Others Magazine

Tammi Parsons (number 13) has discovered a deeper relationship with friends and God through her Salvos basketball team in Perth.

My name is Tammi. I am 39 years old and have been married for 10 years to Andy.

We have a puppy called Scout, but no biological children. We do, however, have a lot of ‘children’ we like to claim as our own. they are our absolute blessing and gift from God.

I made a decision to follow Christ in 2002 and became a senior soldier in The Salvation Army the following year. I am the first Salvationist in my family and we worship at Balga Salvos in Perth.

Since becoming a Christian, it was my dream to work for the Salvos. So, I got my Bachelor of Ministry and started working as a case manager for young people in crisis at Morley.

These young people are my ‘children’ – I am super-proud of this program as I believe it takes ministry to a whole new level within the Army. It is taking the Army into the community with no strings attached.

Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean your life is suddenly perfect all the time, and over the past few years my life has undergone serious trauma. 

My father was involved in a helicopter crash and still endures a lot of pain. My mother was diagnosed with cancer and is still fighting it six years on. My sister-in-law was also diagnosed with cancer.

She was on the mend and fell pregnant, but at four and a half months she collapsed. Within five days she and my unborn nephew had died. My husband was diagnosed with a serious illness and, finally, I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to trauma in my past as well as the present.

Depression hit me hard as I struggled with the normalities of life. I began the long road to recovery through trauma counselling as I continued my work with The Salvation Army. I felt God’s strength through all this and I prayed for him to show me a way through. His answer came in a most unexpected way – sports ministry!