Bertsch Tales

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Cancer Redemption Testimony with Zach Bertsch

Friday, November 2, 2012

Thoughts from Zach and Zion

Zach's Devotion from Thursday:

"My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee." - Proverbs 7:1

Our children may not keep our words....but they will most likely DO what we do.

Zion and I were talking about honesty and integrity today. I was driving the concepts home. I said, "Zion, you always need to keep your word. If you say that you're going to do something, you need to do it. Keep your word, son."

He smiled and I knew that he got the concept. Then he said, "Yeah dad. We need to keep our word. That would be terrible if we lost them. What would we do if we lost our words?"

Then he said something that hit me like a load of bricks:

"Dad, whatever you do, that is what I am going to do." - My Son

Thursday, October 25, 2012

A few photos of our day

Yesterday was one of those days when I felt discouraged about life. Someone looking on would have probably wondered why I was letting such small things bother me. As I reflect on the day, I can see that there were a lot of things I should have been more thankful for, but in the stress of the moment I just wanted to go to sleep and wake up on another day. In the late afternoon I opened a card addressed just to me with simple words "I'm thinking of you and praying for you." It was a huge blessing to me and gave me the courage to press on through the rest of the day (even though I continued to struggle with my emotions). I am praying that I can walk with more joy and thanksgiving today.

A quote from my morning devotion:

...It's just like when I face a hard issue in life. Operating in the flow of God's power is better than working against the flow of God's power. Seeking to obey God in the midst of whatever circumstance I'm facing is what positions me to work in the flow of God's power.

I still have to navigate the realities of my situation, but I won't be doing it in my own strength. My job is to be obedient to God, to apply His Word, and to walk according to His ways—not according to the world's suggestions. God, in His way and timing, works it all out....

I want to participate in God's divine nature rather than wallow in discouragement and fear. Then I won't have to huff and puff and pout while trying to figure everything out on my own.

-Lysa TerKeurst

http://www.proverbs31.org/devotions/when-i-want-quit-2012-10/

Sunday, October 7, 2012

September Review

It is hard to believe that the first week of October is gone already. We were blessed with many great times in September. The first weekend we traveled to St. Joseph Michigan with with friends (see previous post). Then we hosted the young group Bible study and Zion had his first day of pre-school. My Aunt Jane from Arizona spent the day with us on the 8th and we enjoyed the church picnic on the 9th. Zach had a CT Scan on the 11th which showed that the cancer in his body is stable, so he continues on the chemo routine. This chemo does not work for many people and Dr. Helft told us the longest he has seen this chemo work on someone is a year and a half (so it is an answer to prayer that it has worked for Zach for a year and two months).

On the 14th, Zach and Zion enjoyed a father/son camp out with the other boys in his preschool Sunday School Class. They had a great time even though it was cold. Moriah and I ran errands and enjoyed JBG's Custard for our girls night out.

On the 15th, Zach shared his Cancer Testimony with a Sunday School Class at Hope Missionary Church. Later in the day we had our family picture taken (I will post some when we get them back) and enjoyed a cookout at Grandma Barb's. The 17th brought a great meal at Dean and Jackie Gerber's with other former County Line Swine Employees. Then on the 18th we enjoyed the Street Fair Parade, good food and a few rides.

On the 20th, Zach gave a presentation about his cancer to a group of insurance representatives and we left for Illinois later in the day. We had a great evening with Joe, Heidi, Owen, and Marcus Gerber (a big thanks to Heidi for some great new recipes). We stayed overnight with them and then left the next morning to make the drive to Bern, Kansas. The long drive was well worth it the effort since Brandon and Heidi (Rufener) Edelman were there to welcome us. We had a great weekend catching up with Heidi and getting to know Brandon and his family better. The Bern church hosted a Cancer Redemption Presentation on Saturday night and we were blessed by the huge support of the church family there. Zach also shared thoughts with the older Sunday School classes on Sunday morning (a special thanks to the students who picked a wonderful bouquet of flowers for Zach to give me). On Sunday evening we enjoyed a campfire at Sabetha Lake with Brandon's extended family and some friends. We were sad to leave Brandon and Heidi on Monday morning and hope our paths will cross in Ohio soon. We drove all the way home on Monday and kids did great. Zach laid on a bed we made him in the back of the van and kept the kids occupied with IPad games and DVDs.

Brad and Sonya hosted potluck at our house on the 28th and we enjoyed a trip to the zoo with the Bertsch family on the 29th. Zion and Moriah both enjoyed riding the horses at the zoo. During the ride Zach noticed that Zion's horse was going faster than the others. When he asked Zion why his horse was going fast, Zion admitted that he was kicking the horse's sides (our future cowboy?).

John and Alexis Stoller organized a Cancer Redemption Presentation at the Latty Fellowship Center on the evening of the 29th. We were again blessed with great support for both the evening presentation and Zach morning talk to the Sunday School Students. The kids enjoyed exploring a new church and Moriah asked every teenager in the balcony during lunch his or her name. We left after church so Zach and I could spend the evening with his high school friends Jon (Jennifer) Isch and Justin (Ashley) Brown.

Wow just typing this makes me tired. Zach continues to deal with the side affects of chemo therapy, his cancer, and his surgery injuries on a daily basis. He rests a lot at home most days and the kids and I enjoy having him around. We are thankful that Zach is being given so many opportunities to encourage others in their journey of faith, it helps him to know that God is using his cancer to do good. We are praying that God will have a great impact on the lives of each one who took the time to listen to his thoughts and encourage our family.