Native Vision is a partnership operated by Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health and the National Football League Players Association that mobilizes NFL players and other professional athletes as mentors for Native youth. Some of the activities available are: football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, track, crafts, media workshops, and leadership workshops. This year it was held in Shiprock, NM, and hosted by the Navajo tribe.
The drive there seemed to take forever but we made it in one piece. We camped on the school grounds and set up our tents once we arrived. Once that was done, some people rested, some threw a football around. And as for me, well, I played with the bus driver’s seven year old son.
After registration and a welcoming ceremony the following morning, the workshops began. It was warm, or should I say hot, but I like hot weather as opposed to cold. The first day I was asked to help kids be fitted for mouth guards which is something I had never done before. I played sports growing up but they never required me to have a mouth guard. So, I learned how to fit many, many, many, many young people with mouth guards. For those that don’t know there is a process. We had to heat the mouth guard in boiling water and the kids then had to put it in their mouth, bite down hard, suck all the air and saliva out and push the mouth guard up and back to make sure to get the best fit. We ran out of child sizes and had to cut many of them down for the smaller kids. They didn’t like putting the mouth guard in their mouth while it was hot and I don’t blame them. My fingers got a little burned a couple times while heating them.
I met five smaller kids in particular that day and gave them a hard time. I have been praying for them. I was able to have some contact with them each day I was there and am thankful for the time I had. I will share more about them a little later.
Later in the day I was at the football field watching them run drills. For a minute it reminded me of high school. I worked with the football team as an athletic trainer my senior year of high school, and that’s what I originally went to college for, so it brought back good memories. These coaches were amazing. Many of the kids had some experience playing but what these coaches did for them was break things down and share the details of why you do something a certain way and then showed them how to do it. I happened to be where the defensive backs (DB’s) were practicing and the big saying there was “lead with your butt”. They practiced backpedaling and weaving and explained why the athlete needed to let his backside lead him as opposed to crossing his feet. I really appreciated the two men who were at this station because they not only cheered for and encouraged the kids with the most potential, but they also encouraged and cheered for those who were challenged by the drills. I also thought it was great coaching to have one run the drill and the other work with those who were a bit more challenged by the drill. More than once the second coach would pull a young person aside and work with him/her and make sure they understood what they should be doing.
In addition to this, they had breaks throughout the day and all the students would meet at the center of the field and the coaches each took time to talk to them about something. The three coaches I heard were awesome. They claimed Christ and preached Christ to the kids. And this was not a “Christian” setting. They shared of their life experiences and how God used those experiences to get them to where they are today. They shared that the path God had taken them on did not always make sense to them at the time but they could see His work and realized that He used different circumstances to change their direction when he wanted them somewhere else. They encouraged the students to pursue education and to be disciplined. They told them to think of others instead of always thinking of themselves and that transfers both on and off the field. But what stood out to me was that they all three said that if it had not been for Christ and the work He had done in their lives they would have gone down the wrong road. More than once I heard them say He was all that mattered. I am thankful for these men and that God used them to speak truth into the lives of these young people. I pray that their words, His truth, would penetrate at least some of these students that they might live to glorify Him.
I also spent a day on the soccer field. I get bored easily if I am not doing something and so, I ended up running and taking part in the things the students were doing. The five kids I talked about earlier happened to be playing soccer and I would say they were between the ages of 9-11. I think I remember their names…there were three boys: Dwight, Kyle, and Tye. And, there were two girls: Lamara and Danae. I do not know if I spelled them correctly and I wish I would have thought to get some contact information but tis too late for that now. They were so ornery, mischievous, and funny. I ate lunch with them that day and Ron and a volunteer, Nick, were at our table. Ron asked them where they went to church and they said they didn’t go because it was boring and they had trouble staying awake. Ron encouraged them to go to a VBS or a children’s club. I pray they remember those words. Dwight was quite the story teller and they just kept getting bigger. Then the topic of lying came up. I asked why they lied and Lamara said, “I just do…I don’t know why.” I said, I remembered lying when I was a kid and I did it a lot”. She replied, “Then you tell us why we lie…since you did it too.” The only answer I could come up with was that I was more concerned with giving people the answer I thought they wanted to hear because it just seemed better than the truth at the time. Or I lied because I was afraid of disappointing those around me if I didn’t do something I was supposed to do. And then there are the lies that were told because I didn’t want people to know the truth because the truth was actually quite ugly and it’s the kind of truth you don’t want people to know. We did talk about the fact that lying is not good and we shouldn’t lie. And I made sure they knew I don’t lie any more.
