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Our Charis Family
Valencia Elliott
Hello Charis Family!
My name is Valencia Elliott. I live in Lithonia,
Georgia a suburb of Atlanta. I was married in
October 2001 and soon after we were expecting our
first child. I first heard about Charis after
Joseph’s birth in December 2002. I had the
traditional hospital birth with an induction and all
of the ‘normal’ interventions save the epidural. I
would not agree to that no matter what the nurses
and doctors said. After a long labor, I had a
healthy baby boy and a feeling I had missed
something. When I woke up, a nurse placed a
beautiful baby in my arms, but I could hardly
remember his arrival. He was sleepy and sluggish and
my head was still spinning from the medications they
assured me I needed to ease the pain of labor. I
knew the next time I had a baby I did not want it to
be like this.
I started looking for more information about
midwives. Of course I knew about the curse of
childbirth that started with Eve, but I also wanted
to know what else the Bible had to say about
childbirth. I read in Exodus about how the Hebrew
women gave birth on a stool, they were so lively,
and delivered quickly. I said to myself I want to be
like a Hebrew woman the next time I have a baby. So
I started looking online for Christian Midwives and
found Charis Childbirth. The website read “All
Charis workshops are taught from a Christian
perspective, giving God the glory for His marvelous
creation and how He so wonderfully created women to
bear children.” I thought these ladies have got it
right!
So I signed up for the newsletter and every month
without fail my eyes were opened to the great need
for the ministry of midwifery here in the US and
abroad. In my own community, the teenage pregnancy
rate is at epidemic proportions and the abortion
rate is just as high. I could see the need for
compassionate care of Christian midwives to help
young women cope with everything from the
consequences of terminating a pregnancy to their
decision to transition to motherhood. I knew I
wanted to be a midwife.
At the same time, my husband had begun his studies
in Natural Health and Naturopathy. We found
ourselves in preparation for a health ministry that
will include midwifery and providing prevention and
intervention guidance to maintain optimal health
through naturopathic wellness solutions. I know that
is a mouth full. To say it another way, we seek to
help relieve the symptoms of illness and disease
through safe and effective natural therapies and
effect healing and wholeness in a person’s spirit,
soul, and body.
As we have continued our preparation and studies,
Type 2 Diabetes emerged as a dire issue we needed to
address. There are forecasts that suggest 50% of all
Americans will be diabetic or pre-diabetic by 2020. In the African American community, 15% of adults are
already diagnosed as diabetic with another 15% in
some stage of developing the disease. We were
inspired to begin the SAVE Your Health Challenge. Type 2 Diabetes can be described as a lifestyle
disease and 'The SAVE Your Health Challenge'
specifically addresses changing from a disease
lifestyle to a healthy lifestyle. Our goal is to
help prevent, control, and defeat diabetes through
education and healthy lifestyle choices.
As my husband's studies are almost complete, I am
looking forward to beginning my studies with Charis. We are now expecting our third child. What an
awesome privilege to cooperate with the Creator to
welcome a new life into the world! I hope to inspire
this outlook among the women I will serve as a
midwife in the coming years.
When I’m not busy crusading for healthy lifestyles,
homeschooling with Joe, or playing with Naomi, I
blog at
theladieslife.com.
Your sister in Christ,
Valencia
Valencia and Tribes Elliott
with their two
children, Joseph 9 years and Naomi, 9 months old.
Visit them at
their budding health ministry:
Healthytribes.org.
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Charis
Cuisine
Coconut Water Kefir
~ Susan Oshel
Coconut Tree
Coconut water
kefir is easy to make!
More than just beneficial bacteria
Bring 2 quarts of young coconut water to room temperature, 92° F
(31° or 32° degrees C).
Pour
a packet of kefir starter into the coconut water, stir. A
wonderful kefir starter is:
Body Ecology Kefir Starter. You can also use kefir
grains.
Cap
the jar(s). Kefir is ready in 24 - 36 hours (may vary with
temperature).
(After fermentation is complete, you will want to refrigerate
your kefir to extend its life. It should maintain its
fresh flavor for about 3 weeks.)
Save a
little portion (1/4 cup for each quart) of the finished kefir and add it to a new jar of
warmed coconut water. You can keep repeating this process
from one batch to another, adding it to the next until it loses it’s
fermenting power. It will make 4-5 batches and then
use the kefir starter again.
The O.N.E. brand of coconut water is perfect to make kefir if
you are unable to use fresh young coconuts. This
100% coconut water is derived naturally from coconuts, is pure
and not from concentrate and available at various stores, health
food stores and some grocery stores.
Health Benefits of Coconut Water and Coconut Kefir Water
Coconut water has a balance of essential electrolytes, including
magnesium, sodium and potassium.
The watery substance inside coconuts, (known as “coconut
water”), along with the flesh itself, has some amazing health
benefits! All across the world the coconut is respected as
a powerful way to keep the body healthy.
When the nutritional benefits of coconut are added to the
probiotic powers of Kefir, you end up with something that is
fantastically good for the human body.
"Coconut water is an excellent “electrolyte replacement drink”.
This means that it has all the salts and sugars our body needs
in order to recover from dehydration. If the body has had
to endure vomiting, diarrhea or intense sweating it sometimes
needs a little help in order to rehydrate. Coconut water
can provide this rehydration, and is often used by athletes as a
substitute for more expensive isotonic sports drinks!" ~ Bruce
Fife, N.D.
Coconut water kefir is a great source of probiotics.
Coconut water, fermented or not, has many benefits.
So by taking coconut water, and then fermenting it, you have a
super-drink!
Coconut Kefir can help the body recover from illness by
replacing lost fluids and salts, and can also guard the body
against further illness with its helpful bacteria.
Coconut water is a superfood filled with minerals, vitamins,
antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, and growth factors. It
is low in fat and has only a fifth of the sugar found in most
fresh fruit juices. One of the most remarkable
characteristics of coconut water is its chemical profile and
mineral content. The primary minerals or electrolytes in
coconut water are essentially the same as those found in human
blood.
As well as making coconut kefir with coconut water, the health
benefits of coconut can also be combined with kefir by adding
the flesh of a coconut to a kefir drink after it has been made,
or by using tinned coconut milk as part of a delicious “Kefir
smoothie”.
Experimenting is half the fun! Try blending fruits, herbs
or ginger for a flavor treat. There is no limit to
the ways in which you can incorporate the benefits of coconut
into your kefir-based drinks!
There are many good resources to learn more about coconut water
and coconut water kefir. For basic "how-to" information,
check these:
Making Coconut Water Kefir from Green Young Coconuts
Coconut Nutrition
Water Kefir Grains
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