More with Less: a conversation with Bryan and Tami Tacker Artwork

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More with Less: a conversation with Bryan and Tami Tacker

May 13, 2025 • Season 3 • Episode 11

If you would like to learn more about how you can help with the children's home in India or the congregation of lepers you can reach Bryan Tacker at tackerb@yahoo.com or bryan@cedarparkfriends.org

One of my goals with this podcast is to introduce an audience I love to people I love. I’d love for you to meet Bryan and Tami Tacker. I first met Tami through an organization called Sacred Selections. Sacred Selections is a nonprofit that helps raise funds to alleviate the financial burden of adoption for Christian families. Sacred Selections helped bring home many of my children as well as hundreds of other children into their respective families.

But in talking with Tami, I found out that her and her husband, Bryan, are also deeply involved in some amazing work in India. Bryan and Tami are exceptional people with a heart for children, the disenfranchised, and the spreading of the gospel in India. We talk about how they first got involved in helping a children’s home there, as well as the amazing work being done by a congregation of lepers. We also talk about how it all started with a providential encounter with a Christian named Billy.

For the sake of safety, we don’t use Billy’s last name or talking about the specifics of where the children’s home is in India because persecution of Christians in India, both economically and politically, is a very real danger, but if you want to get involved or help, there are details in the show notes of how to get more information.

I entitled this conversation ‘More with Less’ and I think you will find that amongst the larger details of these good works happening in India, you will hear some amazing stories about people who have done more with less and really make me want to be a better person. I’m grateful for the Tackers and others like them doing this sort of work to help souls, and I’m better for the time talking to them. I think you will be, too.

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"Remember, you are loved, so go, love better!"

New episodes drop on Tuesdays.

I’m Scott Beyer and this is the Love Better podcast where we explore the truths and lies about love and more importantly how to turn love into a skill – something we can get better at and hone.

I entitled this conversation ‘Less is More’ and I think you will find that amongst the larger details of these good works happening in India, you will hear some amazing stories about people who have done more with less and really make me want to be a better person. I’m grateful for the Tackers and others like them doing this sort of work to help souls, and I’m better for the time talking to them. I think you will be, too.

Bryan Tacker: [00:00:00] to me, the special thing about India is the sheer Volume of opportunities that are there. and what I mean by that, there are different opportunities available than I've found at other places like South America and Africa, uh, such as the Children's home, such as the Church of Lepers, uh, such as the preacher training program that that is going on.

There is a little bit unique to that situation. And so the sheer volume of activity in the Kingdom work going on there through Billy is almost overwhelming. And so I

When I worked with the guys in Africa, I was already thinking, wow, I do so little for the kingdom. And then when we went to India, I was like, this is completely overwhelming. Billy Is the busiest man I've ever seen in my life.

Scott Beyer: So how did you initially Get involved with this? How, how did you get to know Billy? How did you get in in involved as this, this work as a couple?

Bryan Tacker: yeah, that's a, a very interesting story. And, uh, it, you know, there's two parts to this story. [00:01:00] There's my part in getting to India and then there's Billy's part to getting to where I was because we were not going to be in the same locations, and both of us actually ended up being on, uh, a, a long journey to arrive at the same point, at the same time.

And so that's where this whole situation to me, it gets very interesting. So I, I was working for, in Nokia at the time. I had taken on an additional team in India. I had one team in one location and I picked up another team in the other. And normally when I would go to India, I would just visit, uh, I just had the one team and I would just go over there during the week and I would be home so I could be home for services on the weekend.

And that changed when I had the other team. I wasn't able to make it a one week, uh, trip. I had to stay over the weekend. To go to see this other team in a different location. And so I started trying to figure out if there was any way I would be able to go to church over there. And Googled and found some churches.

Uh, I didn't know where I should go. And then we [00:02:00] actually did have a lady at church with us who, who was from the area, and she was able to recommend a church for me to go to. And so at that time I thought, okay, I will see. I, I looked it up, I found the location for it, and I started to try to plan to, to go to it.

Now there were barriers to that. Obviously I'm over there, I'm not able to drive. Getting to it logistically was a, was a challenge. I also had my boss. Who had only been my boss for a couple of months, he was bringing his whole team to the India location because it was a substantial, uh, facility for Nokia, bringing our whole team over there.

And so this, this was also going to be a get to know each other team meeting, and that was going to extend over the weekend as well. So I had my, my new boss and new team over there And I started saying, I'm going to try to go to church and, you know, here's where it is and I think I'll just be able to take an Uber and go there.

of course my boss warned me of the, uh, possible risks that are [00:03:00] involved in me traveling by myself to a location that is outside of the tech zone in India. And this was very much outside of that zone. And so he warned me that I should, uh, if I'm going to do that, at least I should take a more expensive Uber than I normally probably would.

I'm a very cheap guy. And then he also, uh, my team started having plans to do an excursion that Sunday. And so they all wanted me to go on the excursion. They were saying, why do you have to go to church on this day? And I was like, I, I feel like I, I need to do this. I really want to do this.

So I told them, I'm going to do this. So Sunday morning I was planning to leave. I booked the Uber and all of that was in place, got in the Uber, and that had his own challenges. Of course, the driver did not speak any English. He started, uh, driving to the location. I was following along on my phone to try to make sure I was going to arrive at the correct destination.

