Book Review: A Harvest of Joy

A Harvest of Joy:
A Mother - Daughter Memoir
by Tammy L. Webb-Witholt
Tate Publishing, 2012






No heroine of any historical fiction could quite measure up to the life's journey of real-life woman of courage, Dorothy "Dot" Webb, when the journey includes lives eternally effected. But, wait, this book is a mother-daughter venture. Most of this adventure is and continues to be shared!

Not only has Tammy Webb-Witholt written this book, but has lived it's pages in true living color with the main character. Many hours spent with her mother in the retelling of each event, Tammy has captured her mother's childhood in Alabama to life as a missionary family in Africa to "retirement" often with vivid, emotional details. Dot's humor shines through her daughter's words so naturally there is a seamlessness of literary voice.

The thread of God gloriously using the modest and willing soul for extraordinary service recurs with such consistency, any reader would be moved to offer their own lives anew.

Recently, my hubby and I visited with Dot. I watched as her eyes brightened with a funny story from the missions field and, then, would soften recalling God's provision. I left our visit uplifted in my spirit by this beautiful lady of grace and joy! 

A Harvest of Joy can be purchased on Amazon either as paperback or as a digital download.

Our Young SHEro

If ever the world was desperate for a super hero, today is ripe. And, I know one. A super SHEro named Haven! 

Even her name sounds like she'd fit into Marvel Comics' band of X-Men! When I tell you what feat this one accomplished, you'll agree Tennessee is home to our own heroine.

Christmas 2012, my hubby and I were asked to present Calcutta Mercy Ministries during a missions fair at Hope Assembly of God in Fayetteville, where Haven's parents, Ben and Tammy Johnson pastor. Ethnic foods were prepared and missionaries from around the globe were featured. Financial commitments were prayed about to support these missions. Such a great night for adults! 

me. Ben. Terry. & Tammy!

Quietly in the room, a young heart was moved by what was heard and seen on the video. Children of all ages in Calcutta, India, receiving a meal each day, 6 days a week, each month of each year. Hundreds of babies born, sometimes abandoned due to social and religious superstition, with cleft palates and cleft lips. Quietly in the room, the heart of a SHEro was beating in rhythm with the Father's heart.

But what can a young girl do?

Mariah had us celebrating
with dessert before dinner! (as it should be)

Haven decided to raise funds by asking people to match each basket she scored during eleven games with $1. One basket = One dollar or whatever a person could donate. She gathered sponsors and created a poster tracking her progress. By the end of the season, Haven had scored more than 100 points!

We met the Johnson Family for GiGi's Cupcakes and a celebration dinner (in that order)! Then, it was the check presentation time. Haven had raised $646! 

She raised enough money to pay for one child to have cleft palate/lip surgery and speech therapy rescuing and sheltering that child from a life of misery and alienation. Additionally, this preacher's kid had raised enough money providing approximately 1,800 meals! 

Haven Johnson is a SHEro to people she may never meet in Calcutta. Haven Johnson is my SHEro. 

Next time, you're overwhelmed with the desperate needs of the world, think of young Haven and her willingness to align her abilities with the mission of the Creator of the universe.

Calcutta Mercy Ministries: Hands & Feet

Calcutta is approximately 9 miles long and 4 miles wide roughly the square mileage of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport with a major difference: 18-20 million people. It is easy for one to feel overwhelmed when the needs are many and the scores of people in need are many. One out of three children aren't just hungry, they are starving.

Shortly after Mark and Huldah Buntain arrived in 1954 by steam freighter, Mark quickly got to work preaching the Gospel to all who would hear. On one such occasion a starving beggar in the crowd shouted, "Feed our bellies and then tell us there is a God in heaven who loves us." This inspired the Buntains to launch a feeding program which, today, feeds 25,000+...one meal, six days, each week, every year. 

Amazingly, it takes so little to do so much!

Since April of 2012, when Terry and I began working with Calcutta Mercy Ministries, the Lord continues to bless us with numerous congregations and individuals who take a step of faith to assist with the needs of the poor and suffering in Calcutta. Priscilla Choate is one of those blessings!

Priscilla & me, 2012

Priscilla, as a student, loved going to summer camps at Camp Jackson in Tennessee. She couldn't wait to be old enough to serve as a "Counselor-in-Training" during Kids Camp. Ever eager to be a blessing to others, she engages with her church's outreach programs. However, now, stretched pretty thin between nursing school and work, Priscilla's desire to remain active with her church is intact even when the schedule does not always permit. 

It is in this busyness of life, she felt God challenge her to do something for those in Calcutta.

Priscilla shared with me, "God says in Matthew 25:40, 'The King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brother and sisters of mine, you did for me.' God has really been dealing with me about being His hands and feet on earth and the fact that sometimes we are the only representation of Jesus that some will ever see."

