It is the Season for Giving!

Tis the season for giving and Bere Adventist School is a great place to start.  I am in the process of trying to raise money for the school again.   I can't express to you enough how badly this building is needed.  These kids have no choice but to go to the other schools that are so wicked.  It breaks my heart.  And now that some of these kids, that are with me and Jamie,  are going to be in that next class next year it is hitting home even more how desperately we need this school.  Please help us help them!  I wonder how many other mothers are thinking the same thing here?  How scary it feels to put our children in a place where all the spiritual work we have put into these kids can be destroyed because there just is no other option.  

We are still needing $40,000 to build a 5 room building in order to make our school complete for all the education necessary before these kids go to the University.    I know it is a lot but it isn't to God.  I just believe that if we work together we can get this done, no problem.   I would like to start building the new addition in December.  Most may be thinking that I am crazy for thinking that I can raise $40,000 by next month.  But I don't think so.  I have seen what God has done here in the past and  how He multiplies $100.  I don't want to sound too forward but I believe that if this is something that God wants it will get done.  I have committed everything that I am to Him for this project.  I have been reading the book, The Circle Maker, and I am circling promises that God has made to His children.  I am willing to be His hands and feet here.   I took some time this last week and circled the school, I walked around the school once every evening for six days and then on the seventh I walked around 7 times.  I am not trying to manipulate God for that is impossible but I am trying to show Him my commitment.  I had several people staring at me and some yelling and asking me questions as to why I am going behind all the buildings?  I just kept moving forward and praying to God.  I had a whole list of things that I handed over to Him.  Now it is in His hands and I have shared every detail of what is needed.  Not that He didn't know already but God wants to hear our every need.  And sometimes it can be that one prayer away from a miracle.

Things may not go as I plan but whatever happens I will know that it is the will of God.  I will keep you all informed of what happens as the days go by and God provides for His children.  Thank you for your willingness to help.  Find your promises and help me circle them so that we can have a better opportunity to reach these kids and get them ready for Christ's coming! 

This is where we would like to put the new school building to complete the high school.  It will face the one that is in the picture. 

Love and blessings, 

Tammy Parker

parkers4bere.blogspot.com

parkers4bere@gmail.com

Jamie phone: +235 93 46 46 35 

Tammy phone: +235 95 25 86 58 

Jamie & Tammy Parker 

Hopital Adventiste de Bere 

52 Boite Postale 

Kelo, TChad 

Afique 

All donations can be sent to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

P.O. Box 969 

Harrison,  TN  37341 

Make Checks payable to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

Earmark:  "The Bere Project" 

School Controversy .

I have not been talking about the school lately because I quit.  I quit right before our annual leave in March.  Many of you may not understand my tactics but it was the only way to get the people here to listen.  The buildings where looking better and more functional and we had full classrooms but none of that mattered if we are not using the school as a spiritual outreach to the children.  

On my resignation letter I gave 4 points as to why I was quitting.  The reasons were as follows. 

1.  Lack of spirituality in the school

2.  Problems with the administration 

3.  Corruption in the school 

4.  Lack of adventist teachers 

Next, I gave the solution to each point.  They had several meetings over this and they accepted all of my stipulations on coming back except one.  One thing they felt like they could not vote on and that was getting rid of the very corrupt principal.  I let them know that I would not come back and work with the school until we had a good, trust worthy and spiritual leader.  There was no getting around it but oh they did try.  I stuck to it though with God on my side.  I spoke boldly  in the board meetings and uncovered the paper trail of lost money and unvalidated receipts.  I was the treasurer last year which really revealed a lot.  I praise God for allowing me to see these things and for giving me the strength, as a woman, to go forth and not be afraid to say the truth before the board.  I have to admit though that right when I was called into a meeting a got very nervous and I called Jamie and Dr. Bland to pray with me to give me God's strength.  I know I was not alone. 

No one wanted to take that responsibility of firing a man that was clearly stealing not even the pastor.  But I guess it is culture.  Everything is about relationships.  I continued to be persistent that  a decision needed to be made.  I called Dr. James Appel to come help me.  He was very understanding and four days later he had Gary Roberts fly him in for the meeting along with the Director of Education from Ndjamena and the pastor came as well.   Four hours later the decision was made and the principal was replaced and all points accepted.  This was six months later, 3 while I was in the states on leave and then the last three being active trying to get heard.  

Wow!  So now I am on fire!  I am so excited because now I see that the doors are open to really make a difference in the lives of the children.   But I can't do all this alone.  Again, I need your help.  I am going to need money again.  I am moving forward in faith and I am going to build the next building.  I want to complete this school and give these kids the opportunity to have a christian education all the way through high school.  I have some money already that some people have given in the past but I know it is not going to be enough.  Right now our school only goes up to 10th grade then the kids have to join the other children in the market school with drunk teachers along with a lot of other corrupt things they do.  I believe that this is a very influential age and they would be so much better to stay in the better environment that is going to focus them on a better future.  Please consider joining me on this endeavor.  Please consider this to be something that your sabbath school class or church or whatever group to take on as a real mission to help reach the lives of young people.  Along the way I am also going to be asking for help with getting some books for the kids because right now they have nothing.   There is so much to do.  But I am willing to do all the foot work and the communication and give you all the pictures you need.  I will do anything and everything if you will join with me.  Let me know your questions. 