Uh, the driver, some question in your mind that this is, is the driver even going to take you where you're paying him to take [00:04:00] you?

Oh yeah, for sure. You know, the car was not a, it was not a well cared for car, you know, I didn't even know if the car was gonna make it, but the driver had many complications. I, I don't know that he'd ever been to this location because he went down a one-way street and, and very far down it, and actually had to back completely up with all these people yelling at us.

It was a, it was a crazy situation as well. Um, but no, he, he had problems navigating to get to the location. And, uh, that was an interesting, and if you've ever been in India in a car, you, you pretty much risk your life anytime you're in a car in India, because there are people honking, there are friendly honks that just say, Hey, I'm over here.

There are angry honks that says, Hey, you're in my way. Uh, all kinds of honking, uh, unlike anything you would experience in America. But, uh, it was an experience he. Finally arrived at the location where I thought the church would be at. I got out of the car and he quickly sped away. And, and then I was on this street.

And the interesting thing about this street, of course, I don't know What I was expecting, but there's no signs in English. There's not a sign that says, Hey, the Church of Christ meets [00:05:00] here. that's

Scott Beyer: so so he's dropped you off. You haven't even yet seen the Sign the building, the meeting place at all. But he's, he's gone.

Bryan Tacker: right. He is gone. he immediately left. And so I'm on the street pretty much by myself. There's nobody else there. And, uh, to your point there, not only did I not see the sign, it turns out there was not a sign. There's not a sign that says Church of Christ in any language, uh, on this street. And I was looking for how to figure this out.

Immediately started Googling, see if there was any. Picture of the building or anything. And there, there wasn't, and I, I had a very weak signal at that point anyway, but the, the sign was not obvious to me until I saw the sign that was given to me, which was this Indian man walking across the street in a pink shirt and a tie and slacks.

And I'd never seen an Indian dressed like that anywhere else in, [00:06:00] while I was in India. Just ca you know, on a, in a casual location, not in a tech building out in the public, just wearing a dress shirt, a tie, and slacks. And so I don't know what came over me. I'm not the kind of person that normally goes up and talks to people in strange countries on Strange Street, in a place where I know I don't know anybody let alone, I don't know the language.

Uh, but for some reason I assumed this man knew English and that he was going to church. And so I went up to the man who we all know as Billy, and I said, hi, I am looking for the Church of Christ. You know where that would be? And he says, I am headed there now you can go with me and, uh, follow me.

And so we proceeded to walk on and there's no way I would've ever found this building. It was actually, uh, very hidden. It was the third Floor of a Building. And, uh, it, it was never gonna be an obvious way for me to get to that without connecting with Billy. I would've left. [00:07:00] I was Already questioning my situation to the point, my decisions that, that I had made so much so that I was going to leave.

I was going to, I was calling or thinking of calling another Uber and leaving. 'cause I didn't see any way for this to progress to me finding the church. I. Until I saw Billy in his dress shirt, his pink dress shirt. So that is now my favorite color, uh, pink and a pink dress shirt. But,

Scott Beyer: man in a pink dress shirt saved you.

Bryan Tacker: he did, he absolutely provided the sign to get me to church. And so that is how I met Billy for the first time. Now, Billy's story of getting to that location is also, uh, is also very, uh, very difficult. So Billy had also never really been to this place before either. He had never preached there, he didn't really have any contacts at this church.

He was, uh, going there just because he was called out of the blue to come in and fill in for their preacher. And this was not an easy trip for Billy. Billy lived, uh, really far away [00:08:00] and he also did not have any. Vehicle or anything that could make the trip. So he had to use the public transportation, the train.

And so the train for him to get there was an 18 to 20 hour train ride. And so this is how he had to arrive, uh, at Bangalore. And the problem, uh, of course is that you have that long, he had to, to pack his, uh, suit and all of that, and then he had to shower in the train station and, do a lot of things.

I don't know that I would be willing to do. But he did all of these things to go to a congregation that he had never been to before that he knew nobody at. He was just going there. And because Billy's a, a very busy man also as we can, we will get into, but he wanted to go and see what this congregation was about and he was invited to go speak there.

So he. Did it, uh, went through all of this, uh, trial to, to make it there, to be able to be there. And just coincidentally, it was the same time I was there and, uh, it, and he was there at [00:09:00] the exact moment I needed him to be there, or I would not have made it to that congregation and we would've never met.

Scott Beyer: you are an ocean away from home. He is 18 to 20 hour train ride away from home, but the two of you meet on the street at the exact moment, and he happens to be wearing the kind of clothes that would resonate in your American mind. I should talk to this guy. So what you're saying is everything lined up.

I mean, it, it just had to line up exactly right.

Bryan Tacker: yes. If any part of that had changed in any way. If my Uber ride had been delayed, Billy would've already been in the, in the building. I wouldn't have seen him. If Billy's train had been delayed, Billy wouldn't have been there. If anything had happened along all of those complicated scenarios, uh, yeah, it, it wouldn't have happened.

Scott Beyer: For, for that matter. If your Uber driver had not gone down a one way street and had to back out, you would've been

missed eachother.

Bryan Tacker: [00:10:00] statement. That is a true statement. Because if, if Billy had made it in there, I would've not, I would've not, and I will tell you, I, I don't remember anybody else at that congregation wearing a, a, a dress shirt and a tie. I don't, I don't remember anybody else doing it. It's very unlikely I would've talked to anybody else.

