by Kiersten Homalon | Mar 30, 2016 | Faith + Expressions
4Â 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2
“One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance.â€
It is interesting to hear the stories of where people come from. I often will look at someone and just wonder where they have been, seen, felt, and endured in the past. What their lives looked like before Christ, before they were mature in their faith, in times they were scared or in a trial. This is especially true with people I admire. Powerful pastors, leaders, writers, artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, and friends. This interest was reignited recently when I was listening to a local pastor dip his toes into a bit of his testimony. Even the very little bit of raw insight he opened up with, was powerful, not only to how I saw him but to the overall message of his sermon.
After the end of the message I kept thinking through my head, what does my story sound like? What is my testimony? Many people seemed to have a pivotal moment when they decided to give their lives to Christ, but my life did not look like that. Did that make my story less impactful? I didn’t know, I had never thought about MY testimony, MY story, I cast it off as without significance, but is that really true? Could my life story significantly impact someone else’s? Every story has the ability to impact when the Holy Spirit has intervened. That was one thing I knew was absolutely true, God showed up for me time and time again. And His holy spirit was undeniable to me. I knew it was time to start hashing out my story. Now don’t get your hopes up, I am not sharing my testimony in this post (That will come soon!), but I am going to discuss 4 important things about living your life as a “Spirited Dance†rather than a “Religious Plodâ€, something I think goes hand in hand with Acknowledging the work the Lord has done in our lives so that not only we truly swallow what this means, but so that when were asked (and we WILL be asked) we are ready to share the relevance of the Gospel in EVERYONE’s lives. This relevance we can confirm through our stories, no matter what form they take.
These methods I am about to share are more about authenticity than they are about action steps. But really, what better action step is there than becoming authentic in your faith? So here are the four ways you can Shake off that Religious Plod.
- Encountering Your Past
Now this is not a prompt to “Contact your ex-boyfriend or hash out broken relationships from 10 years ago†type of prompt my friends. I simply mean that you should thoughtfully and prayerfully considering all you have been through to get you to your “Nowâ€. Pray and ask God to highlight things in your past that have had significance. Capture your favorite memories and hardships, and write them down.
Why is this good to do? To keep you moving forward. The past has significance. Not to remain in the past but to use it as a catapult to learn from and blossom from. We all have roots, regardless of where they were planted, God intended them for good. This practice left me feeling overwhelmed with gratitude to God for transforming my life. Not in an instant, but still radically significant.
Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.â€
- Honoring Your Present
Those who know me will giggle that this is Number two on this list. I have a deep struggle with the “Nowâ€. It is never as fast or slow as I want it to be. I am never where I think I should be, doing what I think I should be doing, and I always feel behind. But something that I have been really trying to overcome is the Sin of not being grateful for where the Lord has planted me. I often giggle with my best friend that I feel like the Israelites wondering around in the wilderness when they were right next door to the Promise Land. She knows that I use humor to cover up the pain that I actually feel about this reference. I am constantly worrying if I am missing the mark, and if I am TRULY living in the purpose God has called me to. I analyze my life until there is no more joy to be had. Every essence of me is exhausted by worry. If this is something that you struggle with, I pray that you can break through this distractive mind and heart set with me! I have been working diligently on this with God (praying, reading books, and most importantly God’s word EVERYDAY) and I ALREADY feel so much lighter from the weight of the unknown. You, sweet friend, can feel this too when you surrender your hurt and be REAL with God. Tell Him where you’re at RIGHT NOW.
Matthew 11:30
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
You don’t need to be overly religious in your conversations with God (Always highly respectful) but He wants you to commune with Him! I cannot tell you how many times through out my weeks and days that I just chat with God. “Okay God, what the heck is happing in this situation right now?†or “Haha God I see where you’re going with this†or my current necessary prayer, “Lord, bring me to the end of myself right here and NOW.†“Blooming Where you are planted†is a cliche encouragement, but it is increasingly relevant in our walks with the Lord!
Romans 13:11
And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
- Remove Insecurity
Whoa. The event just writing this down made me a little uncomfortable. But the reality is, Insecurity steals Joy, Boldness, Faith, Life, Purpose and brings only death and distraction. Sounds all too familiar doesn’t it?
