End of Summer Update

Summer somehow came and went again!

This year was a little different for Eagles’ Wings. For the first time, we brought a combined group of high school and college students to Pine Ridge for an official Eagles’ Wings summer trip.

It wasn't the first time many of us had been to Pine Ridge. In fact, Eagles’ Wings grew out of more than 20 years of short-term trips and relationships there. But this was the first time we had the opportunity to bring students together under Eagles’ Wings and begin putting into practice some of what we've learned over those years.

We spent the week serving alongside our friends at Oglala Re-Creation & Worship Center and Oyate Hope Academy, helping with summer bible programs, playing basketball, fixing bikes, sharing Korean meals and snacks, and spending time with kids and families.

There were long days, late nights, a lot of time in vans, and a really meaningful week together.

But what has encouraged us most has happened since we came home.

How Do We Be Faithful Beyond Short-Term Trips?

This is a question that has shaped Eagles’ Wings from the beginning.

How do we be faithful beyond short-term trips?

We've seen firsthand how meaningful a week on Pine Ridge can be. Many of the relationships that eventually led to Eagles’ Wings began on trips just like this one.

But we've also learned that a week is only a week, and that God may be calling us to deeper. So we challenged our students to ask whether the trip was meaningful, but to think about what it looks like to remain invested in the people and places they've encountered.

Some students have already completed fundraisers and advocated for the partners they met. Others are asking what it could look like to return to Pine Ridge and serve for longer than a week. And for some, those questions are stretching even further. Several of our students are seriously considering longer-term mission opportunities, whether that's an extended stay on Pine Ridge or serving with ministries in places like Thailand.

We don't expect every student who goes on a trip to become a long-term missionary, but we do want them to start asking what it means to live missionally - not just for one week during the summer, but wherever God has placed them.

A Growing Vision for Eagles’ Wings

That has helped clarify something for us as we look toward the future of Eagles’ Wings:

We want to develop missional young leaders.

Our long-term relationships on Pine Ridge give young people an incredible place to learn what that can look like.

They get to learn from people who have faithfully served their communities for decades. They learn to listen before jumping in, to serve without needing to be the hero, and to understand that relationships are built over years and decades, not days, weeks, or even months.

We want to help them take the next step.

Maybe that's organizing a fundraiser for Oyate Hope Academy. Maybe it's supporting a need identified by ORWC. Maybe it's coming back on another service trip. Maybe it's spending a month or a summer serving alongside a ministry. The next step will look different for every student, and our hope is that there simply is a next step these students choose to take in faith.

Still Locally Led. Still Long-Term.

As our focus grows, our commitment to Pine Ridge isn't changing. We still believe deeply in locally-led, long-term youth ministry on the Rez. We're incredibly grateful for our friends and partners on Pine Ridge who have spent decades serving Lakota youth and families. They know their communities better than we ever will. Our role is still to support and encourage their plans and dreams for Lakota youth.

What excites us most is getting to bring the next generation into these hopes and plans. And perhaps, through them, we’re beginning to answer one of the most consistent requests we’ve heard from our partners over the years: young people willing to stay longer, build relationships, and serve alongside them.

We're still figuring out exactly what all of this will look like for Eagles’ Wings. But we know the question we want to keep asking:

How can we be faithful beyond the trip?

And we're excited to see where that question takes us.