The first week the SMs and I were at Bere was a little rough. Both Tammy and Jamie were going through a rough patch, while the new arrivals had culture shock. Tammy had recently resigned from her position at the school because she refused to work with the corrupt leader. She told the school she understood they needed her help. However, she wouldn't help the school if the leader was still in charge. In addition, Tammy had to put her other projects on hold to deal with the school board. It was a very stressful fight, which quickly drained her. Jamie had a huge construction project he needed to work on. Getting malaria during his project wasn't the best thing that could have happened.
Both Tammy and Jamie invited us over to their house. At first the SMs and I were very timid. We were warned not to step on anyone's toes.
Basically, Josh, Daniel, and I realize that if the Parkers were to hate us we should leave Chad. It seemed like we weren't needed and not wanted. The Parkers were our last hope. We had very little contact with them to protect the fragile relationship we had with the Parkers.
Now that everyone is out of their funk, it is great. The other SMs and I have really gotten to know Tammy and Jamie. We help both Tammy and Jamie with their projects, and every Saturday night we have game night at their house. (Of course, we wait to be invited every week just in case). Tammy and Jamie truly have become mom and dad. Whenever one of us gets sick we go to them first, instead of the doctors. They give us food from time to time, and are always asking how we are feeling or how things are going. The Parkers have really made adjusting to the Tchadian lifestyle and Netteburgs easier.
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