The town of Kisalaya is about 15 minutes west of Waspam. It is a relatively large village when compared to the other Miskito villages along the river, with a population of just under 2,000. This village came together and decided to give the ministry approximately 100 acres of land leading all the way north to the Rio Coco. The land is absolutely gorgeous.
And when we were walking around the land with the leaders of the community, measuring it off, for whatever reason they kept suggesting we take more of the land, and extend the area we would like to have. It was truly God working through these people. How else would the ministry obtain over 100 acres without paying anything. As you see in the picture, you can't even see to the other side of it. Through one of the days we were there 'surveying' we all sat and had lunch together under a big shade tree, and simply had to praise God for this amazing Earth that He had created, and I couldn't help but think about how no one had ever inhabited this land before, and how it truly is a little piece of heaven.
We also met our neighbors.
One of those events that really makes you feel like you are in an episode of National Geographic, as the local kids came out from hiding and watched from a safe enough distance to figure out what is going on, but not close enough to put themselves into any danger! Fortunately we were able to get to know them a little (remember they speak Miskito and we are somewhat limited in its fluency :) But we learned that the little house over (no bigger than my family room at home) housed 16 people. Two of the girls we met where sisters that lived there with other siblings. One was 19 and one 16 years old. The 16 year old had a 8 month old son, and the 19 year old had a 3 year old and a 18 month old. This is one of those things that has proven itself to be quite the norm. Sad but true, a large chunk of the girls were pregnant by 15.
Through the whole process we have really been trying to build a good relationship with this community. They are being so generous to us, we are hoping to be able to reach back out to them in ways of seed for planting, providing jobs in the construction of the buildings and clearing of the property. Beyond that we set up a feeding center for all the children in the village. Monday we had the first feeding and made 84 bags of a soy rice mixure that serves 6 people per bag.
Here are some of the kids gathering as the food was prepared.
Kyle sharing the gospel with the children before they ate (using Ezequiel as a translator). I think this part may have been a reenacting of the story of David and Goliath (the boy up on his shoulders :)
In the end we ended up serving nearly 500 servings. The kids were fighting over the food, and the chance to get up to the pot of soy. I was serving it out, and at the end, there was only the raspa (what the natives call the rice that sticks to the sides of the pot), and I couldn't even get myself away from the pot because the kids were all pressing so hard around me trying to the last little scraps. I have been at feeding centers before, and of couse all the people are in need of the food that is being supplied, but never have I seen kids fighting to get to the food. During the process I wasn't thinking much, I was in all honesty a little stressed and closterphobic from the kids swarming from all sides (regardless of our attempt to organize them). But afterwards I simply had to admire how God makes all things work together. The town had a plot of land, and we have access to FOOD. Food is something we think of so nonchalantly, and them in the same way, have all this land that no one is using or living on, and yet together God has a way of providing for all involved.
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