Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), Charmaine Vierra
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000143A
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00:01 Stay tuned to meet a woman whose passion
00:02 for children's health can change your child's life. 00:05 My name is Yvonne Lewis 00:07 and you're watching Urban Report. 00:33 Hello and welcome to Urban Report. 00:35 My guest today is Charmaine Vierra, 00:38 Health Evangelist and Author of "Eat More Rainbows. " 00:42 Welcome to Urban Report Charmaine. 00:44 Thank you Yvonne, glad to be here. 00:46 What a blessing it is to have you. 00:48 I'm very blessed. 00:49 You have a really interesting journey, 00:52 let's talk a little bit about your journey 00:54 before we get into your current ministry. 00:57 Tell us about where you grew up. 00:59 Well, my father was in the service 01:01 so I had the privilege and opportunity 01:03 to live all around the world. 01:05 So I've lived on other parts of this universe 01:08 in Europe, in Asia, 01:10 in different parts of the United States 01:12 so it was quite a wonderful experience 01:15 and challenging as well, 01:17 and I believe that God has used that whole experience 01:20 to bring me where I am today. 01:22 Did you grow up in a Christian home? 01:24 Well, I would say, not really 01:31 because my parents weren't consistently 01:34 practicing their faith, but enough to where 01:37 I knew truth from going to church when we did attend church 01:42 and I feel very blessed that when I was fourteen 01:46 I met a lady by the name of Margaret Davis 01:48 who wrote a book, "What Must I Do to Be saved?" 01:51 and she visited our church and explained 01:54 righteousness by faith, Oh... 01:56 and at that point, I really understood 01:58 our message of salvation and the three angels' message 02:02 and I'm very thankful for that. 02:03 So you grew up in the Adventist Church? 02:05 Yeah, Adventist Church. Okay. 02:07 Had a knowledge of the Adventist Faith 02:08 since a little girl and eating clean foods and 02:11 health principles. 02:13 All right, and so that... 02:15 you carried into adulthood with you 02:17 or did you kind of lose sight 02:19 of the health principles for a while? 02:22 I think I need to tell you that I've had Cancer. 02:24 Okay. 02:26 Yeah and maybe that's a good starting point for me 02:28 because I did imbibe many of the health principles 02:33 but got derailed and I was practicing 02:37 some lifestyle things that were really compromising 02:42 my health and my immunity and at the age of 37 02:45 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer 02:47 and I was very surprised because I was working as a 02:51 Certified Fitness Trainer at a Gym 02:54 and it was the furthest thing from my mind, 02:55 I have no familial history of it 02:58 so when I was diagnosed, it was really shocking to me 03:01 and since then I've really come to know that 03:04 our attitudes can affect our health. 03:06 You know that's such a good point, Charmaine, 03:09 because it's not just what we eat, 03:12 it's also our mental state, you know, our attitudes, 03:16 all of that, all of those things 03:19 come into play, so we can't just stress, 03:23 stress is huge, and we can't just say, 03:26 "Well, I didn't eat right so I got Cancer" 03:29 you know, because there are a lot of people who eat well 03:33 but they still get Cancer, so you have to say, 03:36 there are... you have to look at the totality 03:41 of it and say, well there's... there's more than just one thing 03:45 that can cause Cancer. 03:47 That's right and in looking at the whole person 03:49 in my situation, 03:51 there were things that were happening in my life, 03:53 and had happened in my life 03:54 that had really taken its toll on my vital force, 03:57 my immunity, I think of that quote, 04:00 "Nine-tenths of all diseases start in the mind" 04:02 looking back in my childhood and things, 04:06 there were issues that hurt me, affected me, 04:10 and brought upon me, many bad decisions 04:14 and a compromised immune system 04:18 so it wasn't surprising for me that at the age of 37 04:21 and working several jobs and going to school full time 04:23 that... and being a single mother, 04:25 that I was diagnosed with Cancer. 04:28 So you had... and that's another thing that 04:32 people who are watching or listening, 04:36 should know that Cancer is multi-faceted, 04:40 it wasn't just... 04:41 it took a long time to get there, 04:44 so it didn't just happen overnight, 04:46 it happened from... it could be... 04:49 even from your teen years, the stress and 04:53 some of the bad decisions that you're talking about, 04:55 Cancer just doesn't happen overnight. 