I had the privilege of working with SonSet Solutions in the spring of 2022 during my sabbatical from teaching electrical engineering and computer science at John Brown University in Arkansas. I chose SonSet Solutions because I wanted to get more experience in contemporary engineering practice and appreciated that the work could directly help gospel-focused ministries around the globe.
I worked with the Power Solutions team helping to develop the next generation of the SonSet Solutions Power Quality Monitor. This is a diagnostic tool to help ministries in developing countries understand their power issues so their equipment doesn’t burn out. It is designed to record data even during power outages and sends detailed power-event information (spikes, surges, brownouts, etc.) to a web page for easy access. My role was to design and test both hardware and software for the next version of the monitor. I also participated in some newer organizational trends such as a software-version control system for use with various programming languages, learning the details of several advanced integrated circuits, and some new Linux single-board computers. I learned a lot during my time as other engineers showed me new techniques, helped me when I was stuck, and provided the resources I needed.
During our morning devotions and weekly staff meeting, I appreciated the constant focus on missions with the daily updates from ministry partners and staff members who were often returning from overseas trips. It gave me a better feel for the daily needs of ministries around the world, especially in the field of radio broadcasting.
There are plenty of projects the SonSet Solutions staff does not have time to work on. If you have an interest in volunteering with them as I did, I encourage you to go to SonSetSolutions.org/volunteer to learn about the opportunities to serve with them. Please keep praying for them, for God to give them wisdom, protection, provision and insight, and that He will keep them close to Himself.
Written by Tim Gilmour, July 2022