In less than a month I will celebrate my 1 year anniversary of arriving in Germany for the first time. I remember back to how I was feeling at this time last year. I was in the midst of raising my financial support, and was not sure if I would be able to arrive on time. Trusting God completely for the "green light" was difficult, but He was faithful and I was able to fly out only a week behind schedule. Since then, my life has been a whirlwind of joy, laughter, learning, tears, trusting, an faith. Thank you for joining me in this journey! I absolutely love knowing that God has pulled together a team of wonderful and faithful people who enable me to live, work, and minister here. You are not only willing to invest financially in what God is going through me, but keep me, my school, and my students in your prayers. You not only see what God is doing, but are actively taking part in making a difference for these children! I strongly believe that you are just as much a part of this ministry as I am, for without you, I wouldn't be here. While I teach and love my students here, you are showing your love from afar. As we approach this year mark, I wanted to give you an honest update about how things are going here, and some information about what this next year will look like.
As you are supporters and friends, I wanted to make you aware of a big change that has happened in my life here. Due to the BFA missionary community being so transient, housing here can get tricky.
There are a limited amount of apartments and
houses for missionaries in the area (small, quaint towns mean fewer housing
options), and every year at this time a "shuffle" occurs. Based on
the fluctuating amount of incoming staff and departing staff, housing becomes
available and housing is also needed. I lived in a 4 bedroom
apartment this past year, and had 3 other roommates. We loved it! The rent was very affordable,
it was big enough for all of us, and was a great place. Unfortunately, 2 of my
roommates have left, and BFA has seized the opportunity to give it to a
family because of the number of rooms. It's completely understandable, but it
meant I had to move.
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| Rachel and I in Basel |
My roommate and friend Rachel (who also
teaches with me at the elementary school) and I decided to live together
again next year, and the apartment we were given by BFA has a higher rent, and
higher utility costs. Also, we will only be sharing the bills between the 2 of us, as opposed to the 4 way sharing we had in our old apartment. The reason I mention this is to inform you of the new
financial need that this creates.
The amount per month that this will require is
about 150 Euros, which translates to $200. This could also be considered the
$200 that would have put me at 100% support last summer, when I was allowed to
come here at only 90%. Much of my support last summer consisted of one-time
gifts, which went into my missionary account and was used to supplement the
donations coming in on a monthly basis, and made up for the fact that I was not
fully 100% supported. What this means, however, is that the total amount in my
account has been going down each month. Honestly, I do not have enough in my
missionary account to cover these additional living costs for another year, and
I humbly ask you to prayerfully consider joining my monthly support team, or giving
another one time financial gift to help supplement the monthly expenses. All I
ask is that you pray, and think about what you might be able to give.
The easiest way to
do this is to donate online through my mission organization, TeachBeyond. The
entire amount donated in my name will go directly into my account with them. There is a link in the right hand column on my main blog page, which will take you directly to the giving page on their website.
Again, thank you
for your continued support, and for your prayers. I continue to pray for you as
well, and that God would bless you as you serve Him where you are.
