Valerie - beauty revived - 2016
MEET VALERIE
SHE IS BEAUTY REVIVED.
Strong. Compassionate. Generous. Valerie is married to Matt McConnin and they have a little boy named Boaz, who is 3. Her friends know her as Val. I first met Val 15 years ago at a home Bible study. The moment I met her I noticed her tremendously loving heart. She was single at the time and it wasn't hard to see she was strong, passionate and loved children. As I grew to know her better, it was evident she was also a kind and generous person.
From very early on, Val learned life wasn't going to be simple. At the age of 14, when most girls are learning about themselves and their changing bodies, she was forced to endure the tragic death of her father. But she found the strength to overcome the loss through her faith. She said, "It truly changed the course of my life and was the hardest life event I had to overcome. My re-dedication to Christ allowed Jesus to heal my broken heart. He put my life back on track. Then 17 years after my dad's murder, the Lord prompted me to forgive the man who killed him. This was not my plan for my life but God was using it for His greater purpose."
Over the years, Val has demonstrated strength while dealing with health issues and bravery and faithfulness while selling everything, leaving corporate America and moving to Thailand to care for orphans. But her service to others not as a duty, but as a privilege and an honor. It is obvious to the people around her, that she cares deeply for others, young and old, and does so with a smile and the joy of the Lord.
If you ask her husband how she has impacted his life, he would tell you that she often displays all the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Val shows love selflessly, it doesn't matter what Matt or Boaz does, she simply gives them unconditional love. She diplays peace when things fall apart and chaos surrounds, but she still stays calm. Patience is evident when the family life is relentless and demanding, yet she can somehow deal with it all. Her gentlesness is evident when it's very late at night and she's exhausted from working hard all day, yet she somehow manages to focus on their comfort. Matt goes on to share how Val inspires the whole family with her self-control and when circumstances are overwhelming, she continues to lean on the Lord. She has overcome huge obstacles in her life with humility, giving all the glory to God.
Long before she and Matt were married, Val spent many years caring for others' children, overseeing the children's ministry at her local church. She also served as a preschool teacher and helped organize many speical events. Her love of children also made her the best babysitter ever.
This beautiful woman has been teaching, loving, and protecting little ones long before becoming a mom herself. Even now, as a wife and mother, Val continues to serve parents and kids while serving in AWANA, Sunday school and Vacation Bible School. Yet somehow she manages to still put her family first. It's a beautiful thing to watch her in action!
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