Micah Prayer Requests

Dear Friends and Family,

 Blessing and best wishes from the Micah Project! We are happy to tell you all that we are doing well and flourishing here in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The guys have finished almost a month and a half of classes and the long grind of the school year has set in - however, they are in high spirits and putting all their efforts into their studies (for the most part - everyone has an 'off day' at times!). We pleased with the growth in the lives of the Micah guys that we have seen, yet we are continually laying them and their futures before the Lord in prayer. This week, we would like to ask you to pray with us for the following requests:

* Cristofer Cruz
Cristofer struggled a great deal in the end of 2010 and even left Micah for a few months at the end of the year. However, we were able to get in him a place in a school called El Sembrador, which is located about 5 hours from Tegucigalpa and all his old habits and friends. Those of you who have known Micah for a few years probably recognize El Sembrador as the school that Arle attends and which played such a large role in helping him turn his life around. Sadly, El Sembrador was unable to help Cristofer, as he quickly made friends that once again led him into old habits. After he was found smoking pot with his friends, he was expelled from El Sembrador and sent home. As this time, we are unable to help Cristofer, but we are still holding him in our prayers. Please be praying for this troubled young man and that he would repent and genuinely seek help in turning him life around and leaving the downward path that he is currently on.

* Axel Lopez
Axel is another young man in Micah who struggled greatly in the end of 2010. However, unlike Cristofer, he has made great strides towards rejoining the Micah Project this year - he just successfully finished a month-long probation period and moved back into Micah last week! However, please be praying for this young man, as he still has a long road left to walk. Please pray that he finds peace in Christ and that he continues to work with us in finding a path forward out of the darkness that consumed him last year.

* Maycol Meza
''Little Maycol,'' as we sometimes call him, is currently with Youth with a Mission in Guatemala. The Lord is doing a great work in his life at the moment, and we are proud of the growth that we are seeing in his life. However, we would like to ask you all to be praying for Maycol, as this is his first time being so far from home and he is continually challenged by being in a new place, far from family and friends.

* Our neighborhood/Micah 2.0
Negotiations are underway for the land for Micah 2.0! We are very excited about actually starting down the path to building a new home for our guys! However, even as we rejoice (and ask for your prayers covering this whole process), we would  like to ask you to be praying for our current neighborhood. With two more recent deaths and the dumping of a body in the dumpster by the Bells' apartment, our barrio is increasingly becoming more and more dangerous. Please be praying for safety for the Micah guys and the Micah staff (some of whom have been troubled by dreams of violence and death in recent nights) and that we would have the courage to continue to reach out to people in the midst of so much darkness.

* And, regardless of the darkness, let's PRAISE!!!
- For the great work that the Lord is doing in the life of Maycol!! We are so thrilled to see this young man learning a new passion for his faith and his Lord!!
- For the safety that we have had in Micah! Despite hearing gunshots many nights and news of new outbreaks of violence on a daily basis, we have been blessed with a supernatural protection. Praise the Lord for taking such good care of us!!
- For the lives of our older guys! Many 'First Generation' Micah guys, such as Olvin Funez, Danilo, Marvin Soto and many, many others, have continued to flourish and push ahead in pursuit of the Lord and a path forward and away from the streets and their painful beginnings. Praise the Lord for raising up such faithful and mature young men!
- For Danial Benitez! Daniel has been doing an internship in England for the past few weeks - and he is flourishing there! Let's praise the Lord for providing such a wonderful opportunity to Daniel!!

This has been a time of growing strength and maturity in the hearts of the Micah guys, even as the neighborhood and city around us grows darker and darker. We are thrilled to see the Lord working so powerfully in the lives of our guys, even as we continue to try to stand faithfully as lights against the encroaching darkness all around us. In these times, we are especially grateful to all of our faithful friends and 'family' who have stood by us and encouraged us through all the highs and lows of this ministry. Thank you all very much and God bless!!

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

Micah Project Prayer Requests

Dear Friends and Family,

 Greetings from the new (Honduran) school year! Uniforms have been purchased, school supplies are lined up, lessons planned and the Micah Project has rung in our school year! We are excited about the return to classes and the routine that it brings with it. The guys are also excited about their new classes, school supplies and books (of course, everyone knows just how fast that feeling wears off!). Still, we are grateful for the fun that we had during vacations and happy about being in classes once again. As we start classes and settle into a normal and regular routine, we ask that you be praying for:

* Hector Mendez and his family
Hector received the news last Sunday that his older (and only) brother Osman had been stabbed to death. He has been grieving the loss of his brother as the two were close and we ask for your prayers for him and his father in this difficult time.  