John 10:10
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
This is a big area of struggle for me for many years. But thanks to the Lord, I have been able to overcome it. My wounds are still a little tender I will admit, and there are areas that this weakness has effected that I still need to address, but God met me in an intimate place in my life that I thought He could never touch. I kept it hidden because I CHOSE to not believe it would ever change. I believed the enemy, rather than the truth of God’s Loving Word!
John 10:10
I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly”
I treasure that these two sentences are side by side in scripture. God gives us the antidote to the paralysis that the enemy hopes to create within us! Where do you have a struggle in your life that you believe will never change? Come on girl, lets be real right now. I was not able to make any headway on my self-image until I let down my wall, peeled away how I saw myself, laid it all at the feet of God, and Prayed for him to forgive me for listening to the enemy. I prayed that He would search my heart, remove the lies, and awaken me to MOVE in His might and in the purpose He designed me for. You catch that? Insecurity steals purpose and living it out vibrantly! Don’t we all WANT a vibrant and purpose-filled life that positively affects others!? So as soon as that creep (yes I call the enemy a Creep!) starts to infiltrate… you SHOUT OUT John 10:10 if you have to! People will think you’re crazy, but OH WELL! You remind the enemy that you know exactly who he is and what he is doing. But most importantly You remind that Devil WHO YOUR GOD IS AND WHAT HE IS DOING, and he will have no choice but get the heck outta Nashville. (Or in my case, Oahu haha)
James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
This is the moment we all were created for. Do you believe that? Right now right where you are God has manifested. On top of that, God is OMNIPRESENT! He is with us, within us, and alive in His word. Our God is intimately intertwined in the smallest of moments in our lives! The mundane is not so when you realize that God always shows up!
Psalm 139:7-10
“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.â€
Acknowledging that God’s word is alive is vital to our walk. For the longest time in my walk, I chose to skim, to read words, and not take to heart the breath of life within each passage. (Yes, even the sections of 50 names of descendants is alive with the power of God!) I had to recall when I first experienced being on fire for God. I was 13 and I was a girl on a mission. I would hunker down in my room, open my bible and marvel at His word, excitedly jotting down every scripture that resonated with me. With that intensity and excitement about God’s word, every scripture jumped out at me. That enjoyment and fulfillment of reading His word is when God gave me the vision of my calling to be a full-time Missionary one day. Clear as day, I would not just go on missions. I would live with a mission as a FULL-TIME missionary. I want to be back in that place! That childlike wonder that Christ loves so much opens the doors for us to embrace the Word of God and allow it to penetrate into an event the thickest of heads! When my mind gets muddy, I remember the crystallized visions and passion I had in those times I genuinely LOVED God’s word.
Matthew 18:3
And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
You catch that? If we do not get this Child like wonder back, we WILL miss out on the Promise Land. We will be frantically stuck in the “Religious Plod†of trying to earn our way to heaven. We SHOULD know that salvation is NOT going through the motions, its acquired through a faith-filled surrender. Spiritual Maturity stems from that surrendered heart space, and marries righteous diligence in fulfilling the Law of The Lord, which primarily is to LOVE and LOVE HARD!
Mark 12:30-31
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.â€
- Hunt
Indeed, it is time to Hunt. We are to hunt after God’s word, His presence, His will, His Holy Spirit. We are to seek out those who need His salvation, who need HOPE. We do this through sharing OUR stories of salvation! We are to hunt after new eyes that see and new ears that hear. Friends, we are warriors in this life. We have the battle to fight. Until we regain the wonder back into our walks with The Lord and an awe at the Word He has left for us, we are stuck wondering in the wilderness.
But sisters! If we Seek Him we WILL find HIM! Can you believe that!? He knows our hearts and if we want to know Him, then He WILL give us the desires of our hearts! Share your story and others will not be able to deny the delight you have in The Lord!
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
So lets dance! And praise that we have a God that is a LOVING GOD, who wants us to WANT Him! He always shows up when we need Him. He has the power to move mountains, raise the dead, and transform lives of the lost.
Believe this, live this, and you will have no choice but to dance!
Have Grit Sweet Ones,
Kiersten h.
by Kiersten Homalon | Mar 16, 2016 | Faith + Expressions
Here I am, that all too familiar place. A place where my passion for people, health, wellness, and above all else, connection with The Lord boils inside of me. Sometimes this Surge in me is overwhelming. So much so that I try to find ways to release it. I try to put all that bottled up energy in me towards something, ANYTHING, because I feel like have to do something with it. And yet, as usual, I end up back in this same place, spinning.
