Our Charis Family
Robin B.
Greetings Charis family!
I'm Robin, a new Charis midwifery student. Midwifery is part of my
ancestral heritage. My maternal grandfather was
the son of a long line of Christian Cherokee midwives
and traditional healing women. My great-grandmother was
well-respected among both Native and Euro-American
populations throughout the Appalachian region she
served. My mother was, unfortunately, discouraged from
connecting to her cultural and spiritual heritage
following the death of my First Lieutenant grandfather
at Normandy in WWII, and she became part of the
“twilight generation” of women who embraced modern,
medicated birth, bottle-feeding, and Dr. Spock. The
challenges of 1940’s racism caused my widowed
grandmother to raise her mixed-race children as strictly
Euro-American; all interaction with their Native
paternal heritage was severed and much rich history was
lost until recent years. I now feel blessed to embrace
my full heritage and continue the “calling”.
My willingness to question the status quo was a result
of being a youth of the 1970’s (I am now 51 years old)
and the initiation of a vibrant relationship with my
Messiah and Savior, Jesus, whom I call by His given
Hebrew name - Yahshua. This relationship began when I was
thirteen years old and has sustained me for thirty-eight
years. This journey has led me into extensive
cross-cultural “love-walking” among the L.D.S.
(Mormons), Native Americans, Orthodox Jews, African
Americans, Amish/Mennonites, and Latinos both in the
U.S. and in Mexico. Some of this has been before I
married,
and much of it has been at the side of my husband of
thirty years. We have been ordained to minister together
for the past twelve years, in foundational ministry,
training pastors and leaders of first-century style
congregations and establishing families for the
challenges of proactive end-times living. I absolutely
love witnessing the birth of literal and spiritual
“new-babies”, as well as aspiring to walk out the
Proverbs 31 model of womanhood, by the power of the Holy
Spirit. Each day is a chance to celebrate the Eternal
Adventure!
We are the parents of nine children, four hospital
births, two out of hospital birth-center births with
midwives, and three home-births also with midwives. Home-birth has been very much a part of an evolving
“narrow-path” life-style. We began home-schooling with
our oldest son 23 years ago and are still finishing the
process with our youngest sons, who are ten and
thirteen. Our oldest children are vibrant believers and
ministers, with three now married, six youth still in
the home. I have two precious grandsons and attended the
birth of my first grand-daughter three months ago. Life
is good!
As a family, we wrote two home-educational resources, Prepare and Pray! and its’ sequel
Blessed Assurance,
unit-studies teaching homesteading, practical
life-skills, and preparedness for children of all ages.
We have been key-note speakers at several home-education
conventions and hosts of radio ministry broadcasts
entitled “Out of the Box”- discussing relevant modern
issues and answers in the Scripture.
Some of my “extra-curricular” interests are: playing
guitar (contemporary Christian worship with my family),
organic gardening, fishing at our beautiful local lakes,
hiking nearby mountain trails, camping, outdoor
Dutch-oven and campfire cooking, knitting and sewing
when I can, thrift shopping, watching BBC or old classic
movies, dancing with my sweetheart, and making herbal
concoctions (not all exactly in that order :).
Home has been my foundational ministry for over 25
years, until my husband encouraged me to seek additional
outreach opportunities and education about five years
ago. I am within one semester of achieving a Bachelor of
Science Degree in Nursing, as a registered nurse. My
husband continues home-educating our youngest children;
he truly is my hero. He is a highly decorated Viet-Nam
veteran, sought out for regional and international
ministry consultation and is active in mentorship of
young men, as well as his own children. We are in the
process of establishing a ministry headquarters in our
rural Idaho location as part of a network of other
regional ministries. He is retired from active
employment, with military disability at this point in
his life, which frees him for many other pursuits,
including being full-time dad.
My intention is to be a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) who also happens to be a registered nurse, due to the
excellence of preparation in the modality of home-birth
via the Charis Childbirth midwifery education, as compared to the emphasis on hospital
birth among nurse-midwives. My current studies in
nursing have involved newborn assessment and
resuscitation, prenatal assessments, pediatric nursing,
and hospital obstetric clinical rotations. The
professional nursing degree will be advantageous for
transport, for collegiality with the regional medical
professionals, and for skill in care when facing
complications. It will also enhance my skill in other
urgent care. My comfort zone is naturopathic/herbal
health care, while acknowledging that sometimes more
invasive measures are a necessity. Having the advocacy
of a fellow believer in these places can be imperative.