By telling others she encountered on a daily basis about those starving in Calcutta, people began giving her cash and checks. Priscilla was able to raise over $600 in a short amount of time!
"God spoke to me and said, 'Your little can be turned into what I need it to be when you simply give it to me. ...I have seen through this experience of raising money for Calcutta that it is so much more than just the money; it's the prayers and the blessings that people obtain from giving, as well...people were so thankful for the opportunity to be a blessing."

After graduation from nursing school in August 2013, Priscilla hopes to go to India, but wanted to contribute in advance: I wanted to plant a seed before my feet walk across Calcutta, India. This is not about me, but about the calling God has placed on my life. We have the opportunity to change a life everyday.

Thanks, Priscilla, and to those anonymous donors who made it possible for children to have, at least, one meal...today.

If you'd like to know how to be part of this and other opportunities, please contact me at this blog OR via email.

A Holy River Runs Through It

Wednesday, January 25, 2012.


The morning fog is lifting into the ever present, dense, pale brown haze over the Kolkata region as our van arrives in Kadamtala.


Earlier we walked from the hotel down and around the block to Calcutta Mercy Hospital to catch our bus. Couldn't help but notice how quiet the streets were at dawn. Whether homeless or by choice, men were sleeping on the sidewalk, on tables or in their taxis. I quietly gestured for Terry to notice the sleeping bundle we just stepped around.

Kadamtala School

Our van stops at a clearing where in a few minutes we are to witness and participate in feeding the people of this tiny village...one of three drop points in Kadamtala. In the fog I see some women in colorful saris gathering near the road awaiting the ministry truck to arrive. These women have assumed the responsibility to organize the food distribution.


It is early and the village is still asleep with the exception of the women at the road and a woman who wants to show us the Project Rhino School sponsored by Calcutta Mercy Ministries (CMM). It is a modest one-room, dirt floor hut cleanly swept with mats rolled out where the children will sit for their lessons. The children's handiwork is neatly displayed on the woven walls. She is proud for not many children in the villages or slums have the opportunity for education. Here, they do! I smile and say, "It's a lovely school."

A hungry early riser!

We meander down a path between more huts and discover Kadamtala is on the bank of a tributary from the Ganges River, the same river Team USA floated down our first evening together. As we make a turn into the heart of the village, an adorable toddler stands with his feeding bowl, most likely provided by CMM. Our white faces must look strange to him. 

It's not decoration!

Farther down the main path, I notice brown "patties" are stuck to tree trunks and tossed onto roofs and wrapped around long poles. Can you guess what they are and what they are used for? A young woman squatting beside the Ganges tributary washes pans. A hog eyeballs me from under a bush and snorts. A cow is nearby.

AG Food Truck

The truck from the Kolkata Assembly of God Church arrives loaded with huge cooking pots of steaming rice mixed with dal, a savory broth of lentils and yellow spice. As the villagers position themselves, several assist in off-loading a couple of pots so that the truck can continue on to the next two stops on this route. We observe the distribution process and ask if we can help. I wish we could do more. Do these families have more food items to add to this daily portion? How many mouths will this portion feed, today? Do they tire of their daily portion of rice and dal?


It's quiet on the van out of Kadamtala. I think we all know that without God's provision and the support of CMM partners worldwide, 25,000+ people could not be fed on a daily basis.



Baboo Ghat is the next stop. Ghat refers to a flight of steps leading to a bathing area in the Ganges River where Hindu men and priests chant and ceremonially "wash" their sins away in this river considered holy in view of the orange monkey-man god. Jesus, they don't know they need only to ask You to wash their hearts.

Step into the River!

The Ganges is filthy! Its murky, swirling waters are filled with environmental pollution, human waste, trash, carcasses and...everything!  When a family cannot afford to pay for a burial of a loved one, a raft is constructed to carry the deceased, set afloat and set afire. I spot a recent Hindu offering of a garland of yellow and red marigolds drifting with the current. There are men brushing their teeth with twigs using this disgusting river water to rinse their mouths. Gross!

Mmmmmasala Chai

Not too far from Baboo Ghat, Danielle knows where the best Masala Chai in Kolkata is served in large clay drinking pots with saffron sprinkled on top. Chai is a beverage made by brewing tea with a mixture of Indian spices. Gaining popularity in the USA costing upwards to $5 per cup, we purchase our street-side chai for less than .50 cents per pot. After drinking it is customary to dash the pots to the street which insures the pots aren't re-used passing along germs. 

"Bottoms" up!

It isn't until after we have finished our chai that we are informed the chai drinking pots are made of baked clay from an abundant source of mud out of the Ganges River bottom! 
Oh, Lord, may the holy Pepto Bismol protect me!

Meet Team USA: 2012

~Namaste~ Two things I've learned in (2012-1982=30) 30 years of ministry: (1) I can probably accomplish a task better and faster in the time it takes for me to explain it, (2) BUT, ministry is sweeter when shared!

