Verla

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. —Proverbs 11:25
For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, Fear not, I am the one who helps you. —Isaiah 41:13

AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! This last year has been one big roller coaster ride for me with tons of ups and downs, twists and turns, and last minute surprises. I’ve felt the whole spectrum of emotions; sometimes I feel ALL of them in a day or two.

I knew I couldn’t write a brief letter (so much happens in a year!), so I have chosen to title each topic I write about to make it easier to read. You can skip to topics that seem interesting, read the whole letter, or move on knowing that I’m alive, single, and childless (all of which are good).

Dealing with Dementia

Last winter started off with a lot of tears and grief as our family watched 3 different types of dementia rapidly steal from our grandpa. In the past year, I would play piano for him, feed him little snacks so he wouldn’t try to leave the house, ask him about his childhood, and just spend time being nearby him. As time passed, it became hard for him to walk or talk. He was moved into a small home where each of the 6-7 other residents also had dementia. He was provided with excellent care, and although I came to visit him, I often spent time with the others.

Visits to his new home were always a highlight of my week. One lady asked me if I was moving in, another told me that John was a keeper (she thought he was my boyfriend), one blind woman tried to eat my hand but then resorted to kissing it, and a different woman said, Come here, and held out her arms for a hug before telling me, I love you. There was the time where a resident mistook my dad for her husband, and another time where I was asked if Dad was MY husband! One of the residents (age 103!) approached me to ask if she could leave to help her mother who had just had a heart attack and wasn’t doing so well. She anxiously paced with her walker until one of the nurses confirmed that she had received a call from the hospital and that her mother was doing fine. Just thinking about these residents brightens my day and instantly brings a smile.

As Grandpa’s dementia progressed, we found different ways to show him love and care. We would push his wheelchair and walk outside with him, hold his hands for hours, talk with him (knowing he probably wouldn’t respond), feed him some of his meals, bring his great-grandchildren to visit, and play music for him. I sang many songs to him in the last few months of his life, and I would often hold his hand as I sang different hymns, comforting songs, or just songs that were pretty. His eyes were usually shut, but on occasion he’d open them and watch me sing and then close them again.

It was heart wrenching to watch his decline, but when he died, I felt relief. I was confused because I had expected to cry often and feel deep grief and loss. Instead, I felt comfort knowing that he wasn’t suffering anymore. I knew he was happier, and that made me content. I still cried, and time to time I still feel loss, but it’s nothing like I thought it’d be.

Overall, I learned that I love to help take care of others (specifically the elderly, and even more specifically, those with dementia) and that life is precious and short.

Chilling with the Children (my Nieces and Nephews)

I’ve spent countless hours this year investing in my nieces and nephews, and I couldn’t be more happy/willing to do so! Each of them holds a very special place in my heart, and they mean the world to me. Hearing them say my name melts me, and I love the title Aunt Verla.

Evie adores Rapunzel now (because she’s my favorite princess, and Evie’s too!) and will say, Aunt Verla, can we dance to Rapunzel music? every time she sees me. Her favorite is the leg-kicking dance song aka Kingdom Dance, but she also likes the scary songs where Flynn is escaping prison. We (she, Charlotte, and I) got matching dresses, and it was probably the best gift I could’ve given Evie as she LOVES to match me and Charlotte. Charlotte loves my stuffed cow and is often found taking care of a baby doll. Steven loves throwing balls (he has an impressive arm), and he still runs up to me when I ask if he wants to dance with me.

Tons of Theater

In March I enjoyed being in Esther, the Musical. I played the role of a Jewish wife/mother and enjoyed opening the final big song of the musical. I also was in some other scenes as a Persian woman (in the photo above, I was missing my family, but Esther was encouraging me).

We’re already preparing for our next musical, Leviathan. It is an amazing story with incredible music! I am playing a lead role of Sylvie, a spunky young girl who’s optimistic, daring, and energetic. Words cannot begin to express how excited I am to perform this. It’ll be March 20–22 at the Paramount Theatre in Anderson, Indiana. You don’t want to miss this show!

Crocheting

I love sunflowers and have crocheted many sunflower hair-ties and sunflower keychains. Quite a few girls and teachers at my co-op have sunflower hair-ties at this point, and it makes me smile seeing them enjoy wearing something I made. :) If you are interested, contact me at burgervj@icloud.com, and I can make you one.

Training and Teaching

John and I did Christian Youth in Action (CYIA) training for the third time, and we taught 5-Day Clubs throughout the summer. The training was fantastic—but exhausting—as always, and I appreciated getting to grow closer to God alongside so many other teens. I enjoyed making friends with everyone there and reuniting with other returning students. I tried on an Indian sari while at training, and it was beautiful! The helper, who was Indian, also gave me two red glass bangles (bracelets) from India.