I feel like the more I try to release this “surge†in me the more unsuccessful my attempts are each time, and it leaves me feeling like all of these attempts are in vain. The more I sit down at my computer with so much to say and this deep desire to reach the masses, the more aimless and confused I feel at what i really need to do to put this passion into action.
“Always remember to fall asleep with a dream and wake up with a purposeâ€
-Anomous
I wonder to myself frequently, “Why do I get so close to breakthrough, and then for some reason it never comesâ€. Is there a reason that I have such intensity and Vigor now? Is there a purpose that I am needing to fulfill in my own unique way that I am missing the mark on? Because I definitely feel like that. I also believe that I am so close to it, and yet for some reason, it is still not in my line of sight.
I know that my role in my home is crucial, as a mother, as a wife, and as someone who wants to spread the Gospel. Yet, I feel like I have the capability to pursue dreams, and business and intertwine all of these things together to innately form, this “Purpose†that I know is from none other than God Himself. I am compelled more and more to find presence in each moment.
These thoughts, emotions, and urgencies drifted around in my mind as I was driving to a networking meeting with my toddler in the back seat. Then suddenly I heard her humming the tune to a familiar song. We both knew this song, but, this time, I “HEARD†this song, and what God was revealing to me through the chorus.
“When you don’t move the mountains, I’m needing you to move…
When you don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through…
When you don’t give me answers when I cry out to you….
I will trust, I will trust, I WILL TRUST IN YOU!â€
Yes, Lord. I hear you now.
These moments flooded me before the Arise Conference here on Oahu at Inspire Church created by Lisa Kai. Women, POWERFUL WOMEN, like Lisa Kai, Lisa Bevere, Dawn Cherie, and Janine Kubala all were scheduled to speak at this women’s conference. Lisa was given a word for this conference by The Lord and placed it on her heart to share with all of us who attended.
“NOWâ€
Wow. At first, I did not really know how “NOW†would resonate with me in my walk with The Lord. I knew I wanted a breakthrough NOW, I knew I wanted a clearer path NOW, I knew I wanted to get rid of these condemning voices in my mind NOW. But The Lord knew exactly what He wanted to plant in the hearts of women at this conference, and it extended far beyond myself. The word “NOW†was more than a word for individuals. It was a call to action, to rise up as a womanhood, and each Pastor wove together this intricate and life altering message beautifully.
Lisa Kai Spoke the first evening that I attended. Her lead in immediately set the air for my mind to put aside seeing “NOW†in a selfish and self-serving light. Lisa urged that “If we knew the NOWNESS of God, we would sense the Urgency of NOW.â€
2 Corinthians 6:1-2
“We are working together with God. We ask you from our hearts not to receive God’s loving-favor and then waste it. The Holy Writings say, “I heard you at the right time. I helped you on that day to be saved from the punishment of sin. NOW is the right time! See! NOW is the day to be saved.â€
Lisa called us to return to our first loves, above our children, husbands and businesses. A Love that is intentionally devoted to God, day in and day out. If we re-establish our relationships with God as first in our lives, then we are setting up ourselves to allow God to deposit on our hearts our assignment. Then, and only then, priorities in place, can we boldly answer, “YES, LORD.â€
Lisa continued to explain that there is an urgency that needs to be intertwined in our obedience of answering the calls that God lays on our hearts.
I took a deep breath, exhaled it. I agreed with everything that was said. Most importantly I could feel my spirit in complete agreeance with what was being stirred within. I deeply desire to be called, and boldly answer “YESâ€! However, I still had this block. I could still feel it lodged in my throat. I kept wondering, what is it, God? What are you calling me to do Father!? But I knew I needed to place that frustration on the side, for now, and press into the message.
Perfectly timed, Lisa Kai brought up Purpose and Calling. (Haha very funny God) Clearly laid out. Mission, she expressed, was our duty to bring Heaven to Earth. Hebrews 4:3-11 cushioned that call with a steadfastness that is necessary when living out this purpose. Additionally, never to be overlooked, Disobedience is a HUGE barrier to us really fulfilling our mission.
