Category: Published

Originally written for the Lynn Haven Ledger/Gulf Coast Gazette September 7-21 2018 issue.

At the extreme west end of Bay County and just a mere 10 minutes from Pier Park (depending, of course, on traffic), is a beautiful place to visit for the day named Camp Helen State Park. This state park is nestled between the gently crashing Gulf and the still waters of Lake Powell.

As is the case with many locations, it has an interesting history. In 1928 Robert and Margaret Hicks bought a large parcel of land and built a log home with a spectacular view overlooking Lake Powell. In 1945, Avondale Textile Mills bought it and used the property as a camp for their employees, and that’s when it was given the name Camp Helen. Then, in 1996, because of a desire to keep the land from being developed, the entire 183.5 acres was designated a state park. You can visit the website of the organization looking out for park here: www.friendsofcamphelen.org.   They also have a Facebook page.

But way back before 1928, as far back as 4,000 B.C. it is believed that prehistoric Indians inhabited the area and left behind mounds and middens – places where it appears that shells and everyday living items were discarded. Maybe like a compost pile. The research of these mounds and middens throughout the state of Florida has yielded a lot of interesting facts and theories.

But back to the present.

The entrance to Camp Helen is right off 98, just west of the bridge, and right before you enter Walton County. When you come up the gravel driveway, you’ll see the Visitor’s Center where you can get information on not just the park’s history but its flora and fauna. You’ll also see a number of small concrete block cabins, each painted a bright color that the Avondale Textile Mills’ employees used when they came to stay for a short vacation. Many of them have been restored.

There are several paths you can hike and plenty of elderly trees festooned with Spanish moss like a lady of high society from yesteryear on her way to a gala to give you shade. There are also plenty of pine trees dropping their pinecones on the ground, doing their part to keep the foliage growing strong. You can sit on the shore and watch the cars as they cross the bridge, pause at a small rush and tall grass filled pond area and wait to see some wildlife, or you can walk to the Gulf.

I walked the 6/10ths of a mile to the Gulf in the squeaky white sand with roped off sand dunes (mounds and middens?) on either side preserved as sanctuaries for sea turtles and herons and much more. I always find it odd how that you can see the Gulf, but you can’t hear it until you get quite close and then the unceasing crashing-roaring suddenly fills the air around you with living sound and movement. Walk just a few feet away and the sound disappears as if it had never been.

 

The day I was there it was quiet with just a few other visitors enjoying the ocean air and the enchanting sky.

The sandy shore was filled with birds waiting for dinner. As I looked to the left, the highrise skyline of Panama City Beach curved out and away into the distance with the beach dotted with tiny people unaware of the peaceful haven just a few miles away.

I know Panama City Beach is the destination place for sunbathing and playing in the water, but when you want to do something different, find the parks in the area like Camp Helen and find out what you’ve been missing. Soak in the serenity and preserved habitats that many of the critters of Northwest Florida still call home.

 

 

Originally published in The Lynn Haven Ledger/Gulf Coast Gazette , September 7-21, 2018 issue.  The purpose of the article is to raise awareness not only of the massive need for foster families, but a way for others who can’t foster to come alongside and help those who do.

Some of us find our calling at a young age, and some when we’re older. The key is to find it. Cathy Harcus was seventeen when she knew she was called to foster. It wasn’t until years later, after she was married, that she and her husband made fostering a reality. Kristen and her husband have been fostering for just a couple of years, and she became interested when she talked to and got to know some fostering families at her church.

Both Cathy and Kristen are excellent examples of how anyone can make a positive difference in a child’s life.

So, how does it work, you might wonder? Kristen explained that after you attend QPT (Quality Parent Training) classes, have a background check done, and have your home inspected, you get certified as a foster parent. You can stipulate the age range you’re comfortable with, and you can say ‘no’ to a call, although it doesn’t happen often.

