Weekly Prayer Requests

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings and Blessings from the Micah Project! We had a relaxing weekend last weekend and a smooth week so far - however, we are gearing up for a slightly more intense weekend tomorrow! This weekend, a group from the U.S. arrives in Honduras and will take over half the guys and staff with them to Western Honduras. The rest of the project is also planning to go with them for the weekend before heading up to Northern Honduras and then the beach for a couple of nights. We are very excited about the trips this weekend and the chance to break out of our normal routine! However, even as we plan a bit of fun, we have several items that we wish to lay before the Lord. We are praying for, and would like to ask you to be praying for:

* Violence in our neighborhood
Violence in the neighborhood surrounding Micah has continued to grow worse in the past few weeks. As threats and rumors of potential violence continually swirl, we ask you to please be praying for safety for the Micah guys and for Micah staff. We also want to ask you to please continue to pray that we can somehow be a beacon of light and Christ's love in the midst of so much darkness and violence. Please also be praying for a cessation of violence and that peace would rule.

* For Axel Lopez and Cristofer Cruz
Both Axel and Cristofer struggled in 2010 and finished the year living outside of Micah. Please be praying for them in this coming year; that the Lord would be working in their hearts and that they would both begin to seriously fight against their personal vices. Also, we ask you to be praying for wisdom for us as we seek the Lord's guidance in how to best help these two young men in 2011.

*For safe travels this weekend
As we all travel to Western Honduras this weekend, we would ask you to please keep our safety in your prayers. We look forward to having a fun weekend, and we hope to also have a safe one!!


* And, regardless of our circumstances, let us always remember to PRAISE!!!
- For the successful Board of Directors meeting this past weekend. Michael and the Board had a successful time discussing the future and planning for this coming year. Praise the Lord for blessing them with His wisdom and patience throughout their long meetings!!
- For several birthdays this past week! It is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the lives of each of these young men and to joyfully wish them another year filled with growth and life!!
- For the Lord's current work in the hearts of the Micah guys! We've seen the Micah guys growing emotionally and spiritually in the past month, and we wish to praise the Lord for working so mightily in their hearts and minds!!

"This God - His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?" (Psalms 18:30-31)
Our God has proven mighty to save, protect, heal and grow time and time again in the ten years that the Micah Project has sought to carry out His work in Tegucigalpa. We praise and thank Him for being so faithful and generous with us, and we thank you for your continued support. God bless!!

Peace,
David Hawthorne (on behalf of the Micah Project)

Weekly Prayer Requests

   Dear Friends and Family,

   Happy New Year from the Micah Project! We here at Micah have had a busy and exciting holiday season with Christmas, a visiting missions team from Meridian, Mississippi and, of course, celebrating the New Year!! Now, on the other side of the holidays, the staff is working on giving everyone some much-needed time off and (although life is a little calmer) we are all now working on playing catch-up with work from before the holidays. Despite post-holidays tiredness and long lists of work, we are excited about this upcoming new year; we have many things to look forward to: working hard on Micah 2.0, finishing Roger's new house in the Villa Linda Miller community, welcoming old friends back to Micah as the missions teams visit, meeting new friends both in Honduras and from the U.S. and watching the Micah guys grow. We are praying, and we ask you all to be praying, for this new year and for all of the joys and challenges that it will bring. In particular, we ask you to be praying for:

* Micah 2.0 
As 2011 begins and we look ahead to the future, our largest and most exciting dream is start work on Micah 2.0 - a new home for our guys with LOTS of space for them to run and play, located in a small community just outside of Tegucigalpa - and we might have our first phase completed as soon as the end of the year! Still, even as the pieces continue to slowly fall into place and the details are resolved we continue to place Micah 2.0 in the hands of the Lord. Please be praying for wisdom for the Micah staff and the board of directors concerning this future dream, that the Lord provides the necessary resources so that this exciting vision becomes a reality in 2011!

* For the Micah Guys
2010 was a hard year for many of our guys, as they struggled with glue addictions, the false promises of "fun" and "liberty" on the streets and other issues. The Lord has won many powerful and amazing victories in the lives of these young men, but there are many more battles than need to be won. Please be holding the growth and the futures of each of these young men in your prayers. We also ask you to please be especially praying for Axel Lopez and Cristofer Cruz in this coming year, as these two young men struggled in 2010 and are currently living outside of Micah.


