Dear Friends and Family,

 Our 19th Wedding Anniversary, September 6th.    We woke up early to be ready to leave by 6:00 am.  The day started with all the student missionaries meeting us at our house to leave to go have a day on the town in Moundou.  We all had several things on a list to get. for there is not much here, and we are lucky to go to Moundou once a month.  Bibles for the school and a pump for a well was a couple of the important things on my list.  But mainly we were going because it was our 19th wedding anniversary and not much else to do in Bere.  We were happy to share our day with everyone which we thought would just make it more fun.   On the way to Moundou we were almost an hour away and the truck slid out of control with the slippery mud beneath us.  Jamie is a great driver and knew what to do to keep us from flipping over.  He let it go the way it needed to but in return we ended up on the side of the road in knee deep of water.  Jamie tried to continue to drive it threw but we were stuck.  He put the van in reverse and went a few feet but we were stuck now either which way.  Everyone got out of the van, rolled up their pants and got into position to push.  They tried from the front and then from the back, but still the van was not getting out but only deeper. The whole time Jamie kept the van running but we could hear that we were loosing it and then it was gone.   All of a sudden we realize we are going to be in trouble with the rain as we could see a black wall coming our way.  Several Chadians started to come and asses the situation. There was many different languages.  I felt like we were in confusion at the tower of Babel.  We were all feeling like we needed more help and everyone got together and formed a circle in the middle of the road and prayed for our Father in heaven to help us.  We had Danae the new doctor and her two children with us and one is only 2 1/2 months old.  Finally some big branches were found to help lift the van and some big stones to put under the van wheels.  With many people helping but now everyone is in the rain, they were able to get all four tires jacked up.  Jamie tried and tried to get the van to start.  And there it goes the "scalded dog," which is the name Jamie gave the van, was back in business and he was able to drive out of the ditch.  Everyone clipped and very excited but now we had to come to an agreement of how much to pay all the men that helped us get out of our trouble.  They wanted a lot but we settled after a counter offer.  They seemed to be happy and Jamie just said it was a lot cheaper then AAA.  We go just a little further and now we are in Kelo but the van now sounds like it needs a tune up.  We got to the post office there to see if there are any packages, Jamie looks down and sees that we now have a flat tire.  The spare is flat too.  So Jamie, Tony and Simeon, a guy from the hospital, roll the two tires into the market as the rest of us wait for their return.  Everything went smooth with the repair but now the car is still running funny.  Jamie takes it to one place to get a new part.  Then we go to another place were he knows a guy that he has worked with a lot in the past when he was repairing all three cars for the hospital when we first arrived in Bere.  The man was very kind and drops everything that he was working on to help us out.  The get inside the engine and realize what part they need and he sends someone to get it.  Then they discover that there is water in the oil and so it too needs to be changed.  Again, he sends someone to get the oil and filter. Jamie looks at me and says, "well the car needed a tune up before James comes back to town."  James Appel will probably be taking the van with him to Moundou which is where James will be living and working in his new surgery clinic.  After another hour we get back on the road toward Moundou.  It is getting late and we are realizing that there is not going to be much time for shopping.  As we go along the van is still not running at top speed.  At the late hour of 3:45 pm we get to Moundou. We are all starving and stop at Jame's surgery clinic first to drop off more of their personal items for their house then we go just down the road to a little restaurant that we get egg sandwiches and banana shakes.  While we are eating one of the Arab men that we know spot us and stop and says hi.  