I can't imagine me going up to anybody else dressed any other way, assuming that they spoke English, assuming that they knew where the church was. Uh, I just don't think I would've done it. I'm not that kind of person.

Scott Beyer: But you are the kind of person to take an Uber in a

Bryan Tacker: I.

Scott Beyer: country.

Bryan Tacker: Something Got me in that Uber, I will say that. Yes, yes. Yeah,

Scott Beyer: I love this story.

So you, you

Bryan Tacker: the room.

Scott Beyer: you and Billy then become friends, Tammy, what point did you become aware of how much outside of the comfort zone your husband, husband had traveled?

Tami Tacker: I was amazed when he told me that he took an Uber against his coworkers advice to an area that [00:11:00] would not be considered safe, because the, the area where Brian was and, and where the coworkers were, was a protected area. He voluntarily went out with a stranger, not knowing where he was going. He was dropped off on a super busy street where he couldn't read any of the signs.

There were, if you look at the street, the buildings on each side, they're multiple stories. And their businesses up and down. There's no way he would've been able to find this on his own. But the thing that I love about him is that even when he was in a foreign country, he didn't know where he was. He didn't know anyone around him.

He found the way to still worship. And I think that's a big lesson for me and a big lesson for a lot of people. Sometimes we, we think of excuses as to why we don't need to go to worship because we're not [00:12:00] home.

Scott Beyer: Oh yeah, I, if there's no other takeaway, get yourself to church. It's you know, I mean, you just never know when the Lord will use you. Uh, if you are doing the things to the best of your ability that, that he wants you to.

Bryan Tacker: It's just one of those things where I. I don't think of anything in my life being worthy of being providence of God, And I also think God focuses on our spiritual blessings and less so on the physical blessings. But having said all of that clearly God is the ruler of the universe and has, uh, control, and he's in control.

Right? And, and you can look at this situation and you know, you can figure out reasons why this could be providence of God, and you can look at all of the pieces that had to fit together cleanly to make this situation progress. And it's why it's, it's hard to believe it's not the providence of God, but, uh, you know, I, you never can say that for sure.

I'm always going to, to, to have that asterisk buy it. But if anything was going to be, I would think this would be an example of, of one that would be,

Scott Beyer: And I, I, I understand that [00:13:00] hesitance 'cause I struggle with that too. I, I think one of the things as Christians is that we recognize that God intervenes in the lives of Men. If, if he didn't, then what's the point of prayer? Right? There's, there is clearly scripture backing the idea that God is involved, but it's his unseen hand.

So you are left to. uh, um, attempt your best to suss out w when it was. I think what I'm hearing from you is there's no way to know for sure anything is, but on the other hand, when the coincidences add up enough and they line up with a direction that is clearly a positive, uh Spiritual direction it's hard not to give credit.

Bryan Tacker: yeah. That's the way I feel about it. Yes.

Bryan Tacker: ironically enough, Billy sent me a children home update today, and there's, [00:14:00] there's an example in here of, uh, fruit from the children's home that I, I thought I would mention, one of the ladies that, that came out of the children's home.

She would always sing in the Children's Home. And so she had this beautiful voice. She would wake up and she would just always be singing and she sang so much so that they gave her a nickname. Uh, and her nickname was stereo 'cause she Would sing so much and she would always be singing praises to God.

she was married to a preacher and this preacher, they went back into the field and she would even sing as an adult. Then she would always be singing, some of their neighbors heard her singing and they wanted to know what she was singing. So she took this opportunity to, and these were not Christians, right?

These were, they were probably Hindi, but they don't actually say in the. The story, but she took her husband, who was a preacher with her, and he was explaining the words as she was singing it. And they have now from that singing, have started a new congregation [00:15:00] because they were able to teach them the truth and, and start a second congregation that he is now ministering at just because she was singing out in public.

And so that to me is just a life changing story because how often are we singing in, in public? We're almost, we're pretty much ashamed to do that I think nowadays, uh, unless we're singing in the park at the group of people at a get together or something. But that, uh, she's singing by herself was approached to why she was or what she was singing.

And her song turned into a congregation.

Scott Beyer: Wow. Wow.

Bryan Tacker: But that was the result of Her being an orphan her life could have gone much more, much different as an orphan. She, if she was never found to and brought into the orphanage, who knows what would've happened to her.

Uh, very likely she could have ended up, just like all the other orphans and had a very short lifespan. But, uh, instead she was, uh, an instrument bringing people to, to the kingdom. Anyway, uh, that's the kind of stories I get from the [00:16:00] children's home. Nearly, uh, you know, every, every month or so.

Yeah.

Scott Beyer: What happens to those kids if, Satan waved a wand and, and the children's home goes away Tomorrow? What does their life look like?

Bryan Tacker: Uh, it, it's bad. It's, uh, starvation. that's the reality. Uh, during Covid in particular, Billy was trying to feed over 200 kids outside the gates of the orphanage, excuse me. So that, that were kids that were just on the street. And typically what happens is during the wedding season, so there's a season of weddings in India where there's just weddings all the time, and there'll be a leftover food from those weddings because they last a long period of time.

And the kids in the streets are just living off of the food that's leftover from the weddings. And when wedding season is over, those orphans have a very, or those kids that are, that are. Just out on the streets have a very hard time finding food. Uh, it's very difficult. There's not a lot of charity in, in India because everybody is in poverty, and so those kids are starving.

