COVER STORY 27 May 2024 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition What is God’s calling for you? “I believe we are called to be bridge builders, so I'm about Kingdom building, not castle building. I love to bring people together.” Do you have a favorite charity? “I work with so many other different groups, for example Liberty Council. What’s important to me is my faith, my family and my freedom, and our civic duty, getting involved. We’ve also been involved helping with issues like trafficking, the border, the Constitution, education and life, so I try to support different groups.” What Bible verse has encouraged you? Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” What was your most challenging time and most rewarding time as a mother? “As far as being a mom, the toughest time of my life was home schooling my son, and the best time of my life was homeschooling my son. Actually, a girlfriend of mine said, “God didn't have you homeschool Mikey for him, it was for you.” And that's how W.I.N. started. “I took our son Michael to the Washington briefing of Family Research Council because my husband had been going at the time, and next thing you know I'm meeting David Barton (the founder of WallBuilders, an organization dedicated to presenting America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on our moral, religious, and constitutional heritage). Then I homeschooled Mikey with all the books that I use. What was challenging about homeschooling was he was a strong-willed child, so we became very good friends with Bob Barnes, and it was funny because when Michael graduated from Calvary Christian Academy, the speaker was Bob Barnes.” Dr. Jessica L Vera PHD, LLC Transformational Therapist and Founder/CEO Elite Foundation Dr. Jessica Vera’s journey from childhood trauma to outward success to inner healing to real, sustainable success serves as a real-life platform for the work she does today. An expert in psychology focused on transformative healing and applied human sciences, Jessica is founder and president of the Elite Foundation, a nonprofit organization that combats human trafficking and exploitation through various initiatives, including raising awareness, providing survivor support and implementing prevention programs. A Latin American mother of two daughters, Jessica is an award-winning writer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She earned her Doctoral Degree of Philosophy with a specialization in trauma, clinical counseling and leadership from Barry University. Dr. Jessica Vera has worked in the field of forensics the last 26 years, often consulting with the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Justice and Family Court, particularly specialization in trauma. She often provide services that are required by the judicial system with expertise in cases involving commercially, sexually exploited children and disadvantaged at risk youth. “I work with people in their worst, darkest moments, helping to equip them, to educate and be a voice in the judicial process on their behalf,” she said. Having experienced abuse herself from the ages of 4 to 14, Jessica said, “It really shaped my understanding of relationships with men and my self-worth” … until at about the age of 30 when she had a significant intersection with God while considering ending her life. Today she is able to speak into the lives of others from a place of healing and she shares her personal story in her book, Rise Up. It was during the writing of her book that Jessica realized the abuse impacted three generations of her family. She discovered that her mother had been exploited and victimized as a child, a matter she had been silent about for almost 75 years, and later learned her own 15year old daughter was being entrapped by a man posing as a teen online with the intent to traffic young girls. “When I found out that it could happen in my household, under my own nose, someone supposedly so aware and so involved, I thought this is crazy!” This was what prompted her in 2016 to establish the Elite Foundation to combat human trafficking with the goal of education, prevention and empowerment. What is God’s calling for you? “My call is to be His hands and feet, but in a very specific way. It's to be the voice for those who can't speak for themselves. Every role I've had has involved speaking on behalf of others for their rights and advocating for what they need.” Do you have a favorite charity? “I am partial to any ministry that empowers and equips children, so I've done work with 4KIDS, Grace Place School and Women of Tomorrow.” Did you have a family Mission statement? “Yes, our family mission statement is grounded in two fundamental principles: We’re called to realize our potential in Christ and to serve others.” It was founded in 1 Peter 4:10. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” What Bible verse has encouraged you? Philippians 1:6, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” What was your most challenging time as a mother? “It's the enemy's lies that one isn't good enough in any role in your life and then coming to the realization in the light of Christ, I'm everything I'm supposed to be… My daughter in adolescence was also very challenging. It’s contending with so many footholds for evil. The Internet is such a strong tool in the wrong hands and can influence the mind, self-confidence and self-worth.” What was your most rewarding time as a mother? “Now I can see God's hands and footprints. My eldest has a passion to go into cyber security, making sure there's safeguards for the Internet, and my younger daughter is waiting for admission into law school and wants to go into human rights. So, it’s a beautiful full circle.” Margaret Whiddon Board Member Live the Life South Florida Margaret Whiddon, and her husband Scott Whiddon, formerly president of Causeway Lumber Company, founded by his grandfather in 1939, currently serve as board members for Live the Life South Florida, an organization committed to nurturing family relationships. Married for 40 years, the Whiddons have four daughters and three grandchildren. Born and raised in the greater Detroit, Michigan area, Margaret’s father was the lead minister at Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church in Pontiac, and her mother served as both teacher and principal at Christian schools in their district. A graduate of Grace College in Indiana, Margaret relocated to Fort Lauderdale in 1980 where she managed office systems until she met her husband and worked at home to raise their family. Over the years, Margaret has held leadership positions for the Junior League, Women’s Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), 4 KIDS, and Firewall Ministries. She has also served in chair positions at Charity Guild of Fort Lauderdale and First Priority South Florida and is actively involved at First Baptist Fort Lauderdale. What is God’s calling for you? “I’ve often wondered about my calling, but my sister once said, ‘Your gift is that you raised four children and you were so supportive of your husband and kids.’ My calling really has been to my family.” Do you have a favorite charity? “My husband and I have really thrown our heart and soul into Live the Life South Florida.” Having seen her own parents’ divorce when she was in high school, Margaret shared, “I’ve seen the devastation that happens and just feel so strongly that we have to get this right.” They and their own children have attended Adventures in Marriage classes designed to strengthen marriages. They also help with fundraising to help support Live the Life’s relationship education classes for students at local middle and high schools. The Whiddons also help out with Hope Weekends, serving as marriage coaches for couples in troubled marriages. “These people come in and they're not even speaking to each other; they're kind of turned away from each other, and by the end of the weekend, they’re recommitted to working it out,” said Margaret. “Sometimes they’ve already filed for divorce, so it is so exciting to see these marriages restored, especially when they have kids because it means those kids won’t be affected by the back and forth of joint custody and all that.” Did you have a family Mission statement? “I wish I had done that, but I always told my children if they saw somebody at school, they always knew to look out for the underdog. For the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 26:36-39).” What Bible verse has encouraged you? Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” What was your most challenging time as a mother? “I would say that a challenging time was when they were in middle school and high school because girls can be really catty and mean… It was important for us to let them know they really mattered to us and to God and that they could come to us with anything.” What was your most rewarding time as a mother or what you’re most proud of? “As a mother, the most rewarding thing is grandchildren! They live in town, and we are having so much fun with them. But I think I'm most proud that we've been married as long as we have, and I'm really proud of my kids. They're really making a difference and they’re super empathetic, all of them.” Miranda Parma-Vera, Samantha Parma-Vera, Dr. Jessica Vera Alexandra Whiddon Hamilton, Lindsey Whiddon, Caroline Whiddon, Margaret Whiddon, Scott Whiddon, Elle Chapman, Stephanie Chapman, Steven Chapman and Olivia Chapman in front. s o s - e e s s e p - n s s y , n d - a n e e s , - y . - r y e - n - . l - e d n s s d t - s , - n e e n
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