Teaching in the summer was challenging at times, but it was worth it! So many children heard about Jesus through our 5 Day Clubs, and lives were saved. Below is a funny quote that made John and me crack up. We were playing a review game and the Bible lesson was on Cain and Abel. John asked, What did Cain bring as his offering? A child replied, His brother, dead.

Learning Languages

Whenever I meet someone from a different country, I learn how to say thank you in his/her language. So far I have learned to say thank you in Zomi Chin, Mara Chin, and Hahka Chin, which are all Burmese dialects, Burmese, Bulgarian, and Hungarian. I also know how to say thank you in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and ASL, but these weren’t learned from native speakers.

I am taking Spanish 3 this year, and I LOVE Spanish. I’m going to Nicaragua in January with my Spanish teacher and 16 other students, and I’m so eager to help with a VBS program there and to see what other cultures and communities are like. I’ve enjoyed watching movies in Spanish, listening to Hispanic music, and talking in Spanish whenever I get the chance. I found a shirt at Goodwill that says, Sé amable (be kind), and I love wearing it.

Making Music, Poetically Processing, and Published Podcaster

I’m still writing my own songs, although I haven’t published any yet. I share some of them on Instagram from time to time. I also write poems, which has really helped me to think clearly during big emotions. After all, it’s hard to stay upset when you’re focused on finding rhyming words!

I have a podcast, Random Thoughts with Verla, which contains exactly what the name suggests. I have been very busy, but I am hoping to podcast more in the future!

Always Adventurous

In August my family went to Yosemite National Park in California. I was in awe at how vast everything was. From mountains to waterfalls to colossal trees, everything was gorgeous. My favorite thing was undoubtedly the bouldering we did up the sides of waterfalls. There’s nothing like climbing up tons of rocks/boulders to get to a little pool at the bottom of a waterfall. Although I was sick the whole trip and easily exhausted, I usually had enough strength/energy to participate (except for the Vernal Fall hike when I had to go back down early and blacked out for a second).

I loved hearing the variety of languages spoken there and seeing so many different people all coming to see God’s beautiful creation. I took my stuffed goose, Gruce, on the trip, and we took photos together at almost every destination. :) Many people smiled when they saw him, and a few commented on how cute it was and how I should make it a tradition to bring him places. 10/10 recommend going to Yosemite, but be warned that large birds will steal your food if you don’t assert your dominance.

Life Lessons

I’ve learned a lot this year and there’s still so much to learn, but here are the biggest things I’ve been learning:

• God is good, and He has a good plan—even when I don’t see it. I’ve been sick so much (I was sick for 10 weeks this fall, had a 3-week flu in August, have had terrible cramps all year long, and recently have been dealing with back pain which stops me from carrying anything heavy), and it’s really easy to be frustrated or to feel hopeless. I don’t like feeling weak, I don’t like feeling fragile and frail, and I don’t like feeling exhausted and worn out. I ask God to make me feel better, and sometimes the answer is no, or not yet. I know from past experiences, however, that God uses EVERYTHING in my life for good, and He is orchestrating a beautiful symphony with my life. Maybe my sicknesses are here to remind me to rely on God, and to not be prideful or have the attitude of I am strong enough to do everything on my own. Maybe it’s God’s way of giving me rest (I don’t typically rest much when I’m healthy). Either way, I’ve learned that the right thing is to be thankful for what I DO have and to be content knowing God has a plan.
• “Fear not.” I chose Isaiah 41:13 as one of my verses for the year because (1) I had a lot of stressful things in my life this year, and I need the reminders that God is with me, holding my hand. God truly is the one who helps me, just as the verse says. (2) I overthink. A LOT. This causes so much unnecessary anxiety in my life, and I need to constantly be reminded of the fact that when God is with me (which He promises to always be!) I have no need to be afraid of anything. I struggle to fight the anxious thoughts, but as I practice letting go of my future and giving it to God, my life feels better, and I’m much more content.
• It’s ALWAYS the right time to love others. I chose Proverbs 11:25 as the other verse for the year as I have learned how much it blesses me to be a blessing to others. I feel very purposeful when I’m helping out with the kiddos, feeding an elderly person who struggles to feed himself, listening to a friend and encouraging him/her, cleaning someone’s house, taking care of animals, picking up trash, etc. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to love others, but that’s what Jesus did, so that’s what we should do!

Way to go! You’ve made it through my entire letter!! I’m very proud of you and would give you a gold star if I had one… See you next year! 😉

Here are some playlists I’ve put together that really encourage me:

• Praise Anyway: If you are working on praising God through trials/weaknesses, that’s exactly what this album is for!
• Jesus Time: If you like calm/relaxing Christian songs, you might like these songs!