Thank you for your support through all these different journeys that this place has given us.  You all have helped me in so many ways especially here lately.  Thank you for the prayers, I know that they have made the difference.  I can see the light and the mission for the people in this place again, hallelujah!  

Love and blessings, 

Tammy Parker

parkers4bere.blogspot.com

parkers4bere@gmail.com

Jamie phone: +235 93 46 46 35 

Tammy phone: +235 95 25 86 58 

Jamie & Tammy Parker 

Hopital Adventiste de Bere 

52 Boite Postale 

Kelo, TChad 

Afique 

All donations can be sent to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

P.O. Box 969 

Harrison,  TN  37341 

Make Checks payable to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

Earmark:  "The Bere Project" 

The Darkness is Lifted .

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us these last couple of weeks.  Thank you for all of the encouraging letters.  It was over whelming to have so many letters come flooding in.  I am so grateful to God for putting so many wonderful people in our lives and for giving us such a great support system.  Thank you all so much for loving us and our mission.  

Just now as I am trying to get my thoughts in this letter the tears are flowing down my face.  Not because I am sad but because I am in awe of the love that God has for us.  Because I know that He has answered all of our prayers.  He has lifted my darkness.  He has given me a clear mind with a real mission.  I have seen God's love coming through to us from each one of you and your letters. (except one, there is always that one!)  But all of your letters were exactly what I needed.  Now I say "I needed" but Jamie was feeling this way too but he just leaves the writing to me.    I was so down in the dumps.  I have never felt so bad since we have been here and I am so glad that I wrote that letter to all of you.  Some said that it was bad for me to write such negative things but I have no regrets.  I believe that God wants us to lean on each other.  I also believe that when you are working everyday on the front lines in another country with such a different culture as a missionary that we need encouragement we need those extra prayers.  It is not easy here.  But I can honestly say that God took away all those awful feelings.  I can honestly say that I am loving life again, even being in Chad.  It didn't happen over night but God worked with me everyday and I believe that I am happier now than I have been in a long, long time.  

God not only had all of our friends and family write us but random people from around the world, like Australia.  People who we do not know that found our blog and wrote us saying that they are praying for us.  What a wonderful, wonderful God we serve!  He is so much bigger than we give Him credit for.  

We are also going to be giving bible studies out of our home with some of the young adults we are close to here.  It just kind of happened.  I am actually very excited about it.  I can't wait to share what I know and learn on top of that.  This is really not something that I  thought I would be doing but God knows what we are capable of.  I am just trying to be willing to do what He wants me to do.  

I have a pretty big story to tell about the school but I am not quite ready to tell all yet.  I will know more after this week.  Before this week is over I will have all the answers in order to be able to share my story.   I can say though that I need everyones prayers, again.  I am making a really big move against what is going on at the school and I need prayers that when the mission president comes here this week to make a vote on it that things will swing God's way.  That God will be in control of His school and He will use me to change things that need to be changed but also that He will give me the right spirit, the right words and the strength at this big meeting.  

This week I will also be following Jamie around.  I will get some pictures and some stories of what he is doing.  He has been very busy.

We want you to know that we love all of you and I can't thank you enough for being there for us during our dark days. 

   

Tammy Parker

parkers4bere.blogspot.com

parkers4bere@gmail.com

Jamie phone: +235 93 46 46 35 

Tammy phone: +235 95 25 86 58 

Jamie & Tammy Parker 

Hopital Adventiste de Bere 

52 Boite Postale 

Kelo, TChad 

Afique 

All donations can be sent to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

P.O. Box 969 

Harrison,  TN  37341 

Make Checks payable to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

Earmark:  "The Bere Project" 

Why are we here ?

Sometimes I ask myself, do I really know anyone here?  Is there anyone here that can be honest?  How can they validate their wrong actions?  How is it that if someone sees a crime they just turn their face and act like nothing happened.  Is there anyone here that considers us their friends?   Does anyone here feel like they have a real friendship toward us with certain dedication, at all?  Can anyone be honest and do the right thing here?  Does anyone want to know who Jesus really is?  Is there anyone here I can reach? Do they see anything different in me?  If so, do they see that it is Jesus?  Is anything I am doing making a difference?  Am I just saving a child from death to put them in a life of corruption, suffering and abuse?  I have to ask, would that child be better off to die and maybe grow up in heaven?  What are we doing here?  I need answers!  I need God to remind me what in the world am I doing in this place?  