04:57 Right. It develops... 04:59 It developed and I think too, I want to comment 05:02 on my ethnicity is 05:03 I'm half Black and I'm half White 05:05 and I grew up in some... Biracial... 05:07 yes, and I grew up in some Communities 05:09 that were predominantly White 05:10 and I had experienced at different times... racism, 05:14 so I had some self-hatred going on 05:18 and that really takes a toll on your health 05:21 and your autoimmune system 05:25 and I believe that 05:27 that had something to do with it as well. 05:29 Isn't it sad that oftentimes we live in places... 05:38 there are places that are more accepting 05:40 of interracial relationships and biracial children 05:45 and then there are other places that aren't that accepting 05:48 and isn't it sad that people don't just look at you 05:51 as being just a beautiful person... a beautiful woman, 05:54 physically and emotionally and spiritually, 05:57 and instead, it's like... you're biracial... 06:00 that defines you. 06:02 That defines you and it's sad... it is the way of this world, 06:05 it isn't the way of God's world No. 06:07 and I'm very thankful to the Word of God 06:10 from which I have gained my identity. 06:13 So I hear pain... Hmmm... hmmm... 06:16 pain in your journey, Hmmm... hmmm... 06:18 tell us a bit about what happened. 06:22 Well, I think for me that 06:24 I lacked a relationship with my father 06:27 Your biological father? hmmm... hmmm... 06:30 and I think it's important for women... for girls... 06:33 to have that strength of their father's relationship 06:36 Tremendously... 06:37 and to know their identity and feel confident 06:41 so they don't allow themselves to get into situations 06:45 that are toxic and abusive to themselves. 06:47 So from... as a result of your 06:50 not having a relationship with your dad, 06:53 did you get into an abusive relationship? 06:56 I did. Okay. 06:57 And it's kind of been my journey 06:59 that even though I was very much into health 07:01 from a little girl, you know, 07:03 I haven't drunk a cup of coffee in my life, 07:06 but I made some choices in relationship and... 07:09 Can you share a little bit about that with us? 07:12 It's difficult but I can, I would define myself 07:16 and my journey as co-dependent 07:19 Okay. and just involving myself 07:22 in toxic relationships, I got married at the age of 18 07:25 and I married in the church, 07:28 and I married somebody that was extremely abusive physically 07:32 and mentally 07:33 and from there I moved into another abusive relationship 07:37 and these things... 07:40 I didn't understand it at the time 07:42 that it was my wrong thinking, 07:46 it was my false understanding of true submission in Christ 07:50 how many times I've heard that 07:52 "Wives submit yourselves to your husband" 07:54 I can't even count how many times 07:57 but what does that mean? 07:59 Does that mean that I stay in a relationship 08:01 that is abusive physically to me, 08:04 and mentally to me? and I had to learn, 08:07 I had to grow and understand 08:09 that God places a high value on me 08:12 Hmmm... hmmm... 08:13 and then He has a journey for me 08:15 That's right. 08:17 He has a calling for me and a plan for me 08:20 and I'm not calling women out of marriages 08:23 but I'm calling women to know who they are in Christ. 08:27 Yes, and not to allow themselves to be in a situation 08:32 where their "temples" are abused 08:35 even though we're not calling them out 08:39 to get divorced, per se, 08:41 but we're calling them out from abuse. 08:43 And we're calling them out to be 08:45 who God created them to be. Absolutely. 08:48 And women don't know, 08:49 it's a message that the enemy wishes to keep away from us 08:53 that we don't know who we are in Christ 08:55 or our high value and we esteem ourselves so little 08:59 that we allow this to go on and on and on 09:02 and it will only stop until someone makes a choice 09:06 to make it stop and usually it's the victim. 09:09 And so that is what happened with you? 09:13 That's what happened with me. 09:14 Come one, tell us how you stopped 09:16 because we're going to get into this book 09:19 but I do want people to understand 09:21 how you came to this point, how did you get here, 09:26 so how did you stop the abuse? 09:29 I had to take a look at myself 09:32 as a Christian woman, 09:34 as somebody who has given her heart to God 09:35 why am I repeating these choices? 09:38 Hmmm... good question... 