“In the Holy Writings, He said this about the seventh day when He made the whole world, “God rested on the seventh day from all He had made.â€Â But God said this about those who turned against Him, “They will not go into My rest.†Those who heard the Good News first did not go into His rest. It was because they had not obeyed Him. But the promise is still good and some are going into His rest. God has again set a certain day for people to go into His rest. He says through David many years later as He had said before, “If you hear His voice today, do not let your hearts become hard.â€
 If Joshua had led those people into God’s rest, He would not have told of another day after that. And so God’s people have a complete rest waiting for them. The man who goes into God’s rest rests from his own work the same as God rested from His work. Let us do our best to go into that rest or we will be like the people who did not go in.
Hmmm…Disobedience. What form has this taken in my life and my walk with my Savior? She urged us to ask ourselves these cutting questions, evaluating if we had ever REALLY asked God WHAT our calling is. Had I done that?
John 13:34-35
 I give you a new Law. You are to love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. 35 If you love each other, all men will know you are My followers.â€
Lisa then prompted us to LOVE the NOW. FORGIVE NOW. and LET GO NOW.
LET GO NOW… of the things that we reintroduced into our lives that take us off path every time, let go of people that do the same and let go of allowing ourselves to be the ones that get in the way.
Yup, I needed that…. Ouch… a good ouch. I had been CHOOSING to be frustrated. I chose to allow the enemy to have room in my mind. and I CHOSE to LISTEN TO HIM instead of GOD and HIS TRUTH in my mind. I had been listening to LIES!! This was the root of it all. I knew that NOW I needed to give that space to its rightful owner, GOD.I knew I need to press in harder than ever before to pursue God and His Word. I had to stop the Enemy in His tracks and send him packing with the Filling of The Holy Spirit and The Word of God in my Mind and Heart!
It may seem like a minor triumph. But the struggle in the mind is the reality of Spiritual Warfare and it is no way minor. So if this is an area that you struggle I urge you to get with Sisters in Christ and have them pray for you and with you. And on top of that seek counseling with a woman in your church who can mentor you! (I still need to do this) But lets not wait to overcome this so we can pass on Victory to our children.
The mind blooms into action, or in my case lack of action. The enemy shut me up, made me hate myself, and riddled my life with doubt, questions with no answers, and a sickening anxiety and depression that made it impossible to connect and KEEP good friends, let alone healthy relationships with a man. Choosing to listen to the enemy made me insecure instead of BOLD, fearful instead of FAITHFUL, worried about judgment instead of fixated on ETERNITY, selfish instead of SELFLESS, and hopeless instead of OVERFLOWING WITH JOY AND LAUGHING AT THE FUTURE.
Acts: 26:16
Get up. Stand on your feet. I have chosen you to work for Me. You will tell what you have seen and you will say what I want you to say. This is the reason I have allowed you to see Me.
NOW I realized that is was time to claim the victory of the Cross over my life, and my family’s lives canceling out any power of sin over the generations before me. It was time for me to change what the next generation would receive. Righteousness and victory over sin is what will be the trademark of our generations to follow, seasoned with a beautiful and rich relationship with The Father.
Dawn Cherie was another penetrating Woman Pastor at the Arise conference. She brought up a reality that I needed to adopt into my own life. She said that the Cross is not to be treated like a teeter totter. It is a bridge to our Savior Jesus Christ. We cannot go back and forth, once we cross then we NEVER go back to our old ways of being nor thinking!
I heard my spirit realizing that this is exactly what I had been doing. I knew I could not lose focus because when I do my sight becomes self-consumed instead of being focused outward.
Janine Kubala pleaded with us during her sermon that it is time to change the channel in our minds. Wow. Yes, it sure as heck was long past time for me to grab the remote and hand it back over to The Lord. Janine also made a pertinent connection for me, which gave me a powerful tool to resist slipping back into destructive thinking patterns. She said, “Freedom is our ability to overcome our giants,†that “Freedom is not our destination, rather it is our farm of mind.â€
Boom. That was the last thing I needed to push my spirit to the point of breakthrough. God knew that things would boil down for most of us like this. Getting to the root of where we relinquished power to the enemy instead of Insisting that every aspect of our lives be molded and entrusted to our creator.
