Years ago, one of our SonSet Solutions technicians took a trip to help partner ministries in the Asia-Pacific Region of the world. When he arrived, there were twenty-two radio transmitters in need of repair. Oftentimes, our partner ministries do not have the expertise needed to repair and maintain the technology they use. During this trip our technician was able to provide on-site training to the technicians there. Together they repaired 15 transmitters.
Trevor Schwarze, a Reach Beyond appointee preparing for an assignment in this same region, came to SonSet Solutions in February of 2022 to receive hands-on experience working with radio transmitters. Trevor said, “Before coming to SonSet, I usually troubleshot by replacing entire boards. While at SonSet, I learned to troubleshoot individual components on those boards.” Trevor’s expanded ability to fix these transmitters will allow more people to be reached for the gospel.
Training does not always require traveling across the world or bringing someone in-house. Most often partners will send photos and texts explaining the issues they are experiencing so that someone from our team can walk them through the process of finding a solution remotely.
Training is also not limited to radio transmitters. It’s important for our other technologies such as SonSetLink™ and Solar Media Centers. When technology does not work properly, its effectiveness in spreading the gospel gets lost. It’s important that all of the ministries we partner with are empowered to keep their technology functioning even on the other side of the world, far from our SonSet Solutions team.
“My time at SonSet really has put me in a position to succeed in the work I am leaving to do.” Trevor said at the end of his training. Even though it looks different for different situations, it remains important that we teach partners these skills so that they are empowered to continue sharing the gospel through technology.
Written by Sierra Adams, July 2022