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Our Charis Family
Marsha Dawn Laycox
Christopher and Marsha Laycox
Hello
everyone,
My name is Marsha Dawn Laycox. I’ve been married to Christopher
since December of 1995 and we share an “angel baby” in Heaven. In
2001, I was diagnosed with severe Endometriosis after 15 years of
pain and frustration. We tried different methods to help us achieve
pregnancy with no success. In 2007, I underwent a necessary complete
hysterectomy, which made biological children impossible. However we
are still praying about adoption and what God would have us do in
our family. And I have a most adorable 6 year old God-daughter named
Rylee that we just love to pieces.
Jeremiah 29:11 tells us “For I know the plans I have for you,
declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future.” I’d heard this verse so many times
and clung to it personally on occasion too. I never knew how much it
truly applied to me until I gave up my plans for my life and decided
to let God weave the tapestry He was creating for me.
It actually started back in 1996, when a Pregnancy Center Walk For
Life pledge form crossed my desk in the corporate job I was
currently working. It was addressed to someone else, but I knew that
God had intended for me to see it; I still believe that to this day.
But we are called to put our faith into action, and so I signed up
right away to be part of their fundraising walk; not knowing it
would lead to my becoming a steady volunteer for the next four
years.
In 2000, I stopped volunteering, so to speak, when I became a
full-time employee on staff at the Pregnancy Center in the very
department I was volunteering in for the previous four years! I felt
blessed to be part of such a great, faith-based organization, as I
worked to help raise funds through two major events each year; funds
that help the Center to provide free services to women experiencing
unplanned pregnancies.
Seven years later, the Lord continued to weave His tapestry even as
I was grieving my inability to have children after my hysterectomy,
though I didn’t know it. It was Fall 2007, and we were having one of
our bi-monthly staff meetings. The Pregnancy Center had just had its
first birth in August, at our newly built Birth Center, aptly named
“Breath
of Life Birth Center”. Our CNM, Chris Hilderbrandt, mentioned
they were looking for Birth Assistants and that training would be
provided. (Side note: the daughter of a Fire-Medic, I grew up in a
medical family and always held a secret dream to be a nurse. Trust
me, “normal” 10 year olds do not study anatomy books with their Dad.
haha!) My mind raced and wondered if I had what it took. And that’s
when I heard it. I don’t hear it very often, but if you have, you
know what I’m talking about when I say that resounding voice from
inside your spirit.
I heard the Lord speak very clearly into my mind and into my spirit:
“YOU are going to do that!” I actually coughed a little as part of
my reaction; but from that second, it became such a hunger. I never
knew I held such a passion inside of me, but with the subsequent
trainings and births, it only grew.
In January 2008, I witnessed my very first live birth. It was a
water birth at the Birth Center and I was an Intern at the time, so
I was “shadowing” the other Birth Assistant. There are no words,
even today, for my reaction at witnessing the ultimate miracle of
life unfolding before my eyes; but I am certain I don’t have to tell
you. The one difference, I truly felt that God was showing me how I
would be involved in life and the birth process even though it
wasn’t actually happening from my body.
He continues to open doors and show me where He is leading me as I
pursue my Labor Doula, Childbirth Educator, and Lactation Educator
certifications. I still work full-time at the Pregnancy Center, and
serve as a part-time Birth Assistant at the Birth Center. I feel
like He has allowed me to have “the best of both worlds”. I am also
currently preparing to take the Waterbirth Certification in August
with Barbara Harper at the MAF conference this summer, and I am
looking forward to the Charis Labor Support workshop in September.
It’s amazing how we can look back and see the amazing cords and
threads the Lord used to construct His plans and His paths in our
life, but in the midst of the struggle or the pain, sometimes it
seems as though we can’t see it at all. That is what I cling to now…
I may not see in the moment where God is leading, but I love to see
where He’s taken me and I am encouraged and excited about where He
is leading… “a hope and a future”.
Our
Friends ~ Our Family
We'd love to feature you in newsletters to come!
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Charis Cuisine
Delectable Avocado Dill Salad
From Susan Oshel's kitchen (and dinning room table)
Servings: 1 big or 2 smaller
A delicious addition to
a romaine lettuce wrap or served as a light side. The avocado is so
creamy, the cucumber is super crunchy, and the lemon and dill give
it a bold flavor!
Ingredients:
1/2 or 1 whole avocado, sliced into bite size pieces
1 green onion, sliced
raw spinach leaves
1/4 large cucumber, cut into bite size pieces
juice from half a lemon
(adjust amount of lemon to taste)
1/4 tsp hemp oil
1 small bunch of dill,
pulled off the stem and cut into smaller pieces
a pinch of sea salt
Preparation:
Place all bits into a
bowl, mix around, and let sit in the fridge for about an hour before
serving. The avocado will get a little softer and absorb some of the
flavor from the bottom of the bowl. Give it a good mixing "fluff"
around before serving and enjoy!
Health Benefits of
Avocado and Spinach
We all know that some
foods are "good for us", but have you ever wondered how
they are? Avocado and Spinach are wonderful! When you
dig into the above salad, picture the scrumptious little spinach
leaves and the creamy avocado slices doing all this for you
while enjoying them to the fullest! ~Susan Oshel
Avacados
are rich in vitamin E
which is a beauty vitamin because it is valuable for healthy skin.
Avocados also supply a considerable amount of potassium and large
quantities of the extremely healthy monounsaturated fats. These
nutrients, especially the oleic acid and the other nutrients
avocados contain, make them one of the most powerful antioxidant
foods. Pureed avocado is good for invalids, sick children and those
people who are recovering from an operation as it's easily
digestible and contains some antibacterial and antifungal chemicals.
Nutritive Values : Per 100 gm.
Vitamin A: 290 I.U.
Thiamine: 290 mg.
Niacin: 1.1 mg.
Vitamin C: 16 mg.
Calcium: 10 mg.
Phosphorus: 38 mg.
Fat: 26.4 gm. (monounsaturated)
Carbohydrates: 5.1 gm.
Protein: 1.7 gm.
Calories: 245
Spinach
offers twice as much fiber as other greens. So when you want a salad
that's going to fill you up, go for the spinach variety.
Spinach is a nutrition superstar, even a fairly good source of iron.
It's loaded with vitamins and minerals, some of which are hard to
find in other foods.
Included in spinach is choline and inositol, the substances that help to prevent
atherosclerosis or thickening and hardening of arteries.
Spinach helps stabilize blood sugar among diabetics.
Spinach is loaded with flavonoid that functions as antioxidant and
anti-cancer agent.
Spinach contains carotenoid that help fights cancer.
Spinach is a rich source of Vitamins C and A.
Spinach is a good source of Vitamin K, which aids in the formation
of the blood substance required for clotting of blood.
As a dark, leafy green, spinach possesses several important
phytochemicals, including lutein, which helps prevent age-related
macular degeneration. Spinach also contains lipoic acid, which helps
antioxidant vitamins C and E regenerate. Because of its role in
energy production, lipoic acid is being investigated for regulating
blood sugar levels.
Served raw, spinach is a good source of vitamin C, another powerful
antioxidant. Overcook it, however, and you lose most of this
important vitamin. Though spinach is rich in calcium, most of it is
unavailable, because oxalic acid in spinach binds with calcium,
preventing its absorption. The abundant potassium in spinach is
available, and it will promote heart health.
Have a good recipe? Share it here!
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