Update on Laje and Wilmer

Laje came by the Micah House tonight (see the post directly below this one to learn more about him). It was wonderful to see him! I had been in the States for almost two weeks and was out of contact with him. When I walked out of the Micah House to talk to him, I saw something on his face that I had never seen before: happiness. He began to talk excitedly about what God was doing in his life. He said I was right when I said that God was going to do something big in his life this month. He was so excited to tell me that he hadn't consumed any drug in 11 days...a record for him! I told him that each day was a victory that should be celebrated.

He told me that the police had taken him a few days before I went up to the States and held him for eight days on suspicions of gang activity. Throughout his time in jail, he was able to pray and keep his calm. Because of his demeanor, they let him out on condition that he not be caught again in gang activities. He has been reading the book that I gave him called "Emerging from the Darkness"and is through chapter 9. He said that he is really ready to grow spiritually. I told him that God is also ready to do great things in his life! He knows that it is not easy to change and that the old habits die hard. Even so, Laje is absolutey sure that it is God working in him that is keeping him from cosuming drugs and getting into further trouble.

There is so much going on in Laje's heart right now. It is easy to see that he desires to begin a new journey in his life. Pray that our future contacts with him would lead him in the right direction. Sometimes I feel scared that I don't have the right resources to help Laje give up his life as a hoodlum. Then I remember...I don't change anybody...I don't save anyone. It is God who saves, and it is his mighty hand that leads us to that point. Please continue to pray for Laje!

Also, fourteen year old Wilmer came by today for the first time in several weeks (see the picture above of his visit). You may remember from past posts that Wilmer had been escaping from the Micah House every two or three weeks to go back to the streets and the drugs. A couple of months ago, when he escaped yet again, we made the decision to not go after him to bring him back. We felt that he needed to show that he desired to be a part of the Micah Project.

Dan and our street team have talked with him several times since then, encouraging him to come back to the project through his own free will. During these months, Wilmer seemed to be splitting time between the streets and his mom's room in the market district. For whatever reason, he began to spend more and more time with his mom and less time on the streets.

Today, when he showed up with his younger brother Nelson, we got the impression that he had not been consuming yellow glue for some time. He was calm, exhibiting none of the frenetic energy that he had when he was struggling to overcome his glue addiction. He spent most of the day with us, playing with the other guys as if he had never left. In the evening, he and his brother went home, but they promised to come back tomorrow to spend the day with our mission team from Houston, which arrived this evening.

We're not sure what happens next with Wilmer. If he spends this week working with our missions team from Houston, it will help us to observe where he is at in terms of his addiction. It is possible that we might work out a plan in which he can spent part time at his home and part time with us. He was just learning the first few letters of the alphabet when he ran away; we would love to be able to restart his education once again.

Please pray for 27 year old Laje and 14 year old Wilmer. Both are at a crossroads, making decisions that could change the rest of their lives. Pray for wisdom on our part as well, that we could facilitate healing and growth in both of their lives.

Muchas gracias!

Michael