Above: Juan Carlos, Wilmer and Hector, all three of whom have been successfully fighting addictions, take a moment to smile with Mocha on the Micah House patio."Something New"
Big things are about to happen at the Micah Project. I don’t really know how to explain how I know this, but I do. Even on the missions’ field, life can often be pretty routine, and that can cause us to fall into the trap of living with our eyes half-closed. For the last several months, though, I have had a sense of expectation, of waiting for God to unleash His power on this ministry. Something new is happening.
This may seem like the worst week to write about a sense of what God is about to do in the Micah Project. For the first time in a long time, our bank accounts headed down almost to zero this week. We are truly living week-to-week, and sometimes day-to-day as a ministry. Seeing zeroes in our bank accounts can be pretty terrifying! Where are we going to get funds to feed and educate our boys? To go out and work with the street kids? To minister to our boys’ families?
But instead of feeling panicked and stressed about not having funds, we are instead feeling a tremendous burden to redouble our efforts to ask God to reveal His glory through the Micah Project. Even in the last year, He has allowed us to begin to break into spiritual territories than have previously been immersed in darkness.
In the last year and a half, for example, we have taken four young teens directly off the streets and out of a life of drugs, abuse and all kinds of degradation on the streets. It has been a spiritual battle, and often a daily one, to bring Wilmer, Marvin, Axel and Hector out of a place where the streets still had power over their souls and into a place where they themselves are beginning to desire to know their heavenly Father better. It is worth noting that these four had been in and out of a dozen institutions, never lasting for more than a few weeks or months at a time. Axel even broke his arm fighting a night watchman while trying to escape from one orphanage! But not only are they sticking it out with us, they are really beginning to flourish!
Another dominion that we have entered in the last year is in the lives of the gang members in our barrio. We have been able to gain the trust of some of the most notorious young men of our neighborhood, and they have begun to come to the Micah House weekly to receive a Bible study with our chaplain John Bell. One of them has given his life to Christ; we have placed two others in a Christian drug rehab facility to overcome their addiction to crack. So far, they have been in that facility for two months, and God is working in their hearts day-by-day.
Finally, we have made a renewed effort to be a transformative presence in the lives of our boys’ families this year. This mostly means single moms, women who are the product of generations of poverty and familial disintegration. One of our boy’s moms was living under a bridge until last month when we helped her rent a house. Another mom is a victim of domestic violence; a third struggles with alcoholism and addiction herself, just as her sons do. Recently, one of our missionaries, Kamia Paul, has formed a discipleship group with our moms. Kamia encourages them to seek out their heavenly Father and to begin to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. She is also helping them to learn sewing skills as a way to be able to support their impoverished families. Currently, six of our boys’ moms are involved in the group. We believe that generations of bondage can be broken if these women give their lives to Him!
I think this feeling that I have that something big is about to happen is a result of all of these new territories, ones steeped in brokenness and depravity, that have been opened to us in the past year. Though we don’t know where we are going to get the funds to operate next week, or the one after that, we are hearing our Father say to us “continue to be faithful to Me day-by-day, continue to testify to my good news in these dark and broken places, and I will show My Glory in their lives.”
We are taking a big step in that direction tomorrow by taking our young men on a spiritual retreat at a center about three hours north of Tegucigalpa. John Bell has been planning the retreat for several months, and last month, he found a supporter that was willing to underwrite the retreat. The theme of the retreat is “God our Father.” It sounds simple, but when you realize that none of our young men, not one, have a good relationship with their earthly fathers (and many do not know them at all), it is vitally important that they begin to understand what it means that they have a heavenly Father that has adopted them as sons.
What I ask of you today is that you pray. Pray that God would use this retreat to help our boys understand what it means to be loved by their Heavenly Father. Pray that He would continue to break chains that are left over from abuse, abandonment, violence and addiction in their young lives. Pray that He would unify our hearts to a single purpose, so that the Micah Project would continue to be a blazing light in dark places and dark lives. Pray that this retreat would convict each one of our boys and staff to live his or her life completely sold out to God, living each day as if it were our last on this earth. Pray for renewed energy and courage for our missionary staff, which often looks darkness and evil in the face on a daily basis.
I encourage you to go to the biography pages on our website (http://www.micahcentral.org/biolinks.html) and pray for our young men by name during our retreat from Sunday through Tuesday. While you are praying for those that will be at the retreat (Edwin, Jose, Jeferson, Pedro, Fredy, Erick, Juan Carlos, Maycol, Cristofer, Marvincito, Wilmer, Hector, Olvin, Axel and Pedrito) also pray for our college guys who are studying in other places and can’t come to the retreat. Pray for Oscar Amaya, who is about to travel to a predominantly Muslim country as a missionary for three months. Especially pray for Marvin Soto and Tino Hernandez, who are graduating from Missouri Baptist University on April 28! This is an amazing step for these ex-street boys who are now amazing and confident young men! Pray that God will guide them in their post-college lives. Finally, pray for Darwin, Arle and Jerson, who have left the Micah Project in the last year, that they would re-discover their identity as God’s sons.
I don’t fully understand this sense of anticipation that I have been feeling. But until God chooses to reveal how He will work in our ministry in this time, I do know that your prayers are vital to the victory that we want to see in all these lives. If you have a moment this week, write us a note at micahproject@hotmail.com to let us to know that you are praying for us and if you are praying for any of our young men specifically. That would be a great encouragement to them!
We will continue to let you know as God reveals his mighty works here in Honduras!
Muchas gracias,
Michael Miller
This may seem like the worst week to write about a sense of what God is about to do in the Micah Project. For the first time in a long time, our bank accounts headed down almost to zero this week. We are truly living week-to-week, and sometimes day-to-day as a ministry. Seeing zeroes in our bank accounts can be pretty terrifying! Where are we going to get funds to feed and educate our boys? To go out and work with the street kids? To minister to our boys’ families?
