Peru (MNN) — North American
Native youth have taken their Gospel outreach strategy to South American Native
youth. After wrapping up Summer of Hope
2009 in the United States, Ron Hutchcraft Ministries "On Eagles' Wings" team
traveled to Peru.
Pastors selected two indigenous
Christians from six key regions of Peru to participate in training and
evangelism with the OEW team. In a
two-day training camp, Ron Hutchcraft and his team trained the Peruvians to do
outreach and cast a vision for revival led by youth reaching their peers.
"Peruvian young people are, like
their peers around the world, shaped by the American youth culture," Ron
Hutchcraft explained. "The church
doesn't understand them, and they are often overlooked."
In the evenings, the teams from
two different continents put the training into practice. On local soccer fields, indigenous Peruvians
and Native North Americans shared their testimonies side-by-side. Over 12 days, 904 Peruvian youth accepted the
Gospel — the largest response RHM has ever received in such a short amount of
time.
"God had powerfully answered the
question, ‘Can the rescue strategy He gave to reach Native Americans reach
indigenous young people in other parts of the world?' On a soccer field deep in
the jungles of Peru, He answered ‘Yes!'" Hutchcraft said.
Indigenous people follow a mix of
pagan religion, Christian heresies, and communist ideas. Many Christians suffer persecution. The experience with the OEW team kindled a
fresh fire in the hearts of the 12 Peruvian youth for reaching their peers with
the Gospel. The inspiration, however,
went both ways. The passion of the
Peruvians also gave the OEW team a renewed passion for evangelism.
"We had planned on lighting a
fire in Peruvian hearts. We hadn't planned on them lighting a fire in ours,"
Hutchcraft said. "The passion of Peru's
On Eagles' Wings warriors has done something in all our American hearts. We
will carry their fire back to On Eagles' Wings in North America, and the
warriors from both continents will never be the same!"