As Kristen told me, this is basically how it happens. Your phone rings, a question is asked, and you say ‘yes.’ A couple of hours later you open your door to a child such as Sophie, a tiny three year old with dirty, ill fitting clothes, clutching a new handsewn bear just given to her, close to her chest, with eyes large and bewildered and filling with tears. Your arms reach out to her and you hold her close.

Over the next days and weeks and months you provide her food and clothing and shelter and lots of love and hugs. She misses what she knew, even though it wasn’t safe there, and when you hear her crying out for her mommy, it breaks your heart into a million pieces and you vow to never let this beautiful child down.

Because you have a full-time job, you get help from the Early Learning Coalition who pays for most of the daycare for Sophie. After 4 months, Sophie leaves your home and is placed with her grandparents, and your heart is broken again because you grew to love this defenseless child. But you know there are many more children that need a place of safety and stability, so you say ‘yes’ again and again because you know “there are many more joyful and heartwarming experiences than there are sad ones.”

As of 2018, both Cathy and her husband have been licensed foster parents through Life Management Center for 14 years, with fifty precious children coming through their home during that time.   They adopted two sons.   She was recently appointed the Program Director for Foster Family Support at the same organization they’ve fostered through. As Cathy says, “I’m now working my passion to recruit, license, support, and retain quality foster parents.”

There are six counties in Northwest Florida that the Life Management Center provides behavioral and mental health care services to: Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Jackson, Holmes, and Washington. Of these six, Bay County has the sad reputation of having the highest number of needy children and the fewest foster homes available. But the good news is it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Cathy has been working hard, coming up with ideas to encourage more people to get involved with either being a foster parent, or coming alongside and helping those who do. The Coffee Talk is the new way to find out, in an informal setting, just what fostering and adopting is about and get your questions answered. There’s at least one location in each county, so you won’t have to travel far. As Cathy explains, “we go over a list of common barriers that people face as well as the rewards you can expect.  Some common questions we are being asked are:  Can I foster if I’m single?  Am I too old to foster?  May I still have firearms and foster? The Coffee Talk is also designed for people who know this is not the right season for them to foster, but they still want to be involved in the mission.  We give them lots of ideas on how they can get plugged in and supporting the families who do foster.”

Cathy told me there’s an 81 year old lady who is still fostering, and another lady in her eighties who makes handsewn bears so each newly fostered child will have a gift of love to bring with them to their new home.

You can find out more by visiting their Facebook page: Life Management Center of Northwest Florida, or stopping by their office at 525 E 15^th St in Panama City, or calling Cathy on her cell at 850-628-4744.

You can become part of a special group of wonderful people who help provide Welcome Baskets for newly fostered children, and loving on foster families by giving dinner sponsorships, and so much more. The opportunities are many and the need is sometimes overwhelming.

I encourage you to find a foster family and ask them whether they regret what they’ve signed up for. I’m pretty positive they’ll say all of the tears were worth it, because of the children rescued from terrible situations. Makes me think of what Jesus said – “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Find out how you can be part of the solution.

Originally published in The Lynn Haven Ledger/Gulf Coast Gazette in July 2018 as a spotlight on a local eye technician who travels to Uganda and South Sudan treating eye diseases and bringing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus.

Here in America we’ve not been too happy with our health insurance as of late. Premiums are too high and the deductibles have skyrocketed. Good eye care and dental care can get very expensive as we seek to purchase the latest and greatest contact lenses and fancy glasses frames and bleach our teeth to make our smiles sparkle extra bright.

Larry Morris is a native of Panama City, and a Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist. He graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Medicine in 1992 and obtained his national level Medical License.

One day, about 3 years ago, he was examining a patient who shared a need. Someone with Larry’s skillset was needed in Uganda and his patient asked him if he would come with him on a medical mission. Since then, Larry has been back to Uganda about 5 times where he performs eye surgeries, helps locate potable water, teaches hygiene, and, most importantly, shares the Good News of the Gospel with the villagers.

