Street Kid Spotlight: Kevin

For our second street kid spotlight I have chosen a young man by the name of Kevin.  Kevin is 17 years old and has been a regular participant in our Friday afternoon soccer games.  His father died when he was little, and he says he has been living with his grandfather since he was about ten.  However, his grandfather is 85 years old and not very healthy, so he is unable to give him the care or discipline he needs.  One of Kevin’s aunts makes food for his grandfather, of which, occasionally Kevin gets to partake, but if his aunt is mad at him, he won’t get anything.

This picture of Kevin was taken in February 2003 in the market of Tegucigalpa

Because of his harsh home life, Kevin spends most of the day wandering around the downtown marketplace enjoying the adventure, but also suffering the oppression that comes with street life.  He clings tightly to his bottle of yellow glue because, as he inhales its fumes, it gives him a temporary high and helps him to forget, even if just for a moment, the difficult family situation he calls home.  Occasionally he can be seen at the front door of Micah hoping for a plate of warm food and a glass of water, to which our wonderful cooks, Ana and Aida happily oblige.

Kevin at street kid soccer on Friday afternoon

Recently Kevin decided that he was ready to give up the street life and try to get clean from his addiction to glue.  Staff member Hector Licona accompanied him to a downtown center called Casa Alianza (Covenant House… where Micah had its early beginnings), to see if they could do something to help our young friend.  However, the staff there refused to give him a chance because they had already accepted him 3 times prior and he never showed any real motivation to change.  Hector explained to him that there were other options for a better future if that was really what he wanted.  We know of several rehab programs and we could have helped him get into one.  But he would have to be the one to make the decision to turn his life around.  And in the end he chose to return to the streets and the glue.

Eduardo smiles with Kevin after the game.  Don't you think they look like they could be brothers??

Kevin tells me that on the 20^th of this month he plans to board a bus and make the long trip to a small fishing town on the Caribbean coast of Honduras called Limón.  There he claims you can’t find the yellow glue, but it certainly has its own form of addictive substances including beer and guaro (a liquor made from sugar cane that is comparable to vodka).  He says he will stay in Limón until he gets bored of it, but he doesn’t know whether he will return to Tegucigalpa or not.

Our prayer for Kevin is that he would seek the Lord’s help as he attempts to turn his life around.  We hope also that he would enter into a relationship with Him and allow Him to be the Father he never knew.  Please join with us in prayer for Kevin, and claim the words of Psalm 10:14 over his life “But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand…You are the Helper of the fatherless”


Thanks for your prayers!
Jenna Miller

Weekly Prayer Requests (only slightly late!)

   ¡Buenos Dias!

   We here at Micah Project are once again happy to be settling back into a set routine. Our trip to La Ceiba was an amazing time on the northern coast, playing and relaxing. While we had a lot of fun and we are very grateful to the entire Herbold family, we are also glad to be back home in Tegucigalpa. However, we are heading into a busy season. This week, Michael Miller and Rebecca Bell are gearing up for the annual board meeting while the rest of us are bracing for the month of December. With Christmas updates, Christmas mailings, guys going to visit families in the countryside, Christmas day, planning for the next five years, and the start of strategic planning for the Wiggs' future ministry, we here at Micah have a lot of work ahead of us this month! Still, even in the midst of the stress, we are rejoicing in the Lord's faithfulness and goodness to us. Every time that I have felt discouraged, defeated, or simply out of energy, the Lord has provided a Bible verse, a word from a friend in the U.S. or a co-worker here, or has He simply directly comforted my soul. Michael commented during a recent staff meeting how encouraged he felt in seeing our God's timing in bringing the Wiggs family here. Thus, even as the work piles up, we are encouraged and ready as we move ahead into the insanity and joy that will be this month. Still, please join us in prayer for this week and this month.  This week, we are especially praying for:

* Safe Travels
Michael leaves for a two-week trip to the U.S. this coming Thursday and plans to return on Dec 18.  Becca is traveling with him to the board meeting this coming weekend and plans to return on the seventh of this month.  However, she and John then plan to head home for Christmas shortly before Michael's return.  Additionally, almost, if not all, of our college guys are coming home for Christmas!  Please be praying for safe and smooth travels for all.  Please also be praying for those of us who will be staying here.  We're going to be very short-staffed, so please pray for energy, endurance, patience, and sanity!