* The Upcoming Board of Directors Meeting
Micah's board of directors is meeting at the end of this week. They and Michael Miller hope to set an agenda and an operational plan for this upcoming year - not an easy or simple task!! Please be praying for wisdom and that God's guiding hand would be on this meeting.

* For Spiritual Growth in the Hearts of the Micah Guys
  As we have stated before, we do not win the battles for the hearts of these young men - it is the Lord, and Him alone!! Please be praying that he would work mightily in the hearts of the Micah guys and continue to make them more and more into His own image!!

* And, let us never forget to PRAISE!!
- For some VERY Happy Holidays in Micah! The Micah guys were excited about Christmas - and they definitely celebrated enthusiastically  (enough fireworks were set off in front of Micah to completely cover the street in burned bits of paper)! A week later, we once again covered the street in firework debris as we celebrated the arrival of 2011. Praise the Lord for fun (and safe) holidays!!
- For a visit from First Presbyterian Church of Meridian, Mississippi! FPC Meridian brought down a large group to work with us in raising Roger's new home during the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. We got a lot of work done - and we were also able to make many new friends and enjoy a very fun week!!
- The Lord's constantly moving hand in our lives! Our God has continued to protect, guide and grow us! Praise Him for being so faith to us as we seek to carry out His will!!


2010 was a wild year, with many highlights, many battles and many victories in the lives of our young men. However, despite the battles and struggles of 2010, we are excited about the future of these young men in 2011 and we look forward to seeing what the Lord has planned for their lives. We also look forward to walking through 2011 with all of you, our dear family members and friends. Thank you for all of your support and prayers in 2010, and we look forward to another year of ministry alongside of all of you!!




Peace,
David Hawthorne (on behalf of the Micah Project)

Micah Project Prayer Requests

Dear Friends and Family,

Blessings from Tegucigalpa, Honduras! My deepest apologies about not posting any prayer requests in the last three weeks! However, things here at the project have been very joyful - last month, our graduation was well worth the time and energy spent on it as we celebrated the graduation of Jeferson, Maycol, Brayan Chavez, Hector Licona and Hauner Amaya from high school. Several of our friends from the U.S. were able to fly down in order to spend the weekend with us and the graduates. The next weekend, the Micah guys celebrated the beginning of school vacation by going on a trip to the Northern coast with Roger. After returning from the Northern coast, the Micah guys have started a construction project out in the Villa Linda Miller. In short, these have been a busy few weeks! As we  start a new month, we would like to ask you to please be holding the graduates, the Micah guys and us (the staff) in your prayers. Please be praying for:

* The New Micah Graduates
As our graduates look ahead to the future, we would like to ask you to please keep them in your prayers. Please be praying for wisdom and for the hand of the Lord to be on them and their lives. Even though they have graduated from high school, their journeys are far from over. Please continue to hold Chavez, Jeferson, Maycol, Hector and Hauner in your prayers.

* Safety
Last week, the local newspaper named (for the second time this year) our barrio as one of the "hot zones" for crime in the city of Tegucigalpa. This claim has been born out in reality with several murders in our neighborhood during the past two weeks. Additionally, Wilmer and Arle were unlawfully detained and threatened by corrupt police officers last week. Our neighborhood is truly becoming a "hot zone" of crime. Please continue to hold all the Micah staff and guys in your prayers. Please continue to pray that we can be Christ-like influences in the midst of so much darkness and that the Lord will complete a great work in this city and stop the violence.

*The Micah Staff
As we labor to bring these young men off of the street and strive to be God's agents in transforming them into future Christian leaders, we face a long and hard fight. Often, we are called upon to work long hours and deal with stressful situations day after day. We ask you to please be holding us in your prayers this week! Please pray for patience, for wisdom, for grace and for the love of Christ to flow through us every moment as we work to raise up each of the Micah guys.

* And, let us always remember to PRAISE!!!
 - For the Micah graduates! These five young men have completed the long road to graduation, and we are extremely proud of their hard work!! Praise the Lord for all the change that He has brought about in their lives and for strengthening their hands to do the work that they needed to do!
- For a smooth graduation weekend! This weekend was a wonderful time of praise and fellowship with friends from the U.S. - praise the Lord that everything went well and that we were able to have a joyous time celebrating our graduates!!
-  For encouragement when it's needed! Praise the Lord for giving us all that we need to do everything that He has called us to do - including giving us wonderful friends who lift us up when necessary!!