This was my chance to acknowledge and MOVE FORWARD! Man, did it feel good to peel away years of self hatred that led to my addiction to self-mutilation, alcohol, marijuana, pride, and self-absorption. They all washed away through the power of The Cross. I think that as I was walking in my faith I forgot that the power of the Cross is not just for new believers. It is accessible to us and NEVER loses its strength! IT actually becomes stronger as we allow it to reign in our LIFE! Hello!!
These women had messages for every woman at the conference I have no doubt. Life changing messages. So if you didn’t catch my “NOW†here it is.
“NOW†it is time for me to look beyond my past pain, and deploy the Victory of the Cross to touch the lives of those who need healing.â€
“NOW†I am taking vigor into my offensive position, it is time for women to Rise. Lisa Bevere Urged us to “STAY AT OUR POSTS.†She told us, “DONT YOU DARE ABANDON YOUR POST NOW.â€
“IT IS TIME FOR US TO COMBAT FEAR SO THAT GOD CAN BRING FORTH HIS PROMISES!â€
Lisa Bevere
What is your “NOW�
I could not possibly capture all of the amazing scripture, intimate moments with The Lord, and wisdom that was shared by these amazing women, and imported on them by our Almighty and Loving Father. So looks like you just have to come to next years Arise Conference!
Here are some of the main points that I was able to capture that were important to me!
- Have Urgency in pursuing God
- Live for God only
- Stop abusing Gods grace
- Be obedient and Submit to Being Led
- Talk to God about Everything
- Echo His Voice and Share my story
- Get into the Lives of people Genuinely
- Use my mouth to Glorify God
- Speak God word over mine and my Family’s lives
- Speak the Truth Always
- Tell people what God is doing in my Life
- Stand at my post and Never Back Down
- Keep our home sacred and Honor God with it
- Separate the Precious and the Bile
- Stop putting Question Marks where Exclamation Marks belong
- Stop Comparing myself to others
- Be the type of woman I want to see more of in the world
- Keep my Channel on God and His Word
- FIGHT BACK against negative thoughts
- Be available
- Speak Hope
- Know Gods Word
- The Cross is a Bridge NOT a Teeter Totter
- Press on and Know that Nothing is impossible with God
- START NOW
Thank you to Lisa Kai and the other amazing women who lifted us up and awoke the power within each and every one of us. I will NEVER be the same and I could not be more thrilled about it.
Romans 13:11-14
“But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!â€
Have Grit Sweet Ones,
Kiersten Homalon
by Kiersten Homalon | Mar 16, 2016 | Learn + Grow
The parents in this generation are in a very unique predicament. We are in a world where vaccines, outbreaks, home births, Surgical births, GMO’s, Naturopathic care, birth defects, Organic food, and reclaiming our right to make educated decisions are on the rise. Yes, many of these are contradictions to themselves; like GMO’s and Organic food both being on the rise, but this is the reality of 2016. It is crucial for parents to rise up and educate themselves to make decisions that they know are suitable for their families. In this interesting time, this is really key in handing down the power of doing research and standing up for what is right to the next generation. This is a movement of empowerment, in many realms.
These are some of the many reasons Colleen Chapman founded the Non- Profit Organization O.H.A.N.A. here on the Island of O’ahu. Her whole drive is to create a “Healthy future for our children and community.” O.H.A.N.A. stands for O’ahu Healthy Agricultural Neighborhood Alliance. The group started just recently in September of 2015 and is still ramping up to add members to the group and solidify their role in the community. Colleen knows that they are passionate about four main points:
- Community
- Health
- Awareness
- Education
Colleen really hopes to spread knowledge with this organization to families on O’ahu and inform them about the reality of Environmental threats, GMO’s, agricultural knowledge that every family should possess and the boldness to stand up for the healthiest and best options for our Island! Colleen lived out this mission by her recent submittal of testament for the HB2564. This bill intended to create a vegetative buffer some between GMO’s crops and schools. This is a solution to something that, honestly, I never even knew was a problem! This just goes to show how powerful it is to have women like Colleen Chapman creating Organizations like O.H.A.N.A. to educate the community on topics that everyone will care about if only they were EDUCATED on these topics!
We cannot sit around and be Naive anymore. Colleen really hopes to make the understanding of these bills and legislative issues easy for the public so that they can play their role in effecting positive change for the next generation and our own, by voting, lobbying, and doing their part within their own neighborhoods. If this is something that you are interested in learning more about, or are well versed in these topics and want to join forces with O.H.A.N.A. Then please Get in touch with Colleen!
