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."