All of these things may seem harsh.  It may seem like I am over exaggerating.  But this is a very hard place to live in.  You can be surrounded by a thousand people and feel so alone.  I haven't been writing blogs because I am so discouraged.  I know that satan is attacking us.  But I need God to talk to me and tell me how to handle all of this.  I don't have any of the answers.  It seems like the work is too much and we are too small.   But the corruption here is getting to be too much.  We have had so much stuff happen in the last month that it is just overwhelming.  I haven't been writing about it because no one wants to hear about some of the bad realities here.  All of the things getting stolen by the people we trust the most in our inner circle.  Or our friends getting married to little girls UNDER the age of 14.  This is such a hard job to work with the people here.  Just take everything that you have been raised to know.  Now, throw it up in the air and turn it all upside down.  That is how the people believe here.  The police are people to be afraid of.  They are not here to help but to give anyone a hard time and threaten you to get money from you.  Not being able to tell if even the pastor is converted.  Who do we go to for help?  I know God is the answer.  

Right now, if any of you have been following our stories, we need you.  We need you to pray for us.  We need the prayer to be specific.  Why are we here?  How can we reach the people?  Does God still want us here?  What does God want from our mission?  We want to do what God wants us to do.  But what is it?

We need encouragement.  I have been afraid to be so rawly honest.  Sometimes I get people to write back and judge us for not being good enough.  We are human and right now are discouraged.  Please, help us get the answers we need from God.  I believe if we pray together God will make it all clear.   Right now I am reading the book, Power of Prayer, written by Ellen G. White.   I know that through faith I can hear Gods voice for our lives.  He can and will show us what to do.  But I also don't think that there is anything wrong in asking for help, help from all of our friends.  

Please keep our health in prayer as well.  Right now I have typhoid and Jamie continues, off and on, to have problems with his heart.  

Thank you all for all of your support.  We appreciate you. 

Love and blessings, 

Tammy Parker

parkers4bere.blogspot.com

parkers4bere@gmail.com

Jamie phone: +235 93 46 46 35 

Tammy phone: +235 95 25 86 58 

Jamie & Tammy Parker 

Hopital Adventiste de Bere 

52 Boite Postale 

Kelo, TChad 

Afique 

All donations can be sent to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

P.O. Box 969 

Harrison,  TN  37341 

Make Checks payable to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

Earmark:  "The Bere Project" 

Couple more heaven pics

Too good to not share.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  It made me think of the second coming.  Are you ready?

Tammy Parker

parkers4bere.

blogspot.com

parkers4bere@gmail.com

Jamie phone: +235 93 46 46 35 

Tammy phone: +235 95 25 86 58 

Jamie & Tammy Parker 

Hopital Adventiste de Bere 

52 Boite Postale 

Kelo, TChad 

Afique 

All donations can be sent to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

P.O. Box 969 

Harrison,  TN  37341 

Make Checks payable to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

Earmark:  "The Bere Project" 

Visited by a Piece of Heaven!

This was such a gift, especially here.  We never get to see anything so beautiful in Chad.  I hope those here in Bere that may have been discouraged looked up and found some hope.  This was the most beautiful breathtaking thing I have ever seen.  If you would like to see more like these you can look in Facebook in one of my photo albums.  What a great way to end the sabbath! 

Tammy Parker

parkers4bere.blogspot.com

parkers4bere@gmail.com

Jamie phone: +235 93 46 46 35 

Tammy phone: +235 95 25 86 58 

Jamie & Tammy Parker 

Hopital Adventiste de Bere 

52 Boite Postale 

Kelo, TChad 

Afique 

All donations can be sent to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

P.O. Box 969 

Harrison,  TN  37341 

Make Checks payable to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

Earmark:  "The Bere Project" 

I AM GIVING YOU MY CHILD!

Today was a typical day.  Working with the malnourished babies, the sick, the hungry and then those that said that they were giving me their child.  What do you say to that?  Talk about being put on the spot.  This lady came with her three children and told me that her husband said that she should bring her kids to me so I can see them all and then tell me that this one child is for me.  In the past I had helped them when he was sick.  I paid for his medical bill at the hospital and he got better.  I have helped this family in a few different ways and I guess this was the way they wanted to pay me back.  

When Naomi interpreted this to me I just thought that maybe this was a gesture, something she was just saying to show me how much she was grateful.  But then I caught on that she was seriously not going to leave my property with him.  What do I do?  As I am speaking English to Naomi I am telling her that I can't believe that this lady is going to leave him.  I knew that Naomi was equally freaking out and Naomi said that she was shaking inside.   I was so glad that God brought to my mind what to say.  Because I realized that this is a serious situation.  I looked at this woman and told her that I thank her so much for the offer but a child belongs with his parents.  There is no love like that of a parent.  She seemed to be okay with that.   I asked her if I could take their pictures to remember them and then she left.  

I keep thinking that I can't be surprised by what this place brings my way but I continue to have eyebrow raising situations.  Keep us in prayer.  

Tammy Parker

parkers4bere.blogspot.com

parkers4bere@gmail.com

Jamie phone: +235 93 46 46 35 

Tammy phone: +235 95 25 86 58 

Jamie & Tammy Parker 

Hopital Adventiste de Bere 

52 Boite Postale 

Kelo, TChad 

Afique 

All donations can be sent to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

P.O. Box 969 

Harrison,  TN  37341 

Make Checks payable to: 

Harrison SDA Church 

Earmark:  "The Bere Project"