* Board Meeting this coming weekend.
As I previously mentioned, Michael and Becca are heading to the U.S. this weekend in order to meet with the board of directors.  They'll be discussing items ranging from our annual budget to working on our five-year strategic plan.  This meeting has important ramifications for our future, so please be praying for wisdom for the board.

* Political Peace
 Honduras has just held peaceful elections for a new president, but the situation remains far from resolved as both the country of Brazil and the ex-president are denying the validity of the results. However, election day passed with little violence, with none whatsoever here in the capital. It appears that most people simply want to move ahead and have peace once again in Honduras.  However, we are still waiting to see if this will actually happen. Please join us and the vast majority of Hondurans in praying that the transition to the new president is smooth and that the rest of the world accepts the election results.

* The continuing work of the Lord in the hearts of our guys
Transformation is a slow, messy business that requires a big dose of the Lord's help. Please pray that the Lord works in the hearts of our guys and produces fruit in their lives. We are constantly attempting to be positive influences on the guys, but only the Lord causes them to grow. Please join our prayer that they are able to move forward and become witnesses here in Honduras to our God's greatness.

* The Wiggs Family
  Moving to a new country is difficult, but especially so for an entire family. Please pray for their transition as they settle into their lives here in Honduras. Please especially pray for wisdom and patience as they try to get their household items shipped to them here, as it is taking a long time and they are encountering many people who are attempting to scam them with extra (non-existent) costs and taxes.

* And, as always, the stuff of dancing and singing: PRAISES!
- An amazing trip to La Ceiba. We had a lot of fun, were able to spend time with the Herbolds, relax, and just take a break from normal life! No one broke any body parts, so double praises!!
- The Wiggs are here! I've mentioned this before, but we are really, really, really happy to have them and their energy and passion here with us!!
- Peaceful elections. After a summer and fall of tension and wondering, it looks more and more like our political problems will soon be part of the past.
- Two smooth weeks in a row.  We have had very few meltdowns and have seen growth in the lives of some of our more difficult guys. Thank God that He is working!
- Our Lord's faithfulness. I mention this almost every week, but it's true every time!! Our God gives us the strength to finish every day and to be a light to our guys.

As a closing thought, I just wanted to quote 2 Corinthians 4:18-20: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."  We can be tired, but we press on.  We can be frustrated, but we continue showing Christ's love. The coming month will have its moments of testing and turmoil, but upon reading this scripture, I'm ready to say one thing: "Bring it."

Lord Have Mercy,

David Hawthorne

A Brief Prayer Request

  Buenas Noches,

  I just wanted to remind you all that the Honduran national elections for the office of president are tomorrow. There are a lot of things that could go wrong, but if everything goes well, the international community will most likely recognize the results of the elections, effectively ending our current political problems. Please be praying for a peaceful and smooth voting process, that everyone will refrain from violent protests, and that the transitional period from our current quagmire to the new president will be smooth. We'll keep you all posted on the election results and their effects!

   Trusting in Him,
   David Hawthorne

Why the Weekly Prayer Requests Are Late or Why I Managed to Fall off of a Cliff.

   Dear Friends and Family,

    This week, please accept my apologies in being very late in posting our weekly prayer requests. However, I can offer a valid excuse: Micah Project has just returned from being ten hours away from Tegucigalpa, where we played and relaxed in the the natural beauty of La Ceiba on the Northern Honduran Coast. I now have an internet connection once again, so I thought that I send all of you a brief update/some prayer requests. We at Micah are doing well and really enjoyed the opportunity to be outside of the city and in a different routine. We are also very excited to be spending time this week with our good friends, the Herbold family. The guys had a LOT of fun doing things like riding through the rainforest canopy on ziplines, white-water rafting, playing on the beach, and jumping off a cliff into a river (my fifth jump went wrong and I kinda fell over the edge...thence the title).
    Please keep us in your prayers for this weekend. The Herbolds are leaving for the U.S. tomorrow and Jenna Miller is returning from a visit to her family. Please pray that they all have safe and smooth trips. Also, please be continually in prayer for the Lord to work in the hearts of the guys. In everything that we do, whether in work or play, we work to see the Lord glorified through both our lives and the lives of the guys (to paraphrase the apostle Paul). Please pray that He is glorified in our lives, our words, and in our actions over the course of this weekend! Post-Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all of you!!

