By BARBARA GREEN
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How does a professional design engineer living what he calls the “comfortable, American life” uproot his family and spend the next 10 years of their lives creating a children’s relief organization in Communist Vietnam?
For Brent and Stacy Tarr it was a journey of faith. The couple says God leaned on their hearts and pointed them in the new direction ultimately creating and operating Tiny Hearts of Hope. The Tarrs were back home in Bowie during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays visiting family and friends, along with sharing their story.
Brent, 44, is a 1992 graduate of Gold-Burg High School, and Stacy Wuenshe Tarr, 42, is a 1995 graduate of Bowie High School.
Brent is the son of Peggy Tarr, who lives in Bowie, while Stacy’s family is in Wichita Falls and Oklahoma. They met in 1991 and became high school sweethearts marrying in 1995.
Brent graduated from North Central Texas College in 1996 with an associate degree in drafting and design and an associate of science degree. An internship in engineer/research and development followed at Bowie Industries after graduation. He has worked periodically for the Bowie firm when he has been home for longer periods.
His first job came in 1997 with Boeing Commercial Airplane Group in Everett, WA. He worked as a draftsman and then moved to designer for technical design and payload engineering including the 777 group. Brent says the company did a great deal of in-house training which helped his career.

What followed was a career in the auto design industry that took him to Portland, OR with Freightliner Heavy Trucks; Volvo Trucks North American in Greensboro, NC; Siegel-Robert, Inc. St. Louis, MO and Honda R&D Americas in Raymond, OH. During his tenure with Honda he also spent five months on assignment in Japan. It was his last professional gig until they went to Vietnam in 2008.
The Tarr family grew with the birth of their first child, Addison, now 19, who is attending Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Alec, their 17-year-old son a senior in high school followed. Stacy graduated from NCTC with a cosmetology degree and worked in the field until they had their first child, at which time she stayed at home and later home schooled them.
It was the couple’s love of children that pointed them to Vietnam. In 2006 they began the process of adopting a little girl from that country. The next two years would change their lives.

Read the full feature in the weekend News.