He Is In Control

Sunday in the streets of
Tegucigalpa is what church was meant to be. We started with prayer and headed out to be the hands and feet of Christ. The street boys were there in the colenade where we had washed thier feet this past summer. As we came in it was apparent that not even Sunday could keep the glue away. The young man on my right is Wilson who is held captive by the power of hunger, fear and the fumes of yellow glue. At times he would seem to have his wits about him then I realized it was only the flight or fight response to life in the streets of the market place. In the blink of an eye they could be taken out by the drugs, another stronger person of the streets, or one of the thousands of busses and cars that make there way through the crowed streets. I feel my heart cry out to God WHY!! and then realize that He is glorifed when we, the body of Christ, reach out with the love that He has filled us with to bring a smile to the lost and oppressed. Axle, one of the newest to Micah, was in this situation just a few short months ago. He led us out of the market and we came to a gate in the wall which lead to an upstairs room where we found his mother and little brother. It was his little brothers birthday and in this room , not much bigger than an office cubicle, I saw the joy of the Lord. Not in the small birthday celebration but in the fact that this young child, who nott too long ago was run over by a bus, was smiling and happy. After we presented some gifts and sang happy birthday I noticed that Axle's mom was truly touched as a tear ran down her face. Although powerful, it was not her emotion that touched my heart but, rather, seeing Axle and the joy that comes from Christ in the restored young man. It was now time to go and as we left my heart was filled with the peace that comes from knowing such a loving God.

Seeds Planted & Dreams Realized

As I expected this trip, so far, has been just like all the rest...AMAZING!! Within the first few hours of landing we were on the streets deep in the market. The children there still hungry, still high on glue, but they rembered something when they saw me in the group and started talking about when we washed their feet. One of them, Cezar, even rembered my name and still had the wordless braclet on. He has been spending a lot of time with the Micah boys but is too old for the program. Perhaps he could be one of the boys I train, only God knows.

I have been keeping my eye on the newest boy at Micah, Hector. He is a young child of 13 years who now has eyes filled with hope instead of the haze of the yellow glue. He likes playing and hugs. It will truly be a blessing to watch him and others arrive to the moment that I witnessed Friday night.

Friday was spent at Villa Linda Miller where the children blessed us with a love feast. So many hugs and to see the church done, built and complete with a floor in 5 weeks, now that is amazing. We had lunch at Flora's house and then went back into town to get dressed for the night. With everyone dressed to the 9's and Union Church decorated we watched as the family and friends of three young men filed in to witness the impossible, a graduation celeberation. "These young men have had a lot of life",Michael said, "in their relatively short time on earth and most of it hard. Now they stand here before me in suits ready to continue on in life equipped by the power of the Holy Spirit to do amazing things." Marvin and Peter (Pedro) preformed an emotional couple of songs and the children did some well organized skits.

Then the young men made the walk that we in the states take so much for granted, the walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. It was very emotional and joy-filled at the same time. Afterwords, we had a reception time and the guests were all so happy. I was in awe of how God had planned the whole night. Juan Carlos, Eric, and Cezar were there and as I watched them I could see a soft determination building in their hearts to see this same thing come true in their lives as well. The night ended with a ride back to the hotel. I chose to ride in the back of one of the trucks as this is where I feel more connected to the environment and the people. As we drove I could not stop thinking about how far these boys had come. Several times along the way I saw people digging in trash and sleeping in doorways, some stumbling around in a drug induced haze. Then I looked through the window of the truck to see Marvin and Oscar sitting in suits smiling from ear to ear holding there future in their hands and the hope of Christ in their hearts, knowing that God can do anything. What a contrast of emotions. As I head off to bed I wonder what tomorrow will bring and I know that if I keep my eyes on him it will be a blessed day.