To connect with Colleen you can find them on their Facebook page! Also if you do not have this as a Local Resource to you Reach out to Colleen to see what some other options might be for you! She is a wonderful Wealth of Knowledge!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1647724872180007/
With Grit,
Kiersten H.
by Kiersten Homalon | Feb 23, 2016 | Learn + Grow
Kathe and Kaja Gibbs are a mother & daughter duo that serve Oahu women and families in the childbearing years as Licensed Midwives. They offer well-woman’s health care, midwifery care for pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and birth photography/videography! They are passionate about empowering women and creating community amongst mothers. Kathe is a longtime Licensed Midwife who provides Women’s Health Care as well as Home Birth/Birth Home Services to Mothers from the coming-of-age years, through pregnancy and birth, and completion of the childbearing years. Kaja is like-minded and a recent graduate and Licensed Midwife, thrilled to join her mom and live the dream of practicing together. When I had the honor of meeting these women, I was met with open arms and bright eyes! They are undeniably passionate about women reclaiming our right to birth at home, and to do so with a powerfully supportive community behind them!
Kathe has been practicing Midwifery for three decades all over the world, allowing for very unique and diverse experiences. These experiences opened Kathe up to powerful doctrines, educational relationships, experiences and vigor for increasing awareness in women about normal physiologic, instinctual, empowering birth and parenting! In her travels, Kathe learned about women’s health, healing, movement, bodywork therapies, homeopathy, naturopathy, and nutrition. Kathe has attended more than 1,600 out-of-hospital births in her years of practice and there is no sign of her wanting to slow down. Actually, I see an intensity in her and in her daughter
Kaja to continue their work to effect even more change in the birthing world!
Kaja moved to Hawaii to embark on a nursing school path in order to become a CNM. During that time, she became pregnant with her daughter and had an amazing, documented home birth with her mother as her Midwife. That experience reaffirmed to her that becoming a Midwife was what she wanted to do. She began her training in California with her mother for two years, and then completed her training in the State of Washington to receive certification as a CPM, and then on to become a Licensed Midwife. Kaja put her certification to work at a local birthing center, as she and her mother cultivated a big move back to Hawaii.
In my interview with the two, I was impressed by the way they complemented one another and their wealth of knowledge! They had imagined partnering together to support women in their birthing experiences, and now they are thrilled that they are in Hawaii doing just that. Kaja recalled memories of “sitting in the corner of the birthing room” when she was old enough to watch her mother assisting laboring mothers. She knew then that was her inspiration to go down the path to be a Midwife herself! It took several years to get where she is now: with much ‘due diligence’ in education, clinical training, and dedication to this work.
Kathe opened up about her history of becoming a midwife as well! She was actually in the FIRST class in the FIRST state to offer Midwifery Licensure! She was licensed in 1981 in Washington state, and after a move back home to California was among the first midwives to become licensed there. Her wonderful career is blossoming into fulfilling a long-held vision: to create a sanctuary for women, a center for women’s
health care and family wellness…a place to go, receive information, support, share… She mentions that women are very open-minded during pregnancy because they are aiming to do their best in birth and beyond. She feels that this then is the time most ‘ripe’/receptive for education and information.
Just exactly what services do Licensed Midwives provide? What are their education and training? Consumers and professionals alike are confused. It has been studied and proven that midwifery care for women out-of-hospital for the low-risk population, is as safe, if not safer, and is definitely more cost-effective, as well as demonstrates improved statistics on a range of maternal/child health matters. Midwifery care has always existed worldwide, and its resurgence into primary care in the U.S. is yielding fantastic statistics! It’s time to for midwifery care here and now.
This realization inspired Kathe to create the film: “Birth – A Full Circle of Seasons in the Childbearing Year”, which showcases Kaja’s photography. It has the intention of opening women up to the possibilities of safe, sacred, family birth in an out-of-hospital setting. It is not a documentary Kathe claims, rather she describes it as “to be experienced through the senses: eyes, ears, heart, mind, spirit! It is a visual landscape of that transformative year”
Kathe and Kaja are located in the Hawaii Kai area in a beautiful space where women come together to begin building community with events, support circles, film showings and receive personalized family-centered health care. These women are stunningly involved in the community, effecting positive change and passionate about working with women and families.