On graduation weekend, as the new graduates worked their way through all of the staff and Micah board members, giving hugs to each one, I remarked to David Miller (Michael's father), "These are the moments that make it all worthwhile." It is moments like those that remind us why we fight so hard for these young men; these moments remind us of our goals for each of them in their long journeys. We pray, and we also ask you to pray, that each young man who enters our doors is able to also arrive at the same moment of triumph. God bless you all and thank you for your prayers!

Peace,
David Hawthorne (on behalf of the Micah Project)

Weekly Prayer Requests

Dear Friends and Family,

This has been a busy and encouraging two weeks here at Micah Project. At the end of the last week, we were blessed to attend an informational event about street kids hosted by local bilingual private school. The school's aim was to teach their upper-class students about the realities of street life while looking to break through some of the class barriers that exist here in Honduras.  It was a wonderful time of sharing and learning. The weekend just got better, as on Sunday we celebrated the baptisms of six of our guys! It was wonderful and encouraging to witness so many of our young men take an important and publicly proclaim their devotion to Jesus Christ!! Sadly, just a few days ago, we were reminded of the reality of death in this fallen world when we received news that our beloved friend Jo Bewley had passed away after a long and valiant battle with cancer.  

* Bob Bewley and their family
We are blessed to have known Jo Bewley and inspired to see how she was at peace with the Lord's will for her in these past few weeks. We are grateful that Micah college student Olvin Funez was able to be with Bob and Jo throughout her final day and that both Olvin and Oscar Amaya stayed with Bob that night. Micah Project director Michael Miller left for the U.S. on Monday in order attend Jo's funeral and to be with Bob. Please hold Bob and their children and grandchildren in your prayers this week.

* The six baptized Micah guys
Miguelito, Axelito, Nelson, Miguel Fugon, Joel, and Yeison were all baptized two Sundays ago - and we had a large celebratory party that evening in the Micah house!! However, we also realize that our enemy will try to destroy these young men after they have much such a bold proclamation of their faith in Christ. Please hold each of them and their faith in prayer over the course of these next few weeks. We have already seen a large change in their lives! Also, please pray that us of the Micah staff have the wisdom to wisely guide and mentor each of them as they seek to become more like Christ!

* Axel Lopez and Cristofer
Both of these young men have had a very difficult year and are currently living outside of Micah House. Please lift both of them up in prayer as they struggle with myriad voices and influences telling them how they should live their lives. Please pray they will experience broken repentance that drives them to Christ and we will see the kind of change in their lives that allows us to bring them back into Micah and once again start their journeys forward.

* Our Barrio
Crime continues to be an issue here in Barrio Buenos Aires, even to the point of forcing us to change our approach to personal security as we move about our neighborhood. Please pray for safety for us and the other residents of our neighborhood. Please also pray that we can be good witnesses of Christ in the midst of this darkness, that plans for Micah 2.0 would continue to move ahead smoothly and that our guys would remain safe in the meantime.

* And from the darkest depths, let us remember to PRAISE!
- For Jo Bewley's life! Jo blessed so many people over the course of her life and we are blessed to be part of her legacy. Several mothers of Micah guys are part of the sewing group "Grupo Mama Jo" that Jo founded and are especially grateful to her for all that she did for them. Let us thank the Lord for this amazing woman of God!
- For the baptized Micah guys! It is a large step forward for each of these young men, and we are thrilled about the progress that baptism symbolizes. Praise the Lord for these young men!!
- For Marvin Morazan's new job! Marvin is back in Honduras and just got a job teaching Bible at the International School of Tegucigalpa - one of the best schools in the city!! Praise the Lord!!
- Three of our graduating seniors (Jeferson Baysa, Hector Licona, and Brayan Chavez) have also begun working this past week, with great jobs at Tegu Toys, a wooden toy company founded and run by a friend of the Micah Project, Chris Haughey. We are so thankful for this opportunity for them to be working full-time when there is so much economic instability! 
- For the Lord's hand of blessing on our ministry. We have been blessed with dear friends and many ministry opportunities. Praise the Lord for allowing us to be used by Him!!

Life can be sad, it can be challenging and it can present us with sudden joys and sudden sorrows. Life in this fallen world is unpredictable and all too often presents us with obstacles and pain. However, we serve a God who is greater than all challenges, who heals the pains, carries us through the rough times and rejoices with us in the moments of joy. It our privilege to be serving this God here in Honduras, and we hope that He will allow us to continue to serve here for many, many more years! Thank you for your prayers and God bless!!

