Angels in our Midst - Micah Project Update 2008
Sep 29, 2008
Micah Project Update 2008
Introduction:
One of the best mission trips I have ever experienced was my last one to the Micah Project in June of 2008. God's hand was vividly in this work. The theme seemed to be "angels in our midst."
Day 1: Washing the Feet
The heart of the work of the Micah Project is reaching out to the lost of Honduran society - their youth who have been abandoned to the streets and are addicted to sniffing glue. We went to a market place to hang out with street kids. One of the ways to reach out to them is to wash their feet. A young man approached propped up on crutches. We could not communicate well with him, yet deciphered that he was deaf, had been hit by a bus, and was showing signs of medical neglect. I tried to wash his feet but first had to remove his rotting shoes and peel from his feet, swollen to the size of a football, what was left of his socks. As I believe I experienced for the first time what gangrene looks and smells like, I wondered if he was an angel among us, saying to us, "Don't talk, just love me." After cleaning his feet, applying antibiotic ointment, and putting on new shoes and socks, he hugged me for what seemed like an eternity. Which of us was more blessed by that encounter?
Day 2: Grandma to the Rescue
We returned to the market the next day intent on gathering a crowd by offering them something to eat and an encouraging word. As we were gathering and trying to organize them into a circle, one boy angrily demanded he be given food. Continuing to disrupt the entire activity, I told him to join the rest or leave. As I tried to escort him out, he exploded in anger. Several other street kids surrounded him to calm him down. Thinking he was calm, they returned to their seats. He then exploded again, running toward us and wielding a knife. As I prepared to stop him, what I can only describe as an angel appeared from nowhere in the form of a five foot 60 lb. white haired grandma of 90. She fearlessly took down this kid twice her size. In one motion she grabbed his knife, then removing her sandal she whacked the kid and exclaimed, "How dare you treat people of God this way!"
Day 3: A Leader Feeds Others
On the 3rd day we planned to just spend time with the children of the street offering encouragement. Soon after we arrived God's angel for the day appeared in the form of one of the young men who asked us to form a circle, then proceeded to thank us and pray for us, asking for God's help in our lives and thanking Him for bringing God's word to them. Later as we left, he walked with us. He picked up some discarded garbage and began eating it as most of these kids survive this way. I bought him a sack of bananas which he handed out to the other street kids rather than eating them himself. It struck me God was letting us know his servants are here amidst this chaos, they just need encouragement and help to minister to these discarded people.
Arrested by the Holy Spirit
On our way to the city dump to minister to the hundreds of families who live on top of the garbage, hunting each day for their food, we found ourselves lost. I handed my cell phone to Brian to find out from Michael how to find our destination. At one of the many intersections manned by traffic cops, we were motioned over to the side of the road and informed it was illegal to drive while talking on a cell phone. Asking for Brian's drivers license, it became obvious to us this was an extortionable offense. To compound the problem, Brian turned to me and said "I don't have my license with me!" "No problem," I replied, "use mine, he can't tell us apart anyway." Less interested in the formality of whose license it was and more interested in how much we might be bribed of, he brashly walked to the unoccupied passenger seat, climbed in and asked where we were going. Brian explained through our interpreter that we were trying to find the garbage dump. Catching the traffic cop off guard, Brian asked, "can you show us where it is?" Still trying to figure out why a carload of Gringos would want to go to the garbage dump, he said "yes" and we were off. While traveling there, he examined the driver's license and explained how serious an offense driving while talking on the phone was and how this could become very "complicated" (translated loosely: "Expensive") for a foreigner. "Brian," I exclaimed, "why don't you tell the policeman about Jesus?" Brian, now back on his game, began to explain in detail how Jesus had touched his family's life, that they were moving to Honduras to minister to the poor, and did the policeman have a personal relationship with Jesus...? Arriving at the school, built by the Micah project for the children of the dump, we gave him the full tour of the facility. We explained how at one time all these children knew was rifling through garbage for anything of value to either eat or sell to help support their families. Now they were receiving an education. I gathered all of the smaller kids around the policeman and introduced him to them, explaining to them that if they were diligent in their studies, they too might become a policeman. He attempted to hide behind his macho facade but the emerging tears showed the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He returned the license and determined the offense could be overlooked. He spent the next several hours with us and received a covering of prayer from all of us before departing
Baptizing the Burglar
The Micah Project planted itself squarely in the middle of where the greatest need exists. The neighborhood has its share of street gangs and crime. One night a burglar scaled the 2 story walls and barbed wire of the Micah home and brashly entered each room stealing from the Micah Boys. It seems no crime against these street savvy boys goes unsolved. They quickly identified the culprit. Michael confronted him in the neighborhood and angrily threatened to run him over with the van if he didn't stop threatening the safety of the Micah Boys. His anger calmed and turned to counseling as the bandit apologized and warmed to Michael's message. Brian Wiggs was there and spent several long nights reaching out to this young man helping him see God's purpose in his life. At 6 am, the morning we were to depart, Brian excitedly knocked on my door, saying the young man wanted to be baptized before we left. So, that morning at our hotel pool, we experienced another life washed clean in dedication to Christ.
Why Was I There?
I was there to help the Micah Project build a strategy for implementing their idea for a technical school. Brian Wiggs and his wife Natasha are joining the Micah Project in 2009. He has a great passion for outreach as well as being a highly qualified auto mechanic. Through a business group I am in, I made contact with 4 automobile dealership owners in Tegucigalpa. Michael Miller, the Micah Project Director, laughed when I showed him the names; all the names were of previous presidents and very influential families in Honduras. We met with each of them and outlined our proposal for providing Christian character development and automotive skills training and certification at US levels. Their response was overwhelming. They explained how they had struggled to find people with both the right attitude and enough skills. They currently employed 2 full time people to train in the technical basics AND two additional people worked full time inspecting their work. The idea that we could supply technicians ready to work and able to produce, without remedial training or having every job inspected, was so novel they fell over themselves asking what they could provide to encourage us with our plans. We said we wanted 2 things, their partnership in leading the effort and the use of their facilities and tools after hours, so we could start a technical school without having to invest in a structure. I am convinced if God wants this to happen, He will provide in a big way.
Learn more!
Visit the Micah Project blog: www.micahcentral.blogspot.com
