Please watch this exciting new video, featuring recent graduates of the On Eagles' Wings Leadership Center, talking about their amazing experience this past year.
Summer of Hope 2023 Front-Lines Report - The Fourth Reservation
"We don't want your Jesus around here."
The Kenati people are some of the most religious people I've met in this country. But the quote above pretty much sums up their attitude toward Jesus.
When the team arrived, we were told by local Native residents that some of their sacred centuries-old practices were going on, filling some of the streets in the village.
We've been here before. Previously at an event, an angry local woman had tried to attack our sound system. And the stories we heard from the small remnant of Jesus-followers in the tribe told of the price they paid for their commitment to Jesus.
We are often told by local Native believers that while there is fierce devotion to their centuries-old practices, their hearts ache for what drugs and suicide are doing to their young people.
Into this spiritually charged atmosphere come the light-bearing young warriors of On Eagles' Wings. With their powerful stories of hope.
The weather forced us inside for our events. The team outreach seems to work best in the "hangin' out" environment of the outdoor courts than in an echoing sound and spectator atmosphere inside.
But the prayed up, prayed-for warriors of this year's team have risen to every challenge so far. Including this one. Everywhere we looked, team members were connecting with local Kenati young people.
Like Andrew (Mohawk) with a young man who was really engaged with the Hope Stories that night. After Andrew shared the Gospel with him, he prayed to begin a relationship with Jesus. The young man reported that the night before he had a dream that he was possessed – and then woke up with a bloody nose. This night he would leave with the Savior in his heart.
Another warrior tried to share the Gospel with Casey, whose hardcore vibe communicated the hardness of his heart. On the first night, he wouldn't even take one of our "Created for Life" tracts. The next night, he declared his surrender to Jesus! The dramatic night-to-night heart changes we see this summer can only be explained one way - they are answers to prayer like yours!
While centuries-old practices continued outside, Jesus-encounters continued inside. Missy (Apache) talked with a young Kenati woman who had just come from something she was forced to participate in. She said she felt lost and didn't know where to go – so she headed for our venue. She told Missy that the centuries-old practices bring spirits that torment her back to her home. That night, through Missy's love, listening, and Gospel-sharing, she met Jesus. The Light of the world.
For many believers, "spiritual warfare" is a remote theological concept.
For the warriors of On Eagles' Wings, it is a nightly, front-line battle.
On the Kenati Reservation, it was an unforgettable experience of the liberating power of the blood of Jesus. As one of out of every four Kenati young people who attended left with Christ in their heart!
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5
* Names and locations changed for privacy.