But instead of feeling panicked and stressed about not having funds, we are instead feeling a tremendous burden to redouble our efforts to ask God to reveal His glory through the Micah Project. Even in the last year, He has allowed us to begin to break into spiritual territories than have previously been immersed in darkness.
In the last year and a half, for example, we have taken four young teens directly off the streets and out of a life of drugs, abuse and all kinds of degradation on the streets. It has been a spiritual battle, and often a daily one, to bring Wilmer, Marvin, Axel and Hector out of a place where the streets still had power over their souls and into a place where they themselves are beginning to desire to know their heavenly Father better. It is worth noting that these four had been in and out of a dozen institutions, never lasting for more than a few weeks or months at a time. Axel even broke his arm fighting a night watchman while trying to escape from one orphanage! But not only are they sticking it out with us, they are really beginning to flourish!
Another dominion that we have entered in the last year is in the lives of the gang members in our barrio. We have been able to gain the trust of some of the most notorious young men of our neighborhood, and they have begun to come to the Micah House weekly to receive a Bible study with our chaplain John Bell. One of them has given his life to Christ; we have placed two others in a Christian drug rehab facility to overcome their addiction to crack. So far, they have been in that facility for two months, and God is working in their hearts day-by-day.
Finally, we have made a renewed effort to be a transformative presence in the lives of our boys’ families this year. This mostly means single moms, women who are the product of generations of poverty and familial disintegration. One of our boy’s moms was living under a bridge until last month when we helped her rent a house. Another mom is a victim of domestic violence; a third struggles with alcoholism and addiction herself, just as her sons do. Recently, one of our missionaries, Kamia Paul, has formed a discipleship group with our moms. Kamia encourages them to seek out their heavenly Father and to begin to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. She is also helping them to learn sewing skills as a way to be able to support their impoverished families. Currently, six of our boys’ moms are involved in the group. We believe that generations of bondage can be broken if these women give their lives to Him!
I think this feeling that I have that something big is about to happen is a result of all of these new territories, ones steeped in brokenness and depravity, that have been opened to us in the past year. Though we don’t know where we are going to get the funds to operate next week, or the one after that, we are hearing our Father say to us “continue to be faithful to Me day-by-day, continue to testify to my good news in these dark and broken places, and I will show My Glory in their lives.”
We are taking a big step in that direction tomorrow by taking our young men on a spiritual retreat at a center about three hours north of Tegucigalpa. John Bell has been planning the retreat for several months, and last month, he found a supporter that was willing to underwrite the retreat. The theme of the retreat is “God our Father.” It sounds simple, but when you realize that none of our young men, not one, have a good relationship with their earthly fathers (and many do not know them at all), it is vitally important that they begin to understand what it means that they have a heavenly Father that has adopted them as sons.
What I ask of you today is that you pray. Pray that God would use this retreat to help our boys understand what it means to be loved by their Heavenly Father. Pray that He would continue to break chains that are left over from abuse, abandonment, violence and addiction in their young lives. Pray that He would unify our hearts to a single purpose, so that the Micah Project would continue to be a blazing light in dark places and dark lives. Pray that this retreat would convict each one of our boys and staff to live his or her life completely sold out to God, living each day as if it were our last on this earth. Pray for renewed energy and courage for our missionary staff, which often looks darkness and evil in the face on a daily basis.
I encourage you to go to the biography pages on our website (http://www.micahcentral.org/biolinks.html) and pray for our young men by name during our retreat from Sunday through Tuesday. While you are praying for those that will be at the retreat (Edwin, Jose, Jeferson, Pedro, Fredy, Erick, Juan Carlos, Maycol, Cristofer, Marvincito, Wilmer, Hector, Olvin, Axel and Pedrito) also pray for our college guys who are studying in other places and can’t come to the retreat. Pray for Oscar Amaya, who is about to travel to a predominantly Muslim country as a missionary for three months. Especially pray for Marvin Soto and Tino Hernandez, who are graduating from Missouri Baptist University on April 28! This is an amazing step for these ex-street boys who are now amazing and confident young men! Pray that God will guide them in their post-college lives. Finally, pray for Darwin, Arle and Jerson, who have left the Micah Project in the last year, that they would re-discover their identity as God’s sons.
I don’t fully understand this sense of anticipation that I have been feeling. But until God chooses to reveal how He will work in our ministry in this time, I do know that your prayers are vital to the victory that we want to see in all these lives. If you have a moment this week, write us a note at micahproject@hotmail.com to let us to know that you are praying for us and if you are praying for any of our young men specifically. That would be a great encouragement to them!
We will continue to let you know as God reveals his mighty works here in Honduras!
Muchas gracias,
Michael Miller
P.S. If you would like to continue to support the Micah Project financially, you can send your tax exempt donation to our new mailing address in Houston: Micah Project, Inc.; P.O. Box 10098; Houston, TX 77206. We promise to do our best to use your donation for His glory!
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3 comments:
Bravo. I understand what that means. Lately, I get excited when I give more than I can afford to give. Because I feel God behind a particular idea or project, it's exciting to let God bring in the resources. God bless.
Thanks for sharing, Michael. I'm planning on having a celebratory dinner with Tino and Marvin this week in STL. It should be an awesome graduation!
Matt, Amy, Caroline, and Ben
I am praying for you all. I am and I am so excited for what God is gonna do! He is sooo faithful. I love you all and it brings tears of joy to my eyes to see all that God has used you to do. You inspire me. The boys inspire. I will continue to pray for you to do even greater things!!
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