JAARS Volunteers Speak

Daniel Von Fange could be described as a self-taught computer whiz-kid. For the last several months, he has volunteered his skills to JAARS three days a week. First assigned to Information Technology, he built a web application for IT personnel. That took three months and involved learning a new programming language. Of that experience Daniel says, “Fun!”

Next, he evaluated a software development package, which involved learning a new way of programming. Of that experience Daniel repeats himself: “Fun!”

Then Daniel talked with David Sampson and learned of his work with Vic Dickey in Vernacular Media Services. Vic is collecting stories to put on the web and David is working on a system to distribute media products and tools to help others build effective media strategy. Daniel asked to be assigned to work with Vic and David.

Daniel’s comments on this project are, “I’m learning new programming frameworks. Fun! New tools. Fun! New ways of developing. Fun!”

Daniel’s comments on this project are, “I’m learning new programming frameworks. Fun! New tools. Fun! New ways of developing. Fun!”

This young man of few words who finds computer work “Fun!” lives with his family in South Carolina not too far from the JAARS Center. Daniel can hardly remember a time when he didn’t know about Wycliffe-JAARS. He attended his first JAARS Day when only five years old. And no, it was not at that time he decided to volunteer for JAARS. That decision came one night in the Fall of 2003. Daniel was sitting in church praying about what God would have him do. “This time, instead of silence, God said, ‘Go work for JAARS.’ So I went home and checked the JAARS website. There was a JAARS Day that Saturday, so I went to that, took a ride in an airplane, and then spent the rest of my time talking to JAARS computer people. On the way out, I signed up to volunteer.”

When Daniel isn’t having “Fun!” on those three days a week at the JAARS Center, he’s home freelancing website programming. “The work I do for JAARS I can do better because I’ve done a lot of it on my own. And the experience carries over to my own work.”

And he counts it all—you guessed it—“Fun!”

Are you asking the same question? Maybe working at JAARS in support of Bible translation will be your answer too.