coffee cupdate

If we were to sit down for a cup of coffee I'd have a lot to tell you.

First, we might be sad about the fact that this could be my last Tuesday in America as I am scheduled to return to Germany next Monday. You might ask me where my support stands and I would share with you that I have hit 70%, which means I still need about $600 in monthly support before being cleared to fly.

I'd tell how excited I am to be returning to Germany soon, but that I'm also kind of bummed to leave. I'd confess that this summer has been pretty lonely in terms of friendships, and that even though I've gotten to spend a good chunk of time with my mom nursing her back to health after her foot surgery, I've not spent hardly any time with people my own age. I'd tell you how suddenly, people have been coming out of the woodwork wanting to see me before I leave and now I'm stressed out because I want to see them all but I have no time left.

I'd tell you how awesomely supportive my grandma is. I might show you a bag full of school supplies like Post-Its, gluesticks, etc. that she collected for me to take back to Germany, and then laugh as I tell you that she called me today from Target excited about even more things she'd found for me to take back!

What would you tell me?

hello monday

Hello Monday. You may be the last full Monday of the summer that I spend in America! I hope you bring a Tuesday and a Wednesday and a Thursday full of blessings as I try to raise the last bit of support I need to get back to Germany.

Hello yard sale goods. Thanks to Dad's very generous friend you are going to make this weekend's final yard sale a huge event. I hope the people in my neighborhood will not be as cheap this time around and be willing to pay reasonable prices, rather than heckle me into selling everything for a quarter.

Hello solitude. Now that Mom finally got to go back to work after four weeks of recovery following her foot surgery, I am home alone. Good thing I have a yard sale to prepare and a suitcase to pack.

Hello new followers! I have been noticing my GFC follower count rise ever so slightly over the past few weeks and I hope you decide to introduce yourself and stick around!

Hello new monthly supporters! Since yesterday's update TWO more states were claimed for $20 each. Now that I am one week from departure, I'll be posting daily support updates. Join me in praying that the funds come in quickly!! If you want to get involved, visit TeachBeyond's website to sign up for monthly support today.

What do you say hello to today?

50 states of support: week four update

This week has been the most fruitful week yet in terms of people expressing interest and committing to becoming monthly supporters! EIGHT states were claimed on the map, bringing the total up to 15. I am scheduled to leave one week from tomorrow, so please join me in praying that the rest of the support would come in quickly and that I don't have to delay my flight. If you're thinking about becoming a monthly supporter yourself, please take a minute right now to visit the TeachBeyond website, read about your options, and sign up. Then, shoot me an email letting me know that you did! (Because I won't get another support update from TB until Friday)

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
{Philippians 4:19}

five things friday

{1}Have you seen this hilarious new Bob Ross music video? It's pretty awesome.

{2} In case you missed the excitement on Facebook last night, some of my "these three remain" necklaces are currently up for grabs at a discounted price (almost $5 off + free shipping) at the Framed Frosting Christmas in July MEGA Shopping Event. There are only six left at the discounted price - so hop over to Danielle's Facebook page and scroll down until you see it... claim yours before they disappear!

 

{3} I'm becoming more and more trendy the longer I am living in America ... I think it's time for me to get back to Germany before I do any more damage!! I joined Pinterest last week - mainly for teaching ideas and resources. And now several people are telling me I also need to join Twitter. What is your opinion of Twitter? Do you use it? Do you despise it? Should I get one?


{4} I'm obsessed with braids. They are a fabulous way to keep my bangs (which I haven't decided yet whether to cut or keep growing) out of my eyes, and the perfect way to deal with second-day hair. Honestly, do you think I wash all this hair EVERYDAY?! So this week on Facebook I threatened to chop off ALL my hair, and the response was pretty evenly-sided. Some were adament that I do it because, "Hair grows back" and others were determined to convince me otherwise because my hair is beautiful (aww, thanks!) and according to one friend, "Tall girls need long hair." <--That was my favorite argument!! Again, what do you think? Should I cut it? Should I keep it?  Should I dye it hot pink? (I'm seriously considering that last one...)