09:40 Why? am I allowing this? 09:42 Why have I lost who I am in a relationship? 09:45 Why don't I know my identity? 09:48 I've become a mirror image of mortal man, 09:52 which is idolatry and image worship 09:56 and so I had to take a good look and dear Brother and Sister 10:02 who now work for the GC, Jerry and Janet Page 10:04 had a ministry, a prayer ministry, 10:05 in Central California Conference and they came to my church 10:08 and when he made an appeal for healing Sister, 10:11 I marched down the aisle and asked for anointing 10:15 for emotional healing, 10:16 I wanted to know why I was that way, 10:19 and I wanted to be healed and freed from them... those desires 10:24 to have someone affirm and validate me so bad 10:27 that I would stay in a situation that was toxic 10:31 and see... God had to turn my eyes 10:34 from the humanly to the heavenly 10:37 Come on now... 10:38 and that's what He's done for me, 10:39 He's redeemed me and He gives me that intimacy 10:43 Isaiah 54:5, "The Lord thy maker is thy husband" 10:47 That's right. and it doesn't in any way 10:49 disparage or demean our husbands but He tells us 10:53 there is a higher calling upon our bodies. 10:56 Absolutely, and He never intended for us to be abused 11:02 on any level, we are to be cherished 11:05 as the weaker vessel, we are to be loved 11:08 and cherished and the whole idea of submission is 11:10 not to make oneself a doormat 11:13 but to... you actually wish to submit to each other 11:17 it's wiser to submit to each other, 11:20 and we're to... both submit to the Lord 11:22 That's right. so, God gave you that question, 11:26 planted that in your spirit, 11:28 and then, you went up and God anointed 11:32 and that's changed your life, didn't it? 11:35 Well it wasn't magic, it didn't happen overnight, 11:38 it has still been a process Hmmm... 11:41 and Sister, I still believe I'm on it 11:43 it's a daily thing of acknowledging who I am 11:47 in Christ, and coming to Him, 11:48 and asking Him to heal me and reveal those things in me 11:51 Hmmm... and He's doing it. 11:54 Amen. Praise God He's doing it 11:56 and I am able to share my testimony around the world 11:58 and I have not only women come forward, 12:01 but I have men come forward thanking me 12:03 because Sister, this is happening 12:05 in many of our Christian homes within our church. 12:08 Yes. There's verbal abuse, 12:09 there's physical abuse, there's oppression 12:11 and God will not have it so. 12:14 I'm so thankful that you are a voice 12:17 for women who are going through this 12:20 and you're also a voice for children with health, 12:24 how did you get into the whole children's health movement? 12:29 Well, that will probably be a whole 'nother show 12:32 I can't tell my whole story but I can tell you 12:36 it's a leap of faith, just a leap of faith 12:39 and God's leading and how He opened the door for me 12:42 to step into health ministry, 12:44 I was working in Corporate Health 12:47 and through all my trauma and these toxic relationships 12:50 and raising my kids and I've made mistakes Sister 12:53 you can imagine these things have had an affect 12:56 on my children, but God has blessed... anyway 12:59 He has redeemed the time, Yes. 13:02 He has opened doors for me to minister years ago, 13:04 to step out in faith in my church and be funded 13:07 to work full time in ministry, Health Ministry... 13:10 and I went and I got a certification 13:14 as a "Food for Life" Instructor 13:16 through Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine 13:19 it's a Secular Organization in our Nation 13:22 that really promotes plant-based food 13:25 Hmmm... and cooking classes 13:26 and they have an application process... I was chosen 13:29 and I went to Washington, D.C. and they trained me, 13:31 well I've used this program around the world, 13:34 but it's a secular program and I thought to myself 13:38 you know, we have a blessed program 13:41 "in our health message" Hmmm... yes we do. 13:44 our three angels' message in that right arm 13:46 and we have a blessed message of hygiene, 13:48 cleansing on the outside, cleansing on the inside, 13:51 and so, as my husband, Danny Vierra, 13:54 and I travel and speak, with Modern Manna Ministries 13:57 I decided, I want to put together 13:59 my own program for the children that really incorporates 14:03 our eight Laws of Health, those free doctors 14:06 that puts that pioneer message of natural hygiene 14:09 together in a way that children that can understand 14:12 as well as our gospel message and it's green 14:15 because it talks about conservation 14:17 and how children can be good stewards of the earth 14:20 so, I just praise God that He has opened this door 14:22 for me that I am going around 14:24 I just got back from England where I did it there 14:26 with the children over there in England 14:28 and it was wonderful to see the children learning 14:30 and they're soaking in like a sponge. 