It's the reality. They would find their ways [00:17:00] outside the gates of Billy's orphanage. He would give them bags of food for lunch as much as he could. But, uh, you know, that's not an, that's not something that he can continue to do for a, for a long period of time, and he doesn't have room for, for all of them.

So it's a pretty desperate situation from that aspect.

Scott Beyer: That must be one of the hardest parts about all of this is the kids that you, you can't say yes to.

Bryan Tacker: Yes. Yeah, absolutely. Absolute.

Scott Beyer: And, um, so you meet Billy. Then up until this point, you're total strangers.

You don't know each other at all. Then how do we get from, you meet Billy to then the children's home and all of these other things that have come out of that and your relationship now.

Bryan Tacker: Yeah, so that also evolved and, uh, and had challenges along the way, as you can imagine. But, but Billy does have a sister in the United States, and so he, at one point, uh, we exchanged information when we first met, and then at one point he was going to come over to see his sister. He would, he would typically bring his mother, uh, she attends a congregation in, uh, Santa [00:18:00] Clara.

And so they, uh, they were coming over and he was like, I'm gonna stop in Texas because there's a, a guy I know in a college station. So he was going to make a, a trip there to visit him. And, and I will say that, uh, he had done that once before and to my knowledge, and he contacted me and I said, you've gotta come to Austin.

We're not that far away from College Station. I'll be glad to pick you up. Uh, we can make this happen. And in the meantime, I had to convince the, the people at our congregation that this was a worthy endeavor. and, uh, you know, you, you, you hear about works that are going on in places and you start questioning the validity of it.

And, uh I will say the, the work that Billy's doing is, is so overwhelming that you can start saying, there's no way this is really happening. There's no way one guy is really doing all of this. Uh, it's no way he's doing this with, with no extra support and. And that is the situation that, that Billy was in.

He was, he was doing a lot of work. And I want to emphasize that there was a, so many good things going on in India before Ira got involved, [00:19:00] Billy, and the work that was happening there was extraordinary. And I am just so grateful to even be a, a part of it. But if, uh, I would say the main thing that we have been able to do, uh, from Cedar Park Friends and other, uh, other sources is we've just been able to magnify and grow what was already in place.

And, and that's what they were, they were really lacking was the funds to, to make this, uh, whole kingdom work, grow and, and prosper. And so there were so many good things going on, but he, after multiple doctrinal conversations through email, uh, we were able to. Understand each other and have common ground and unity in the word of, of what we were trying to achieve and how we were going to, what we thought was a, authorized way to achieve it.

All of that. After we agreed on all of that, we were able to, to meet and have conversations about what we can do to help, uh, the situation that was going on in India. So he was able to come over and we were [00:20:00] able to, to visit with him and, and get to know him.

Scott Beyer: So when you first, uh, before American Money got involved, let me maybe put it that way. The Prosperity of America. Um, there was already a children's home.

What did it look like back then?

Bryan Tacker: Oh, it was, uh, 50, 60 kids. Yeah.

Scott Beyer: 50, 60 kids, which is still like, that's still a lot of kids.

Bryan Tacker: it is. And it is amazing that so much was being done through the funds of his sister being able to send some money home and through his, uh, his mother.

So the way it all started, uh, this all started was from Billy's, uh, grandfather.

Billy's grandfather was, uh, the head of the Baptist Preaching School in, in India in this area.

He was the main person. Matter of fact, he wrote all of the instructional materials and published books to, uh, that the, the, the, the whole, uh, ministry program was based upon. So Billy's dad did all of that. I mean, grandfather did all of that. A gentleman who I [00:21:00] do not know the name of, I don't think Billy even knows, uh, came from Canada and visited India and taught Billy's grandfather the truth, uh, converted him to Church of Christ and that. and that.

Was a moment in time that kind of domino into all of the things that are there. And so it, uh, he turned in his resignation the next day. He had, uh, people under him that were also teaching classes using his material. I mean, I can't emphasize enough that he was the main person that spearheaded this whole thing in India.

Once he was converted, he brought other people with him. And that was the start of the preacher training program. But he, uh, he did that and then he used some of the money that he had saved to fund the, uh, church where the lepers are and the children's home and the preacher training program. So all of the things that are, all the activities that are going on.

And then a lot of the congregations that are there [00:22:00] were. His students that went off and started churches of Christ in the area. And so all of that sprung from this guy who I do not know from Canada, that taught the truth over there and sparked, and then I, I think it, I think you could Say it burnt as far as it could burn.

And then this activity happened with Billy and just really caught it on fire and, uh, expanded it significantly. it went from doing. Uh, five to 10 preachers in the preacher training program to 35. It went from having, uh, funding for a few lepers. We have 35 ish lepers. It went from, you know, the 30, 40 to 317 kids.

So that, uh, and, and capacity to do, to do more. I would say Billy's grandfather very much laid the foundations. Uh, and then that was what was built on,

Scott Beyer: so big. A big part of this is, is one generation of Christians. Handing this over to the [00:23:00] next, and each one building upon the work That had been previously done so that it's able to reach more and do more and more good which is really the way it should be. Like we, we talk about generational legacies for our physical families. This idea of a generational legacy for the church, one generation next, instead of the, oh, the picture. You often see even really even the bible, like a generation that arises that doesn't know God. What you're talking about is one generation is faithful and then the next one chooses to do the same thing, but they can now build on top of what had been done previously and there's now this momentum and so now you're able to Do things that never would've been able to do, be done in one generation.

