papua New Guineans, too.  Our translation goes like this:  God before promised he will preach (make open) that good hidden things in Christ are also for people who are not Jews. 

He stared at the computer screen and kept saying: “Here it is, here it is: the gospel of Jesus is also for us. It is for all people, black and white alike.”  He also thanked Joyce and me several times for coming to bring God's Word in this language to them. He said he never understood this from the Bible in Tok Pisin, the national language.  We spent a good 15 minutes discussing this truth. This day was certainly worth living! 

Did I feel God’s strength? No, what I felt was a nagging headache and pain all over my body after the fall in the morning.  But…I felt that the Lord did answer my prayer – I had the privilege of witnessing this wonderful realization of a man who lives deep in the tropical rain forest of Papua New Guinea. 

Be Blessed.
Mike and Kathy