{5} I am down to just a little over a week until my scheduled departure to Germany, and as I write this post there is still a long way to go in terms of support raising. I am struggling with communicating the urgency of my need, and I'm struggling with the steady stream of rejection. One might think that it would get easier over time to hear no after no after no, but the opposite is true for me. Each one stings worse than the one before. However, I have to remember that this is not a personal issue - people are not saying no to me, they are saying no to God. I am not here to judge, but I do have a tendency to take things very personally, so I have to keep my perspective in check otherwise hearing all these no's would send me straight into depression!! And despite all those no's, there are quite a few people who have joined my support team for the very first time this summer and I am so thankful for their obedience and willingness to give. If you would like to join them and me on this adventure of discipling the nations (aka, my world-travelling students), please visit TeachBeyond's website today and sign up.

nesting

You know how women getting ready to have a baby will go through the "nesting" thing, where they want to get everything in order for baby's arrival? Well, I think teachers also get the urge to nest. Right now I am dying to work on my classroom and begin preparing for the school year, but there is not much I can do when my classroom and teaching materials are on another continent. I have never had the time to truly prepare for a school year the way I would like to; my first job was taken after the year had already started, and I've spent the last four summers raising support instead of focusing on my actual role of teaching. So, you can imagine my frustration when I start pinning ideas on Pinterest and start getting inspired with project ideas and decorating ideas and start thinking through the list of tasks I will need to accomplish before the new school year begins... and know I can't do anything but write it down and hope that I find my to-do list when the time comes.

The good news is that I am going into my fourth year of teaching 7th and 8th grade science so I have the courses pretty much mapped out and prepared. But I am taking on a brand new class this year - 6th grade science. I know nothing about physical science, but three years ago I knew nothing about the other science classes I taught, either. So I will learn, even if I do just stay one step ahead of the kids all year.

In the meantime, I will continue to dream about what I will do when I finally make it back to Germany and am able to get back into my classroom. I will also continue to stock up on cheap supplies like cute erasers, Expo markers, and glue sticks, since Wal-Mart does not exist in Germany.

Christmas in July SUPER SALE!

Take advantage of the one-day Christmas in July Super Sale to get ahead on your Christmas shopping and help get me back to BFA on time! Go shopping now!!

coffee cupdate

If we were to sit down for a cup of coffee, I'd have a lot to tell you.

I'd begin by giving you an update on my support situation, as that seems to be all I can think about these days. I'd tell you that I am less than two weeks away from my scheduled departure date but that at this point I am still in need of over $500 in monthly support before I will be cleared to fly. I would ask you to prayerfully consider how you can get involved if you haven't already done so, and I would ask you to pray for me, that I would find the people God is directing to give, and that I would continue to find peace in Him.

I'd share with you what a blessing it has been to spend time with friends who truly "get" why I do what I do. I'd admit that sometimes I feel like I have to justify myself to so many people (see this article on missionaries and "guiltitude") and that it's refreshing to be with people who are not only 110% supportive of what I am doing, but truly "get" the bigger picture, that life is about more than making money and following rules!

I'd tell you that I am really excited to have sold so much jewelry in the past few weeks that my shop started to look super sparce! I'd show you some pictures of new pieces I've been adding to the shop, and explain that now that I've had some time to figure out my "style", I'm concentrating on personalizing my "signature" pieces by adding lots of new color choices. I'd ask if you know anyone getting married anytime soon, because I am itching to decorate another set of bridesmaids and contribute to someone's special day!

What would you tell me??

hello monday

Hello Monday. You're not so scary in the summertime, when I don't actually have to go to work. But, you are scary when I think that in only two more Mondays I am supposed to leave again for Germany but I still don't have enough monthly supporters enabling to go. Would you help me get back to BFA by becoming a monthly supporter?

Hello SweetFrog. I will be seeing you again tonight and you will be delicious.

