Hello everyone, my name is Lorena Valencia and I am the Director of Youth Ministry here at Our Lady of the Snows.  I've been involved in Youth Ministry since my freshman year in high school.  I went through Confirmation One and Two here at Snows where I was introduced to the LIFEHOUSE and the beautiful ministry Snows had to offer.  During my sophomore year of high school, I joined several of my friends from Snows on a mission trip to Mexico to build houses.  I left thinking it was a great way to get all my community service hours for Confirmation done; and I came back a changed person.  Since that trip I have been excited to dive deeper into my faith.  God has given me a passion for service, youth ministry, and growing deeper in my relationship with Him.  I truly believe that building relationships is the key to growing deeper in our faith.  

God has given me many opportunities to learn and grow through different experiences with Youth Ministry.  I've been a leader with Snows Youth Ministry for 8 years.  During that time I went through a lot of Youth Ministry training as well as Catechesis.  I served as summer staff for a month in July 2005 and 2006 at Covecrest, a LIFETEEN Catholic Summer Camp.  In the summer of 2007 I traveled to India with friends and helped out in a school for kids who can't afford to go to school, worked at YoungLife ministries in Bangalore, and at an orphanage in a small village called Apanur.  I was privileged to join a group of parishioners from Snows in Australia for World Youth Day that same summer!  I hope to continue to not only go to World Youth Day, but also take some of our teens to experience the universality of the Catholic Church.  Last year I spent nine months as a missionary with NET ministries working for a parish in Faribault, Minnesota.  There I was a co-leader for my team.  My team and I helped enhance the Youth Ministry program out there and I'm happy to say Divine Mercy is flourishing in Youth Ministry as we speak.  

As for my educational background... I went to the University of Nevada, Reno where I earned a Bachelor's degree in Health Ecology (a fancy name for Public Health), and there I learned that health incorporates at least seven different components, one of which is spirituality.  I studied abroad for a semester in a small medieval town outside Rome, Italy.  I have attended the Certificate for Youth Ministry training offered through Center for Youth Ministry Development; and I am currently working on the homework in order to receive the certificate.  I have also taken two Master Level classes in Counseling at the University of Reno.  I plan to take classes part-time in order to earn a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.  

That's me in a nutshell.  I hope to have the privilege of meeting you first hand, and getting to know more about you!  Live, Love, Laugh.