Sandy and I have been living in Nicaragua for eight months having had the privilege to teach English, tutor math, establish a children’s reading hour and study the bible with some of the women living in a very poor neighborhood. We have also spent a great deal of time volunteering in a children’s burn hospital, reaching out to the children and their parents. We love what we have been doing, all the while trying to figure out “what else, what more” can we do to make a difference in people’s circumstances. After much prayer and consideration we believe the Lord is prodding us to step further out on faith to serve in a way we could not have envisioned just a few months ago.
Two hours away from Managua (where we currently live) is Malpaisillo, a very poor town that has received its name (bad country/bad land) due to the many surrounding volcanoes, their eruptions and the volcanic rock in the area. In this town there are NO restaurants, grocery stores, hotels and very few jobs and yet out of a population of 8,500 Nicaraguans there are forty-three disciples living there, thirty-nine of whom have been baptized in the last twenty-four months!
Four weeks ago Sandy and I visited Malpaisillo for the first time and met all of the disciples. We experienced lots of gratefulness (that we came to visit), joy, friendliness and lots of smiles.
If we hadn’t asked the minister some very specific questions we would have never imagined the kind of life and hardships these disciples experience. Here are just a few things we learned: Most people live in a two room house where one room is the bedroom for the entire family. Toilets and showers are outside the house. Most don’t own a refrigerator or stove and everyone cooks outside in a fire pit. Many are unemployed and most eat rice, beans and plantains three times a day, with meat and dairy rarely included. Some of their kids aren’t allowed in school because they lack the money to buy a uniform or shoes. We learned that, one week, their midweek contribution for the poor went to a brother who has a home with no walls. The contribution was used to buy plastic to wrap the perimeter of the house so the brother could be “inside.” To see pictures of Malpaisillo go to: http://www.sheepnotgoats.org/malpaisillochurch
As we considered where and how we could make a greater impact on the poor it became obvious that we could make a tremendous difference in the lives of some of our own brothers and sisters in Malpaisillo. Malpaisillo would be the perfect place to start a small farm (finca), raise chicken and fish and grow vegetables using aquaponics. Our intention is to provide food and income to as many poor people as possible while especially helping our own brothers and sisters in Christ.
We have become friends with another missionary couple who already has a small farm up and running where they are raising chickens. They have been able to partner with their neighbors and other locals to provide employment, income and meat to these people. This couple has been very helpful in sharing facts, figures, and what they have learned. We are inspired to see personally how they have impacted neighbors who were previously unemployed and are now “bringing home the bacon.”
♬ ♪ And on that farm in Malpaisillo…. we will raise tomatoes, plantains, chickens and tilapia (using aquaponics where fish waste feeds the plants, after which clean water is then recycled for use by the fish). Local disciples will partner with us in running the finca and in selling the produce. This will include processing and selling chickens every week, keeping 50% of the “profit” so they can provide for their families (which builds self-respect and self- esteem). In reality, there will be no “profit” since 100% of what remains after expenses will be used for the benefit of the community, especially the local church.
We know many others are seeking ways to serve the poor and our intent is that this finca will provide the opportunity for others to come experience serving and working together with the disciples in Malpaisillo. Eventually, we hope to turn the finca over to another family and we then replicate it in another poor community.
Unlike our volunteering in Nicaragua so far, this new project has start-up costs. Sandy and I have loved giving our time, energy, and hearts in serving the poor but we personally lack the funds to get this new project going. We’ve already met our Phase 1 $50,000 goal through a generous $20,000 donation and a $30,000 interest -free loan so we are definitely moving forward! In the days to come we will begin looking for land, a used pickup, concrete blocks to build a small house, tools, and materials to get the chicken production plus some aquaponics going. Our goal is to get the loan paid off asap and any donations will offset expenses, increasing the ability for us to help more people in the community. None of the monies from donations will go to us. Sandy and I will continue to use savings and the $500/month that comes from a small internet business of Steve’s as well as take only a roof over our heads and some food for our own use.
We are very grateful to have the opportunity to be part of this work and are excited to see God at work. If your heart is moved to help with a one time donation or monthly donations please let it be on behalf of the people in Malpaisillo, their current lifestyle, their perseverance and how the potential “fruit of the finca” can make a difference in their lives. Donations can be made at http://www.sheepnotgoats.org
We need your prayers!
Steve & Sandy Jacoby
