“God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” – Psalm 46:5
Jada Ragan, Jenny Luckey, and Mayce Nowlen graduated from Baker County High School in Glen St. Mary, Florida, this past May. These three beautiful young women have grown close over the last four years, sharing a love for the Lord and a challenging sport: weightlifting. A sport traditionally associated with male participants, weightlifting helped these women learn innumerable lessons about their God, their personal abilities, and the life they are each capable of creating moving forward.
Jada Ragan, Mayce Nowlen, and Jenny Luckey
Jada, Jenny, and Mayce never could have imagined where their dedication to weightlifting would take them, and they have story upon story of the Lord’s provision, His hand of favor. At their high school, the “girls’” weightlifting team wasn’t the priority that the “boys’” team was, and they were pushed out of the weight room numerous times, forced to train outside. The team of 30 young women, gathered from all four grades, stayed committed, and regardless of how they were perceived and treated by others at the school, they were thankful for their coach, Stanley McDonald, who continuously fought for them and encouraged their efforts. Jada, Mayce, and Jenny were also blessed to have the support of their families.
These young women explain that weightlifting has taught them more about themselves than any other sport or activity has to this point in their lives. Jada had been a volleyball player, while Jenny and Mayce were involved in softball. Weightlifting, unlike other sports, requires a year-round commitment. They explained that if you take time off, you lose ground and have to work so much harder to get back to where you were. Their commitment over the last four years led them to impressive numbers in the competition categories of snatch, clean & jerk, and bench; it was this faithful work ethic that took them all the way to state this year.
For Jada, even though they were so young when they started this journey together, she has seen impressive growth in herself and her team every year: “God called us to weightlifting. We wouldn’t be the young women we are without it.” Jada explained that it is imperative to believe in yourself to accomplish your goals. For her, lifting in front of an audience for points was nerve-racking, and she relied heavily on the Lord, even employing self-talk: “God be the God of my barbell.” Jenny shared how the Lord stretched her by giving her a vision of leading devotions and prayers before every meet. She committed to doing that in her junior and senior years, and through these seasons, she began to see herself positively. She shared: “I’ve always been negative toward myself, but the Lord changed that. I’m learning to trust God; I know that I’m here for a reason.” Mayce echoed the sentiments of Jada and Jenny, adding that she has learned: “You are who you surround yourself with.” She also explained that in her senior season, she was dual-enrolled and taking difficult college classes; weightlifting in these previous years taught her that she could do hard things. “I have to trust myself.”
Jada Ragan
Jenny Luckey
Macy Nowlen
These young women have also learned a lot about their Savior. The team adopted the verse from Psalm 46:5: “God is within her, she will not fall.” Jada shares: “As a team, that is what we have always said. You just gotta trust Him at the end of the day.” Mayce explained that in their senior season, there were “many hills we had to climb,” but we had to “Trust the Lord that it was His plan.” Jenny added that she has been learning to “Be still and know that (He is) God. With God, anything is possible, and He is always by your side.”
This past summer, the young women had one of their greatest adventures yet. Through a divine connection, thanks to Jada’s father (Dave Ragan, Assistant Superintendent of the Sonshine Network Conference) and Missionary David Hodges, the weightlifting team was invited to visit Peru for three days and share about their lifting techniques and about the God who has made it all possible. This adventure significantly impacted each young woman. Out of the team of 30, 7 lifters, all seniors, traveled to Peru for three days.
Some of the Baker County High School Women’s Weightlifting Team
Jada was supposed to be traveling with her parents, but her mom got very sick just before the trip and could not go. Her father was detained at the Peru border, as unbeknownst to him, his passport had expired, and he wasn’t allowed to enter the country. Jada realized through that trip: “My parents aren’t always going to be there with me, and even if they aren’t, God will be.” Mayce was encouraged to “step out of her comfort zone with God,” and “God can use me more when I step out of that box and trust Him.” She also experienced a new level of discernment, listening and acting on the voice of the Lord, praying for young people who needed a touch from Him. Jenny, who would return home from Peru and head right back out for another mission trip to Colombia, felt a call to missions. She is looking forward to seeing where the Lord leads her in the coming years.
The Weightlifting Team in Peru, with Coach MacDonald and Some of the Students They Ministered to
Each of these young women are entering a new season of life, starting their college careers. With rigorous schedules and multiple commitments, Jada and Mayce will have to step away from weightlifting for the time being. Jenny, however, has a desire to continue in her training. Regardless of where this next year takes them, they will reunite next summer to return to Peru. This time, they will stay for a week, heading back into the schools to teach a little bit more about their lifting techniques and the God who loves them fiercely.
Reflecting back on their years in weightlifting, Jada shared a story about praying with a participant from another school at the state competition, saying that you can tell when a weightlifter is a Christian. “There’s something different about her. It’s the love of Jesus.” These beautiful, strong, warrior women of God will carry that love of Jesus with them that sets them apart, knowing that nothing can take away the friendships that were forged or the lessons that were learned in the challenging sport of weightlifting.