Cataracts and Trachoma are the main conditions Larry treats while he’s there. Trachoma is the leading cause of blindness in the world, and in third world countries where there is no medical treatment of any kind available it’s a huge problem. Conjunctivitis in one eye, left untreated, often spreads to the other, and, over time, blindness results.

While Larry is there, he sets up a temporary clinic where he performs cataract surgeries, removes foreign bodies from eyes, growths from eyelids, and treats Trachoma.

Because of the poor hygiene issue, he also shows the Ugandans how to make soap from animal fat and ashes, how to wash their faces, and safe food handling and preparation. He told me that in Uganda they grow many different types of fruit that are healthy and good to eat, but you should never accept an already cut up piece of fruit. When I asked him why, he told me “they may use the same knife they just cut off the head of a chicken with, and then turn around and use it to slice fruit.”

But that is Uganda. This past May, Larry journeyed for the first time to South Sudan’s refugee camp at the UN’s express invitation. And it was an experience unlike any other he’d had up to this point, and he thought he’d already had some pretty intense experiences.

“The first thing that hits you is the 115 degree temperature, and then the stench. You look around and everything is burned and torn down and riddled with bullet holes.” South Sudan in the UN refugee camp in Malakal was one of his most difficult missions to date. Once you reach the camp, “the sounds hit you. There are people everywhere screaming, and weeping, and wailing.” There’s a lot of violence in the camp with the air itself feeling electrically charged with volatility.

You might wonder how he was able to afford such a trip? The UN footed part of the bill into South Sudan, with the remainder covered by friends and colleagues with a generous heart. His employer at Eye Center of North Florida has provided supplies, equipment, and sponsorship many times. It’s very difficult to get from Juba, the largest city in the Republic of South Sudan to Malakal where they did their work. You have to have a letter of invitation to get in, such as from the UN, World Health Organization, Samaritan’s Purse, or Doctors without Borders. You have to come in under an NGO – non-governmental organization, or you may be killed outright. Although, having the official papers don’t guarantee your safety.

Once on site, the workers are put up in a separate part of the camp, where it’s relatively safe as long as they don’t venture out on their own.   Where Larry stayed they were provided running water, although not water you’d want to drink, and a commode, and a very rudimentary shower. They also cook for you and the food is served at specific times, so if you aren’t there when it’s ready, you’re out of luck. They serve a lot of goat soup, rice, and potatoes. I asked Larry if they were able to raise any animals or grow crops. “No,” he told me. “Everything is brought in. It’s a desert.”

There are many tribes represented in the refugee camp, and violence can erupt at any time, so there are guards stationed throughout the camp from every country on earth. Sometimes their authority is recognized and sometimes it’s not.

Larry set up his equipment in a tent using a generator for power, and proceeded to perform over 200 surgeries. Because of the time constraint and limited supplies there is a finite number of surgeries they can do.   Since all of the equipment is run by generator, it can get difficult to keep everything all powered up. Sometimes, right in the middle of a surgery, the generator goes out and everything shuts down. “It gets very interesting,” Larry said.

I asked him what he took away from this unique mission trip. “We are a very blessed people. A lot of people just don’t see how blessed we are. The access here is so different from there. There is nowhere for them to go. We stay focused on what we can do because it’s easy to get overwhelmed.”

I also asked Larry how the people he was able to help responded. “They are genuinely grateful. They’ll even kneel down and hug your feet.”

I mentioned earlier that for Larry’s most recent trip, and because he was expressly invited by the UN, they paid for a portion of the expenses. In order for Larry to go on any of these missions of mercy, it costs money, and he’s grateful for all his colleagues, friends, and family who’ve become sponsors to make these trips possible.

In our world, we stress over how long we’ll be sitting in traffic in our air conditioned car. In other worlds mothers and fathers stress over their children’s suffering, knowing they have no place to go for help, and no funds with which to pay for their treatment. We could use more servants like Larry who are willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus in some of the most inhospitable places on earth.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40