The TeachBeyond Family

Let me introduce you to the TeachBeyond New Staff!
(click on the photo for larger view)

I'm home from a great week at TeachBeyond new staff orientation, where I was challenged and encouraged through seminar sessions, conversations, and times of worship.  I'm more excited than ever to be serving with TeachBeyond, an organization committed to transformational education services, while I teach at Black Forest Academy!  Here are some highlights:

~ I'm an I and a C.  I'm an unusual combination of "influencer" and "conscientious" in the DiSC personality profile.  Basically that means that I like to talk (big surprise) and organize (even bigger surprise).  It was neat to reflect on how to use these traits for God's glory and work well with others who have different strengths.

~ How do you recycle in Germany?!  Things in Germany are going to be different -- not better or worse than America, but different.  Sometimes there will be challenge and frustration, but the Lord can use these experiences out of my "comfort zone" to stretch and grow me!

~ Transition is coming.  The session that impacted me the most was a discussion on the five stages of transition, from full involvement in one culture to complete involvement in another.  I'm both thrilled and nervous about the changes ahead.  Above all, I know that God will bless me as I pursue deeper relationship with His people (my students, fellow staff, neighbors) and embrace the unknown.

I look forward to sharing life in Germany with my two apartment-mates,

Brittany (left) and Jennifer (center)!

"Therefore, in dependence upon God, we dedicate ourselves to His work, desiring to please Him in the knowledge that He who has called us also will help us.  We rely on the Spirit of God to lead and empower us.  We go with the assurance of His promise never to leave us or forsake us.  We go determined to serve the Lord with gladness."

I have my ticket!!!

I am at TeachBeyond orientation in Minneapolis, MN, this week.  We have had sessions on big picture ideas (TeachBeyond's vision, Christian education), as well as details (finances, paperwork).  It has been really neat to hear the testimonies of the other TeachBeyond members, too.

AND I HAVE MY PLANE TICKET!

I will be leaving Philadelphia on Wednesday, July 28, flying through London Heathrow (hoping all my bags make it through there!) on to Basel, Switzerland.  It is so exciting to have a departure date set!

Thank you to those of you who have committed to being financial and prayer partners with me as I prepare to go to BFA.  I still have a little ways to go to be at 100% support, but I am so grateful to be at this point.

Please pray with me, too, for my friends here at training who are still below 50%.  They are wonderful servants of the Lord who so desire to be on the field in the next few months.  Pray for a mighty act from the Lord to provide the financial resources for them to be able to go.

More info about training and pictures coming soon!
Heather Joy

Patience. Training. Praise!

PATIENCE.  This morning I had my first "stick shift" driving lesson, which was quite interesting.  After countless jerky starts, I managed a few smooth ones.  :)  I also got it all the way to third gear in the parking lot!  I'd say that's an accomplishment with a LONG way to go.  Thank you, Mrs. Ames, for having patience with me!!  I'm looking forward to more lessons!

TRAINING.  Tomorrow I leave for TeachBeyond New Staff Orientation in Minnesota.  I'm really excited for the opportunity to meet people and learn a lot!  I would greatly appreciate your prayers while I am at this training week (June 19-26).

Please pray that I would:
- make good use of my time at training
- connect well with the TB staff members
- be open to what God is teaching me
- feel equipped for the final preparations that will happen when I get home!

PRAISE: I'm now over 80% support!  This means that I am able to purchase my plane ticket to Germany and am officially GOING!  I am so thankful that He has provided in this huge way.  I am continuing to pray for financial partners for the rest of my budget.

"Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me.  I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue."  Psalm 66:16-17

A New Way to JOIN the Journey!

I would like to introduce you to Burgunderstraße 7!  The middle floor of this house will be my home for the next 2 years.  Jennifer, Brittany, and I will be apartment-mates with 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, a living area, and a kitchen.  We have been blessed to communicate with the current renters (BFA staff who are coming back to the USA) and are purchasing almost all of the furniture that is currently in the apartment.  It's a win-win situation -- they won't have to move it out, and we won't have to find all the items and move them in!

(Above: The house from the front -- our level has a balcony!)

(Below: the amazing view!)

Today I am excited to launch a NEW way that you can JOIN me on this journey to BFA.  If you are interested in giving a one-time gift toward my ministry, check this out...

Adopt-an-Item!

Want to know where your money’s going?

