Native Youth Olympics

Daniel Rodgers, athlete

Elizabeth Rodgers, announcer

Joseph Rodgers, video

John Rodgers, technician

When presented with the idea of contributing a Native Youth Olympics Demonstration at Arts for the Kingdom, I was initially surprised but happy. We have presented NYO to many schools and communities but have never shared at our church. NYO is a daily wonder of the Lord in our family’s life. For our boys, it is the thrill and determination to kick higher, jump further and pull harder. They have found a meaningful place to belong within peoples not originally their own. For John and me, it has been a place to use our background and passion for cross-cultural communication in a local setting. We never imagined doing this through a sport!

NYO encapsulates what is truly good in Arctic Native cultures. Its sportsmanship is unparalleled. As Christians, we deeply share many of the same values. NYO gives our boys a place to live out the “one anothers” of Scripture in real life, in a challenging yet supportive atmosphere. The Christian Olympic runner Eric Liddell once said, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” Psalm 19 compares the sun’s circuit to a strong man that runs its course with JOY. Ephesians 2:10 states, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” I regularly marvel at our family’s journey into the NYO community on many levels. What initially appeared random was rather divine direction. When creation fulfills the purpose of the Creator the result is satisfaction. This is what we have found in joining NYO.