A Longtime Donor and Friend
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Helen Trapp is faithful: she is a
faithful, long-time friend to many people whom she has met in her 91
years; a faithful, proud mother and grandmother; a faithful
Christian; and, a faithful donor to Mosaic.
With her husband, Richard (who passed
away in 2000), Helen made donations to Mosaic's legacy
organization, Martin Luther Home, beginning in the 1950s. She is
still a generous supporter today.
"We love children, and we liked what
they were doing," Helen said.
Richard Trapp was a Lutheran pastor.
Both he and Helen grew up in Iowa, where they met in 1937 and married
in 1942. He served in the Army for four years during WWII and was
wounded twice. After the war, he stayed on in the reserves while
finishing college and seminary. His first pastoral assignment was to
start a mission church in California. While there, Richard answered
the call to become an active duty chaplain because of the need for
Lutheran pastors in the military.
Throughout their marriage, the couple
lived in several states across the U.S. as well as Bermuda and
England. After retiring from the military, they settled in Billings,
Mont., where Richard became a chaplain for Lutheran Social Services.
Yet with all the moves and changes,
they remained faithful donors to Mosaic. Helen remembers that back in
the 1950s, a routine gift was a $3 memorial when someone died. When
Martin Luther Home had a special fund drive, the couple would "scrape
together $5" as a gift.
"I am thankful many days that I could
do things for other people," Helen said. "We didn't have a
lot."
Now living in a retirement apartment in
Indiana, Helen gracefully accepts the limitations of aging and calls
her wheeled walker a "friend." Aging, however, has not diminished
her desire to keep up with other friends she has accumulated over the
years. She keeps regular contact with many people, writing and
sending dozens of cards and letters to friends and family. She also
makes weekly calls to old friends, including one from the couple's
years in London.
"I'd rather have a friend than a
necklace," she said. "I like old friends and keeping in touch."
Helen also keeps regular contact with
her children and grandchildren. Along with select memorabilia from
places Helen called home throughout her life, photos of her family
decorate Helen's apartment. Every Sunday she worships at a local
Lutheran church with one of her sons and his family.
Giving has always been part of her
life, from her earliest days growing up in what she described as a
"faith-filled home." She gives, she said, not to be recognized
for the gift but because she wants to help others.
"Everything we have is from the
Lord," Helen said. "We've always felt that if you give back to
the Lord, you're blessed with more. The more you give Him, the more
you have. I can truly say that."