Peace,
David Hawthorne (on behalf of the Micah Project

Mama Jo

I wanted to let you all know that our dear, dear friend Jo Bewley (around the Micah Project, everyone knows her as Mama Jo) passed away this afternoon after a long battle with cancer.  Jo has been coming to Honduras with her husband Bob every year since we founded the project.  Her favorite topic of conversation was missions...she loved to be a part of what God's people are doing around the world.  Specifically though, she loved the Micah Project!  She seemed perfectly at home here, whether she was under the bridge ministering to the street kids, out in Villa Linda Miller chatting with the families or at the Micah House surrounded by the boys.

A few years ago, Jo Bewley founded a program called The Micah Moms.  The idea stemmed from a group of Jos' friends in Houston called the Crafty Ladies.  Jo decided that if she and her friends could meet together and sew, make crafts, and fellowship, then that model would work in Honduras too!  She had a much bigger vision though:  she would teach the Micah Moms sewing skills so that they could earn some income for their families.  Our boys' moms are some of the poorest women in Tegucigalpa, and most have never had the opportunity to get an education.  On several subsequent trips after founding the Micah Moms, Jo brought down sewing "yo-yos"...and taught the moms how to make pillows, table runners and other things!

Thanks to Jo's inspiration, the Micah Moms group has taken off!  Six to eight ladies gather in the Micah House every afternoon.  A sewing teacher comes in twice a week to teach them various sewing skills.  There is a plan in place to make needlepoints belts to sell in various university bookstores around the country.  Even more important than the microenterprise development, the moms also meet every Thursday for a Bible study.  They have suffered much, and their lives as single moms in very poor neighborhoods are never easy.  The time of fellowship, prayer and support that they have each week has been transformative for each one of them.  One of the moms told us recently that she never felt that her life had any worth at all until she joined the Micah moms group.  Now, she looks forward to one o'clock in the afternoon every day so that she can come to the Micah Project for the Micah Moms time!

A couple of months ago, the moms even decided to rename their group "Grupo Mama Jo" in honor of their dear friend.  When they found out that she passed away today, they all came rushing into my office in the Micah House.  They spent some time talking about HOW MUCH they love Mama Jo and how much she meant to their lives.

Jo will be missed, terribly missed, by all the lives she touched.  But she will also be celebrated, because she poured out to others all the blessings God that gave to her ...and in the process, she blessed many, many lives.  We know that there is a celebration in heaven as this daughter of God receives her crown tonight!

We love you, Mama Jo!

Michael, (for the boys, the staff and Grupo Mama Jo)

Weekly Prayer Requests

Dear Friends and Family,

Many thanks for your prayers from last week! With John and Becca in the U.S., we have all been just a little bit busier trying to fill their shoes, but we have at least succeeded in temporarily in filling the gap. Still, we are very excited about their return on Tuesday! We look forward to another week of ministry with them and, as always, we want to cover all of our endeavors in this ministry with prayer. This week, we ask to to please pray with us for:

* Our neighborhood
Barrio Buenos Aires continues to be a increasingly dangerous place. The threat of danger continues to hang in the air and linger the back of our minds.  We ask for safety for us and our guys as well as for peace to fill our barrio. Please continue to pray that there is revival in this barrio and that Christ would change people's lives on a large scale. Also please that we have the necessary compassion, courage, and wisdom to be effective lights for Christ in this very dark place.

* The Bewley Family
Jo Bewley is continuing to grow weaker as time marches onward in her slow battle against cancer. Bob and Jo are very dear members of our family and we deeply hurt for them. Please hold both of them and their family in prayer in the midst of this time.

* Micah 2.0
The vision for Micah 2.0 continues its long journey towards reality! We are very excited about the opportunity to move just outside of the city and gain space and a house intentionally planned around the needs of the guys. Please continue to lift this process up in prayer and ask the Lord that He give us wisdom. Also, please pray that He guides us as we seek to set the tone for the next ten years of ministry (or more)!

* The Micah Staff
Discouragement and frustration are constant enemies of ours, and they have the ability to cripple us in our work. It is incredibly easy to simply become angry or feel defeated when one of our guys takes a step backwards. Please lift us up in prayer for strength, for patience, for supernatural perseverance, and more. We know that we are nothing, but that He is strong!!

