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Our Charis Family
Elizabeth Roach
Elizabeth Roach
Why hello there!
My name is Elizabeth Roach; you may have known me as
Elizabeth Lugmayer. As I was just glancing
through my previous postings on Charis I am humbled
and amazed at how faithful our God is to provide and
guide!
It is possible a reintroduction is in order. I
am now 25 years old, married to my amazing husband
of 1.5 years Travis Roach and I am currently
employed as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher. I met
Travis on my first day of being a trainee on the
ambulance at Rescue 9 for the City of Virginia
Beach. We rode together as partners on the
ambulance every Tues night for a year and a half
before going on our first date. four months
later he asked me to marry him on bended knee in
front of our favorite haunt, the Chrysler Museum.
Six months later we were married ~Sept 6, 2011~ in
my home church with friends and family to witness.
I took a break from the whirlwind of being a doula
during that time - except for a few close friends -
to focus on settling into our new life together.
Besides Rescue we also both work for a private
ambulance company called Medical Transport.
We moved into a new apartment in March of 2012, and
a week later, my whole world changed. I was on
the ambulance at work with my partner, just a normal
day; we just had a pretty messy call so we were both
cleaning the unit. I stepped into the medic to
get more wipes. As I stepped back out my boot
slipped off the step of the truck and I fell to the
ground - about 3 feet - and landed on my leg
standing straight. I felt/heard popping noises
as I fell backward. My partner and another
crew helped me get in the truck; and to the ER we
drove. X-rays and an MRI showed a fractured
tibia and 3 torn ligaments in my left knee. A
month later came the 6 hour surgery to repair 2
ligaments and reconstruct the third anchoring it to
the bones with screws.
Unable to move from the hip down and facing
excruciating pain, I began to have a new
understanding of what some of my patients have
experienced. I needed help with everything,
from getting in/out of bed to taking a shower,
getting dressed, fixing a meal. It was
humbling. My husband Travis, my mom and my
best friend took turns helping. God provided
for us with all the friends and family we needed and
even though we took a pay cut with me not working we
were never without what we needed, He is faithful!
Two weeks ago was the one year anniversary of my
accident on the Ambulance. It was also the
same week my doctor released me from physical
therapy. (I’m not released to get on an
Ambulance, due to the risk of re-injury).
Praise God! I was put on light duty at work as
soon as I was cleared to hobble along on crutches
several months ago. I have been trained as a
dispatcher for our company that serves Northern and
Western Virginia, the Peninsula, and all of Hampton
Roads. I am learning all sorts of interesting
things about computer programs, insurance claims,
and running a business from the inner workings of
the dispatch center. I get to be on the other
side of the ambulance as we get the call for an
active heart attack, a car accident trauma pt., or a
28 weeker who is in preterm labor.
I love my job but look forward to the day when I
will begin midwifery training. I feel like
this detour has taught me so many things that will
come to use in running a midwifery business, but
mostly, I have learned simple things, holding
someone’s hand when they are in pain is a measure of
support that goes beyond words and is not forgotten.
Modesty may be pushed aside in order to let people
help you but dignity is never lost. And most
of all, having no idea what the future holds for you
- giving it up to the Lord anyway, then watching as
he blesses you abundantly. His goodness never
fails! He provides! He comforts. He
never forsakes. Our God, He is faithful!
I will be rejoining the ranks of Charis student
shortly as a midwifery student. I’m excited to
get back into birth and expecting mommas again!
I hope this finds you in good health and spirits.
Many Blessings and Peace,
Elizabeth Roach, EMT-B, EMT-Dispatcher, CD, CCE
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Charis
Cuisine
Fruit Pizza
with Maple Quinoa Crust
Ingredients
½ Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup quinoa, soaked in filtered water overnight or for at least
8 hours, rinsed and drained
¼ – ½ cup filtered water
1 Tbs. pure maple syrup
¼ tsp. salt
1 small or ½ large avocado
2 Tbs. filtered water
juice from half of a lime
or lemon, or 1 Tbs. of fresh-squeezed orange juice (adds flavor
and helps to keep the avocado fresh longer)
¼ tsp. stevia or 1 Tbs.
maple syrup
fresh fruit for topping,
such as strawberries, oranges, pears, blueberries, shredded
coconut, etc.
Instructions
Soak the quinoa in filtered water for at least 8 hours. *This
step is crucial as the recipe won’t work with dry quinoa.
Rinse and drain the quinoa.
Add the quinoa, ¼ cup water, maple syrup, and salt to a food
processor or a high-speed blender and blend until the dough
resembles pancake batter. Add more water as needed,
keeping the batter on the thicker side.
Cooking the dough:
In the oven: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and coat either a
cast iron skillet or an 8-inch round cake pan with the olive
oil. Allow the skillet or cake pan to heat up in the oven
for about 10 minutes (this is good to do while you’re preparing
the dough and chopping the fruit). Remove skillet/cake pan from
the oven and immediately add the quinoa batter, using a spatula
to even it out as needed. Place the dough in the oven to
bake for 20 minutes. Flip the dough and bake for another
10 minutes, or until brown and slightly crisp around the edges.
To make the avocado cream, add the avocado, 2 Tbs. of water,
lemon/lime juice, and sweetener to a food processor or blender.
Blend until smooth, adding more water as needed.
Now comes the fun part! First, spread the avocado cream
over the pizza crust. Then, add whatever fruit toppings
you want–feel free to be creative!
Slice, serve, and enjoy!!
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