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)

Weekly Prayer Requests

 Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Tegucigalpa, Honduras! We find ourselves at the start of another week here at Micah Project, with all the joys and pains of raising these young men. This past month has been a hard battle over the lives of these young men, and all of us are feeling the strain of constant spiritual warfare. However, our God is greater than any attackers, and we know that He will be victorious in the end. As we press on in this fight, we continue to bring our prayers and praises before our God. Please join us this week in prayer for:

* Northern Honduras
This past week, Hurricane Matthew passed through Honduras. While damage in Tegucigalpa was minimal, the Northern part of the country suffered the brunt of the storm's hit. There are few resources or government agencies to help those who have been hard-hit by the storm and damaged infrastructure will likely take some time to repair. Please be holding the people of this country, and especially of the North in your prayers.



* Hector, David, Miguelito, y Axelito
Our four youngest guys have been struggling in their fights against addiction and the urge to return to the streets. Each of these young men is very precious, and we love each one very dearly. Please hold them in constant prayer as they struggle and sometimes fail against strong foes.

* Axel Lopez
Axel is back home! However, he is still vulnerable to the same temptations that took him to the streets in the first place. Please be holding him in your prayers over the next week. Please especially pray that he is able to confront and defeat the pain of his past and find rest in God's healing.

* The Micah Staff
The past month has been filled with intense spiritual warfare, and we on the Micah staff are feeling the  strain  of constant spiritual attack. Please lifting us up in prayer while you also lift our guys up in prayer. We are confident that our God will win this battle, but it is a hard fight!!


* Also, let us turn to God and PRAISE!!
- For Axel Lopez's return! After many prayers and a lot of heartache, Axel is back home and once again moving forward is his journey from darkness in the light!
- The Bells are back! Rebecca and John Bell took some well-earned personal time and went to a friends wedding in Spain - and they're back with us! We're very excited about having them back!!
- For each of the lives in Micah Project! Yeison, Maycol, Axel, Pedro Luis, Wilmer, Yoel, Junior, Axelito, Nelson, Miguelito, Miguel Fugon...each one of these young men is a precious gift to us from God and we are grateful for them!!

- For God's strength. "You are stronger, much stronger...." says the worship song, and we rejoice in its truth. Our God is much, much stronger than any foe that wishes to attack our guys. Let us rejoice in and give praise over that fact!!

As a closing thought to our prayer request blog, let me leave you with Ephesians 3:20-21(ESV):
"Now to him who able to do far more abundantly more than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Jesus Christ throughout all generations, forever and ever, amen." Let us never cease to praise and rely on Him, brothers and sisters!

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

Weekly Prayer Requests

Dear Friends and Family,


Greetings from yet another wet week here in Tegus! The missions teams have left, but the rains have decided to stay. Beside torrential tropical rains most days of the past week, we here at Micah have also been enduring waves of spiritual attack over the past month. Still, the Lord is giving us the strength to fight alongside of our guys in their battle for life. We continue to lift up the young men in our charge and are committed to fighting this battle with them. As we encourage them, please work with us and lift the following in prayer:

* Strength to continue to fight and humility to ask for help
Many of our guys have been struggling recently in their war against their old selves and past lives. Please be praying that they turn to us, and, more importantly, to the Lord for help in their battles. Please also pray that those who have stumbled would find healing in confession. Lastly, we ask you to be lifting us, the staff of Micah Project, up in prayer as we seek to safeguard and guide these young men.

* Bob and Jo Bewley

Long-time Micah friend and Micah Moms Ministry founder Jo Bewley has entered the final stages of her battle against terminal cancer. Please be lifting her and Bob up in prayer in this time.  Bob and "Mama Jo" have been a part of our family for a long time and they are in our constant thoughts and prayers.

* For the Micah Moms ministry

Even as Jo Bewley approaches the end of her time here on earth, the ministry founded by her is flourishing. The Micah Moms meet several times a week in Micah House in order to learn new sewing techniques and practice their new skills. Please be covering the future of this ministry in prayer as we look to expand it into a full-fledged micro-enterprise organization.  Also, two of the moms, Maria and Telma, have been suffering from severe illnesses; please pray for strength and healing in their lives.

* Axel Lopez
In a week of hard prayer requests and sad news, some of the hardest and saddest is the fact that Axel Lopez is still living outside of Micah House. We have received news that he has entered Covenant House, a large center for street youth, but it is unclear how long he plans to stay there. Please be fervently praying for this young man as he is clearly in the midst of an intense spiritual battle.

* And, even in the midst of battle, let us remember to Praise our Lord!!
- For the arrival of Megan Scheumann! Megan, a long-time friend of Micah Project, has just joined Micah staff full-time!! Megan will be working with the Micah Moms sewing ministry and seeking to expand and grow this vibrant ministry.
- For victories in this spiritual battle. Every smile, every good day, every step forward is a victory in the lives of our young men. Praise the Lord for bringing out the victory in their lives!! 
- For allies! The Lord has brought many faithful allies and friends into the lives of everyone here at Micah. Praise the Lord for bringing them (and all of you) to us - and thank you all very much!!


These past two weeks in Micah House have been hard and have seen several dark and intense battles over the lives of our young men. However, we know that we have the Lord God Almighty on our side in this battle and we know that He will prevail. Rise up, O Lord!!


