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April – May Update, 2004 Update |
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April – May Update, 2004 Update A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with the director of a Honduran orphanage about the expectations we should have for our boys. She firmly believed that, since young Hondurans have so few opportunities to succeed, we should not foster big dreams. Instead, she felt that we should help them form small, practical goals so that they can survive in this impoverished country. As an example, she used one of their brightest boys, who, after leaving their program with a high school degree, was not able to support himself in college, and is currently living a hand-to-mouth existence. She believes that big hopes only set the boys up for big disappointments. Many poor youth have a kind of inferiority complex. From birth, they hear that the best they can do is scratch out an existence; maybe scrounge up enough to buy a TV. for their tiny homes. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; they learn to think that they are not capable of doing anything truly significant with their lives. Their own fathers confirm this to them by drowning their disappointment in daily rations of alcohol. By the time they are teens, these young people do not need any more proof regarding the seeming hopelessness of their existence. Since the Micah Project has always been based upon hope, the conversation I had with my friend that day gave me pause. Could she be right? Should we help our boys become taxi drivers, construction workers, or salesmen, which are goals that are much more attainable to an impoverished Honduran young man? There is nothing wrong with these jobs, and earning a living with one’s hands is just as honorable as other pursuits. However, the hope that we preach to our boys is not based on the way they make money; rather, it stems from the desire to live their entire life for Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are all challenged to set big goals with our lives. There is an amazing passage in the biblical book of Hebrews that describes our goal. After telling us the stories of the faithful men and women who have gone before us, the twelfth chapter of Hebrews states, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” This beautifully described goal urges us to live our lives wholly for our Savior. It is not about material gain or earthly comforts; rather, it describes our true fulfillment as following in the footsteps of our Lord. And it is a goal for those who come from poverty just as clearly as for those who come from comfortable circumstances. Hebrews goes on to encourage each of us to “strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees” (12:12). That is a perfect metaphor for what we are attempting to accomplish for our boys! For years, they were told that they were not qualified to run this race. On the contrary, we are communicating to them that not only may they participate, but that they can literally “throw off” all those things from their past life on the streets that would still trip them up and keep them from running a winning race! This year, we can see encouraging signs that our boys are serious about “throwing off” all of the things that would make them yet another statistic in the vicious cycle of poverty and addiction that has enslaved their families for generations. Our young men who have now lived in the Leadership house for almost three months have begun to take on the serious and focused look of Olympic runners! As they finish up their last year of high school, it also apparent that they are not going to use their new found skills to seek “worldly” happiness; rather, they are going to set their eyes on their true goal. Nineteen year old Jarvin, for instance, continues to show great interest in helping his family. Last month, he traveled to San Pedro Sula for two reasons. First, he visited his mom, who has been in jail for about a year. He went to encourage her, to counsel her, and to show his love for her despite the ways she hurt him in his childhood. He was so excited to discover that his mom was attending a church service inside the prison! I know that he would love nothing better than for his mom to turn her life around. Jarvin also went to visit his younger brother in an orphanage, to make sure that he was being provided with everything he needs. Jarvin is sure that his brother will be a part of the Micah Project some day (and knowing Jarvin’s persistence, I’m pretty sure of that too!). Next week, Jarvin and the other Leadership house men will be joining our ministry in the city dump in order to start a new initiative. Three afternoons a week, they will begin teaching a small group of twenty young people who scavenge through the dump for scraps. These youth, many of whom are the same age as the Leadership house boys, have never had a chance to study; several of them grew up on the streets just as our boys did. The classes will begin at the first grade level! Also, we have received permission from the city to build a small classroom on the dump site. Our guys will be raising the funds for that project and will build it themselves! To me, THAT is what running the race is all about. It is the willingness to go to the smelliest, most depressing, and most hopeless place in our city to share the hope that spurs them onward! It is about calling others to come and run this good race with them! It is about knowing that no matter how hard the race gets, or how challenging the hurdles, our Savior is waiting for them at the finish line with open arms. When these boys go to college next year, I know that these opportunities to serve and to share their hope in our Lord will inform their studies. These opportunities will help the boys to study with a purpose; to prepare themselves to be even more effective hope-bearers! It is already evident that they have this in mind as they begin to seek discernment about their future colleges and majors. A couple of them have mentioned the desire to study psychology or counseling. While I don’t know if this will be their final decision, I do know that they are interested in it because of their desire to help broken people find the same hope that they have! The Leadership house is the place that you all helped create for these boys. It truly is a place of training for this amazing race. And now that the boys approach college, they continue to have hope because they know we are committed to supporting them throughout their college studies. This year, we must begin to strengthen our college scholarship fund to help these young men move into the best school for each of them next year. While we hope that they can also earn formal scholarships in each school, we must be prepared to support them in their studies until that happens. We are estimating that we must raise $40,000 this year to support these boys and to continue to support Darwin Pavon, who is currently in his freshman year at Zamorano University. Not only are these boys graduating in November of this year, but our next group of four boys will be graduating at the end of 2005! When I look at Jarvin, David, Cristino, Marvin and Olvin and see the hope in their hearts reflected in their actions and goals, the ominous words of warning that my friend gave me suddenly fade into nothingness. With a supporting community surrounding them, cheering them onward, there are no limits to how God can use our boys to win this country for him! You all are a part of the “great cloud of witnesses” that spur our boys onward. Through your prayers and support, you are cheering them on towards their goal. Honestly, some of the hurdles that the boys have had to overcome in their lives seemed insurmountable at times. I know that it was your prayers that gave them the extra strength needed to leap over them and continue onward. At the same time, it is our prayer that the courage that these young men have shown in overcoming their obstacles would be a great encouragement to you as well as you run the good race! Thank you for helping us to continue spur these boys on towards hope in all that they do! Your fellow runner in Christ, Michael Miller P.S. Please take a look at www.micahcentral.org. Leadership house boy Cristino has recently updated it!
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