La Mosquitia, also referred to as “Central America’s Amazon,” is located in Gracias a Dios, a department in the easternmost part of Honduras, and it extends into Nicaragua. In order to get to La Mosquitia you need to climb into a narrow canoe and ride down a river through the swampy mangroves and the tropical rainforest jungle. The other choice is to climb into a small four to six-seat airplane and fly over the river, over the swampy mangroves, and over the immense jungle and land in the dirt in one of the larger communities. Once you arrive, you will discover that La Mosquitia is mainly populated by several different ethnic groups including the Moskito, Pech, Rama, Suma, Garífuna, Ladino, and Creole people with a total population of over 80,000. While most people speak Spanish, their native language is their primary language. La Mosquitia has the largest wilderness area in all of Central America. There you will find jaguars, pumas, crocodiles, tapirs, manatees, bats, spider monkeys, the white-headed monkey, fer-de-lance, and many more unusual wildlife creatures.
The people of La Mosquitia see themselves as the forgotten people of Honduras, isolated in the corner of one of the poorest nations in the Western hemisphere. The two main sources of income are lobster diving and drug trafficking. 90% of the cocaine that ends up in the United States passes through La Mosquitia. Electricity is provided only a few hours a day or by gasoline-powered generators. Most homes have no running water and no proper sanitation. More than two-thirds of the population live in poverty and the school completion rate in La Mosquitia is significantly lower than in the rest of the country.
In April 2020, God spoke to Michelle about beginning to work in the La Mosquitia. To date, she has led several missions trips to the region. Currently, Love Honduras is raising money to purchase a boat. This boat will be used to go from village to village to bring the love of Jesus to the people living in La Mosquitia. It will also be used to transport food and other essentials to La Mosquitia.
