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Thousands of Native American youth in the United States and Canada are expected to have the opportunity to respond to Jesus this summer during the Summer of Hope 2008 tour.
Native youth touring among tribes have been invited to testify amidst desperate cultural conditions prevalent with violence, drug and sex abuse, and suicide.
Native youth from On Eagles’ Wings and Ron Hutchcraft Ministries finished training for the Summer of Hope after the Warrior Leadership Summit held earlier this month. Over 700 Native youth from 76 nations attended the conference, where 90 additional Native youth responded to evangelistic outreach.
The next step for Summer of Hope takes place as the teams travel around the country to 12 or so tribes — many of them dwelling among dire cultural conditions.
On average, Native Americans live 30 years less than other Americans, due to suicide and violence, according to MNN. Only five percent are Christian, even after hundreds of years of targeted mission efforts.
Ministry leader Ron Hutchcraft described the desperate situation among the tribes by reading a letter one community sent, inviting the Summer of Hope team to come.
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“One letter simply says, ‘Our kids are dying. Can you please come?’” Hutchcraft said.
“And it’s true, with out of control suicide rates and sexual abuse and violence and drug abuse and alcohol abuse and meth gangs targeting native young people as a prime market for their products,” he added.
According to the ministry leader, the youth are responding to invitations like this one with sincerity. “We prayed with our teams last night that God would keep the young people alive, until the [other] young people can get there and tell their stories,” Hutchcraft told MNN. “Hope is on the way.”
Hutchcraft and his team said they don’t want to face this spiritual battle alone and are relying on the prayer support of the Christian community. “Now these young people are going to be warriors for their generation and their people. They desperately need the prayers of God's people.”
Summer of Hope 2008 comes at a crucial point in Indian mission in North America. Hutchcraft has reportedly seen about 5,000 youth accept Christ publicly in the last 4 years.
“Through the history of Indian missions on this continent … I can find no record of any harvest like that,” he said earlier in the year.
“God is really moving through native young people.”
The teams’ summer outreach events will conclude in August with the ministry at the Native Olympic Games, where up to 5,000 young Native athletes will gather.
