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

Love is a Gamble

 

First thing this morning I get a text message, “Barely alive”!  This text came from the new doctor, Olen.  For almost three weeks now Danae and Olen have been taking care of a premature baby that had a 16 year old mother that died with complications during delivery.  The family considered taking the baby but had no way of feeding the baby.  The family told Olen that they would give the baby water and then the baby would eventually die.  Wanting to give the baby a fighting chance at life, Danae and Olen agreed to take the baby and feed it for up to 6 months and even adopt the boy if the family did not want him.  I have been watching the baby 2-3 days a week while they  go to the hosp ital to work.  The baby has been doing really good and even beginning to take more formula the last time I watched him.  Then all of a sudden he started up with a slight fever and got sick.  He was tested positive for malaria and was started on an IV with quinine.  But he just didn’t seem to be getting better.  Then some blood started in his stool.  The night before the text, Olen went over to the hospital to read up on what could be the problem.  He is pretty sure that it is Necrotizing Enterocolitis, which is the intestines dying. 

Second text, “Died. Can you come”?  I hurried up and got dressed and ran over to their house.  Olen was just sobbing leaning over the baby.  It was the saddest thing to see and also understand how a person can get so attached to the children here.  I was thinking about the love I lost December 15th when 2 year old Exode died when he fell in a well.  The pain of loosing someone is real and there is a gamble you take when you reach out to love here.  And I say here because we know more people that have died here than all my life in the states.  It just seems like life is so fragile here.  Just two weeks ago Jamie made his first casket for a lady who went to the Adventist church here in Bere.  Jamie also made the casket for the baby to take him to the father’s village.  It was sad to see such a small box of life that had so little time to live, but he was truly loved in his short 3 weeks of life.

So we got the car together and took the baby to his father’s village way out in the middle of no where.  If you have seen pictures of Bere and thought that we are out in the middle of no where well this is still further out.  I don’t even know how the people survive out there.  As soon as we get there we are greeted by about five men that were awaiting our arrival.  As soon as we start walking on the small trail to the house we begin to hear the wailing.  This is a sound that I will never become numb to, something I will never get use to.  The way the people grieve here brings chills to me.  It is so overwhelmingly sad.  All of us are now moved with tears.  Danae carries the baby to the mother of the father and the grandmother begins pouring out her cries to God as she begins to take the blankets off that Olen so carefully wrapped him in.  After some time the grave has been dug right in front of the house.  They are not going to bury him in the casket we brought.  They told us that they do not do that for children and just put a piece of straw mat under and on top of him and then the dirt. 

 

Olen brought a French bible and shared some thoughts with everyone.  Then he gave the bible to the father of the baby.  Thoughts run through my head on why these things happen as I see the bible go from one hand to the other.  Then the father asks what Olen thinks he should read first so Olen shared some texts he thought he could start with.  God has a plan, He wants as many souls with Him in heaven that He can get. Loosing a life here during the short time we have here on earth is better then loosing a soul.  We went away that day with a feeling of sadness but also hope that maybe planting that bible way out in the middle of no where will turn into a blessing that we will only know about when we get to heaven.

God’s Miracles in Kelma

 

Our new mission is taking place in Kelma which is a village about ten miles from Bere.  This is a village that Naomi and I visited one Sabbath morning and we preached in their church.  We have been developing a relationship with the pastor there over the last few months before we left for our furlough to America.   He shared with us his desire to buy the land next to the church to start an Adventist school.  We of course started to pray and think about this.   After some time we went back and asked the pastor how much it would cost to buy the land, $500.  We felt as though that was something we could afford since there were a few donations that we got when we were in the states that the people said could be used for anything.  Our first project from the ground up.  We were very excited.

 

So this particular morning we were on our way to sign the papers for the land.  But we have heard that there is another piece of property that they want us to look at first.  When we arrived, we go around to the back side of the church and there are about 50 people waiting for us.  Many were very important chefs from the surrounding villages.   We had no idea that this was going to be such a big ordeal and so official.  After introductions and a lot of hand shaking the meeting begins.  Everyone tells us how happy they are that we have decided to put a school in their village.   We all go and take a walk to see the new piece of property.  They said that it would be only $200 more.  When we go and walk around the land Jamie takes his GPS and figures it out to be about 12 acres.  As we are walking we are in amazement that they want to give us this land.  It was too perfect, nice and flat for the children to play on.  The other piece of property was about 2 acres and had a big dug out hole in the middle of it with about 5 huts on it.  We would have had to ask the people to move that are staying there.and they have no where to go  We just can’t believe what God worked out for his people.  This land had many different trees on it and some were beautiful mango trees.  We of course tell them that this is what we want.  We sign the papers and give the $700.00 to the pastor to give to the right people.  We think that $700 is not bad for 12 acres. 

 

About two weeks later we have the official papers saying that the land is ours for the SDA School.  The pastor there says that he has done all the work paying everyone and he has a surprise for us.  He hands me an envelope and there is $400 in it!  He was able to get the land for only $300, unbelievable!  God is so good!  I just know that He is letting us know that He is with us in this project.  We know it is going to be a lot of work, but we also know what this can be if we put everything before the Lord.  We are planning on making this school the model school for all the Adventist Schools in Chad.   We want it to be the location for summer training for teachers.  Many teachers do not know how to run a school yet alone a school room in the proper way for a true Christian school.  Right now Gary Roberts, the pilot, has agreed to go to the Congo and get a couple of people that he knows that do just this, train. 

 

Jamie and I feel like reaching the children is going to be a big way of reaching the people and changing their way of thinking.  We can help be apart of teaching children the love of Christ as number one importance in education.  We can be apart of how a man treats his wife or children in the next generation.  We feel like the children here are just starving for knowledge.

 

We have many things in motion on how we are going to do this.  We have someone helping us purchase a new brick machine to fabricate really beautiful bricks.  We have a little money put aside to get this building started but we are going to need help.  We need to try and pull all of you together with us in this project and see if we can get Christian education out there.  We need you all to help us to purchase the materials that we will need.    Please pray with us about this project.  We know if we have Him as the center everything will work out. 

 

We also want to just put the option out there if anyone is in the position to be a sponsor a “One-Day School” that would definitely be a great option.  You can get more information on this at www.asiministries.org or www.maranatha.org

 

If you have any questions or comments please email us at Parkers4bere@gmail.com

 

Thank you and may God bless the mission here in Kelma!