Here’s a new way to contribute that’s as easy as 1-2-3!

1.      Select an item or items from the list below.

2.      Comment on this blog post or send me an email to “reserve” that item.

3.      Write a check to TeachBeyond with the listed amount (in dollars!) and complete the top portion of this form.  Send both to TeachBeyond at the address on the form.

I will put a note on the item
you choose to adopt

as a reminder to pray for you
when I use it!

Forever Faithful

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to share a testimony at the ministry celebration/business meeting at my home church, Grace Point.  I shared how God had used the church to help me come to this point: amazing opportunities for growth in the children's and youth programs, youth missions to Italy that focused on relational ministry, teaching opportunity at Camp Tel Hai last summer, and sponsorship to go to the Urbana missions conference in St. Louis.

I also shared with the GO (Global Outreach) mission team at Grace Point on Tuesday evening.  It was really neat to tell the story of my calling to this ministry from the beginning of my senior year to now -- from a place of confusion and uncertainty to one of confidence and trust.  With the approval of the GO team, Grace Point will be my "sending" church, supporting me financially and in prayer.

When I take time to remember what God has done and trace His handiwork in the fabric of my life, I am amazed and compelled to praise Him!  I challenge you to do the same... we aren't able to see all that is to come, but we CAN see how He has shaped, redeemed, and directed our pasts.  May we rest in the knowledge that He is forever faithful!

Incredible Views

Greetings from the Seattle airport!  I am on my way home to Newtown after a week and a half of family vacation in Alaska!  It was a great time to be away and intentionally spend time together.  Although we had some early mornings, I enjoyed sleeping in late a few times on the cruise.  When did I last get 11 hours of sleep in one night?!

At each one of our Alaskan ports, we had amazing (and atypical!!) weather… 80 degrees and sunny!  We were able to try a lot of new things that got me out of my comfort zone: ATVing in Denali National Park, canoeing to the base of the Davidson glacier, riding behind an Iditarod team at a summer sled dog camp, and ziplining in the rainforest canopy.  When I got my gear/sat down/got clipped in, what else could I do but GO?!  And I was really glad I did.  The views were incredible and the experiences unforgettable!

In a way, these excursions are like the new stage of life to which God has led me.  There are new people, places, and opportunities ahead of me.  Sometimes I feel like I’m way out of my comfort zone in preparing to live on my own in another country with people I hardly know!  But, what else am I to do but EMBRACE this new calling?!  I know I’ll be glad I did.  There are exciting and rewarding benefits to following God’s leading.  Maybe not breathtaking views of national parks or extraordinary wildlife, but most certainly evidence of His faithfulness and continued guidance.

The bald eagles soaring over our cruise ship in Alaska reminded me of God’s promise to strengthen His people: “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31).

I can’t wait to see the incredible views.

Your Going Out and Coming In

The past week has been so full!  Here are some highlights:

-- My friend Kim and I completed our grant project and were officially awarded all of money requested!  We created a program entitled City 2 City (C2C) Classroom Connect, which is designed to expand the horizons of students around the world using videoconferencing technology.  The money we received from the grant will go towards purchasing web cams for pilot classrooms, obtaining a membership for a Ning network web site, and paying for copyright fees.  I am really excited to see where this program goes from here, especially since my classroom will be one of pilot classes!

-- I had almost a whole week between the end of finals and graduation day to enjoy time with friends and wrap things up at Grove City.  I have done a number of fun things… baked 4 batches of cookies with my roommate, went to a Pirates game, enjoyed delicious food at the senior class dinner, led an informal worship night, and took lots of photos on a photo shoot with my closest friends.

-- I graduated from Grove City College on Saturday, May 15, under a beautiful sunny sky!  It was a perfect way to celebrate four wonderful years at GCC.  Although there were many bittersweet goodbyes, I am overwhelmed by God's goodness and continual blessing during my college years.

Throughout finals, the Lord kept leading me back to the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 121-134), with an emphasis on the peace and strength found in Him.  I would encourage you to read all of those rich Psalms, but here are two passages that were particularly meaningful to me:

"The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand... the Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.  The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore." 121:5,7-8  As I prepared to leave GCC, this was a comfort that the Lord would continue to guide my steps.  In preparation for Germany, this is again a powerful reminder that HE is in control about my "going out" and "coming in."