During this same day, many of the kids on the soccer field were tired and were not motivated. So, as I ran with them I would find someone who didn’t want to run anymore and race them and encourage them to beat me. Lamara was one of these. Also during this day, Danae would seek me out and lean on me or “almost” hug me and just talk with me. She actually followed me to my tent and just started talking to me. We talked about her family and mine. And, I could tell she wasn’t telling stories but really wanted conversation. She was different one-on-one than she was with the other kids. That was cool.
The last day I was hoping to see them again and I did. I so wanted to get a picture taken with them but I had forgotten my camera and didn’t have access to one. The day before they had talked about having a water balloon fight before we all left and sure enough they brought balloons. When Lamara said she had brought them at first I didn’t believe her and I said, “Did you really?” She said, “Yes, you told me not to lie and I’m not lying.” I didn’t think any of my words had mattered the day before but that one sentence stuck in her head at least for that day. I have been praying for these young kids…who want so much attention and seek so many negative ways of receiving it. Dwight was asking if he could throw one of the water balloons on the floor and I said, “No, do you want people to think you are a trouble maker?” He said, “Yes, I want to be famous and on the news and everything.” I said, “But you should want to be known for good reasons.” I hope this little man grows out of this because I see so much potential. I find it odd that they actually listened when I told them not to throw the water balloons on the floor. But I’m thankful they did.
I also got to talk with some of the teens that went with AYM. Riko is totally funny and it was fun making him awkward with questions. I am one who will ask real questions because I want to know people. The topic of girls came up so I decided to ask some questions because I kind of wonder what young people look for. I began by saying, “Other than being attracted to someone, because everyone wants to be attracted to the person they’re with and vice versa, what are some personality traits you would like to see in a girl you might have interest in?” He shared some things that I thought were good qualities and then he said, “Why you askin’ me these questions, I don’t talk to girls about these things, you’re making me all awkward.” I laughed and admitted that it probably was awkward for him. He later told me I should ask some other people the same questions but I haven’t ventured that far yet. I was able to cheer Alfredo on as he ran around the track and see a huge smile on his face when I did. Alfredo is funny, seems to have a good sense of humor and loves to run…when I saw him he was at the head of the pack. I also talked with Grant a little. Grant’s leg was cramping up after playing football and I was able to help him stretch it. I made him lay on his stomach and I stood on one leg, and while he complained about how uncomfortable it was, I bent the other to stretch his quad which was really tight from all the drills.
Overall the teens seemed to have a good time. I was glad for this opportunity to meet some kids on a smaller level. Sometimes teenagers are a bit harder to connect with initially because they are more guarded than kids. I know I was. But it is worth the effort. I don’t feel like I made any real solid connections except maybe Riko because we had a few conversations throughout the weekend and on the bus drive home. He’s a good kid. And I know this will take time. Trust is not built in a day it takes consistency and sometimes can be challenging when you feel like for every step forward you take, you end up taking two backwards.
I look forward to getting to know others and hopefully forming some relationships with the young ladies that are in the community. God has given me a heart and a passion for kids and young people. A passion to see healing and restoration take place in a hard world. And this all begins with Christ.
I hope you will join me in praying for these young people and that God will build on whatever seeds were planted during the short time at Native Vision. That He would penetrate their hearts and that they would one day be in relationship with the Father and know what true freedom really is.