My heartbeat and deeply felt passion is to be a source
of support for young families, as they seek the best
beginnings for their little ones. The days ahead will be
a time of prophetic challenge for families; those who
stand strong will be a bright light in a dark world. I
feel that we as current and future midwives carry a
torch that extends back to the faithful midwives of
ancient Israel. May we have their courage. Birth and
child-raising is a transformative process, and is truly
the most powerful thing a woman will ever do on this
earth. As this season closes in my own womanhood, now I
enter the “Titus 2/older woman” season of my life. I
hope to be a sensitive disciple and teacher of Yahweh’s
wisdom and encouragement for younger women who face the
future with faith and hope in His Kingdom.
Shalom,
Robin |
Charis
Cuisine
Kombucha Tea
Following is a simple recipe to make Kombucha. Enjoy!
~ Rachel Thompson and Susan Oshel
Remove all fruit, food, dirty dishes, houseplants from mushroom
growing area. Wash hands thoroughly.
In a large stainless steel pot, heat three quarts distilled
water until boiling. Add 1-3 cups of white sugar,
and boil for 5 minutes while stirring to dissolve sugar.
Turn off stove and add 4-5 black tea bags or 4 green and 2
black tea bags. (Using organic tea can cause mold.) Steep tea
bags for 10 minutes, remove tea bags, and stir.
Cool tea for 20 minutes, pour into a 4 quart clear glass
bowl or jar. (Growing in crystal, metal, ceramic, or plastic can
be toxic!!) Cool to room temp--about 2 hours. Do not
leave overnight.
Add 6 oz Kombucha tea from the last batch as a "starter".
Place mushroom (commonly called a scoby) on top of tea, with rougher, darker side
down. If you are making Kombucha for the first time, just
use a mother scoby as a starter. Ask a friend who makes
Kombucha to share a mother with you, it will make more baby
scobys that turn into mothers and you'll be able to share them,
too, as you continue making Kombucha.
Cross tape over top of bowl
or secure cover on glass jar to keep cloth from
sinking down into tea and wicking it out. Cover with thin,
freshly-laundered white cotton cloth and rubber-band or tape
down. Do not use cheesecloth.
Place in a dim, quiet, ventilated space, 7-10 days, at 70-90
degrees. In the summer months you'll find the tea ready in
less time, in winter months it can take up to three weeks.
You'll know it's ready by tasting it, if it's fizzy, not sweet,
it's ready.
Remove mushrooms...gently separate. Use both again (the top
mushroom is the "baby" and the bottom one is the "mother").
Strain fresh tea through a thin white cotton cloth into a clear
glass container.
Kombucha mushroom or "scoby"
Tea can be stored in the refrigerator or on the counter. I
find that it loses its "fizz" if stored in the refrigerator.
Store prepared Kombucha in capped bottles or jars.
Start the next batch right away. If you're not planning to make
another batch until later, store the mushroom in the
refrigerator in a glass container covered with kombucha tea.
If this is your first time begin by drinking 4 oz a
day. Start slowly, as this probiotic fermented beverage is a powerful detoxifier, it is
important to increase your amount slowly. There is caution
about using it during pregnancy and lactation as the
detoxification process can be too powerful for the baby if you
haven't been drinking it for at least 6 months prior to becoming
pregnant.
Here are a few good kombucha sites to learn more:
Seeds of Health
Anahata
Kombucha Health Benefits
I love receiving the Charis newsletters!
In the June 2012 issue, Elizabeth’s heart-cry in
Tidbits From Ebony for the women of war was heart breaking. I’ve often
had nightmares about such circumstances after seeing scenes and stories of war,
but this story makes women’s struggles so very real. I’d love to see that
submitted to ACNM, AABC, MANA, ACOG or wherever those who care for women
will read it. There, but for the grace of GOD, go I, or my
daughters, or granddaughters, or friends.
~
Chris Hilderbrandt, ARNP, CNM
Breath of Life Women's
Health & Birth Center, Largo, Florida
Comments From Our Readers
Share your appreciation,
comments and thoughts.
Send your comments
here. |