February 2010 Photo Album Update

One of the things I love the most about the Micah Project is watching our young men discover new possibilities. They come into our home from terrible circumstances, but soon they begin to understand what God wants to do with their lives. That is certainly true of our budding goalie, 14-year-old Cristofer, seen leaping for a soccer ball, above. He recently wrote on his Facebook page that he wants to focus on "moving forward in his studies and his life, and growing in God, principally.”

David Antonio became the newest member of the Micah Project in February. We met this 13 year old on the streets last year and over the year, we never saw him without his bottle of yellow glue. When David’s step-dad was murdered several years ago, his mom was forced to move into a “hotel” in the market district, where she raised David and his half-brother in deplorable conditions. Because David was surrounded by drugs, violence and street kids, he was soon caught up in that lifestyle as well. Though his mom lived just a couple blocks away, David fell in with a group of street children and saw little reason to go home.

David first came to the Micah Project in late January so that we could help clean up some wounds he had on his face, arms and back, and to heal some pain he had in his legs. That visit helped him to trust us, and a couple of weeks later, he moved in!

Above: Three new faces in one! Israel (left) is from El Salvador and is doing a six month internship with the Micah Project through Instituto CanZion (the same music ministry school in which Marvin Morazán is studying). He is helping out in the Leadership House and is teaching music to the Micah boys and at the AFE school at the city dump.

Brian Chavez (middle) moved into the Leadership House in late February. He spent the last several years living at another ministry, but because they don’t offer services to older boys, they asked us to help him finish high school (he is a senior this year). We have known Brian for several years; he has been a part of the Los Micah Boys singing group and also studied in our home schooling program last year.

Hannah Rogers (right), from Portland, Oregon, is doing a three month internship with the Micah Project. She is living with Brian and Natasha Wiggs and is helping out with our educational program and in the general activities of the Micah House.

Above: Junior is a 17 year old who came from similar circumstances as Brian: he was aged out of an orphanage before having the opportunity to complete high school. Junior joins the Micah Project as a junior in high school and is excited about graduating next year. He is a very good student!

The Benitez brothers! When Daniel (left) joined the Micah Project in 2007, we got to know his brother Charly (right) as well. We helped Charly graduate from high school last year and last week, he moved into the Leadership House to begin his college studies. While Daniel is a junior at Zamorano University studying Agricultural engineering, Charly received a scholarship from the Honduras Dental Project to study dentistry!

Jeremy’s back! Jeremy Tolleson spent six months with the Micah Project in 2003 through a Wheaton College internship program. He moved back to Honduras in February to rejoin our team! In addition to teaching in our home-schooling program, Jeremy is also helping to coordinate our Leadership House for our older participants as an R.A. (Residential Assistant).

When Brian Wiggs moved his family to Honduras last fall, his primary goal was to model Christ’s love through teaching technical skills such as carpentry, welding and auto mechanics. In February, Brian accomplished the first of those goals: he began teaching welding classes in a workshop that he built on the Micah House terrace. He teaches welding classes three days a week, to students that include the Micah boys, ex-gang members from our neighborhood and older street kids.

Above, Brian Wiggs shows Wilmer and Miguel a welding technique. Edwin how to use the oxy-acetylene torch. Below, Brian shows Edwin how to use (and how not to use!) the oxy-acetylene torch.

Our “Micah Moms” ministry continues to teach new skills as well! This month, the nine women involved in the ministry will begin to learn how to needlepoint. Our hope is to help them open a micro-enterprise by the end of the year! Above: Aleyda makes her daughter’s school uniform on her sewing machine at the Micah House.

Our street kid soccer ministry has added several new elements over the last couple of months in our desire to model God’s love to these abandoned youth. We have a large group of volunteers that join us every Friday night for an hour of soccer with the street kids. After soccer, the kids hear a short message, followed by a meal and a time of foot-washing. It is a great way to build relationships with the street youth!

Above: John Bell and Hector Licona get ready to play soccer with the street youth. Below: Leah, a bilingual school teacher, and other volunteers wash the street kids' feet after the meal is served.

When the Micah moms were sent reading glasses to help them with their needlepoint, we had fun trying them on! Above: Wilmer, Miguel, Michael, David and Pedro Luis sport the fancy glasses!

Below: Jose is starting his second year at the Universidad Latina in San José, Costa Rica, where he studies psychology.