Bryan Tacker: Correct. Correct. That is absolutely right.

Scott Beyer: What are the ages of, of the kids in the children's home?

Bryan Tacker: Oh, they range dramatically. Uh, there's, uh, how was, uh, two to three? Yeah, probably two to three to [00:24:00] two. We've actually have five of 'em that are taking, uh, college level classes now, uh, that we're providing. So there's a, an institute that is now part of the orphanage. So, so you this, you know, some of the opportunities that have become Available, uh, previously, the only way, or only thing for Billy to do with orphans would be to, you know, teach 'em to, uh, preach or make them preacher wives.

and he had so few at that time that that was. Not a, a problem because there is, it was pretty easy for him to, to match up at the, the numbers that were coming through the orphanage and through the preacher training. Now, it, once you start talking about, you know, 300, 400, 500 kids, that's, uh, that scale is, is a lot more, and not everybody, uh, needs to be a preacher's wife or a, a preacher.

Probably not everybody is cut out to, to do that, or, or that's not the, the work that they're called to do. We all have different places and then we're all parts of the, of the same body. We all have different works to do. So the thought is that, uh, we have started this institution that can, uh, this [00:25:00] education to program for nursing for.

It's computer training, different things like that to push these kids through to get training so that they can get jobs and so that they can then in turn contribute back to the orphanage in some meaningful way, uh, and help self-support it. That's the idea. And we've just now started that level. Uh, the first transaction of that where we have five students that are now in that program.

Scott Beyer: So a, a child is welcomed into the home at whatever age, potentially quite young.

Bryan Tacker: Yeah.

Scott Beyer: They then are not just given food and, and. Clothing and shelter, but in education and uh, it sounds like all the way to an apprenticeship so that when they walk out those doors, they have a name, they have a career, uh, and then they can, can do what the Bible says that we work, so that we can give.

So that's the model that is now, [00:26:00] they're now to the point where, where the children's home can take it all the way through that model.

Bryan Tacker: that is correct. That is correct. And that was something that would be unachievable before we were involved right there. There's no way that could have taken place. Uh, I will say also, Billy had to go to the government to get accreditation for the institute that is now, uh, training these Five kids, and he was very surprised.

He, he thought that would've been an impossible task given the atmosphere of India being predominantly Hindu. But. We got approved. it was another one of those things where you're like, uh, this is, this is incredible that this happened, that we got an approval for this.

Scott Beyer: What, what does daily life look like for a kid?

Bryan Tacker: it begins very early. I, I could not find the slide. I've got to find the slide. 'cause it, it is crazy. So, so the children start off with bible stu Bible study at 5:00 AM and, uh. Then they'll conclude at the end of the day with additional Bible study before they go to sleep. But their day is planned by the hour all the way through the day.

Older kids take care of the younger kids, uh, move through the whole, uh, the whole program through the day. Uh, once you reach a [00:27:00] certain level, and I'm forgetting it's gonna be a junior high, the kids do go to public school at that point, and they do that so that they can, uh, that's when they officially get registered with their name and so that they can work, so that there can be, uh, participants of society, right?

They always score in the top percentage of their classes when they go to the, the public schools. The teachers are, are amazed at the, the knowledge and work that these kids, uh, have.

And, and you know, it's, it's just fantastic to, to see that and, you know, it's one thing to do all of this, but then to have the reward of being an exceptional, uh, by an external source at the end of the day, after you are going into the public school, it's just a really great validation of the whole system that we've put in place.

Scott Beyer: Yeah.

Tami Tacker: One thing also, Billy calls each of these kids, his kids, he says, these are my kids. When he brings them in, some of them do not know their name. They don't even know their last name. He gives all of them his last name. So they are all his kids. And when they are registered in school, they all [00:28:00] have his name.

The school did call him one day and ask him to start using other last names they had so many But he has affection for each and every one of these children.

Scott Beyer: Mm-hmm.

Now you have both been over there, right? Multiple times, I'm assuming.

Bryan Tacker: I have been multiple times. He's been once.

Scott Beyer: Okay. Is there Is there something that, that a story or a person, a child, uh, something that stuck with you? With those, those trips.

Bryan Tacker: it's gotta be Pinky, right? Yes. Well then you tell her

Tami Tacker: On the trip that I was able to go on, there was a little girl, she was maybe two years old. Yeah. And she was missing how many fingers on her hand?

Bryan Tacker: Uh, was

Tami Tacker: it? Two fingers on her? Two fingers? She was missing two fingers on her hand. She was the cutest little girl I've ever seen in my life.

The few times that we did go to the children's home to visit, [00:29:00] she had her hair in buns on each side, and they had put ribbons in her hair. She was interacting with all of the Children she was playing, and they Had named her pinky. That was her name. If we could have brought her home with us, we would've in an instant.

Bryan Tacker: All of the kids there want to, uh. They're just looking for affection, right? That's what you, you have to realize. They, they don't have their parents. They don't have, uh, before they came to the children's home, they didn't have anybody who cared about them. They were having to struggle to find food, to find shelter.