Each summer while conducting the camp program in Camp Jackson in Tennessee, Terry and I had the honor to work with 12 students known as the Crunk Crew. Behind the scenes, it was this team who kept summer camps running smoothly, poised the kitchen and concessions for the yearly health inspection, cleaned the toitees, setting-up chairs in the "Gymernacle-Tabernasium," prepared meals, organized the shirt shack and so much more. It was with these students --even though the faces may change each year and I miss them dearly-- we tried to create FAMILY.

Family equals people related to one and so to be treated with special loyalty.

**Team USA pictured in Mark Buntain's office set-up complete with desk, typewriter, his Bible and memories capturing his life.

**Scott M. of Alabama (We won't hold that against him.) The Kolkata side of CM operations & newly named president of Calcutta Mercy pictured floating on the Ganges River.

The spirit of compassion unites us to raise awareness and funds for the children and families and ministries sponsored by Calcutta Mercy Ministries.

I'm thinking there sure are a lot of Georgia Bulldawgs on this team, Billy.

Each member brings a specialized tool and calling whereby God blends talents and passions into a dynamic team.

**Pictured in New Market, Kolkata. Jason K. (with the surprised look) brings leadership and a heart for the medical community...as he should, because he's married to a doctor! Boomer Sooner! Robby B (behind Jason) a great leader and mentor.

"Christ has generously divided out His gifts to us." Ephesians 4:7 CEV

**Justin Fennell, President of Just-in-Time Communication, Inc. in Georgia, travels most of the year as public speaker/comedian/chef...you name it, he's probably done it and done it well! He is pictured in the bowels of New Market purchasing Indian spices & Darjeeling Tea! 


Although not related to one another by the blood flowing through our veins, the hearts of each member of Team USA are united through the blood of our Savior which flowed on Calvary for our sins.

**Allen A., also of Georgia, pictured with Scott M. (I taste Lemon-Pledge)  journeyed into India to see Calcutta Mercy at work in several villages and in the lives of hundreds of children receiving education,  food and medical care.

**Pictured with Terry (My handsome man!), is David M., and Pastor P. C. Hota (in the middle)! Pastor P. C. has started over 200 churches! Approximately 18 months ago, God stirred him awake and to lead congregation members to safety during a flooding storm! Miracles still happen!

**Lastly, Terry & "Sam" Allen, the  then-current Assembly of God District Youth Directors (DYDs) of Tennessee until April 2012, pictured with Huldah Buntain in her office at Calcutta Mercy Hospital on Park Street.

Mark & Huldah Buntain, planning to spend just one year in Kolkata, became friends with a godly woman, Mother Teresa, and began to make an impact on one of the biggest cities in India by loving people! More than 60 years into the process, the mission continues because two people were willing to go!

God, please call people to give and others willing to go to Kolkata to become FAMILY to little boys and girls of India!

Tomorrow:

• Feeding in Kadomtala
• Baboo Ghat on the Holy River
• Chai for Everyone!

Breakfast, Bathrooms & Bishnupur

Monday. January 23, 2012.


Breakfast at hotel: Omelette and Idly. This Southern Girl loves a fluffy biscuit and the Indian equivalent is Idly (eed-lee). If I were to describe it as a rice biscuit, you'd wrinkle your nose. Right? Idly is light, crustless and a good vehicle for anything that needs to be sopped!

Airport Squat Toitee

After a long journey to or through India, one needs to refresh herself. One being me makes her way to the nearest bathroom India calls "washroom" or "toilet." Doing a little "dance," I open 3 stalls discovering "toilet" means "hole in the floor" with these weird foot grips on either side. God, please give me a real toitee! YES! The last door opens to the familiar white, porcelain throne. Aaaah, the pause that refreshes.


Today, Team USA is going in two directions: Orissa and Bishnupur. My team is on the van traveling north-ish out of Kolkata (toward Mt. Everest) to the small town of Bishnupur where we'll tour a Mercy Clinic sponsored by Calcutta Mercy Ministries.

North to Bishnupur

Paddies w/ Rice Plugs

This country in the Nadia District is green, agricultural land with neat rows of orange and yellow marigolds, banana trees and rice paddies where I see people stooped over working in ankle-deep water. On the side of the road, mats are rolled out with rice spread thinly and drying in the warm sun. I remark to my honey, "This looks like the Mississippi Delta." For the first time, I realize I haven't seen blue sky since arriving in India. Kolkata has so much dust and smog and pollution the sky has a constant haze. 


Halfway to Bishnupur, it's time for a pitstop. Uh-oh! Door 1 reveals the scary little hole. No way! Behind Door 2 is my throne. I discover much too late there is no toitee paper. Instead there is a spray nozzle and a measuring cup. Hmmm. I'm at a loss. Wait a minute! I packed Kleenexes! Indians call these "face papers," which I find humorous at this point. I'm good to go!

