Farming camp brings joy to foster children

It's bad enough when adults go through difficult times; we feel for them, wish them well and find ways to help. But when children are hurting, our hearts are especially broken. In a perfect world, children would never hurt, never go without, never feel the losses too many of them encounter in our world marred by imperfection. It is, unfortunately, not possible to shield them from the suffering that life sometimes brings their way, so when someone finds a way to offer a little heaven on earth, we take note.

Laura Nothdurft, formerly a Jackson agriculture teacher, helps run a farm with her husband, Jeremie. The couple came up with an idea to help area foster children through a program called Foster Creek Farm Camp. Working with Hope Children's Home in Jackson, the program was designed to offer a place for foster children to find enjoyment and relaxation while providing a learning experience. The farm and another became perfect places for the participants, ranging in age from 6 to 19, to learn about farm life and food production.

Missouri Children's Division has placed the children in Hope Children's Home because of traumatic family situations or being orphaned, so Crissy Mayberry, the home's executive director, said that when Nothdurft first approached her with the idea, she thought it was an "amazing" opportunity. She added that leading up to the camp, the kids had "really been looking forward to it."

Among other lessons, during the two-day camp, they were taught such skills as how to grow wheat, the difference between beef cows and dairy cows and where milk goes after it is pumped. They even learned how to make ice cream from scratch; that's a lesson everyone wants to take part in -- if for no other reason than that they usually get to eat the fruit of their labor.

Sometimes, being exposed to a different way of life shines a light during a child's dark time. Thank you to the Nothdurfts for their idea, the Walthers for use of their farm, and Hope for allowing the children the opportunity. May these young people know just how special they are to those who made this possible.