14:33 Yes and they can apply these things, 14:35 this wonderful booklet or book, "eat more rainbows" 14:40 we have a great picture of it on your screen 14:43 "eat more rainbows" where did that title come from? 14:47 I feel like God gave it to me, 14:49 I really don't feel like it's any of my brilliance, 14:51 He put a wonderful team together 14:53 I call the "Green Team" in the back of the book 14:55 that you can see, but God just gave it to me, 14:58 He put it in my mind, 14:59 I was thinking of the acronym, "Newstart," 15:01 and how can I transform that, eight laws of health, 15:05 how can I transform that 15:07 into something that children can really remember? 15:11 and God gave me "rainbows" so, rest, activity, in control, 15:16 nutrition, belief, oxygen, water, sunshine. 15:20 I love it, so rainbows is an acronym. 15:23 It's an acronym and not only do we play on 15:26 eating your rainbows, but we can talk about 15:28 incorporating the eight laws of health as a rainbow, 15:31 and then, of course, I want people to know 15:33 the rainbow is around the throne of God. 15:36 It's a blessed promise that when we come to God in faith 15:40 and we're repentant, that He accepts us 15:43 through the blood of the Lamb. 15:45 Amen. So it's a gospel message, 15:46 a three angels' message 15:48 that's packed in these little pages here. 15:50 And this is powerful, I was looking through this 15:53 when I got it in the mail, I thought, "This is wonderful" 15:58 it's got puzzles and activities and recipes 16:02 and all these great things, and it teaches about the Sabbath 16:07 this is a wonderful witnessing tool for young people who... 16:11 little children who don't know about the Lord, 16:14 this is a great way to introduce them to Jesus. 16:18 Amen. And then they have, you know, 16:20 like when kids are bored in church or something, 16:23 they can do this while, maybe I shouldn't say that 16:26 because pastors might not like that too much, 16:28 but this is so... quiet time... 16:31 let's forget doing it in church, 16:34 let's do it at quiet times at home 16:37 and when you are trying to impart 16:40 certain lessons to your children, 16:43 this is a marvelous tool for that 16:46 so what a blessing, what a blessing. 16:50 And I'm hoping that parents are going to read it 16:52 and be blessed by it too. 16:54 Oh yes, well, let's put up an address 16:56 where they can order it because we really want them 17:00 to be able to order this book, 17:03 Eat More Rainbows, PO Box 822, Victor, CA 95253 17:11 or you can call, area code 209-482-1631 17:16 or go to the website: eatmorerainbows. com 17:22 let's go through this one more time. 17:24 PO Box 822, Victor, CA 95253 17:30 or call area code 209-482-1631 17:35 or just go to the website: eatmorerainbows. com 17:40 and you can order this wonderful book 17:43 and get this book from Chef Charmaine. 17:46 So, are you... you're traveling around 17:49 and tell us some of the experiences 17:52 that you've been having as you travel with this ministry. 17:55 Well, I'm excited to tell you when I was in England, 17:58 many of the children coming from the area 18:02 were so excited just to be encouraged by some 18:06 "real-life living" kind of recipes that I did 18:11 when I was over there, they were excited about the 18:13 Carob Mousse made of avocados, and the Rainbow Living Pizza, 18:18 so what I like to do with children 18:20 is not focus so much on the negatives 18:22 but really, to uplift the positive 18:24 of eating your colors and incorporating 18:27 as many raw and living colors into your food as possible. 18:30 Tell our Viewers why that is important 18:34 why eating your colors, 18:36 why is eating your colors important? 