Support Tamera & Jared Clark

Have you ever been in an extremely difficult situation, almost as if you had to climb a mountain and could not imagine making it to the summit? What about instances where you felt like God placed someone in your life to help you scale that mountain? Or, to give you a glimpse of His awesome creativity? His boundless love? His incredible mercy?  Someone whose words inspire you and remind you that you are a masterpiece created and refined by the Master Artist?  Tamera and Jared Clark are these people to me, to my aspiring dancer of a daughter, and to so many others. 

Tamera taught dance class at Grapevine Faith Christian School, where dance technique is only a small part of what she actually taught.  You see, Tamera seizes every opportunity to mold, shape, and disciple precious young girls on their journey to become Godly young women.  In October 2015, she was in a car accident on her way to teach dance class. Initially, we really thought everything was okay, and she would be back on her feet in a short amount of time...but we were wrong.  After a few days, we noticed that her condition seemed to be deteriorating. Crippling headaches were unbearable and her speech was slurred and broken. She was unable to work. This continued through November, where we all thought surely after several weeks of not teaching dance or working at the new studio, she would be healed and back to normal.

When Christmas rolled around, Tamera was not doing her usual dances around the house.  Instead, Jared and Tamera were searching for anyone who could help alleviate the pain that had become Tamera's world.  Concerns began growing and the thought that she would not be ready to return to the dance floor in January became a reality.  They searched for new doctors who might be able to explain Tamera's lack of progress and her overall condition.

Head injuries can be tricky as each one is unique. Tamera is still in pain constantly and she is unable to lead an ordinary life at this point. She has restrictions in place to help her with the healing process, such as no electronics. These restrictions not only make it hard for her socially, but they also make it difficult for her to stay connected to the new dance studio that they started right before the accident.  Anyone who has started their own business understands the magnitude of the commitment it takes.  Jared took a leap of faith by leaving his job in August so that he could work at their new studio.  He has carried the weight of running the business in Tamera's absence, but the new dance studio is not developed enough to provide for their family.  Their sole source of income was lost as Tamera has been unable to work at the school. Jared has now taken on a second job, working in a warehouse early in the morning until he heads to the dance studio in the afternoon.  He is emotionally and physically exhausted.

The financial drain of the medical costs and Tamera's inability to work has been staggering. They have no income to pay for utilities, rent, food, and medical bills. To say that things have been difficult for them would be an extreme understatement. Tamera's diagnosis of post concussive syndrome means that her brain is still very swollen, long after the symptoms should have subsided.  She continues to suffer from cognitive issues and migraines.  She is still unable to do a number of basic tasks.  She has seen good results with a drug that her most recent physician prescribed, only to realize that the out of pocket cost for it is more than $700/month. She attends therapy twice a week and they are coming to terms with the long road of recovery ahead of them.

Tamera and Jared need us to intercede and pray for them faithfully.  They also need our help to meet their basic needs and to cover their mountain of medical expenses.  Our helping to bear each other's burdens and carry their weight is like a mountain being moved off of their shoulders.  Seriously. Moving. Mountains.  Move moutains? No problem. See, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20