He is the man that made all of the desks for the school last year.  After filling our stomachs we are starting to feel a little less grouchy but Jamie is worried about the van.  The decision is made that we will just have to stay over night at the surgery clinic. The very nice Arab man says that he will take one person to his house to sleep with him and he will meet us back at the clinic and give us a mosquito net.      When we get to the clinic we start to see what we have to work with to sleep there.  We all use the new mattresses for the clinic and find a few sheets and mosquito nets around.  The only thing is that there just was not enough for me and Jamie so we went without.  The Arab man came by and not only brought us a net for Brichelle, Danae and her kids but also a huge watermelon and cookies.  Everyone goes to bed at an early hour of 8:00 pm except for Cory, Tony and one of the 20 year old volunteers, Linden.  We could hear them stay up and talk and talk until we finally said that was enough.  I doze off for a little while and wake up just sweating profusely and the noise of the mosquitoes buzzing in my ears keep me awake.  I am covering myself with a sheet all the way over my head but the buzzing is too much.  I use my phone as a flashlight and turn it on under the sheets and I see a mosquito inside with me.  I move the sheet and let him free and catch some fresh air.  I am fighting like this over and over with the mosquitoes and now it is almost midnight. My fingers are now covered with mosquito bites and I have one on my face too and it swells my cheek.  I wake Jamie but realize he is not sleeping either.  I look over with my light and see that he found a mosquito net but it is ripped in shreds and he has it hanging from a pipe that he jammed between other things in the room and there the mosquito net hangs over his head only.  Oh, honey this is terrible, I tell him.  I just can not do it any more I feel like I am going crazy.  We have to do something.  We get up and look in a couple boxes for another mosquito net.  After some time and some prayers that I prayed in my mind, yeah! We found one!  We take the mattresses outside on the back porch with the boys and set up the net and the two mattresses put together.  Ahhh now we can get some sleep.  It is a lot cooler and I don't hear one mosquito.  I am so excited.  Before I can completely fall asleep I lay there thinking about my anniversary.  By now it is 1:00 am and I just lay there looking up threw the trees at the half lit sky thinking about the day and can't help but laugh.  Crazy day!  I close my eyes and my exhaustion covers me and just let myself begin to doze.  I am suddenly woke up out of my half sleep state by lightening and a big gust of wind that will not stop.  Moments later comes the rain and I just shake my head and think of course it is going to rain now that I am outside.  I try to allow the rain to lullaby me back to sleep.    The morning came way too soon but we had a lot to clean up and Jamie still needed to fix the van and we all had things to buy before making our way back to Bere.  The morning went smoothly and the van got fixed by the time everything was cleaned up and we were finally on our way for some "shopping".  But now we have concerns with a couple of patients at the hospital that need Danae's immediate attention.  Olen is trying to keep an eye on the two women and is keeping her informed on their progress but time is ticking and she needs to be back.  With this in mind we all scatter to do different things to get as much done as possible in such a short amount of time.  But in Chad everything takes forever no matter how fast you try to move.  We all are very tired and ready to just be home.  We make it back by almost 4 pm and Danae jumps out of the car to go change before we can even get the gate open.  Duty calls and she is over there with Olen until 8 pm.  What a trip!  I must say that we did not get to do much celebrating for our anniversary this year.  But Olen and Danae are such good friends that they didn't want to leave it like that.  The next evening they were able to sneak a cake into our house to encourage celebrating anyways.  And these are the pictures we got.  The little flying animal at the bottom is a mosquito, Danae is so creative!  Happy Anniversary!    