Uh, life was hard. And then when they come to the children's home, they have emotional baggage. A lot of these children have seen their parents die. Uh, they've seen, seen death at a very young age. A matter of fact, one of the main jobs that they do to earn money for food is to burn dead bodies. Uh, that's something I don't think we can even fathom over here.

But the, the children are the ones that keep the bodies burning and they get paid to do [00:30:00] that when they're, when they're getting, uh, incinerated. And so that, uh, is horrific to us, but it is a fact of life over there. And so that is what these children have been exposed to. So they all have, uh. They all have issues emotionally getting close to other people.

But as we interact with them and there's, you know, there's so many of them, uh, but as we interact with them, they all want to be hugged. They all want to have a moment with you. And they're all smiles and they're all yes sir, and yes ma'am. And they're just the most well-behaved kids I think I've ever seen in my life.

They are aware of the situation that they came from and they appreciate it so much. Uh, there was another story in here, you have to remember the atmosphere of India, uh, from a. Religious standpoint is 70 plus percent of the population is Hindi, and so there's another 12% Muslim, and then the rest is just other Christian is barely A blip on [00:31:00] the radar.

And so it is very easy for Hindis to make fun of Christians or anybody else from that matter. They're not afraid to make fun of Muslims either. they're very persecuted, but Christians in particular are made fun of. And these kids, once they go to, uh, the public schools, they are targets of bullies in a lot of cases.

And so there was one in particular case where a bully was picking on one of the boys that go to the children's home. And the boy, uh, with the bully was throwing rocks at the boy. And the boy finally turned around and went up to the, uh, guy throwing rocks, the young man throwing rocks. And he said.

I'm only here 'cause somebody loves me and I can't even read it. I'm sorry,

He said, no matter how much, how hard you [00:32:00] hate me and how much you try to harm me, I'm not gonna retaliate against you because of someone else's love towards me that I'm here taking shelter and having education that I could never afford and I would never be, uh, I would be worse than a cruel animal if someone else didn't show this love towards me and provide this for me.

It's why I am who I am today. And that boy Apologized and, uh, has not bothered them since But, uh, that is the heart of these kids, so.

Scott Beyer: It's, I find myself choking up too. We have it so good. we talk about that as Americans, especially, we know. We know that we've got it so good. But then we also get, I. Crabby that the DoorDash is taking too long. so it's, it's very quick how we flip out of that. Um, I, I also think that sometimes, maybe this isn't true for you, but for me, the, the tendency is when you [00:33:00] look at something so drastically different than the life that you have is to just go, this is just too much.

I, I Has there Ever been moments where you've started to feel like your involvement with this, this is too much? I, I, I don't think we can keep doing this. And if so, you know, how did you work through that?

Bryan Tacker: you have to realize that, uh, you know, even if, if you're not able to do a whole lot, what you are able to do makes such a difference to these kids and you, it just makes you want to keep doing more. And, and I think it's pretty easy to push through those, those moments with that in mind.

Because, for example, we always try to do something for the kids when we're over there and on one opportunity. All we did, we noticed the kids, they, I. They eat on the floor. They all have plates. They wash themselves. They get their food on their plate, and they go sit on the floor and the, their whole life is spent sitting on the floor.

I, I don't want to act like the dining situation is any [00:34:00] different. They, they sleep on the floor. They eat on the floor. Uh, when they're in the classrooms, they do have some chairs and desks in the classrooms, but the majority of their life outside of that, they're, they're on the, they're on the ground. And, uh, they do actually sleep on a, a little blanket.

But what I guess I'm really getting at is we noticed they had their plates. They were eating, but they didn't have anything to drink. And they do have a, well, and you know, after they eat, they they would go get something to drink and they play outside and all of that. And we were like, let's just, let's buy some water bottles.

Oh man, that was like the, the best gift ever. We just bought reusable water bottles that cost us about a dollar, dollar 50 a piece. We passed them out and I, every kid had their water bottle the entire rest of the time I was there and they, they had filled it up with water from the well and they carrying it everywhere they went.

And it Was just so special to them to have a water bottle. I, it's just, something that we just totally, a water bottle is just, we, we lose [00:35:00] those and don't even think twice about it. Um, but to them it was a precious gift.

Scott Beyer: Yeah.

Bryan Tacker: And, uh, that's the kind of things you think of.

Scott Beyer: Yeah.

Tami Tacker: A story about the first time they went and they passed out Bears, remember they were one short

Bryan Tacker: Yeah, that's Todd's story, but I, I mean, I guess I can tell it.

, I was not there for this, so I, I will repeat it, but, uh, my understanding is, uh, this was when there were few much fewer orphans they. Had bought bears for all of the, the, uh, female orphans and they were passing them out and not sure how it happened, but they miscounted and there was one less bear than there there needed to be.

And when they were passing them out, they actually started at the older kids and went to the younger kids. So they were passing out the

bears and they, they get Down to the, the youngest one there, and they, they do not have a bear. And they're like, oh [00:36:00] no. What are we going to do? Uh, this is, this is really, this is a very bad situation.

we took something that we want intended to be good. And it actually turned out to be worse than, than if we had done nothing at all. That's the situation. Uh, one of the oldest girls. Went to the youngest girl and gave her a bear to her. And for someone who had nothing, they all have a trunk.

It's got two pairs of clothes in it, and their bedding, it's everything they have is in this trunk. For somebody who had next to nothing to give something that she was just given something as special as a teddy bear to a young girl, and then to give it to another young girl that was much younger than her, it just, that is just amazing to me.