* Axel Lopez
Axel has returned to Micah with a month-long probation period. During this time, Axel will be studying with us and at Micah in the mornings, but will not be living in Micah House. Our hope and prayer is that he able to demonstrate a renewed willingness to work hard at being in Micah. Please hold this troubled young man in your prayers - especially pray that he is able to surrender his heart to the Lord and receive His supernatural aid in succeeding during this trail phase.

* Arle and Cristofer
Arle has started classes once again at El Sembrador (the boarding that he attends in Eastern Honduras), and he has been joined this year by Cristofer Cruz. Please be praying for both of these young men, as their school, while excellent, is very strict and full of hard work. Please pray that Arle will continue to thrive there and that Cristofer will experience some of the live- and heart-changing aspects of El Sembrador that Arle has experienced.



* Maycol Meza 
Maycol, one of our 2009 graduates, left two weeks ago for Guatemala in order to spend three months in a Discipleship Training School with Youth with a Mission (YWAM). In 2009, Micah graduate Oscar Amaya passed a life-transforming 6 months with YWAM, and our prayer is that Maycol is able to experience the same work of the Lord in his life. Please especially be praying for him as he will be spending a long time away from family, friends and home.

* For scheduling for the Micah Staff
Many members of the Micah Staff, especially Michael Miller and Rebecca and John Bell, have been working long hours and are need of some rest. Please pray that we are able to have a season of calm here at Micah and wisdom in scheduling so that we can give them the time off that they need.

*And, let us always PRAISE!!
- For the start of a life-impacting adventure in Maycol Meza's life. We are excited for him and for the work that the Lord is doing in his life!!
- For the start of classes! We are excited about what this new school year holds for our guys and how they will grow and learn. Praise the Lord for bringing our guys into another year of life and growth!!
- For our guys current mental state. Almost all of the Micah guys are currently (mentally) far from the streets and are fighting hard to move forward. Let us praise the Lord for having worked in the guys' lives so mightily!!


This is an exciting time in the Micah House! We are enjoying the return to classes, the maturing process that is happening in the guys' lives, and we are looking forward to continuing to work on Micah 2.0 and developing the future of the Micah Project. Thank you all for praying us faithfully!! God bless you all!!

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

Weekly Prayer Requests

Dear Friends and Family,

Those of us who went to Copan and Tela are back in Tegucigalpa! This week, the older Micah guys and most of the Micah staff are in Copan assisting a medical brigade while Michael and I just returned from a road trip around Honduras with the younger guys. We appreciate all your prayers for safe and fun travels, and we are happy to say that the guys loved getting to know even more of Honduras! The rest of the guys and the staff will return late Saturday and next week we will host a small, four-person group. As we rest over this weekend and prepare for next week, we would like to ask you all to be praying for a few brief items. Namely, please be praying for:

* Safe Travels for the rest of the Micah guys and staff
Copan to Tegucigalpa is a long drive over narrow mountains roads. Please be praying for safety in the travels of the rest of the Micah Project and that those who are struggling with stomach issues, both from the brigade and from Micah, will be able to rest and heal quickly.

* Axel Lopez
As we try to discern how to best help Axel in 2011, we ask for your prayers. Please be praying that the Lord works in Axel's heart and that we receive His divine wisdom as we make a complicated decision.

* For the last few weeks for vacation
Please be praying for the end of our school vacation time. Please pray that we are able to use this time to plan for the next year and that the guys are able to enjoy this time to the fullest.

* And PRAISES!!
- That we were able to meet with Erik and Cristofer Cruz last week and set down a productive and workable plan with them for 2011. Praise the Lord for giving us wisdom in this meeting!!
- For a wonderful weekend on the road! The guys (and to be honest, neither Michael nor I) didn't want to come back to Tegus! Praise the Lord for giving us a fun and safe time!!

We are grateful for a fun trip and for the big smiles that everyone is wearing after our return. Once again, many thanks to all of you for your prayers and support!! God Bless!!

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

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