On Eagles Wings - Ron Hutchcraft Ministries

Update from Craig Smith (Ojibwe) with Team Canada

11,000 people, 17 gangs.

Our third stop for Team Canada is known nationwide as one of the most violent and hard First Nations community in all of Canada. We've often been told by the Native believers in Canada that the On Eagles' Wings team needs to go to this grouping of four Reserves. Of the 11,000 people that call these Reserves home, they have experienced a violent takeover from gang activities that has lasted for over a decade. Just a few months ago, in a drive-by shooting, a young two-year-old girl was shot, and the people began to start taking back their communities in an "enough is enough" attitude. It seemed like this was a great time for OEW to visit, with this newfound desire to see peace, order, and hope return to this area.

In many ways, Canada is farther along the road to post-modernism than the U.S. is, and there exists a stronger climate of tolerance for all religions, views and practices. We would see in this area and in the one to come just how strong the attitudes of indifference to Christ would be in these strategic communities. We truly had our work cut out for us.

As we plan our itineraries months in advance, you never know the impact regional activities and the local community's calendars will have on our outreaches. In this community, as we arrived at the venue for our outreaches, it was a Saturday evening, the day after payday, and within an hour drive was a huge provincial fair, comparable to a State Fair in the U.S. What a shock it was to us as hardly anybody was there for night one! The few that came, though, got a full presentation of our regular night one activities, including hope stories and a clear presentation of the Gospel. It moved our team to storm the gates of Heaven for this hardened community.

Sunday morning and afternoon saw us ministering in two of the partnering Native churches. It was a tremendous encouragement to the local believers to see the team share their stories, lead worship, and present hope just by their presence in the local churches. Unfortunately, tragedy once again struck during one of the worship services, and it hit close to home to one of the faithful families. The local RCMP (police) came to the church and asked this couple to step outside. They came back in distraught, asking the church to pray and then quickly left with the police. Unfortunately, one of their sons, a twenty-year-old young man, was brutally beaten in an attack, and was clinging to life in an area emergency room. By the time the family arrived, he had passed away. If he only had known, hope was so close!

It breaks our hearts every time we encounter the way Satan is using drugs, alcohol and violence to end so many lives. I believe he knows the impact indigenous people could have, if we'd only come to Christ and be used strategically where God has sovereignly placed us (Acts 17:26-27). He wants the indigenous peoples of the world eradicated and will stop at nothing!

That's why we need our intercessors to move into high gear as we turn the corner towards the last part of this all too brief Summer of Hope. This battle can only be won in the heavenlies.

Oh, and by the way, as night two and three progressed, we were amazed at the turn around from the first night. Our crowd began to grow and grow, and at the end of the final night, when the public invitation was given to accept Jesus Christ, they came from all over the courts to stand and give their lives to Jesus! I was standing together with the chairman of our local planning committee, one of the Native laymen, and the missionary who has been serving Jesus for many years among Native people. The tears were flowing on all our faces, as the emotion of seeing new lives surrendering to Christ overwhelmed us. They both commented that they had not seen anything like the response we saw that night!

To God be the Glory, great things He is doing!

Keep praying!

Craig for Team Canada