Meet Mickey (Not the Mouse)

Mickey is a recent DTS (Discipleship Training School) graduate from our school in Ensenada. For those of you that know Nick Johnson, they were in the same school.  I had the privilege of meeting Mickey while in Mexico teaching on the topic of Outreach Prep during their DTS.  I taught a bit of what to expect while on outreach as well as actually preparing them with skits, dramas, songs, and dances that they could use practically while in Southern Mexico and Dominican Republic.  

I immediately was drawn to Mickey.  He is a very vivacious young man; very friendly, very funny, a joy to be around.  He is one of those kids that have a magnetic personality; people want to be wherever he is.  I asked him how he came to be a student and he told me this amazing story of getting fired and that was his confirmation.  As I got to know Mickey a bit more God was speaking to me to give him some money for his outreach.  I knew I was supposed to give him money but God didn't tell me how much so I waited.  This was at the end of November/beginning of December. 

Fast forward to the week right before Christmas.  I headed down to Ensenada again but this time to help out some friends by watching their two youngest kids (who can't cross into the states) while the 4 oldest plus mum & dad went to the states for a few Christmas activities.  I knew that the DTS students had all left a few days prior so I was a bit saddened to find the base so quiet.  As I was wandering around my first morning there I walked past our hospitality room and offices and saw Mickey and another DTS student sitting there.  I was shocked to find them still in Ensenada as all the DTS students were already on outreach.  I mean I had received facebook messages with pictures and updates on what all they were getting to do in Mexico City.  

I went in and sat down.  I talked with them a bit and asked the obvious question of why were they still here.  They informed me that they didn't have the money for outreach and had been given just a few more hours to come up with the money or they were going home.  Now for a DTS student, in order to graduate you MUST complete the outreach.  This was devastating to Mickey.  Here is a quote from a recent blog entry that Mickey wrote about that time:

The next day I wasn't really sure I wanted to leave my room, I had that gloomy feeling again, but Alex (staff member at the base) asked me to come down to her office to hang out, so I went down there. We talked for a little bit and then Sheril Brasher walked in. I met Sheril back during our outreach prep week when she came down to teach us dramas and tell us a little bit about what to expect during outreach. She saw I was still on base and asked me why and so I explained my whole financial situation to her. She sat there in silence for a little bit and then said "I feel God is telling me to give you money, so I'm sending it now" and it was an amount that I did not expect. Then she said a few of her friends were also giving me money, and that's when it turned around.   (excerpt from WHAT HAPPENED dated 02.02.2011 on his blog, link at the bottom).

As I was sitting talking with him that day I felt God telling me to give Mickey $400 for his outreach.  Now, I don't have that kind of money ever.  I receive just a little over that in support each month but that doesn't even cover my staff fees, utilities and food for the month.  But God had been preparing me over the last 3 weeks to give to Mickey so as soon as I had the amount I checked my bank account and saw that my monthly support had just been deposited.  I had the money in my account so I made the necessary arrangements to give him that money.  I would worry about how I was going to pay my staff fees, utilities and food later as I knew that God would provide like He always does.  This time He was using me to provide for someone else.  Little did I know at the time that my small contribution was doing much more in the spiritual realm than the physical. 

I also told Mickey that I felt that he had a wall up around himself and that he needed to figure out what that was before he would be able to fully receive all that God had for him.   Well apparently he let God through the wall because since he has returned from his outreach and gone back home to Las Vegas he has reached out to those around him and is so on fire for God.  God has given him such passion and amazing revelation and words of wisdom that he is shouting from the rooftops and on his blog.  

For more information about Mickey, the full story of how getting fired was confirmation and what he learned while on outreach, follow his blog here.  For more information on how you can join my support team so that I can continue to live here and support guys like Mickey click on Join My GO Team, there is even a way to track how much I need each month and how much I am already receiving.  Thank you so much to all of you who help make this possible for me each month!

Mickey while on a New Year's Hike on his outreach to Mexico City.