LAB Session - Gio Llerena

2020 will go down in history with a unique list of stats and facts for sure. Some of that data and analysis will be helpful, some will not. There is one statistic that has been weighing particularly heavy on my mind. 34 percent. 34% represents a surge in divorces that took place from March to June in 2020. 34% higher than that same period in 2019. And sadly, numbers don’t tell the whole story. They don’t share the tears and tough conversations. They don’t reflect honest hopes and hurts. And there is no way to quantify the true weight couples and families have been facing over the last few months. 34% does tell us what we already know. 2020 has been tough and we would be foolish or lying to say it hasn’t pressed and revealed things in each of us and our relationships that is good to give voice to. 

Marriage. That’s what brought Gio Llerena and I together for a conversation on love, resentment, and laying foundations that will hold fast under great pressure. 

Gio and Suzy have been serving the Lord faithfully their entire married life.  In the early years, Gio and Suzy invested in youth and helped start a Hispanic church.  Following that, Gio went on staff with a ministry called Baseball Chapel for 14 years where he served as the chaplain for the Tampa Bay Rays; oversaw International Ministries in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Venezuela; and recruited and trained MLB chaplains.  During this time, Gio and Suzy invested in the lives of players and their wives with a focus on discipleship.  This is where they were first introduced to the Two Becoming One material.  The faith principles found in the curriculum impacted their marriage to such a degree that they want to share them with every couple they meet.  Gio spent the last year on staff at South Tampa Fellowship as the Associate Pastor and Married Life Pastor where he and Suzy helped implement a marriage discipleship culture.  

Gio and Suzy met in college and have three grown children:  Ashley, Daniel, and Jonathan.  They have focused on the discipleship and equipping of couples throughout their ministry and are excited about joining CFL to continue to invest in marriages locally and globally.

Christian Family Love: www.Christianfamilylife.com

Contact Gio: gllerena@christianfamilylife.com