18:38 I'd like to tell you my little narrator in the book is Joe Cell 18:41 now Joe Cell will take you on a journey through the book 18:45 and he talks about how these are things 18:47 affect him on a cellular level 18:49 so how the phytochemicals, 18:51 those things in the food that give color 18:54 protect him from diseases such as Cancer and Heart Disease 18:58 and so it's important for us to eat our colors because 19:02 God has put those things in the plant to protect the plant 19:05 and when we eat them, they protect us 19:08 so if we can get these foods in a fun, colorful way 19:12 before our children while they're young, 19:14 how much better, as we teach them these things, 19:17 that they will continue with them throughout a lifetime 19:20 and that is my goal to get to them 19:23 while their hearts are soft 19:24 so that they will really be impressed 19:27 and want to carry those things through a lifetime 19:30 because Jesus is coming Amen. 19:32 and we want clear minds and clean bodies 19:34 so that we can hear God's voice and have Him sanctify us. 19:38 Yes, and we want to start with our children 19:42 we don't want them to wait until they're teenagers 19:45 or beyond, to impart these lessons to them 19:49 because then... their health habits have been 19:52 pretty much entrenched 19:54 so you really want to get them while they're young 19:57 and teach them, "Train up children 19:59 in the way they should go, 20:01 so when they're old, they will not depart from it. " 20:02 Train them up with good health principles 20:06 and that's what this book does. 20:08 What's the age group covered by this book? 20:11 Well this book, I would say would be 20:13 from about seven to twelve, maybe... 20:15 second through fifth grade but the idea was this... 20:19 was that it's a curriculum 20:21 Hmmm... and I want leaders to use it 20:26 and in fact I have this little logo here, "More" 20:29 M O R E, it's an acronym for "Mom's Organized for Raw Eating" 20:33 and my logo is a rainbow with a bite out of it, 20:36 and so, I want moms to collectively 20:38 whether it's our Women's Departments 20:41 in our churches or women's groups in the Community, 20:44 meet-up groups, 20:46 but moms have a special influence on our children 20:49 God has called us to influence our children 20:53 in ways of eating and meal planning and these things 20:55 and so I really want mothers to get out there 20:59 and get these kids together, and use this as a tool 21:02 and walk them through these principles 21:04 introduce the recipes to them, and get them involved 21:08 so that they will imbibe these habits over a lifetime. 21:11 Absolutely, and making the recipes with your children 21:15 is also... it's such a great way to 21:17 number one create memories, 21:19 Yes. number two... 21:20 because that's super important 21:22 creating memories with your children 21:24 number two, giving them the right nutrition 21:27 that's going to help them in school, 21:29 that's going to help them to control themselves, 21:32 because they won't be jumping off the walls, 21:34 bouncing off the walls from too much sugar 21:36 so this is just... this is wonderful. 21:38 Let's talk a little bit about some of the principles here 21:42 like rest, for example, 21:44 Why is getting enough rest important for children? 21:48 While I think most children need about 8 to 10 hours, 21:52 and many of them aren't getting that 21:53 in fact, I asked the children in England, 21:55 "How many of you have had 21:57 at least eight hours of sleep last night?" 22:00 not many of them had, they'd been up at midnight 22:03 and they're watching TV and there are many devices out there 22:06 electronic devices to keep our kids lying in bed, 22:09 and playing games on their phones and what not 22:12 so our children aren't getting enough sleep 22:15 but this is important because 22:16 that's when their growth hormone is released 22:18 and that's when the body repairs and grows and so 22:21 we really want to encourage our children 22:23 but better than demanding or commanding that you go to bed, 22:27 wouldn't it be so much better to engage them 22:30 in the process of "why" Hmmm... hmmm... 22:32 so they'll want to go to bed 22:34 because they know it's really good for them 22:35 and they're going to grow and they're going to be 22:36 stronger and happier. 22:38 Good, very good, what about "activity?" 22:41 Activity, that's a fun one isn't it? 22:44 Yeah, that's a good one. 22:45 Children like to be active but we're seeing 22:47 a generation that is more sedentary 22:49 they're on these iPhones, they're on these iPads, 22:52 they're watching TV, they're eating fast food 22:55 and sitting at home, and that's not doing very well. 22:59 In my State 38 percent of the children 23:01 are either overweight or obese 23:03 Hmmm... and so we're seeing some 23:04 really frightening chronic diseases in little children 23:09 because of these lifestyle choices 23:11 so it's important to get them out 23:12 for at least 30 minutes to an hour a day 23:14 moving and getting some exercise 23:16 and getting your heart rate up. 23:18 Exercise is so critical for so many different things, 23:23 the older I get, the more I realize 23:25 that you have to keep moving, 23:28 if you slow down and stop moving, 23:31 everything kind of rusts, I mean, it's just like... 23:34 so you have to keep moving but it's so important 23:37 to give our kids 23:39 that sense of the importance of activity 23:42 of moving... keep that body moving 23:44 because obesity is huge in this Society 23:47 in our culture here, obesity is just huge 23:50 and if we don't get a handle on it early 23:53 it can just destroy, so that activity 23:57 is a critical thing, one more, 23:58 what about "being in control?" 