“Hello” from Valerie… 

For Lord’s Gym Ministries Community Liaison Valerie, there’s no place she’d rather be than in Price Hill serving her neighbors.

“I live in Price Hill,” Valerie said. “That helps me to understand what our friends are going through and their needs. I understand exactly how what happens here in the community affects them, because it affects me and my family too.”

Valerie, a Certified Community Health Worker, comes to Lord’s Gym Ministries through a partnership with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

“I love being at the Family Activity Center,” she said. “I love having a job that allows me the opportunity to openly share my faith. I can pray over people and share with them my testimony.”

Valerie said she grew up in a faith-based home and has always known Who God is.

“I haven’t always lived out my faith,” she said. “I’ve lived for my flesh and instant gratification. It wasn’t until 2010 that I reconnected with the Lord. I found myself in the Lord and realized that I want to live for God and not myself.”

According to Valerie, at that turning point, God had “graciously and lovingly” let her hit rock bottom. He then lifted her and inspired her to be the “mom and woman He created me to be.”

Valerie said that she’s excited that Lord’s Gym Ministries is now a big part of that. She’s looking forward to helping to redefine the community within the Family Activity Center, a community that encourages and lovingly expects respect and self-responsibility.

She also hopes to share her testimony more and prays that God leads and encourages her in doing this, as it can be a little intimidating.

“My human condition holds me back,” she said. “It can be hard because our friends here are my neighbors. They see me at the grocery store. They see me when I take my kids to the park. Sharing my story is so intimate, but I have to overcome my fear. Besides, the only thing that matters is how God feels about me. Also, I know that my testimony could be the thing that helps someone else… that helps them draw closer to God.”

Stop in the Family Activity Center Monday through Friday to be greeted by Valerie; always smiling and spreading the joy of the Lord.