What impact can a small investment in someone’s life make? The following is a guest blog post written about Melta and David Briggs, the Vice President of Tricord Global.

Melta Briggs grew up in the backwoods of Arkansas in a small, no-stoplight town. Her parents
were so poor that, at times, they didn’t have money to buy her shoes. As a child, Melta’s greatest
dream was to become a secretary and a bookkeeper. It seemed very unattainable.

Fast-forward and Melta has her own accounting business, has traveled to more countries than
she can count, and helps run the nonprofit Tricord Global with her husband, David Briggs, and
Billy and Becky Epperhart. How did she get here? It all started with the power of a small
investment.

The College Miracle

Going to college was never in Melta’s plan. To her knowledge, nobody on either side of her
family had been to college, and her parents hadn’t finished high school. When it came time for
graduation, Melta prayed a simple prayer. “I prayed, Lord, if you want me to go to college, have a
college contact me,” she says. Then, the brochures started coming. “At the time, I didn’t realize that they sent out information to every college
senior!”

Around that time, a woman from Melta’s church called her about a job opening at Southwestern
University in Texas. Not only that, but she gave her $100 cash to get there. What Melta didn’t
know was that the job was a student position, and she wasn’t a student. The summer term had
already started, and it was too late for her to apply. By a stretch of divine intervention, the
Business Administrator let her live in the dorm and pay weekly rent without having a job.

Melta’s new life in Texas wasn’t easy. There were no jobs to be found, and finances were tight.
Weekly rent kept coming, but the paychecks did not. Her mom didn’t want her in college. And,
to top it off, she was extremely shy. Her only friend was a boy she met at a prayer meeting
named David.

Then, out of the blue, the same woman who told Melta about Southwestern paid her car payment. The
gesture kept her going a little longer. Even though she knew God wanted her at school, she
hated being there. It wasn’t long before she packed up to go back to Arkansas.

Motivation to Stay

In the process of stuffing items into her car, David showed up. So, she explained her situation, and they prayed
together. The conviction that God wanted her to stay at Southwestern surfaced yet again.
Almost immediately, Melta received word that the same investor had paid off her car loan
entirely. Though the car was a clunker and the loan was just a couple hundred dollars, to Melta, it
was everything.

“After she did that, I said okay, God. I’m here. I’m not going to leave,” Melta says. “Little did I
know what my future held at that point.” She started school in the fall, and she and David got
married the next year.

The Start of a Ministry

Before starting Tricord Global, David served as the Missions Director at their church. During that time, he and Melta were troubled by how often missionaries had to leave the field and return home to raise money. In 2008, he, Melta, Billy, and Becky were determined to find a more sustainable way to do missions. They had a brainstorming session, and Tricord was born. The mission of Tricord Global is to provide microcredit (small loans) to the poor in developing nations, empowering them to move out of poverty and into productivity and prosperity.

“Tricord is so dear to my heart because I know firsthand the difference a small investment can
make,” Melta says with tears pooling in her eyes.

She recalls the story of a Ugandan woman who didn’t have enough money to purchase a bottle of
cooking oil. The woman received a small loan that allowed her to purchase a bottle and tripled
her money by selling the oil in individual servings. The extra capital gave her the means to sell
food in the market. Then, she received another small loan from Tricord and was able to open a shop
approximately the size of a 7/11 gas station. Now, she not only provides for her family but
employs people throughout the community.

Through the work of Tricord, women have received literacy classes and been able to sign their
names for the first time. One woman’s lifelong dream was to own a new cooking pot of her own.
Once she achieved it, the world seemed a lot bigger.

The Multiplication Factor

That’s what a small investment into someone’s life can do. It can be the leverage they need to
step up and see what’s possible for them, much like how Melta’s life has exceeded her wildest
dreams. God doesn’t stop working. Instead, he uses our small yes and our small investments to
continually change the world.

Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we
ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,   to him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!”

In conclusion, we have to know that more than we can imagine will be done for the glory of God. Someone invested in
Melta, then Melta invested in the Ugandan woman who opened the shop, and now that woman is investing in her community. The ripple effects are global, and they are continuous.
God showcases his infinite nature through our finite existence by kindly gifting us with
his priceless Holy Spirit. Through our gifts and the Holy Spirit, we can make an eternal
impact on this temporal world.

Starting today, our first Tricord Global investment period for 2021 is now OPEN! Tricord Global allows you to earn 4-8% back on your investment while making an impact worldwide, and you can invest with either an IRA or cash. Fill out the interest form below for more information– it doesn’t commit you to anything, it’s just an avenue to explore your options! Click here to fill out our interest form, then our WealthBuilders team will get back to you.