Sunburned and happy about it,
David Hawthorne

Weekly Prayer Requests

¡Hola!

This week has been a week full of great rejoicing and deep mourning. This past Friday, we had the opportunity to celebrate the graduation of Marvin and Pedro Luis from the 6th grade. It was a joyous moment in which we celebrated just how far from the streets and abject poverty the Lord has brought these two young men. However, yesterday, we also learned that long-time supporter and dear friend Mary Yates had passed away from cancer. There are few words to express the sorrow that this loss brings to us, her family, and her friends. However, as we mourn with the significant people in Mary's life, we can still rejoice in the legacy that Mary left behind in serving street kids all over Honduras and in the knowledge that she is now celebrating with her Savior. Yet, in the end, it can be hard to see such gain and such loss in the same week. Still, we press on, trusting the Lord's goodness and His faithfulness. As we do so, we look ahead into the coming week, bow ourselves before the Lord, and ask Him to aid us. Please join us in prayerfully pleading for:

 * Comfort for the Family of Mary Yates.
It is always tragic when someone's life and ministry is cut short like Mary's. Please pray for the comfort of her family, even as we rejoice that she has now joined the heavenly festival. Also, please join us in praising the Lord for the mighty work that He did through Mary during her time here on earth (for more information on Mary's ministry, see: http://micahcentral.blogspot.com/2008/04/using-talents-to-build-gods-kindgom.html).

* The Wiggs Family.
  We are excited here at Micah over the arrival of the Wiggs family today. Brian Wiggs is a talented mechanic and plans on opening the Micah Project technical school here in Honduras for older street children and Micah graduates who may not wish to pursue advanced academic degrees. Please pray for the entire Wiggs family as they transition into this new country as well as for Brian as he begins setting up his new school (for more information, see: http://www.micahcentral.org/Staff/staff.htm).

* Health
-Long-term Micah staffer Roger Figueroa has had continuing health problems. A few times, he has had seizures in the middle of the night, and is currently taking some time off in order to relax and consult with the doctors. Please pray that the doctors are able to swiftly find the root cause of his health issues and that Roger himself is able to receive the Lord's comfort as he worries over his health.
- Tony, one of our friends from Villa Linda Miller. Back in 2006, Tony broke his back while diving into a river and lost the use of his legs. Since then, he has pressed on with his schooling and has focused on finishing high school. Recently, though, we received word that he has had heart issues and is the hospital. Please pray for him and know that we'll keep you all updated on his situation!

* Our Strategic Plan
Micah is in the midst of creating a five-year strategic plan. Please pray for wisdom for us as we look ahead into the future and ask the Lord what He would have us do in that time. 

* True and Deep Revival in Micah House
 Pray that the Lord works in the hearts of our guys. As a staff, we strive to teach them the way to Him, but in the end, only He can change their hearts. Please ask the Lord that the Holy Spirit will continue to move powerfully and tangibly in everyone here at Micah and please pray that the Micah guys will be filled with a longing for the Lord and His ways.

* And, as always, it is my pleasure to bring to you the things that cause us to praise!
- The graduation of Marvin and Pedro Luis. Despite an occasionally bumpy road, both of these young men arrived at an important marker in their journeys. Marvin, especially, has had challenges along the way, but has always returned to his studies. Praise God for how he has grown!!
- The arrival of the Wiggs family. We are very excited about how our God can use them here in Honduras!
- Wonderful and Refreshing visits from Mary Floye Federer and Marvin Morazan. It is always a joy to receive a hug from Mary Floye and to hear Marvin sing!
- Meeting the national soccer team. This is not a joke: while taking Mary Floye to the airport this past Sunday, Michael and the guys met Honduras's national soccer team while waiting in line with Mary Floye! The guys were able to get their pictures taken with several of the players, and most of the guys are still parading the shirts that the players signed. This was an entirely random, but very fun, happenstance!!

It is truly my joy to walk this path with all of you, our friends and family. Even when we have sad news, such as the passing of Mary Yates, it is a comfort to know that we have a faithful group who will eagerly offer support and prayer. Please keep the family of Mary Yates especially in your prayers this week and seek to support them however possible. Dios les bendiga (God bless you all).

