The Micah Project's youngest boy, Miguel, is also our boy who is closest to the street and the terror it represents in the lives of thousands of street kids here in Honduras. At twelve, Miguel looks more like a nine or ten year-old, largely due to the malnutrition that comes with never knowing when you will eat your next meal. One would expect Miguel to be taking advantage of the wholesome meals we eat here. To our surprise, he has seemed hesitant to eat, preferring to save his food in the refrigerator, or opting to not serve his plate up at all.
One evening as we were chatting about things, he finally explained, "I don't like to eat. You see if I eat, I'll only get hungry again, but if I just skip eating all together, I don't get as hungry. I don't like to be hungry. It's better not to eat."
After lunch one day last week, Miguel stayed at the table after the others had gotten up and began to tell us about the tactics he used to survive on the streets. He told us about his older brother, who would take him to the "Mayoreo" a huge outdoor market. Here, the dilapidated "chicken buses" would arrive, coming in from the country carrying farmers and the products they sell in the city.
As they walked from stand to stand through the bustling market streets, Miguel would pick up an item and ask the vendor for its price; in the meantime, his brother would swipe items from behind the vendor's back. Miguel recounted that they often left the market as fast as their feet could carry them to avoid the wrath of a vendor who had discovered their scam!
Behind his tough little exterior, we often catch in Miguel's eyes the ghosts of his past. We wonder what exactly it is that haunts his dreams when he goes to sleep every night. What was the abuse, or the neglect, or the extreme poverty that drove him from his home? All that he will tell us about his parents is that he has no desire to see them ever again. Whatever it is that haunts him, we're sure that the horrors through which he has lived in his young life are dark clouds which shade the events of his daily life.
The Micah Project will never be able to give back to these boys their childhood. In many ways, they were thrust into a kind of adulthood from the moment they hit the streets and had to fend for themselves. These boys discovered at a young age that, on the streets of Tegucigalpa, life is cheap, while survival is very, very costly--it is often bought with the price of one's soul.
While the Micah Project cannot erase the horrors that these boys have faced, our prayer is that our project can be a place where each boy finds healing and grace. We believe that the boys can give the dirt and grime of their past to our Savior Jesus Christ, and in return, He will give them a bright new raiment of salvation and peace. At the same time, we pray that the very darkness of their past lives will give each one of them an even greater desire to bring Light into this world.
We find that, day-by-day in the Micah House, these seven teenagers minister to us in special ways. After our worship service last Saturday, Jarvin came into our office. He said that he was moved by the verses we read in Ephesians about putting away the things of the past, and he wanted us to pray that he would change and begin to live a new life. His desire to grow close to Jesus was an amazing testimony to us. On another occasion last week, we realized that our tennis shoes were missing. We finally discovered that Danilo had taken them, scrubbed them until they were sparkling, and left them on the roof to dry!
The Micah Project and its boys have taught us to find moments of grace in the mundane. Laughingly washing the dishes with the boys (when we end up wetter than the dishes!), going through the daily routine of getting up and getting breakfast made every morning at 5:30, or teaching a new song on the guitar--each activity for us has become a worshipful experience and a way to glorify God.
At other times, the future seems excitingly real in the routine of each day. Last week, we began "Instituto Miqueas" the home-schooling program that we have developed for the boys. The night before our first class, the boys ironed their uniforms with enthusiasm and got their school supplies ready. From the first day of school, they attacked each class with gusto, concentrating in all five hours of classes in a way that seems rare among modern students. In fact, when they finish one of their social studies, reading, English or Bible homework assignments early, they often ask for more homework!
This desire to study and prepare for the future also has its roots in the past. These boys know the consequences of not preparing for the future and are determined not to take the road that will lead them back to the streets. Danilo, who wants to be a pastor, told us after visiting his family last Christmas, "My mom says that I will be "number one" in our family and make everyone proud." We pray that he will achieve the calling that God has given him!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your partnership in this effort to create Christian leaders here in Honduras. Your prayers and support are a vital and integral part of this ministry. Please keep Miguel, Danilo, Jarvin, Olvin, Marvin, David, and Cristino in your daily prayers!
Also, please pray that God would provide the resources so that this ministry can continue to flourish and grow. Currently, we are looking for approximately $15,000 to finish paying for our beautiful facility, which is almost 80% paid for, thanks to so many gracious donations that we have received. Additionally, we are looking for monthly commitments to cover our operational costs and educational expenses.
We would like to ask you to consider sharing these Micah updates with people who are not yet familiar with the project. We would love to send a project profile and video to those who would like to know more about the Micah Project. It would be a great blessing to us if you would let others know about this project and its boys!
For more information, or to make a donation to the Micah Project, you may contact Randy Mayfield, Missions Director at the Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri.
Mr. Randy Mayfield
The Central Presbyterian Church
7700 Davis Dr.
Clayton, MO 63105
(314) 854-0133 (rbmayf@aol.com)
If you would like to make a donation, please send a tax-exempt check written to The Micah Project, to the address above.
You may also contact us at migsmil@hotmail.com (for Michael) or aminah21@hotmail.com (Aminah). We would love to answer your questions, hear your suggestions, or to know that you are praying for the Micah Project!
It is a privilege to share with you about the work that our Lord is doing in the lives of the Micah Project boys. We hope that their lives will be a blessing to you just as they are a blessing to us.
Your brother and sister in Christ,
Michael Miller and Aminah Al-Attas
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