Dear Friends and Family,

Several Different Stories

I still get shocked by the things I see in Chad.  This is a country so poor that it is evident everywhere I look.  Some of the things that I see people do I can't accept and get use to, these are things I think need to change.  The sickness is so much more because of the conditions and the people are suffering all around me.   Once in a while we do get to help people and get to see how we are making a difference in the lives of people.

One Monday I was walking threw the market place.  I was crossing through a big open lot and noticed a couple ladies sitting in the dirt.  My mind could not understand at first what they were doing sitting there in the middle of this big open space.  As I began to get closer I could see that they were scooping up the dirt in places where rice had fallen during the busy Saturday market.  Naomi was with me and she explained to me that they were sifting the sand out and trying to get what rice they could for their families.  I quickly got out my iPod and took a picture inconspicuously so they could not tell that it was a camera.  I just knew that this was something that I needed to show others, not to make fun but to open people's eyes and help others to be grateful for what you do have.

One sabbath morning our whole family was walking together to go to church.  The church is just a couple hundred yards outside our compound.  Half way to the church, in an open field, right in our pathway, a young girl got up from squatting and left her business right there in the middle of everyone.  I was so shocked.  The Adventist School public bathrooms were right there in sight yet it is excepted here that what she did is perfectly ok. 

Last week was a sad week because a friend of mine died of Aids.  I don't have many friends here but I always considered her one.  Her name was Dina and she worked in the hospital at the pharmacy.  A very kind lady to everyone and she was always one I enjoyed talking to.  She was only really sick in the hospital for a couple of weeks.  I went to visit several times and helped the family, that didn't want to leave their dying sister's side, with food.  I would also pray with the family almost every visit and they were so respectful and appreciative.  This last sabbath morning Jamie and I got woke up by the loud wailing coming from the hospital and we just knew that her suffering was over.  Jamie made her casket sabbath morning and we attended her funeral.  She was loved by so many,  I am guessing that there must have been three hundred or more people.   The drama of funerals here are so different from what we are use to in the states.  There is loud wailing and drumming and singing and dancing.  Everyone stays there with the family and the body all threw the night and the drumming never stops.  The men all sit together and all the women sit together.  If someone new comes walking in it is heard by everyone that is there because of the loud crying that almost sounds like screams.  This can continue for a week, day and night.  Jamie took the van with Dina and the family to the burial sight the next morning.  I didn't get to go because I had an infection on one of my feet from some kind of a bug bite.  (which I am on an antibiotic and it is much better)  But my thoughts were with her and I will miss her.

I wanted to give an update with a picture of the boy that fell in the well.  He is doing really good and his eye is great.  He is quite the character but brings so much sunshine to my house every Friday.  This is a picture of him and his brother, on his last visit here.  Someone donated the clothes the little boy is wearing.  The little jacket he has is actually for a girl but he was so happy with it to be able to have something to keep him warm in the next months to come in the evenings.  They just don't care about things like that here.   We have also been able to help his brother with some of his own medical problems that he has just been living with for some time because they just didn't have the money to get help.  He has had stomach problems with blood in his stool, which is diarrhea.   With medication he too should be fine.  I think that it is situations like this that we can use to become friends with them and develop trust to be able to help them to learn more about what Jesus is preparing for them.

We have been here over two years and I am still trying to get use to my environment.  I guess the day I am okay with things here is the day I should move.  God is really teaching our family more than we realize just by being in a place like this.  I want to thank everyone for all the donations that flow to allow us to be the "hands that help".  It is not always a fun place to live but I love my job and love so many of the people that I come in contact with.  It is a risk to love them because I never know if I am going to loose them but to never love is to never live. 

Love and blessings,
Tammy


   

Divine Intervention

Divine Intervention
Today we had to make an unexpected trip to the Moundou Hospital for a
young patient at the Bere Hospital. This little boy is about six years
old and had fallen down into a well. He cut up his head in many places
but the big concern with him was around the bottom of his eye. The two
Danish female doctors, that are here volunteering, stitched him up but
were concerned that there may be some kind of a fracture. We need to go
to Moundou to get an x-ray. We do not have an x-ray machine here in
Bere so this is a kind of trip we have made before. It takes about two
and a half hours now with all the rain water on the roads. The big
concern for the boy is that if it is broken there is a chance that the
brake could have punctured his eye or opened it up to the blood system
and if that happens then the immune system in the body will go to attack
this foreign body that has not been opened to the system but for some
reason it will not just go to the one eye but both eyes. We are told
that this is not good because then it can cause the boy to go blind in
his good eye. So if it is broken there is a good chance that he will
have to have his eye removed so that the good eye can be saved.
As we are in the car I begin to ask questions about his situation. He
is with his 11 year old brother who is taking care of him. Their mother
is dead and their father is in prison. They are living with their blind
grandmother, who by the way has been one of the people waiting outside
my door for help, mainly food. The 11 year old brother is the one who
goes out to the fields to work for about 80 cents a day. That is not
very much even for here to live off of. My heart just goes out to these
kids.
So after the x-rays are looked at the doctors tell us that it is broken.
The next step would be to get him to N'djamena to a specialist to look
at the eye and then a neurosurgeon. Coincidentally the Administrator of
the hospital along with a nurse volunteer are in N'djamena. We are able
to put the children on a bus to N'djamena and then they would pick the
kids up at the bus stop and take them directly to the hospital. The
doctors also asked me if I would be able to help with the medical bills
since we know there is no other family member? I of course said yes
but, how do we get the money to N'djamena? We can't send that much
money up there with two little kids. Then we all remembered that we
already gave the Administrator some money to exchange from U.S. dollars
to Franks. We all just thought that there was a lot of coincidences
happening all at once to get this little boy taken care of.
We don't know yet what is going to happen with this little boy but one
thing I do know, his family is one that I want to be consistent in
helping. We don't know why things happen but we have to trust God in
everything. Maybe God wanted us to look at this family for reasons we
can't even see yet. I would not have been able to help in this situation
if it were not for all of you who gave toward the "giving fund". This
really untied our hands for helping people in this way again. I just
want to thank everyone who gave toward this fund and give an example of
where this kind of fund goes toward. The ripple of God's love is really
beautiful to watch.
Blessings,
Tammy