The, uh, the gratitude of that girl to give that and the recognition [00:37:00] that she should do it, it, it was just without being asked, without being prompted, gave up her bear,

and you can believe, you better believe we gave her a bear the next Day. But it was, uh, heart wrenching to say the least, but, uh, yes.

Scott Beyer: What do you wish? Because some of This is just so foreign to us. it's in another part of the world. This is a level of poverty that nobody Recognizes in America. really the poorest person in America does not face any of this. We have a social safety network, um, that, that is far more robust.

what do you wish people understood about poverty and the situation and Christianity, all of those things that, that you wish you could convey to us who just live [00:38:00] on American soil? I.

Bryan Tacker: Yeah. So that's, uh. That's a great question. And I don't think this is necessarily even unique to India. I've, I've seen it in Africa as well, but the, the thing that I have learned is that when you don't have a lot, you can really focus on what's important. You don't have so much noise in your life, so many distractions in your life.

You, you're much more aware of the things you do have and the importance of the things you have. So the example of the young man who realizes the opportunity he has in his life 'cause of the orphanage, that recognition I think comes because he had nothing. And now he does have an opportunity. And his recognition of that, I think is, is really special because he recognizes it, because he had nothing.

And that is. How we should be [00:39:00] as Christians If we're going to be spiritually destitute and we realize the relationship that we can have with God through his son Jesus, and the sacrifice that was made on our behalf. to me that that mirrors, uh, so well, and it's something that we should all recognize and we just lose track of that because we are so busy in our lives and we have so many things that we think are so important.

But when you strip away all of the things that we think are important in our lives, and you're a young man in India who had absolutely nothing and then now has a bright future and opportunities because of the love of other people, you really take that to heart and it's special to you. And I think that's what we all need to do as Christians.

I think we need to [00:40:00] realize the great sacrifice that was made on our behalf, and it, it should change our lives. And, uh, him not retaliating, uh, when he could have thrown a rock back at the boy that was bullying him is a indicator of a, a changed heart. And we also need to have that changed heart in our, our lives.

Tami Tacker: The times that we've been overseas and have seen intense poverty? It makes you feel lazy and it makes you feel materialistic. When I see women cooking meals, multi-course meals for their entire family over a fire, or when I see them doing laundry by hand, I.

Then I come back to my air conditioned home and I have a, have a complaint that something isn't working right. It makes me think I'm so blessed.

Scott Beyer: So if people wanted to help,

How can they get involved?

Bryan Tacker: Yeah, absolutely. So there are [00:41:00] definitely a lot of opportunities to get involved. Uh, one of those is always gonna be financially, there are financial opportunities to, to help here. If you want, you can contact me or Cedar Park Friends. Cedar Park Friends is a 5 0 1 C3 charity that can give you a tax deduction for your donation and make sure that fund is used in the way that you want.

So there are multiple opportunities to support the work going on in India that Billy is working on. And those opportunities would be from, supporting preachers who are in the tribal areas, who are working to. To, uh, convert Christians. There are opportunities for the, uh, trainer training, the, uh, preachers that are going out in the fields.

Those preachers need support while they're at the training. There's also opportunities for the children's home. These, uh, we have room for more children. We just need funds to support those [00:42:00] children, to clothe them, to house them, to teach them. Uh, and all of this also, in turn, the people working at the, at all of these, uh, opportunities are other Christians.

And so the funds that are used to pay the teachers, those teachers are Christians. And so that is, uh, another way to help brothers and sisters in these, these countries. So it is, uh, in, in these situations. So there are multiple possibilities to support. Uh, and that can all be done through myself or Cedar Park Friends.

Scott Beyer: What is, you hate to put a dollar figure on anything, but there, there's gotta be a dollar figure

Bryan Tacker: There is, it's

So to bring a child in and to feed, house, uh, clothe and school, that child is about a hundred dollars a month. Yeah.

It is higher than I would like. I wish it was less than that. But one of the contributing factors is the government, that if you homeschool a child, you actually do have to pay the government

and so I would say 30% of that cost is strictly just paying the government to even have the kid [00:43:00] homeschooled. They want indoctrination into Hinduism.

Scott Beyer: Okay. So, so if a kid is not educated in the public education system of India,

Bryan Tacker: Yes.

Scott Beyer: there is a financial cost to not have them educated.

Bryan Tacker: is correct. That is correct.

Scott Beyer: Wow. Wow. And that's purely in, in your view? That's purely based off of the desire to indoctrinate and Hinduism.

Bryan Tacker: Yeah. I'm confident that is the situation because they readily teach Hinduism in the schools.

Scott Beyer: So anybody listening can look at the show notes, uh, to this podcast and, and be able to, uh, find a way to be involved. Uh, if, if you didn't have money, but maybe you had time, is there anything that could be done there?

I'm thinking of, you have college age students that, they're the poor college student. They don't have a lot of money, although I, I would argue you still have some, but, um, what would you say to that person?

Bryan Tacker: yeah. So if you have time, uh, you know, we can send, uh, letters of encouragement to preachers to orphans. To leper Christians. These are all [00:44:00] opportunities that we can do. There's, uh, we can send 'em through Billy's, uh, email address. I have had families in the past actually send, uh, mail over there. It takes about six months to get letters over there, and I would almost guarantee that they're read by the government.

