Leadership Retreat Feb 3

It was a sunny late morning and Joe Park, Jenny and Mike Chang, and I were about to touch down in Rapid City, South Dakota for Eagles Wing’s first leadership retreat. We were all feeling the anticipation for what the next few days would bring. 

Just three months earlier, I had attended the Eagles’ Wings launch party and met Henry Brown, long time Lakota mentor to the youth of Pine Ridge.

I heard him share about his current youth program and the need to raise up the next generation of Lakota youth leaders who both know what it is like to live on the reservation and know God’s love for them.

It was hard to hear how many youth that Henry had mentored in previous years had fallen short of the high expectations and vision he had for his team.

And yet, in spite of the physical and emotional toll that decades of ministry had put on him, what I remember most from that night was the prayerful hope Henry had for the youth of Pine Ridge, a future mentorship team, and his humility and desire to bring glory to God.

Now here we were about to reunite with Henry and meet his current youth ministry team for the first time.

Our hearts carried the prayers that our board had been praying over us:

• That God would prepare our hearts to listen and love in a cross cultural setting

• That God would be present in the worship and training sessions that we would be facilitating with Henry’s team

• That Henry’s team would feel equipped and united in vision

Arriving in the Rapid City airport

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Our time together with the Chicago and Pine Ridge teams began as all weekends should - with the breaking of bread and deep conversations around one long Golden Corral Table.

In the next few hours and several helpings of potatoes later, we began to realize how each member of the Pine Ridge team (Patty, Brad, McKinley, and Chantelle) had a story that led them to now work with Kids Time, the after school children’s program at the Reconciliation Center.

• Patty had originally grown up in Seattle with her adopted family and now worked at the Reconciliation Center helping with the food preparation and leading games with the kids. 

• Brad grew up in Pine Ridge and now helped with transportation and food preparation for the shelter and Kids Time.

• McKinley & Chantelle both grew up in Pine Ridge, became high school sweethearts, and now are parents to 3 kids and a 5 day old newborn(!). They both knew Henry from when they themselves attended Henry’s program as kids. Now, they credit Henry to being their mentor and help with the operations of both the homeless shelter and Kids Time.

Pictured left to right: Chantelle, McKinley Jr., McKinley, Brad, Anna, Patty, Mike Joe, Jenny, Henry

Later that evening,

we were welcomed by another Eagles’ Wings partner and Rapid City resident, Lorraine, who so graciously hosted us that evening and helped coordinate much of the logistics for the weekend. 

Over a dinner of japchae, bulgogi, kimchi fried rice, and stir fry, Mike and Henry led us to share stories from our own lives, histories, and cultures.

Many of us have come from places and pasts of pain and sorrow and continue to struggle with its impact in day to day life.

And yet we felt our hearts knit together with the present love, and mercy of a redeeming God who calls people of all nations to Him.