Children Story

I have a couple of stories to share with you about a young boy named
Doulegue. He was a young boy that was brought up by good parents and
they loved him very much and taught him many good things. When Doulegue
was only 15 years old his mother and father and his oldest sister all
died of a sickness called tuberculosis. After their death things got
really hard for him. Everyday he could only think about what he could
do to make money to get some food to survive. For two years he would
have to wake up at 4:00 in the morning to walk 7.5 miles to go to school
then he would walk back to his village only to work in the rice fields
for four hours to get paid what is about $.50 per day for food. As he
got older he started to build up a personal relationship with God and he
realized that God could take care of him. He liked to go to church and
learn about all the stories of God's love for him.

One day Doulegue was walking on a path to his friends house because his
friend was getting ready to leave the village and he wanted to say
goodbye to him. On his way he was thinking about how he really wanted
to go to church that week but he didn't have any soap to wash his
clothes and he had no money to buy any. As he walked he prayed to God
about this problem about his clothes and church. He left it with God
and continued on his way to his friends house. On the way there is a
fork in the road where he can go left or he can go right but both ways
will still get him to the same place. He was really wanting to go right
but something pulled him to go left he felt like that was the way he was
suppose to go, so he did. As he walked around the bend he looked over
in the wet morning dew grass and found 5000 Franks which is $10.00 in
American money. That was a lot of money for anyone here in Chad. He
couldn't believe it and just knew at that moment that God was talking to
him letting him know that if you follow Me I will show you the way and
take care of you.

I have another story about the same boy. He was walking around in the
big city of Chad in a place called N'djamena. He noticed a women that
was begging people to give her money for a porridge called bwee. She
turned to him and asked him to give her just 100 franks which is about
20 cents in American money. He knew he didn't have 100 franks but only
a 1000 frank bill. He felt very inclined to give her his last bit of
money he had and did. A little while later while walking in the market
he found a 2000 frank bill and he felt like God sent it to him to double
what he gave the woman.

God talks to people in different ways. He will take care of all your
needs and He knows what you need even before you ask. You can find
this in your bible. One bible text is found in Matthew 6:8. "Do not be
like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." And
another good verse to remember is Matthew 21:22. "If you believe, you
will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Love, Tammy

Responce

Through every experience we have here it always seems to be a learning
and growing one. I want to thank you all so very much for all of your
encouraging words. Sometimes I think that God uses our friends and
family to speak to us during the dark times that are hard for one to
hear Him.

Some of you shared with me some of your own "out of the country"
experiences and told me how you could relate to what I was going
through. Then some of you told me that you could not relate or even
imagine going through the things we go through day in and day out.