Uh, so I would probably send stuff electronically, uh, if, if you are comfortable with that through, uh, through Billy. The other thing that you can do if you have time, is you can actually go over there. We are investigating ways for people to travel over to India and contribute in a meaningful way, and more details on that will be coming in the future.

Scott Beyer: Yeah. Great. I will be excited to tell people about that, and I'll keep in touch as that progresses. Um, is there anything else that you wish people knew about this work going on? What have I missed? I.

Bryan Tacker: Hmm. What do you think?

You know, I, Scott, I think the one thing I would like people to know is that the, the work going on in India is alive and well. The, the kingdom work that's going on there is founded in biblical [00:45:00] authority and we have the Lord's Supper over here and it's no different over there. You go over there and you worship over there, you're going to recognize the service.

You may not understand the exact words that are, that are being said, but you are going to be familiar with the situation. It's because we all have the same Bible, right? We're all learning. And, and growing together in the Kingdom of God. And so I want to, to stress that, you know, these are just other Christians in a different place in the world and their hearts are on fire for God.

Uh, one one thing I want to mention is when I went to the Leper Church, I didn't know what to expect and I'd never been exposed to anything like that. And when I went there, it was absolutely amazing. I, I want to express that the singing of a leper is just unbelievable because you, you look at this person who is frail physically, who is suffering physically, and they are singing their hearts out for [00:46:00] God.

And I mean, they are singing at the top of their lungs and you can tell it is coming directly out of their soul. And it is a beautiful thing. And that's what, uh, I think the experience from India. For me is that it is a lot of people that are yearning to find God. And when they hear the truth, when they believe the truth, they respond to the truth.

So Billy is very adamant about giving Psalm books and Bibles more importantly, Bibles to every convert that he converts, everybody that he converts gets a Bible and it's important for them to have the word. Now, Billy came Into contact with one lady and she did not speak, uh, she could not read.

And so he was wondering if. He should give her a Bible or not. There were other people there. He was afraid he was gonna run out and he was like, I don't know if I should give her a Bible. She can't read anyway. she was adamant, she wanted a Bible, she had been baptized and she needed a Bible. And the amazing [00:47:00] thing about this woman is that she took that Bible and she went to one of the preachers at her local congregation, and she worked with him to get passages in the Bible, highlighted Acts 2 38, many others, she had 'em highlighted.

She memorized where they were, and she would go up to people around town and she would say, can you read this passage? And she would get them to read the passage out of her, the Bible. The Bible that she could not read herself. She got them to read it, but she knew where those verses were, got them to read it.

And she was converting people around the town that she was in by getting them to read a Bible that she could not read.

Scott Beyer: Wow.

Bryan Tacker: Amazing situations, amazing stories, but the love for God is, is so intrinsic. So the fabric of their foundation is built about around religion because hin, uh, Hinduism is, is so prevalent.

And the caste system there, I [00:48:00] think really makes the lower cast so eager for God and the true God because they have no hope in this life. They're in poverty. They have no hope in the Hindu religious system because they're the lowest level. Uh, but when you teach them that God loves them individually, loves them, send his son to die for them, cares about them, doesn't matter where they are in their life, in a poverty situation.

It doesn't matter where they are in an educational situation. They get excited about that. They, they understand the love that God showed for them and they embrace it and they are baptized and they teach other people. They share that powerful message with other people. It truly is the gospel of good news.

It's the good news that they all [00:49:00] can be saved, that they all can have a relationship with God.

Scott Beyer: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I know you are both very busy, uh, and, uh, Mm-hmm. I, I just really appreciate you taking the Time to tell what's going on over there. I think it's important that people know about these things that are happening on the other side of the globe. Um, and a lot of times we wouldn't, because that's the tendency if I, if I don't see something, it's outta mind.

uh, thank you for the work that you're doing and a part of, and how it's glorifying God.

Bryan Tacker: Uh, like I said, we're just servants here trying to help out any way we can. Uh, the whole situation is not something I was looking for, But it, it happened and, uh, and I'm just grateful to be here. But thank you for, for doing this and, uh, making it known and, uh, appreciate your patience with us.

Scott Beyer: No, you guys are great. You're doing great. So no, thank you very much.

Bryan Tacker: Uh, so the lepers stay in the area of the church. They [00:50:00] don't have anywhere to go. They're ostracized from their homes.

Their, their families think they're cursed. Uh, they don't want anything to do with them. And so a lot of challenges there, obviously. And they had a prostitute that was beaten and it was a young lady beaten almost to death, thrown out of a car in their vicinity. And, uh, and she was left to die basically.

They came out and gave some of their clothes, which they don't have a whole lot of clothes, shared what they had with her. Uh, made sure she wouldn't get leprosy from it, of course. Uh, washed it, well, gave it to her and provided her shelter and food and taught her the truth. And then She wanted to be a Christian.

She wanted to get baptized. Uh, Billy was going to go there and baptize her, and she was like, no, I was taught by this man who is a leper. I want him [00:51:00] to baptize me. it is not recommended at all for you to go into water with a Leo. But, uh, she re she insisted that he baptize her and she was baptized and now she has a whole new life.

And I. Reputable occupation and has changed completely. Uh, all because the lepers went out and showed that they were good Samaritans, without leprosy don't interact with lepers and, uh,