Hello new necklaces! I am so thankful for a "boom" in jewelry sales over the past few weeks and am excited to now be offering my handmade signature pieces in lovely new colors. Check out my shop this week because new items will be added everyday! And watch my Facebook page for a special Christmas in July sale taking place on the 25th!!

Hello family. It has been so wonderful to spend quality time with my extended family while in America, especially while playing Ticket to Ride.

50 states of support: week three update

After the disappointment of not gaining any new monthly supporters last week, I am excited to share with you that this week has brought progress! FIVE new states were filled in this week and I am blessed to have gained $100 in monthly support. Join me in both praising God for this blessing, and asking Him to continue to move in the hearts of those yet to give.

I am scheduled to return to Germany TWO weeks from tomorrow, but I MUST be 100% fully funded in order to board the plane. God is faithful, and He will meet all my needs. Remember that he works through his people, and I can't just ask God to give me a money tree ... I have to ask YOU to consider giving so that I can continue in my service at BFA. Please pray about how you can get involved, and if you know you can't contribute financially please share this need with your friends!

Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement that has brought me this far and will carry me through till the end!

If you have decided to join me on this adventure by supporting me on a monthly basis, please visit the TeachBeyond website for instructions on how to get started.

 

The Challenge Ends!

The 30-Day Spare Change Challenge officially ends tomorrow! If you have been saving up your spare change, thank you so much for your willingness to support me and the work that I do at BFA. One family in Greencastle has already given me their coin jar, so I went ahead and took that plus another cash gift to the bank, but I ran into a problem in that the tellers wouldn't take coins that weren't rolled. I was a bit surprised (it's been so long since I have actually interacted with American bank tellers) because the German banks will take anything - even other currencies! So, here are a few suggestions in case you have been saving up your coins for the challenge and plan to head to the bank tomorrow.

{1} If you have enough coins to roll, you might want to do this before going to the bank. If you need wrappers, most banks will provide them free of charge.

{2} If you don't have enough to roll and the bank won't accept it, try Coinstar. They have coin counting machines in many grocery stores that count your coins and give you a voucher which you cash in at the register. Be aware that there is a fee of approximately 10% (9.8 cents per dollar) to utilize this service.

{3} After you've totaled it up, make your check out to TeachBeyond and mail it with this form to:

TeachBeyond

PO Box 6248

Bloomingdale, IL 60108

*Be sure to note on your form that your gift is specifically for the ministry of Rachel Bertschi.

{4} Don't let the fun stop here! If you are looking for a way to introduce your children to supporting missions, you can have them fill up their jar each month and then write the check for them.

Again, thank you so much for your willingness to support me and the work that I do at BFA. If you have been collecting coins this month, I hope you have enjoyed seeing the jar fill and knowing that you are a blessing to me!

student guest post: meet sophie

Today I want to introduce you to one of my former students. I have had the privilege of teaching Sophie for three years - for math in sixth grade, then for science in seventh and eighth grade. She actually came to me on the first day of math class as a sixth grader and said, "I really really really like math, so do you think you could give me extra homework??" Who says that?! Sophie does! It has been a huge blessing watching her learn and grow over the past three years, and today she is going to share with you a little of her experience at BFA.

Reading Sophie's 8th grade tribute at the award ceremony

My name is Sophie and I am 14 years old. I live in Basel, Switzerland and take the school bus to BFA for school. I have two sisters, one a senior and one in second grade. We chose BFA because we wanted to go to a Christian school and we all love being in a school where we are supported and can grow in our faith! Our family moved here three years ago and I hope to stay until I graduate. We are American, but I was born in England and have moved around because of my father’s job. I may not be a missionary, like many of the other students at BFA, but I am very grateful to be able to go to school where I am fully encouraged to have a relationship with Christ as well as advance in my academics.

Sophie and the other girls I've had for three years

When you support me financially, you are supporting the ministry of BFA and helping to provide a quality international Christian education for hundreds of students just like Sophie and her sisters. Please prayerfully consider how you can make an investment in the future by supporting me at BFA.