One part of me feels bad for expressing my frustration. I think some
people took it the wrong way thinking that I needed or wanted out. But
that is not it at all. I can not imagine the day I will leave the
people here. The other part of me thought why not let the American
people know what bad days are like in a place like this. They can be
very discouraging and overwhelming among the extreme conditions which
can make a day even more dramatic. I think from the very beginning of
my journey I have always been extremely honest about the ups and downs
of missionary life. Someone wrote me that most missionary story letters
are ones about success, conversions, saving lives and exciting
experiences. I think that we have seen and experienced all of these but
we also have experienced bad days and sometimes need our support system
to help lift us up. And that was exactly what happened.

Another thought that concerned some people were my children. Thinking
that it is too much for them and I need to think of them. But then
someone else would write that I should think of the benefits we are
giving our children being here learning self-sacrifice, hard work and
compassion. I weighed this one out and I think my children are exactly
where God wants them for right now.

One of my favorite thoughts from one of you was this:
Most of the time we as humans miss the forest for the trees, this seems
to me to be one time where we have to ignore the forest and just focus
on the trees. The forest is God's problem. He has just asked us to
deal with the trees He puts in front of us. Every life you touch, every
little bit of suffering you ease, every time you teach the people in
Bere, Adventist or not, that there is a better way, shows God to them.
And each of us can only do that one person at a time Remember Matthew
26. Whatever you do to the least of these you have done to me.

This was exactly the way I was feeling, just overwhelmed with sin all
around me. I know it is everywhere we all go but when you are here
helping the way I have committed myself to help it is almost like I am a
therapist that listens to problems all day.

Another thought someone sent me was, "if He leads you to it, He will
lead you through it". Just encouraging thoughts!

To wrap up the lesson I have learned from God and all of you is this.
It is time for me to take a couple of weeks to recharge and spend time
reading and praying and meditating on the good things that God has given
me. I have already begun to do this and I am telling you that this is
exactly what God is telling me to do right now. Many of you put that
little bug of advise in your letters and I thank you for that.
Sometimes it is hard for a "missionary" to do this without guilt because
there is so much work all around you all the time. But for now I feel
as though it is necessary to be a better missionary. Even Jesus needed
to get away from the people and spend time with His Father alone.

The last thing I want to share with everyone is something else that
someone sent me to encourage me. I am forwarding it to see if maybe it
will help you on your own journey. Thank you all for being the best
support system any little missionary could have. God bless you all and
we love you.

Love, Tammy

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and
My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Promises from God

You say: "It's impossible." God says: All things are possible (Luke
18:27)

You say: "I'm too tired." God says: I will give you rest (Matthew
11:28-30)

You say: "Nobody really loves me." God says: I love you (John 3:1 6 &
John 3:34 )

You say: "I can't go on." God says: My grace is sufficient (II
Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out." God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: "I can't do it." God says: You can do all things (Philippians
4:13)

You say: "I'm not able." God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8) You
say: "It's not worth it" God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )

You say: "I can't forgive myself." God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 &
Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage." God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm afraid." God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated" God says: Cast all your
cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I'm not smart enough." God says: I give you wisdom (I
Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone." God says: I will never leave you or forsake
you (Hebrews 13:5)

Dear Friends and Family

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Dear Friends and Family

Sometimes I think moments like these are the best times to write and
then sometimes it may be the worst. I don't want to sound like I am
complaining but today was a very frustrating one. It was a typical
Monday but without Naomi. Naomi called in sick today so I had to go on
without her. I don't know if God allowed me to do it all alone because
I need to see how it would be without Naomi. Friday was a bad day with
me and Naomi and our communication. It was so bad that I spent a lot of
time in my bedroom trying to compose myself. We pray every morning that
God will be with us and that the communication will go smoothly but
Friday was just a terrible day for that.

I had many people come and need this and that. Two people needing milk
for their babies that have no mother. It is $6.00 a can for baby
formula and that will last about a week so it is very expensive for
here. I would say that about 85% of the people with this issue would
not be able to come close to affording that. So part of my mission is
to help them with that. But in order to weed out the ones that really
need it from the ones that are just trying to get free milk, well I have
them work for 4 hours per can. I must say that it is working too. I
have had some not come back for the milk that don't want to work that I
figured had money. You can tell they have money by their clothes or
shoes or earrings and purse. Most women don't even have purses around
here. I just ask God to give me wisdom to know how to run things in the
best way around here for the people and to use His money in the best
way.

