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| "Put legs to your faith!" |
Val Bierlein is a long-time "Grover" who has learned much about patience and endurance through unexpected turns in her life. We are blessed to have her share a bit of her life and wisdom with us here on WoW Connect!
Growing up in LaPorte, Val, along with her parents and her brother, went to church on "big holidays" and "believed in God," but Val doesn't recall hearing the true Gospel message until she was in college. Her parents sometimes dropped Val and her brother off at Sunday School, but her parents did not become Christians until she was in college. Val herself attended youth group as a teenager and was searching for spiritual truths, but was more focused on the social aspects of church life.
Many changes took place during Val's college years at IU Bloomington. Campus Crusade for Christ was active and people all around her were being saved. She became ill and, at the age of 19, had to withdraw from school, leave her sorority, social life and everything else, to stay in a hospital in Chicago for six weeks."I entered the world of the 'teaching hospital,'" she remembers, "with examinations by everybody from med students up to attending physicians, making rounds and asking and examining the same thing."
The diagnosis turned out to be Lupus Nephritis, and the then-revolutionary treatments began. Val endured the side effects and the possibility that she may not be able to have children someday. "My mother drove from LaPorte to Chicago every day to keep me company, bring me books, interesting snacks, read to me, laugh with me, and bring me my mail. It was 75 minutes each way. She dropped everything for me. She endured and persevered."
Val's dad was a strong encouragement as well during this difficult time. She credits him for coining the phrase, "We're going to do what we have to do to get you well." Val decided she would indeed endure whatever it took. She would need this attitude at later times when she faced two more bouts of the same thing, a major surgery and lymphoma.
Her early 20s found Val working in Cincinnati, where some ladies from Campus Crusade were able to answer her questions and help her understand eternal salvation. She accepted the Lord and can now look back and see the many seeds planted along the way. "I'll have a lot of Thank Yous in heaven!" Val's life was touched by the witness of her sister-in-law, who had become a Christ-follower. "The change was so evident in every area of her life, that I knew there really was something to this 'born again' business."
In Val's experience, the key ingredients to building her walk with the Lord have been discipleship, Bible study, good fellowship, and service. Elaborating on the service aspect, Val encourages, "Put legs to your faith! Find a place to fit in at church and give back to the Lord with the gifts He has given. There is blessing in service that goes both ways." Val has been involved in ladies and youth ministries over the years and has even recently stretched beyond her comfort zone to help in the nursery and VBS.
Val has two grown children, Drew and EmiJo. Drew and his wife live in Mesa, AZ, and they have three children--two boys and a girl. EmiJo lives in Mishawaka and has a son, and is expecting a daughter in early June. "Being a Nana is the best!" Val says. "I love to go Granny-grabbing and spend time with all the grands." It's obvious to anyone with eyes and ears how much Val loves her grandchildren!
An unexpected circumstance that has arisen somewhat recently in Val's life is that of being single. "I only took my marriage to our pastor and elders after years of perseverance and endurance and patience. I sought the Lord and godly wisdom for years. I have found that it is true that the Lord can be my husband and provider."
Then came the loss of her beloved mom this past October. Though it was a difficult loss, the family chose to turn the memorial service into a celebration of her life and the eternal life they have as a result of her example.
Psalm 121 is one of Val's favorite Bible passages. "I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Val says, "It is a constant reminder to keep looking up." Another favorite is Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." She adds, "That includes the patience to get through the little things and endurance to hang in there through the long, tough stuff."
Val is very thankful for how the SGC family has embraced and comforted her. "I have had several single women visitors say they feel it is difficult to attend church as a single woman." Val encourages them to get plugged in to the connections classes and other ministries offered at SGC. She recognizes it takes effort on the parts of both the church and those seeking to belong.
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