Native American Christians bring hope to reservations

USA (MNN) — Wes Francis may not be very old, but he’s already lived a lifetime of pain. Nearly everyone on the reservation has a story like his.

“I grew up in a very broken home, and I grew up very empty. I was tired of carrying so many things and constantly having to protect myself,” Francis says.

The cross and empty tomb offered no hope. “A lot of people like to call it ‘the white man’s Gospel,’” Francis says.

“Growing up, I didn’t think Jesus was for me because I thought Jesus was only for white people.”

That all changed when he learned the truth about Jesus through On Eagles’ Wings, a division of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries. Now, Francis spends his summers reaching reservations like the one he grew up in.

“It hurts me to know that people don’t know who Jesus of the Bible is,” Francis says.

”One of my greatest privileges is getting to paint a picture of who Jesus is biblically – a brown-skinned man from a tribe called Judah who didn’t speak English but had his own language, a form of Aramaic.”

The On Eagles’ Wings team connects with Native youth as no other Gospel workers can. “We know what it’s like to grow up in broken homes; to be slaves to drugs, to alcohol; to have broken relationships and trauma in our lives,” Francis says.

Pray for open hearts as the Summer of Hope continues. See the latest update here.

“God is definitely doing something through this team. It’s hard to say that I’ve been a part of a summer where God has moved quite like this one,” Francis says.

Pray that team members will have the courage to share their hope stories. “Pray that these people we are meeting stay alive until we get there,” Francis says.

Header and story images courtesy of On Eagles’ Wings/Ron Hutchcraft Ministries.