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep." 127:1-2  This passage reminds me of the importance of using each moment for Christ's sake... but not obsessing about working 24/7.  The Lord gives us rest and strengthens us to do His work well.  May we never labor in vain, but rather through His strength and for His glory!

Willing to give it up?

This morning was bittersweet, as it was my last time at Sandy Lake Wesleyan Church for awhile (until December 19 -- after Crista and Jon's wedding!).  This church has been so welcoming to my friends and me ever since we began attending in the fall of sophomore year.  I am so thankful for the prayers and encouragement from the pastoral staff and my Adult Bible Fellowship.

God used the sermon this morning from a familiar story (the Rich Young Man in Mark 10) to challenge me to evaluate my priorities. In this passage, Jesus points out the rich young man's obsession with possessions and invites the man to follow Him.  Likewise, Jesus is calling each of us to lay aside the things that we value more than Him.  Lately, I've been convicted about the amount of time I spend with my friends versus reading the Bible and being still before the Lord.  I love my friends and truly believe that God is honored through our fellowship; however, if our conversations take precedence over my time in His presence, my priorities are out of whack.

While sitting in the pew, I wrote a brief prayer of reflection on the back of my sermon notes: "As I leave GCC, I know that it will be a hard transition -- but, God, remind me of the joy that ultimately comes from You, not just time with others.  My friends, professors, acquaintances are blessings from YOU.  May You receive glory in those relationships -- and may I place my relationship with You first, above all earthly ones."

God is calling us to find our identity in Him, not our things.  We must trust in His plans for our lives, not obsess about planning the future ourselves.  We are to derive meaning from who we are in Christ, not worldly success.  What are you holding onto more than God?  Are you willing to give it up in complete surrender?  I pray that the Lord would continue to reveal to me areas that I need to turn over to Him.


"With man it is impossible, but not with God.  For all things are possible with God."  Mark 10:27

Parent's Weekend and Finals Week

This past weekend was Parent's Weekend on campus, so there were a LOT of things going on.  I enjoyed sharing the campus with my parents and grandmothers.  On Friday night, my parents hosted a dinner for my friends, as they have for all eight of my semesters at GCC.  It is always a wonderful time of fellowship and a great way for my parents to get to know my friends a little bit better.  Saturday was jam-packed (Recognition Convocation, One Act plays, Spring Dance Show, and All-College sing)!  My family left after church and lunch yesterday afternoon.

This week is the end of classes and beginning of finals.  Classes end Wednesday, Study Day is Thursday, and finals begin on Friday.  I will have two finals on Friday and two on Saturday... and then I'm done!  I'm so thankful to get them over with quickly.  My friends are jealous of my schedule, but I have promised to bake them cookies and write encouraging notes to them while they study on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. :)  Please pray for focus, motivation, and energy as I study a lot in the next few days.

In the midst of these crazy days, I have really enjoyed emailing with potential roommates for next year!  It is so neat to hear from the four other single girls who need housing in the Kandern area.  Those email conversations and Facebook messages make it seem a little bit more real that I am actually moving to Germany in a few months!  Wow, time is FLYING by!  Less than three months to go...

Story Time with the First Graders

Today I visited my second student teaching class.  Apparently, their teacher hadn't told them that I was coming, so the first graders were SUPER excited to see me!  It was so fun to be back in their classroom for just a short time.

I asked the class what they noticed that was different about me since December -- they noticed both the contacts and the haircut!  I told them that I noticed different things about them, too, but sometimes people change on the inside.  I had something that I wanted to tell them that was an "inside" change; they wouldn't be able to tell from the outside.

I excitedly told them about moving to Germany... although most of them didn't have a clue where Germany is!  They did know, however, that I would have to take an airplane to get there and that it is "very far away."  I asked them what they thought I would do there -- teach in a school, of course!  One boy did add, "Miss Brown, I know something else you could do in Germany... get married!"  Yes, thank you for that comment.  Gotta love first graders!

Another update for this week... I got the names and email addresses of other girls who will be serving at BFA beginning this fall, so we are getting to know one another in order to figure out who will room together.  As I make contact with possible future roommates, I get even more excited about going to Germany!

Thank you for your continued prayers for strength, good health, wonderful memories, and "ending well" at GCC.  There are a lot of "lasts," but these are special times with friends.  May the Lord be glorified in all of our words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes!