Adios 2005!

In the first weeks of 2006, we have had some exciting new beginnings. One of our older participants began his university studies in Costa Rica, a new boy moved into the Micah House, we hired a couple to run our Leadership house and we received a new missionary from the United States. The second week in January was the sixth anniversary of the Micah Project. All-in-all, an important few weeks in this ministry! As always, we are in awe of the way our loving Heavenly Father continues to protect and sustain these young men. We are also grateful to all of you who have supported us through the years!

In January, David began to pack up his room at the Leadership House. For more than a year, he had been planning to go to Costa Rica to begin his college studies. At 4:30 in the morning in on a Thursday in early January, we took him to the bus station for the 18 hour ride to San Jose. Although David looked nervous, he said that he knew that God was going with him to Costa Rica!

David moved in with a Christian family at his new church in Costa Rica. The following day, Micah board member Bob Bewley (pictured above) flew down to San Jose to help David get settled in.

David began classes in early January. We are so proud of him for persevering in his dream to study at the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica! Please keep David in your prayers as he adjusts to his new life!

Meet Arle (left), the newest Micah boy! Arle is the younger brother of Darwin and Jarvin (pictured). He grew up in an orphanage in San Pedro Sula, a city near the Caribbean coast of Honduras. His older brothers made contact with him several years ago and visited him a couple times a year at his orphanage. In January, Jarvin went to pick up Arle and made the trip with him back to Tegucigalpa! This 12 year old now has the distinction of being the youngest boy at the Micah house!

In January, some of our guys made the annual trek to the village of Copan Ruinas, on the Guatemalan border, to help translate for a medical team from the First Presbyterian Church in Houston. Included on this trip was our new missionary, Jessica Busse, who left her youth position at a church in St. Louis to heed the call to missions at the Micah Project. Here, Jessica visits the famous Mayan ruins of Copan with Olvin and Juan Carlos.

The Houston team mentioned above brought jackets to hand out to the people in the indigenous mountain community in which they set up their clinic. Here, Miguel helps to deliver the jackets to one of the Chorti families. The Chorti Indians are descendants of the ancient Mayas.

This is our crack team of translators that made the January trip to Copan. Left to right: Jarvin, Danilo, Juan Carlos, Oscar, Miguel and Olvin.

Speaking of mission teams, in the first week of February, our dental team from Houston made their sixth annual trip to Honduras. This year, they set up their clinic in the community center of Villa Linda Miller. They brought four hygienists, four dentists, a support staff, and a team to do activities with the children from the community. Here, Juan Carlos translates for Brenda (left) and Margaret as they clean a set of teeth.

Our ministry to the children of the city dump continues into the new year. On the first of March, the ministry was featured on the front page of El Heraldo, the Honduran newspaper. Here, Marvin hands out some snacks to one of the boys who works in the dump.

Above: Remember Arle from the first picture? Well, he makes friends quickly! Here, he takes a minute to smile with Erick on the balcony of the Leadership House. We'll let you decide if those are angelic smiles or if these two are actually plotting some form of mischief!