Before setting off on Summer of Hope 2010, the 50 Warrior leaders attended the Warrior Leadership Summit to prepare them to share Christ with other native youth. (Ron Hutchcraft photo)
USA (MNN) ― Yesterday, we shared with you some stories of the incredible things God has been doing through 50 youth Warrior leaders during the Ron Hutchcraft Ministries Summer of Hope.
Evangelist Ron Hutchcraft said Summer of Hope 2010 has now ended and can only be described in one word for the thousands of native youth they reached: breakthrough.
After concluding the Warrior Leadership Summit, the above 50 Warriors and the rest of the On Eagles' Wings team traveled across the U.S. over 4500 miles to nine different reservations: "In just three weeks time, among a people group where it is rare for people to come to Christ, they led over 600 native young people to a relationship with Jesus Christ. Many of them declared it publicly in the middle of their village: not at a revival meeting, not at a church, [but] on the basketball court in front of all the young people of their community" Hutchcraft said.
As they journeyed across the country, these young Warriors shared stories of hurt and suffering from their own lives. They found that "wherever they went, they seemed to find kids like them. The issues are the same no matter where they are from: the same despair, the same suicide attempts, the same violence, the same brokenness, the same sexual abuse," Hutchcraft said.
Through these common threads, Warrior leaders helped native youth find a Man they also have a lot in common with: "a brown-skinned Savior who came from a tribe called Judah; a Man named Jesus."
Though the Summer of Hope has concluded, Hutchcraft Ministries is ensuring that the new hope these youth have found in their "Jesus moment" does not die and is simply the beginning of a life of hope.
Hutchcraft said, "Our prayer and our follow up commitment is that the moment becomes a movement."
While on each reservation, Hutchcraft met with native pastors and other believers, giving them DVD resources to share with new believers and taking the first step in bringing an On Eagles' Wings event there.
With the tools, strategy and new believers who will soon become next generation leaders, Hutchcraft said the rest is up to them: "The On Eagles' Wings team is the jumper cables. The local Christians are the battery. And through the jumper cable, the outside energy source has come in and jump-started the battery. Now our prayer is for those leaders."
Pray for the local leaders to courageously steer these native youth who have made first-time commitments to Christ. Pray for the youth on their new journey and for Christ to be their comfort through the difficulties they have yet to face.
Finally, pray for the 50 Warrior leaders who just spent their summer serving. Hutchcraft said 27 of them feel a call on their lives to further their education through Bible school and then to go back and minister to their people.