You can meet these powerful women in person, and view a clip of the film at this summer’s Mama Makeke, June 25, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm at the WAC in Hale’iwa. See you there!
To connect with Kathe and Kaja, please check out their websites:
www.hawaiimidwives.com | www.borntwobirth.com
or email:
Kathe@fullcircle-midwifery.com Kajamadronegibbs@gmail.com
by Kiersten Homalon | Feb 23, 2016 | Family + Relationships
Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii was prompted in 1981 in response to the US Surgeon General’s conference concerning infant mortality. This Organization was a collaboration between: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), The March of Dimes, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), The American Nurses Association (ANA), The National Congress of Parents and Teachers, and The US Public Health Service, to provide families with education for infant and prenatal care! Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai’i (HMHB) is committed to bettering “Hawai’i’s maternal, child and family health through collaborative efforts in public education, advocacy and partner development.”
www.HMHB-Hawaii.org
Lisa Kimura is the Executive Director of HMHB. She has actively been involved for a little more than 3 years now and sees many more years ahead of work with this organization. I met Lisa in the midst of Legislation season, which Lisa admitted is a very busy time for Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, considering they actually lobby for certain bills and are very present at these meetings. Lisa expressed that, “Lobbying is actually really fun.” It’s a great way to effectively meet needs head-on and push for bills and issues that need to be addressed.
Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies is an organization that does a lot of work that the public sees, however, they match that public influence with work that is behind the scenes. One of these flourishing services they offer is their MothersCare Hotline. This is a hotline where women have access to questions concerning ANY of their maternal needs. This includes Breastfeeding (they can actually speak with a CLC), insurance questions, WIC questions, infant safety and care and more. They also have a service that is called Text4Baby. These are weekly developmental education texts concerning infant care. The texts update mothers on important milestones and give information on the stage in which their infant is at according to their age. Educating mothers is their most powerful way to empower mothers to thrive in their role. Providing this service is a multifaceted benefit to families! The United States has the highest infant and maternal mortality rate in the industrialized world, some of the lowest success rates of breastfeeding and breastfeed for significantly shorter periods of time. Why is this? There is absolutely no need for statistics to reflect on this subject so poorly. I believe that this is merely a lack of support and community when it comes to parenting, and I think many would agree. There are so many resources for parents and yet many are not aware of all of the support they could have, especially when wonderful organizations like HMHB are fighting to make these resources known, and accessible for every family regardless of their economic status.
Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies adapted to community needs as the years have progressed. The organization’s main prerogative is still rooted in preventing maternal and infant mortality. Lisa expressed that their mission is “Helping moms welcome babies, and get access to care so that everyone is healthy and happy.” This mission she feels is well accommodated by the multitude of expertise that each of the collaborating organizations has. “Successful breastfeeding underlies everything with HMHB.” Lisa says. The success of a mother is strongly tied to the community around her and the support that she is provided. With that said, breastfeeding also greatly reduces the likelihood of many of the health issues that they aim to prevent, so it is a huge driving force for them!
Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies works to make sure that even in the workplace women are getting the rights and support they need. They also help employers properly accommodate these women with all that they need as a nursing and working mother! A powerful force that is accessible to the women of Hawai’i!
herself is responsible for many things. Some of these things include overseeing all of the programs ran by HMHB, including Legislation, Programs, Media and Outreach efforts. She expressed that the organization is still fairly small and so they all work hard and wear multiple hats in order to fulfill the organization’s needs! There are currently only six people that work for the organization but each of them are “powerhouses” when it comes to effecting positive change in the community! One of the board members is a seasoned midwife as well, which as a birthing professional, really reveals to me the heart of the organization to support families with knowledgeable members. Almost all of them are parents, like Lisa, who is a mother of three. It’s refreshing to see parents wanting to see success and wellness in fellow parents. We are meant to parent and birth in communities, so please reach out to your local resources, there are always classes and people who are passionate about serving you and seeing your family flourish!
If you are in need of support or know of someone who could use these services please check out their website:
www.HMHB-Hawaii.org or contact them directly at
Phone: (808) 737-5805
Email: info@hmhb-hawaii.org
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