"How can he be smiling after he's been through so much?"
No two reservations are alike in this Summer of Hope. Each confronts the Hope Team warriors with challenges. The Canagua Reservation certainly did.
There's a story to this reservation that explains both the opposition and opportunity before the team. Our host pastor - a Canagua man - said the story goes back 200 years when part of the tribe moved across the country, leaving their homes and their tribe's strong centuries-old beliefs. Having decided to follow Jesus, they established this reservation.
But our host explained that today there is drift from the church back to the tribal religion. And there is, at best, a handful of young Canagua believers.
Against that backdrop, comes the visit of an intertribal team of passionate young Jesus-followers.
Our first night, the connections of team members with locals was strong. While one lady angrily told a team member, "You have no business doing this here" (we had taken all the proper steps), the love and hope of the team are hard to argue with.
Eddie (Navajo) told how a father's abandonment and parental anger left him "consumed with anger and bitterness" and struggling with addiction. Leaving him depressed and thinking suicide. "I felt caged and alone." Until, at Warrior Leadership Summit, he saw "different tribes of Native Americans worshipping this man named Jesus."
He heard what Jesus could do in a life like his and chose to follow Him. His joy and passion for life were visible, right there at center court.
Hearing the Hope Stories, people have commented, as a Canagua lady did that night, "How can he be smiling when he's been through so much?"
Again and again this summer, it has been the joyful hope of wounded warriors that has opened hearts.
Our second night is important because it's an opportunity for the local young people to pray with our speaker and indicate a commitment on a comment card. All day there had been rain. It got very heavy as our event time approached. In over 30 years, we've probably been rained out less than half a dozen times. We prayed for a forecast-defying miracle as we sat on the bus at our venue. The rain did not stop.
But the warrior spirit of this team was on full display. When we arrived that night, the team responsible for sound was immediately off the bus to set up in the pouring rain. We quickly called them back, but they were ready to rescue, soaked, if necessary. Only a couple locals showed up. But a handful of our rain-geared warriors went into the downpour to possibly give them a Gospel opportunity.
God didn't give us that second night we prayed for. But He gave us a victorious finale the next night. It was our biggest night of the summer so far! If anything, the loss of that one night accelerated their passion on night 3.
Missy (Lakota Sioux) talked with an older lady who said she loved that Missy was on the team with her sister. Missy told her, "You wouldn't believe how I used to torment her - and now we're on the same team preaching the Gospel!"
Matt (Dinetah from Alberta) zeroed in on several guys, but all but one of them drifted to basketball. The one who remained was listening intently to Craig as he presented what Jesus had done for us on the Cross. As Craig gave the public invitation, Matt's guy literally ran to center court... followed by the other guys who had been distracted earlier.
It was our largest response of the summer so far! And a potential spark for the founding faith of this reservation to be rekindled in a new generation of young believers.
Who knows? Perhaps the 2025 Hope Team's harvest was God answering prayers prayed 200 years ago on this ground.
* Names and locations changed for privacy.