I had a girl that came from about 5 miles away. She looks to be about
15 years old. Her mother died 2 weeks ago and she has her 5 year old
brother and 3 year old brother and her 7 month old brother that will not
stop crying. Her eyes are just pouring down tears. She is overwhelmed
and has no food for herself or for the siblings. My heart goes out to
her as I ask her to go ahead and meet me in the market. After seeing a
couple more people I meet her in the market on my motorcycle. I go and
get her a big bag or rice and some other things that will help with
preparing sauce. Then I get her a motorcycle taxi so she can get home
right away.

The last person I helped was a women that waited all day at the hospital
hoping that someone would help her get her baby some medical attention
because she had no money. The Chaplin at the hospital brought her over
to me to see if I would be able to help. By this 4:30 p.m. hour I am
tired and just want some peace but here she is sitting on the ground
before me and I realize that I just can't run away but need to sit and
listen to what is going on in her life. I ask God to give me strength.
Sometimes Gods work is more tiring then I ever thought it would be. I
ask her a line of questions like "Where is her husband"?
He left her and went to N'Djamena.
"What do you do for work to feed your family"?
She works in the rice fields. (for about .80 per day)
"How many children do you have"?
Four children, one is 9, one is 7, one is 3 and the one she brought to
the hospital is 1.
"If I help you go over to the hospital with this child the hospital will
probably hook him up to an IV who will take care of your children for
three days"?
They will take care of themselves.
"Did you leave them any food"?
No
"Did you leave them any money to buy food"?
No
"I can't help you until I know you have a plan to help your other
children".

I just don't understand how people can even think of leaving the
children for that many days without anything. I get frustrated at the
mothers and then I try to look at her situation. She looks as though
she is starving herself and here she is with four kids and trying to
feed them on less than a dollar a day. No one to help her. The sad
thing is that I see this almost everyday but it just doesn't make it any
easier to deal with.

I gave her a paper saying that we would help her and pay for the child's
medical care after she had set things up with someone to care for her

I finally get time to go into the house and spend time with my family.
Ah h!

I just want to throw out a plea for help. We are running out of money
to do the things just like this. If your heart is in it to help me help
people like this that really do need help please donate. Right now I am
going to have to close up shop like this for a while until things start
coming back in for projects like these. I don't like to ask for money
but if God is speaking to you please help the people of Bere'. It makes
for a very tiring day but the need is great and that is why I think I am
here. Maybe God has something else for me. Maybe this isn't my
mission. I don't know. I just thought I would share with everyone what
it is like here in one day and see what happens. Should I keep going?

I also want to share a letter I just got from a lady that I helped to
start her own business selling things in the market. Her husband is
abusive and the whole reason I went to visit with her in the first place
was because another volunteer said that there was some child abuse going
on with a 7 year old boy that I am buddies with. When I went to visit
she just opened up and started crying about her situation. Long story
short I was able to pray with her and then help her start a business of
her own so that she can help herself and her children when the husband
is not feeding them. This was the letter I just received.

After you have given us two visits of moral, material and spiritual
assistance in my foyer, I and my family offer you our sincerest
gratitude. For this encounter and visit that has happened in respect of
us we are unforgettably honored.
May God the almighty bless you and give you health, courage, enjoyment
and spirit of realizing all you physical and humanitarian activities.

I just felt blessed to get a letter of gratitude like this. I know we
are changing lives even though I have bad days but a letter like this
and other thank yous I have received make it worth it. God gave the
lesson of "thank you" with the story of the ten lepers. Thank you is
important. I know that God is happy with the work we are trying to do
in His name. Thank you for making it all possible.

Love, Tammy Parker

Any donations can be written to Harrison SDA Church.
And send to: Harrison SDA Church
P.O. Box 969
Harrison, TN 37341
Send a short note saying that it is for the Parkers in Chad for the
"giving fund".

Thank you