Walking in Mercy,
David Hawthorne

Weekly Prayer Requests

Buenas Tardes,

Every Sunday night, we here at Micah have a worship meeting. The theme of our meetings can vary from asking the guys to remember a lesson from the week or reminding them of some basic scriptural truth. This past Sunday, Michael used the events of the past week to offer a challenge to the guys: make wise decisions. Using the example of someone from our neighborhood who threw away a chance at Micah in order to steal some stuffed animals, Michael spoke about how one bad decision in youth can have repercussions throughout life. He then challenged the guys to avoid seeking the temporary pleasures of this world and instead focus on the eternal pleasures of the Lord. He asked them to use their coming vacation wisely, in order to learn and grow rather than just misspending their time. I hope and pray that this challenge sinks into the hearts of everyone who was there, and that we are able to see change and growth over the next three months. As I, and the rest of the staff, pray for Micah this week and for this vacation period, please join us in praying for:

*'Summer' Vacation
The school year is over and the guys are out on vacation! They are very excited, but this also means more work for the staff and more opportunities for conflicts to arise. However, it is also an excellent time for the guys to explore their own talents as well as pursue individual personal growth. Please pray:
- That the guys would use this time wisely. Michael challenged them to make decisions during vacation that would honor the Lord and lead to growth. Please pray that this comes to pass.
- For our staff. We are somewhat short-staffed at the moment due to illness, so we are all carrying a larger portion of responsibility than normal. Please pray that we are able to have the endurance and wisdom to handle our increased workload.

*Health
Long-term staffer Roger Figueroa has been having seizures at night. He is undergoing further physical exams and medical tests in order to discover the underlying cause of his health issues. Please pray that the doctors quickly discover the cause of his seizures and are able to treat it. Also, please pray that he will receive the Lord's comfort as he worries over his health.

*Graduation this weekend
Please pray for a smooth ceremony and that we are able to joyfully celebrate the graduation of Marvin and Pedro Luis from the sixth grade! Also, please pray for a safe journey for Mary Floye as she comes to visit and celebrate with us. (Interesting fact: 2 1/2 years ago, Marvin was a street kid with no formal education - isn't God amazing?)

*Our guys
Many of us here at Micah feel that we are waging a war over the lives of our guys. Please pray:
- For the staff as we strive to see God's work in their lives and to hinder Satan's plans for these young men.
- More importantly, for the young men. Pray that they will see God's love for them and that they will positively respond to that love. Pray that they are able to confront pain from their pasts and that they will be able to grow through that pain rather than cave into the temptations of anger, pornography, or rebellion. Pray that the Lord will work in their hearts and raise up another generation from Micah Project filled with maturity and a desire to carry out the Lord's work in their lives!

And the stuff that makes peanut butter and chocolate ice cream seem petty: PRAISES!

*Graduation
Marvin and Pedro Luis are graduating from the sixth grade! Praise the Lord that these young men are forging ahead, despite all obstacles and temptations!

*Marvin Morazan coming to visit
"MJMV Little" (as he calls himself) is coming home to visit for graduation! We here are very excited to have him visit and encourage our guys. We are also grateful for how he has matured and grown!

*For continuing strength to work in the lives of the guys.
Like I've mentioned before on the blog, Micah life is tiring. We are grateful for the strength of the Lord as well as His faithfulness to us as we work here. Our God is so loving!

*Wilmer

This young man has shown incredible growth over the past year! He has gone from being one of the youngest, more immature members of Micah to an example to which we can point. We are so thankful that he has come so far!
As always, the faithfulness of our Lord continues to overwhelm me. Not only does He work in each of the guys and encourage us, but He also has brought us loyal family members and friends who care and pray for us. Thank you, each and every one of you, for responding to the Lord's call and partnering with us in prayer. Thank you, Lord, for continuing to be our foundation.

Amen,
David Hawthorne

A Video Recap

Here is a short video in which several of the young men get a chance to share about what God taught them last weekend on our spiritual retreat in PANACAM, Honduras.

Please accept their (and our) gratitude to all of you whose prayers and support made this retreat a success!