Sometimes Supporting a Missionary can be “Puzzling” in a Good Way!
By Gwenda Trapp
Brian and Gwenda Trapp served in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa for 17 years. They established a Branch of Source of Light in the capital city of Kinshasa that is currently being led by Source of Light’s National Director, Vedette Nlandu.
After returning to the United States, they were asked to join SLM Headquarters staff in Madison, Georgia. Gwenda uses her administrative abilities and experience from having served in Africa to assist the Africa Regional Director as his Administrative Assistant. Brian, who is a gifted carpenter and handyman, serves in the Operations Department. His skills are a great asset to keeping the facilities operational and the missionary housing repaired and remodeled. They live on campus, so Brian is available for after-hour emergencies as well.
As faith missionaries, Brian and Gwenda are responsible for raising their own financial and prayer support. They have found it challenging to fill the pulpit at churches as a means of sharing their ministry. Brian will be the first to tell you that he is not a preacher. God did not gift him in that way. He is very valuable to the work of Christ, and he is confident and content in the abilities that God has given him. He used his abilities in the remote interior of Africa to prepare lumber for churches, bridges, and missionary houses. He helped to keep missionary houses functioning in the bustling city of Kinshasa. He also helped to support the ministry in the D.R. Congo through working a job at the American School of Kinshasa, where he supervised a staff of 47 workers to maintain a 42-acre school campus with over 30 residential houses and school buildings.
Congregations that the Trapps have visited over the years have enjoyed Brian’s humor as he would share something like, “I went, I returned, now Gwenda will give you the details.” He has gotten behind the podium and shared, “Moses had his Aaron, and I have my Gwenda. She is going to share with you what has been happening.” While Brian is tremendously gifted in his area of expertise, his carpentry and maintenance skills, his abilities to creatively fix things and improvise (which was especially handy in the middle of Africa), and in his training in the electrical field, there are things that he does not feel comfortable doing. Public speaking is one of those things. Many people don’t know this, but though never diagnosed, Brian deals with a dyslexic-like disability. He grew up before educators properly diagnosed and treated this learning disability, so he struggled greatly through school. Gwenda is still his walking dictionary. He loves the talkto-text feature on his phone, though sometimes people are amused at the texts they receive from him. Brian could comfortably take on the project of building a house, but he would throw in the towel if he had to write a newsletter.
Twenty-nine years ago, when God brought Brian and Gwenda together, He knew that the one would strengthen the other. He put together a couple for His purposes. He put together a support team that recognized their abilities and who came behind them to support them in the work they were called to do. And He gave them creative ideas that would help them to promote their mission and their ministry.
One of those ways has been the Trapp’s Annual Puzzle Fundraiser. Using social media as their platform and a 1000- piece jigsaw puzzle, God has given the Trapps a means of raising support for their ministry.
They challenge donors each summer to give a donation of a certain amount (depending on their needs for that year) per puzzle piece. As people give, they insert the pieces into the puzzle and take pictures to post on their ministry Facebook page so people can follow the progress. It took some years to gain momentum, but this past year, they went over their goal, raising over $15,000 toward their annual support. During the time of the fundraiser, Gwenda shares testimonies of how God is at work in the lives of Source of Light students around the world. So, people are seeing how they are investing spiritually in the lives of people through their donations.
It has been a fun fundraiser that people enjoy. It is an interesting way of sharing how God is at work through the ministry of Source of Light, and it is helping the Trapps fulfill God’s call in their lives through the faithful donations of His people. It is so encouraging for them to see how God’s people are praying and cheering for them to reach their goal each summer. The Trapps are a testimony that we don’t all have to be gifted in one area to serve in the ministry of Christ. Here at Headquarters, we have people gifted in administration, discipleship, printing, packing, shipping, finances, layout, graphics, and technology (to name just a few). God has put us together, as a team with our myriad of supporters behind us, so that we can “provide the tools to finish the task.” The tools that we provide are these Bible lessons, our paper missionaries that go all over the world.
The Trapp’s Puzzle Fundraiser goes live on Facebook on June 1st and closes officially on August 31st (though late and early donations are never rejected!). Get in on the fun and see how God can use a jigsaw puzzle to make funding missionaries “not so puzzling.” You can follow the progress of their 6th Annual Puzzle Fundraiser at their Facebook page Trapps at Source of Light Ministries International this summer. Donations for the Fundraiser can be made through Source of Light’s website. There is a scroll down menu under “funds” that has the “Trapp’s Puzzle Fundraiser” as an option, or checks can be sent to Source of Light with a note “for Trapp’s Puzzle Fundraiser.”