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

Axel should not be on the streets right now

Axel should not be on the streets right now. He should not be sleeping in a stall in the outdoor market that sells shoes by the putrid river that runs through Tegucigalpa. He shouldn't be crossing the bridge every day at lunch to beg food from the lunchtime crowd downtown. He should not be running with dangerous people, who make their living by the gun that they hide in their clothes. He should not be back on the streets.

He shouldn't, but he is.

Many of you have met Axel and have fallen in love with him since he joined the Micah Project in September of 2008. The Axel that you know is a lanky, goofy kid who is always quick with a joke or a prank. His chosen method of showing affection toward someone is through an insult... "Hey Michael, why are you so ugly today?" ...always delivered with a lopsided grin and an awkward hug from someone whose 14-year-old body is growing too quickly for him to get a handle on it. The Axel that you meet on a trip to Tegucigalpa is a funny, charming, easy-going young boy.

But that's not all there is to Axel. The reasons why he is back on the streets after two good years speak to a traumatized, angry soul. Earlier this summer, a psychologist from the juvenile prison came to visit the Micah Project. He recognized Axel and they spent some time chatting on the patio of the Micah House. Afterwards, the psychologist expressed shock as he spoke to me about Axel. This well-spoken young man was one of the most violent kids they had in juvenile detention. He couldn't believe it was the same boy. We got the same response when we talked to another street kid organization that he had lived in: they would no longer accept him into their program because of his violent tendencies.

That is not the Axel that we know! We know a loving, caring Axel who has a great thirst for justice and is always looking for ways to help the downtrodden. But wait...the reality is that both of these boys are the same Axel. The Apostle Paul says in Romans: "When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members." (Romans 7: 21-23). Axel's childhood was full of incredible, degraded evil, more evil than a young child should ever have to bear. His dad is in prison for gang-related violence, and Axel himself was a part of that violence while living on the streets.

Why is Axel back on the streets? That is a question that many people have asked me in the last month. The answer is complex. It could be the drugs that dig their pleasure-inducing claws into these young boys' addicted brains and just won't let go. It could be the hormones raging through his 14-year-old body, calling him back to the danger and excitement of street life, so much more interesting than his second grade classes at Micah. It could be the incredibly complex relationship he has with his mom and dad: hating them for what he had to live through as a child but loving them with a desperate love because...well, because they are his parents, after all. It could be spiritual warfare, with Satan redoubling his efforts to drag this child of God back into the slimy pit.

Every day that our boys are at Micah is a miracle. Choosing life is so much harder than accepting the alternative. It is so easy to slip back into the things of our past. Choosing the Micah Project is hard work for a street boy...they have to go to class, obey rules and continually delay the gratification that came so easily to them on the streets every time they inhaled a puff of yellow glue. Indeed, how crazy it is to ask a street boy to shut down those pleasure centers and to keep delaying gratification for ten years or so until they can graduate from high school! Moving forward in life is hard, hard work: it is so much easier on the streets to just get through the day.

But over and over again, boys come off the streets into the Micah House and make the choice to begin a new life. Their reasons why are diverse. Micah has an incredible staff that has made a commitment to be family for these boys, showing them what it means to be loved unconditionally. We disciple them daily, teaching them about a God who loves them and wants to save them from sin and death. We have an incredibly dedicated group of supporters that helps us provide for their needs on a daily basis, so that they lack nothing. We even make the effort to help their families, which is so important to them, even the ones that have a complicated relationship with their parents. We help them prepare for the future, providing all of the education and training necessary for them to become successful adults.

 

Even so, every day comes down to a choice between life and death. And not one of our incredibly dedicated staff members can make that choice for our boys. Each and every one of them has a daily choice to make. And, as we all know, sometimes it is easier, more fun and more exciting to choose old habits that lead to death.

So...Axel should not be on the streets today, but he is. He has left the Micah House twice in the last month. The longer he stays on the streets, the more he becomes like the old Axel: unable to control the anger that is just below the surface. Last week, when he came back to the house for a few days after three weeks on the streets, was very, very difficult. The happy, joking, goofy kid had been replaced by a rebellious, on-edge youth that always seemed ready to blow. And, since Monday, he is back on the streets.

All of our dedication, love and hope cannot save Axel. Why? Because no human being is capable of saving another human being. We'd love to have a magic formula to be able to automatically remove the street from our boys. Because we don't, we cry (to paraphrase Paul), "Who will rescue them from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24). Thankfully, Paul answers his own wrenching cry: "Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

 

And that is what it all boils down to. We can provide the best environment, with the best structure and the best people at the Micah Project, but none of that will save our boys. Only God saves. We strive for best practice day-to-day, but only God saves. We are getting ready to buy new land to provide a better environment for our boys in the years to come, but that will not save them either.

 

Only God saves.

 

That is a terrifying, but incredibly joyous truth. And it is a truth that we claim for Axel. Over the past few weeks, I spent many hours in the market district looking for Axel, and as I walked through that dangerous, impoverished section of this city I continually prayed, "Lord show your mighty hand in this young boy's life."

 

Will you join us in praying this prayer for Axel in the days to come? Not only for Axel, but for Hector, David, Miguel Angel, and Axelito...all of whom have to make a daily choice to leave the addiction of street life behind them. Your prayers are powerful and effective in their lives.

Over the last ten years, God has shown His mighty hand through the Micah Project in some miraculous ways. We are convinced that those miracles have as much to do with your prayers as with our daily actions in their lives. So... please continue to pray and to enlist other prayer warriors on behalf of these boys!

 

Su hermano en Cristo,

Michael Miller