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Elizabeth Greeting
Clients
I am
Elizabeth Carmichael. You usually see me writing in the “Tidbits
From Ebony” portion of the Charis Newsletter, but this month I get
to tell you all about myself from a different angle! :-) The first
thing you should know is that “Elizabeth Carmichael” is not my real
name. It is a name I use for anything about me that goes into print
or gets posted on the web. I chose this name because of two women I
greatly admire. There is a woman named “Elizabeth” who shares my
same last name and there is a woman with the last name “Carmichael”
who shares my first name. I have three devotions in the book Voices
of the Faithful under the name “Elizabeth Carmichael.” I guess the
name just “stuck” after that! :-) (I highly recommend the book, by
the way!)
I use a name other than my own because I can share more openly about
what I do and where I live when my identity is protected in this
way. The area where I live is extremely hostile to outsiders and
especially to Christians, yet I want people here at home to
know about them and about what I do. So, I am satisfied to
“sacrifice” my true identity so that you can hear about real life
over there!!! I so appreciate the interest you’ve taken in “Ebony”
and the prayers you’ve prayed on my behalf.
The Lord led me to get involved in overseas work while I was still
in college. I moved to China after graduation and stayed there for
five years!! As you know, I lived in the United Arab Emirates for
the past year and am headed to Ebony this Fall, I hope! I’ve
recently gone through a tough season of uncertainty. I had to switch
Sending Agencies which is a much more emotional process than I
anticipated—kind of like when you need to leave a church that you
LOVE, but that just doesn’t “fit” you or your family anymore. I am
now embarking on the adventure of raising my own financial support
for the first time. But, the Lord is being SO faithful—He who calls
us is faithful!! And He is affirming that call around every turn.
My mom is actually the one who got me involved in Charis. She gave
birth to me at the age of 17 and has always been interested in
helping other women in crisis pregnancy situations. She knew that,
even though I am single and have never given birth, I have had a
burden for childbearing women overseas. So, she was right on when
she assumed that Charis was the place for me! I hope to complete the
midwifery training program and work in Ebony to educate and train
others in healthy birthing.
The first project I will work on in Ebony actually involves more of
the childbirth educator skills. We will form community development
groups and instruct people about how to recognize emergent
situations in pregnancy and childbirth, how to deal with them, and
when to get a doctor or rush to the hospital. There are no
ambulances in Ebony, so people need to be taught things like saving
up money in case there is an emergency and they need to rent a
donkey cart to take to the hospital. These are things that have just
never been taught to these people. Since they’ve been at war for 30
years, education and health care have fallen by the wayside along
with problem solving skills and basic understanding of the human
body or proper hygiene. So, working with these groups is a wonderful
step in the direction of development!
The Lord is growing in me a passion for women’s health, but my first
passion is for the glory of His name! I want to know Him as
intimately as possible while walking this earth and I want to make
Him known to the nations of this world! He often reminds me to “Be
still, and know that [He] is God” and that his purpose (as seen in
the rest of Ps. 46:10) is to be exalted among all nations, even to
the ends of the earth. That’s kind of where Ebony is and it’s
exactly the kind of place the Lord has called me to. I believe this
call and passion goes hand in hand with the desire to do all I can
to help childbearing women. I want these women to have a chance to
LIVE through their birthing and to have more time to hear and
respond to the Good News. I want their children to have the chance
to know Jesus as healthy, little kids and to grow up in the
knowledge of His Truth. May it be so in our generation!
Kristin and Susan,
Thank you so much for your commitment to excellence and for
connecting it to our commitment to honor God and His Word (in
reference to the March newsletter editorial)! I wish more midwives
and student midwives shared this commitment. I am so thankful for
the vision of Charis Childbirth for equipping women to serve
childbearing families in a way that glorifies God and is above
reproach!
Sincerely,
Hannah Mann, CNM
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Smoothies
Smoothies are an easy, nutritious and
wonderful treat any time! Be creative
and make up your own according to what you and your family enjoys.
You can also add nutritive elements to your smoothies, like herbs
and vitamins, that treat common ailments, tastefully masking them to
be fun for little ones to drink.
Banapple Strawberry Smoothie
This is a classic smoothie that's perfect just about anytime -- from
breakfast to a light a dessert at the end of the day. Freezing the
fruit first will make thicker, more flavorful smoothies.
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana (peel before freezing)
1 C apple juice
1 C strawberries, frozen
Banana Delight
Full of nutrition, easy to make, refreshing and filling.
Ingredients:
2 Fresh bananas
1 cup rice or soy milk
Ice
Autumn Punch
Ingredients:
3 quarts cider
3 cups pineapple juice
1 can frozen orange juice (6 ounces)
A 6 inch cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 2-liter of sparkling Water
Peanut Butter Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 banana (peel before freezing)
3 T peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
3/4 C soy or rice milk
Directions:
Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Have a good recipe? Share it here!
Where's My Birthday?
Blake and his Grandmother, Susan Oshel
'Almost' three year old Blake came to visit Grandma Susan.
He went to bed one night anticipating "his birthday" which
would be there the next day. In the morning, he awoke walking
from room to room, asking, "Where's my birthday"? He looked
around corners and in rooms, not quite knowing just what his
birthday would look like. They went to the park that day and
did lots of fun things while he kept looking everywhere. In the evening, Grandma Susan
blew up balloons and decorated the patio while Blake was busy in
another room. When called to dinner, he walked in and a
huge smile grew upon his face. He gleefully beheld
everything, balloons, lots of loving faces gazing upon him, and
sang, "Here's my birthday!!!"
A "Cakey" Kiss
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