Preparing Youth for Life through FCA & Sports

Cross country and track runner, FCA huddle leader, and DECA competitor Katie Swanson is ready for life because of her experiences with sports and FCA. 

In fact, Katie and her teammate recently advanced to an international competition for DECA, a competitive business organization for high school and college students. She and her teammate were given a real-life scenario and thirty minutes to decide how they would solve their specific challenge. They then had fifteen minutes to make a video sharing their solutions with the judges. In the latest scenario, Katie and her teammate were the president and vice president of a bank in a farming community where farmers were beginning to default on loans. “We had to talk about what we would do to help the community,” said Katie.

Katie Swanson got involved in FCA her freshman year in high school and was invited to attend FCA Northland region’s leadership camp the next summer where she was equipped and encouraged to lead. Since then she has served as a huddle leader at Mankato West High School. Today, Katie is a senior who has been well-prepared to be a lifelong follower of Jesus and a leader among her peers.

Katie grew up in a Christian home and attended a great church where she was given many opportunities to grow in her faith and serve others, but it wasn’t until she got to FCA that she really began to understand what following Jesus as an athlete looked like, and today she can apply that knowledge to every part of her life. 

Growth that Prepares her for Life

She has also grown in the confidence to share her faith with her fellow classmates and teammates. Her cross-country team also prayed together before meets, and it was more than just a token prayer to win the game. They are praying to shine for Jesus and to let others see their faith in Christ. Katie said, “It’s cool that I go to a public school and we can do that. It encourages me to know that I can still pray before a meet and don’t need to worry about what others are thinking.”

Katie has learned practical life skills through sports and FCA, but the relationship-building has been the most valuable to Katie. “In all of those things, they give me strong relationships with others. I love the DECA competition but really appreciate the relationships. Same with sports. I love running, but I love the people I get to run with. It gives me connections and relationships with people that I can build on and show God’s love. In FCA, I get to meet new people, and some of the FCA leaders aren’t people I would know otherwise. We can encourage each other and share the Bible with people,” Katie said.

What Began with FCA and Continues Today

As Katie prepares to graduate, God continues to work in her through FCA and her personal devotional time. “God’s been teaching me that I need to continually seek Him even when I’m busy. I’m reading Hosea and one verse that stuck out was about how the Israelites had turned from him and weren’t continually seeking Him and how I need to remember to seek Him in everything I do continually.” 

Throughout the pandemic, God has been teaching her about joy. Her favorite verse is Nehemiah 8:10b: “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Katie said, “This last year has been about choosing joy and remembering that I can choose to be happy. But also, it’s not just about being happy, but the joy of the Lord is my strength. I can be joyful that God has given me a relationship with Him that I can share with others. I can only be joyful by myself for so long. The Lord will always be there, and that can be my strength. Joy can set me apart and hopefully people can see that I have something different, not because of me but because Jesus is my strength.”