Micah

Last night we went to a church to celebrate Christmas with some street kids (mostly young men but there were two women). The street kids are linked with a ministry called Micah Project. The Micah house takes boys off of the street and instructs them on how to live well and meaningful lives. At the beginning of the night, one of the Micah staff members requested that the boys leave their glue (a cheap drug from the street) outside the church. While another person labeled the bottles with the person’s name, I collected the glue in a box. I felt like a bouncer. Such an odd and hard situation these boys live everyday. The night continued with some songs, a performance, and a meal. Each person who attended received a Christmas gift of practical items; such as: toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, socks, and also some candy and cookies. While I watched the gifts being distributed, I wondered if this would be the only gift that some of these guys receive for Christmas.

A little about the Micah Project: on Fridays, some of us teachers go to the Centro (downtown) to play soccer with the street kids. The boys play very intensely, it’s a little frightening because they have so much strength and nothing to lose. I usually join a team but end up mostly watching, I may kick the ball a few times within a night. My nick name amongst the boys is China Pop or Chinita. The translation is pretty obvious. Their lives are very broken; they are so young (their ages range from 6-25) but have lived such a dark life. Most of the boys who we play soccer with have a strong addiction to shoe glue. They carry old bottles around that contain a yellowish/brownish substance which they are constantly inhaling; the fumes are strong. After the game of soccer the boys are served a meal: usually a big pile of fried rice and 3 corn tortillas. Micah meets the boys where they are at, regardless of how high they are, and attempts to inspire them to move from despair into hope. It’s amazing to witness a project that really touches the hearts of these boys. This is their website http://www.micahcentral.org/Streets07/streets07.htm

Lastly, as most of you know I will be in Honduras for Christmas. If you'd like to send me mail I would really appreciate that. I would love to have some encouraging words from you. Here is my address:
Michelle Prince
IST
Box 2282
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
CA (Central America)

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2010! I'll maybe write next week, if not for sure after I come back from Guatemala!

22/12/09

I stayed the night on Sunday with a friend who works on staff with Micah Project-it was a really good night. Every Sunday night they have a worship time for the boys and the staff. I am no longer alone in Honduras for Christmas due to various people who have invited me over.

I also have a better website to check out Micah: http://www.micahcentral.org/