24:00 In control, that's a neat topic in there 24:03 gratitude verses "battitude" Hmmm... 24:05 and being in control of your temper 24:08 as well as your eating habits and your lifestyle choices. 24:12 It is very important to motivate our children to 24:14 be sanctified, to allow the Holy Spirit in 24:17 so I talk in there about the Word of God as affirmation 24:21 to be able to overcome thoughts that are negative 24:25 as I was telling you, self-hatred, 24:27 how do we overcome that stuff? 24:28 We overcome it by the Word of God 24:30 and repeating those truisms to ourselves 24:33 and out loud that change our thoughts and 24:36 ultimately our behavior. 24:37 And our thoughts are connected to our immunity 24:43 That's right. 24:45 and a lot of people... they don't really know that 24:47 but if we have negative thoughts 24:49 our immune systems are compromised 24:52 and we have a tendency to get sick 24:55 Right. so we keep that immunity up 24:57 and one of the ways to do that 24:59 is with positive thoughts, that's why the Bible says, 25:02 "Whatsoever things are pure... " you know, 25:04 "think on these things... " 25:06 because pure thoughts and 25:08 things that are holy and just and happy thoughts... 25:12 these things can help us to get well 25:15 and the Lord knew that because He created us. 25:18 And I have a puzzle in there for children, in fact, 25:20 that has them figuring out 25:22 the lungs... when you're sad... they weaken 25:27 so each of the organs of the body 25:29 and how those emotions direct those... 25:32 negative emotions directly affect that organ of the body 25:35 Isn't that amazing? 25:36 so they can learn that by their attitude, 25:39 they can promote their health and have healthier bodies. 25:42 Oh, that's great, this is such a great book 25:45 I encourage you to get this book 25:49 to contact Charmaine and get this book 25:52 and have it in your Sabbath School classes 25:55 you can have it and go through it, 25:57 at the end of the class, you know, 25:59 they can go through one of these lessons 26:01 and really work with the young people 26:04 to teach them, the children, 26:06 to teach them, because children are neglected 26:09 with their health, we promote health with adults 26:12 but not so much our children. 26:15 Look into your camera there and if you would 26:19 say a few words to that mother, we have like one minute 26:22 to say... to mothers... 26:25 I want to tell you you have a high calling 26:28 and there is much hope, 26:30 God has given us a blessed health message 26:33 and He wants us to be the head not the tail 26:36 so I encourage you to be of good cheer 26:39 get the resource that God has blessed me with 26:42 and share it with your children and your homeschool groups 26:45 and your communities and your churches 26:47 and allow God to teach your children 26:50 that their bodies are the temple of the most High God 26:52 and they have great value in His sight. 26:55 That is so great, that is so great, 26:57 I'm so thankful that God brought you here, 27:00 and I'm thankful that He gave you the idea, 27:04 the inspiration to write this book 27:08 Praise God. because we really need it 27:11 and I thank you for sharing your journey 27:14 and your transparency with us, 27:16 we really appreciated it, there's somebody out there 27:19 that needs to hear what you've been through 27:22 and is indeed going through what you've been through 27:26 and you already let them know they have value. 27:29 Thank you my Sister. 27:31 It's been a privilege and an honor. 27:33 Thank you... for me too, I'm glad you've been here 27:35 and thank you so much for joining us, 27:39 don't hesitate to really look at yourself 27:42 and to say, "I have value, God has a plan for me, 27:46 I'm not here by happenstance, I'm here by divine design 27:51 God has called me to do something special." 27:54 Thank you so much for joining us, 27:57 join us next time, because you know what? 28:00 It just wouldn't be the same without you. |
Revised 2015-12-09