* And, of course, let us PRAISE!!
- For the continued progress in the lives of many of our guys! While they have moments of struggle, our guys are growing and moving forward in their lives. Praise the Lord for continuing to bring them them this far!!
- For this opportunity. We are grateful to the Lord for giving us several years of exciting ministry to the street youth of Tegucigalpa and we pray that He gives us many more!
-Six of our young our planning to be baptized this Sunday at their church.  We are so excited that they are taking this step in their Christian walk!  Pray for continued growth and maturity in their faith.

Working with teenagers is never easy, and working with drug-addicted teens is even harder, but the Lord has blessed our ministry and brought us many wonderful young men. We are also grateful for all of our "extended family" in the U.S. - God bless you and we hope that you all have a wonderful week!!

Peace,
David Hawthorne (on behalf of the Micah Project)

Weekly Prayer Requests

Dear Friends and Family,

Miguelito raises a praising rap to the Lord!

It's fall here! For a few days, a cold front has moved in over the city and we are actually experiencing fall-like weather. We know that this is only temporary and we will soon be back into the 80s...still, the weather makes for a nice change in our normal routine  - and every little thing helps in the daily challenges of raising our boys. Thankfully, many of them are doing well and are growing. However, we continue to worry about and pray for these young men and their futures. This week, please join us in praying for:

* Axel Lopez
Axel once again left for the streets almost a week ago. He had a long and difficult summer, but had  returned to Micah and seemed to be settling into a healthy routine. However, eventually, the same troubling issues from his past that led him from Micah in the first place once again destabilized Axel and caused him to walk out of Micah. Please be praying for Axel, especially for safety, for healing, and for surrender in his heart that will allow him to turn to others and ask for help.

* Jo Bewley
Jo Bewley, the founder of Grupo Mama Jo (the Micah Moms sewing ministry) is in the final stages of her long fight against cancer. Jo and her husband Bob have been dear friends to the Micah Project over the last ten years.  Please be raising Jo and Bob and their family up in prayer.

* Our neighborhood

Our barrio has continued its long decline into the horrors of an area controlled by the drug trade. Violence and crime are on the rise and continue to spiral out of control. This past week, we have heard stories of at least five deaths, many of them carried out by professional hit men. The local newspaper even recently listed our barrio as one of the sources of "delinquent behavior" in the city! Please hold Barrio Buenos Aires and the people living here in your prayers. Please especially pray for safety, for an end to the drugs and the violence, and for revival in this barrio. Please pray that Christ would become known to many here in this neighborhood and that His peace would be evident here. Also, please pray that we of the Micah Project would be lights in the midst of this darkness and epicenters of God's moving hand here in Barrio Buenos Aires.

* Micah 2.0 
Partly as a reaction to the violence in our neighborhood, we are looking to purchase a large plot of land in a small community just outside of Tegucigalpa. Our dream is to give our guys safety, tranquility, and a large space far from the temptations of the streets - a space where they would run, play, and burn off their endless amounts of energy. We have several likely pieces of property in mind, and people have already begun donating to our Micah 2.0 fund! Please pray that the Lord continues to have His hand on this entire process and that His divine wisdom would guide each and every one of our decisions.

A potential site for Micah 2.0

* And, in spite of the darkness, let us Praise our Awesome God!!
- For bringing Micah 2.0 from a dream into reality! Less than a year ago, we were discussing how wonderful it would be it we had more space, etc., etc. Today the Lord has taken some small dreams and is making them into reality!! Thank you, Lord!!
- For protection. In the midst of a dangerous neighborhood, no one from Micah has been hurt. Praise the Lord for keeping us safe!!
- For the growth in the Micah Technical School. Brian Wiggs spends all day, most days of the week, on the terrace on the Micah House giving classes to the dozens of young men looking to learn a trade and turn their lives around. Praise God for blessing this ministry!!
- For people who lift us up when we are tired. Thank the Lord for, well, you! Let us praise Him for bringing people into our lives who pray for us and lift us up with encouraging words. It means more to us than you can ever know!!
-For Grupo Mama Jo!  This group of women comes to the Micah House every day to pratice their sewing skills and to find support and comfort in each other's presence.  One of them told us last week that she felt self-worth and a sense of purpose for the first time in her life through this ministry.

This year at Micah as seem some amazing blessings (David, Axelito, and Miguelito all leaving the streets - for starters) and has brought some difficult challenges. However, we are hopeful and excited about the future and we look forward to strongly finishing this year and, in the words of the Apostle Paul, "fighting the good fight" well past the start of the next year. Many thanks to all of you for your constant love and support!! God Bless!

Peace,
David Hawthorne (on behalf of the Micah Project)