Bishnupur Mercy Clinic

Mercy Clinic is a modest store-front structure of 4 rooms, 3 beds, 1 doctor and a host of patients! The doctor comes twice a week. The pastor comes everyday making a 2 hour trip by train and leaves by the same. The clinic needs a computer for records, medicines for low-level care, continued funds for rent and the doctor. We pray for those who are awaiting medical assistance. It feels slightly awkward. The villagers stare at the white people. The white people smile at the villagers. Time to break the ice.

Patient Intake & Records

While Sompa, the beautiful Hindu medical assistant, distributes forms and questions the patients, I pull out the iPhone I received for my birthday during Youth Camp #4 at Camp Jackson. Time for pictures! Spin the camera and watch the smiles! It's fun taking pics with the white lady and seeing yourself on the screen!

The doctor has arrived as patients line up in Bishnupur

My first subject was a little old lady who had traveled roughly 6 miles from a nearby village. The young pastor decides we should head to the village and give a ride to this little old lady. Disembarking my new friend grabs my hand and away we go down little paths through a wooded area. Word quickly spreads of our arrival. Men and women, boys and girls of all ages run up and stop short to shyly regard this group of pale skins. She must have let them know all was safe, because we dart from hut to hut meeting and greeting and praying for the villagers, who want to show me life in their village!


Before leaving the USA, I learned of the extended families in the Indian culture. As a point of respect, older women are referred to as "Aunty" or "Mossi-Mossi." Realizing she has claimed me, I address her in the appropriate fashion. OH MY GOODNESS! You've never seen anyone so proud as this petite, little old lady who petted my hand as we visited other "Aunties."

Me & my Bishnupur "Mossi-Mossi"

It's getting dark and time for us to make the drive back to Kolkata. All of my new mossies are reluctant to let me go, which is just fuel for Team USA. 


"Do you wanna just spend the night? We'll come back for you!"
"I believe you're the new queen of the village!"
"I think they want to erect a statue of you!"


Silly boys. From this point on, I am "Sam" Allen, Goddess Divine...who requires a white, porcelain throne and "face papers."

Radiant Grace

Sunday. January 22, 2012.

We join part of Team USA for the early service at the Kolkata Assembly of God Church with Pastor Ivan Satyavrata. It is the first of two English services, today, with sweet worship. Our team leader recently named as President of Calcutta Mercy preaches of God's grace and mercy. On campus there are 8 services in 8 different languages!

As you may have heard, Terry and I have resigned as the District Youth Directors of the Tennessee Assemblies of God effective at District Council in April. We will represent Calcutta Mercy raising awareness and funds to further the efforts associated with CM; such as, Mercy Hospital and village clinics in the West Bengal and neighboring states, Nursing School, School for the Blind, Kolkata AG Schools and Bible School, Home of Hope, Kolkata AG Church and feeding 10,000 every day. Our goal at CM is to FEED, EDUCATE and MEDICALLY ASSIST all who have need.

Altar Call in Nepali Svc

At the beginning of the second English service while the choir of Bible School students lead in worship, Terry and I are escorted to the Nepali service held in one of the gyms of the school. Pastor Phillip is a gentle and godly man. He explains that many of the people in his church came to Kolkata for a better life only to discover it rivals what they left in Nepal. We are traditionally honored with silk scarves. Twelve beautiful people give their hearts to Jesus when Terry gives the invitation!

Sheila serving lunch!

Lunch is with Team USA in the home of Pastor Ivan & Sheila Satyavrata, two people who radiate grace and compassion. Sheila has prepared a groaning board of savory, spicy Indian fare, most of which I can't spell. Bengah or Begun Bartah is my new fave: Roasted eggplant blended with chilies and coriander (You and I call it cilantro)! 

Benny Prasad - Musicianary

Most of Team USA takes the evening to recover from jet-lag. NOT US! We join about 200 students at church for a concert of worship with "musicianary" Benny Prasad from Bangalore and his custom designed guitar/harp/drum and a blended band from America featuring Dilip Kurian and Brandon Bee. Look up all 3 on Facebook & iTunes! It is comparable to our worship services at Camp Jackson and youth convention! We jump and sweat and praise Jesus with all our might!

The Holy Spirit, again, reminds me of my theme verse, Matthew 5:14, when Brandon Bee stood alone singing of the redeeming grace of the Radiant Son. "The Light overcomes what the darkness has done." God, use every part of me to illuminate hope to those who think darkness has won.

Chai for the Fearless!

To cap off the night, I enjoy Chai on the street. We are fearless! 



Tomorrow: 

• Bathrooms
• Bishnapur Mercy Clinic & Village
• Hi, I'm Queen "Sam" Allen. You can call me "Goddess Divine."