From Mierra…

My name is Mierra Poth and I began a Developmental Representative Internship with Lord’s Gym in June. As a Marketing student at the University of Cincinnati, I was connected to Lord’s Gym Ministries through UC’s Service-Learning Co-op Program.

Prior to embarking on my educational journey at UC, I graduated high school in a small northern-Ohio town, Lexington, and grew up the eldest of four. Post high school graduation, in 2020, I made the decision to join the Ohio Air Force National Guard.

My journey in the Air Force really gave birth to a more intimate relationship with God. I grew up as a Christian and was always in church, but I never understood what it meant to know God and allow him to work through me. Because of the difficulties at basic training, God needed to work through me because I did not have the strength to succeed alone. Once I graduated training and transitioned into a full-time college student role, I found difficulty connecting with peers, and struggled with a lot of loneliness for months. Amidst depression I finally surrendered, and fully gave my life to Jesus Christ.

I got connected with a church, a small women’s group at UC and found most of my time filled with delight in God. During my sophomore year, I was seeking to find my second marketing internship and I spent almost the entire spring semester in pursuit of this, but I never felt at peace with one. Finally, I made the decision to look for a ministry to serve for the summer. Immediately upon looking I came across a “Developmental Representative Intern” role at Lord’s Gym. I had never heard of Lord’s Gym, it sounded like my dream, Jesus and Fitness.

So, I ran to find a website, some proof that this organization was real. This organization is real. The first thing I came across was a 90-second video that made me extremely emotional. For the two years I have lived in Cincinnati, I have only ever been warned of the dangers of certain areas of Cincinnati. I think the word danger is a mask, there are faces and stories behind it. Lord’s Gym (15 seconds into an introduction video) invites everyone to take off the mask and begin listening.

They woke me up, and I knew God wanted to use me in a piece of it. June 19, 2023, CityBeat released, 34 children had been shot so far in 2023, more than triple that of 2022. I pray every day that God will continue to utilize me so that this number is someday 0. These are children, children I have begun to know and love. The children have names, laughs, ambitions, curiosity in Christ, and they are just seeking love.

Our friends of all ages are seeking that. These past two months, I have had the opportunity to see Ricco’s smiling face almost every day, and the pleasure of getting to know the women of Women’s Hour in Covington. I have been able to witness the STORM Bus in action and begin to build relationships with such a God-Fearing team of men and women. I have seen such an impact in my life and I cannot wait to continue to see the fruit of God’s work through me here at Lord’s Gym.