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Today's Christian, May/June 2007
On Eagles' Wings
Alcoholism, unemployment, depression. For many, life on Native American reservations remains grim. But a unique minsitry is reaching Native American youths where they are—and turning them into Christian leaders.
By Lynn Long & Cynthia Thomas
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| Native American students gather at a recent On Eagles' Wings summit. |
Blackfeet. Cree. Nez Perce. Navajo. Hopi. These are just a few of the Native American tribes represented through On Eagles' Wings (OEW), an organization started in 1991 by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries. Made up of young people from more than 30 different tribes, OEW events bring together large crowds of "rez" (reservation) teens and adults. There they pour out stories, sharing their journeys from hopelessness to hope, encouraging friends and families to come to Jesus.
OEW focuses on training young Native Americans to reach their peers, and to do it in their own language. Those who connect with the ministry receive internships, counseling, college tuition assistance, and biblical training, along with the encouragement to help others.
Life expectancy for the average Native American is 43 years—30 years beneath the national average. Many of the young people living on reservations say their biggest enemy is hopelessness. Depression, self-pity, loneliness, and fear are a part of their daily lives. Statistically, Native Americans have the highest rate of suicide, alcohol, drug, and sexual abuse in the country. By bringing teams of Native American believers to the reservations, OEW provides year-round spiritual encouragement to over 10,000 teens. TC recently spoke with a few of the young people whose lives have been transformed by the ministry.
Eddie*, of the Hopi/Apache tribe, has been a part of OEW for over seven years. After hearing about the organization when a group from OEW came to his church, he was invited to attend an annual, weeklong conference called Warrior Leadership Summit. Eddie didn't have the money to go, so the group from OEW purchased his ticket. During Eddie's week at the conference, he received encouragement, counseling, and hope. Now he wants to encourage other Native Americans to step up and become leaders. Eddie says, "Jesus. He is the hope of the world of Natives. And it's good to know that there are other Native Americans fighting for the lost people. The cool thing is that the Natives are stepping up to leadership." When asked about his plans for the future, Eddie replies, "I'm hoping to help the group travel to new places, like Canada. We're looking at going all over the world."
Born into the Nez Perce tribe in Idaho, Summer heard about OEW when a cousin attended one of their conferences and returned a changed man. Becoming a part of OEW has helped Summer encourage other Natives, especially her brothers and sisters. Summer has seen the annual Warrior Leadership Summit grow from 70 youth in a little chapel in 2001 to over 600 people today. Conferences, where tribes representing over 31 reservations from the U.S. and Canada gather, take place on different reservations throughout the nation.
Training at the annual Summit is intense, and as many as 100 youth will commit their lives to Christ. They are then able to go back to their own reservations to tell what Christ has done in their lives and hopefully make a difference. Summer says, "Though the Summit is very spiritual and life-changing, it is also a lot of fun. There are skateboard competitions. Football tosses. Water activities. But most of all it is awesome to have the Native Americans step in and be the worship team."
Summer's dream is to be a missionary and a youth minister in her community, going where God leads her to reach the nations and bring the gospel to her people.
A part of OEW for more than six years, Sheila, of the Cree tribe from Alberta, Canada, is attending Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. She heard about OEW in 2000, from a woman in her church who knew about Ron Hutchcraft Ministries. When a summer camp job fell through, Sheila applied to work at OEW and was accepted. When her family started attending the conferences, Sheila saw their lives change. Her older sister, in particular, had been into drugs, sex, and alcohol, and was distant from God. Sheila recalls, "When my sister came to a conference and sat through the training, God got a hold of her life. She was encouraged by all she'd heard, and turned her life back over to Christ and started fresh. To this day she's still living for God, and has made a 180-degree turn in her life."
"I see the [annual] Warrior Leader Summit as a time for refreshment, to hear the Word," says Sheila. "But it's also a time of accountability."
Sheila plans to work with Native American youth, opening a safe house or group home for those who are troubled or have been abused, even abandoned. She wants to offer counseling services and healing for their lives.
"God wanted me here at this retreat," says Daniel from the Blackfeet tribe in Canada. "It's a place for me to find refuge from the pressures of the world. I'm reminded of who I am in Christ."
In 2001, Daniel had lost his summer job and felt deprived from fellowshipping with other Christians. At his youth pastor's suggestion, he attended a Warrior Leadership Summit. As it turned out, Daniel ended up spending a month with OEW that summer. He believes one of the biggest challenges facing the Native American community is to reach the youth, giving them something to hold onto, and something to look forward to.
"The communities are surrounded by alcohol, drugs, and a lot of despair. It's hard to look forward to the future. Jesus is the key to overcoming those things. He's done that for me," says Daniel.
Lynn Long is a freelance writer living in Illinois. Cynthia Thomas is editorial coordinator for Today's Christian.
*Names have been changed.
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Serving on the Rez
Non-Native Americans also play a part with On Eagles' Wings. Some, like Larry and Brenda Lilliville*, serve as cooks for the Warrior Summit Leadership conferences. The couple have volunteered their summer months since 2004. oew Summer of Hope outreaches last for four weeks, which opens many opportunities to interact with the young Natives.
"This ministry (OEW) is about saving the lost, especially with the gospel," says Larry.
Brenda recalls, "One of the most memorable moments I had occurred when one of the girls returned from an outreach, full of excitement. She'd prayed with an older woman that night to accept Christ. The girl had felt no qualms sharing her faith, and the older woman needed badly to hear it. She was so excited. That was quite an example for Larry and me."
Darcy Smith* and her family have volunteered for cooking duty since 2001. When asked how her family has most benefited from volunteering, Darcy says, "It really humbled me to hear that the Native youth benefited from just seeing us together as a family. That was a huge revelation to me of how different their upbringing was, because we take family for granted. The young people were entranced by the fact that here were two adults in a long-term marriage and their two children who chose to be together on a volunteer mission trip. They saw we actually enjoyed each other, and interacted well, and encouraged and supported each other."
When Darcy returned the next year, she took three women friends from church with her. She had prepared them for a cool reception from the Native youth. But Darcy was baffled by how different the Native American young people responded from the year before. "All these kids came running into the kitchen and embraced me. They were so happy to hear that I was there." Darcy learned the warm welcome was due to the fact she'd come back. "They trusted me because they knew it wasn't just a short-term relationship," explains Darcy. "The first year they thought I was just in it for myself. Many had had people drift in and out of their lives with a very low level of commitment."
"That's one of the things that keeps me coming back. I volunteer every year for the full month of July. I know these kids appreciate that ongoing relationship with me. It's a privilege to become a part of a different culture that's right here in the middle of the United States, and an honor to be part of this team. Native Americans are an unreached people group. And their plight, the life they have to live, may be America's ugliest secret."
For more information regarding On Eagles' Wings, go to http://oew.hutchcraft.com.
*Names have been changed.
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Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine.
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May/June 2007, Vol. 45, No. 3, page 42
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