Feed My Sheep Ministry is the realization of a dream that Marvin and Karen Steinke had to build a partnership ministry with Jesus in Honduras.
In 2001, Marvin went on a mission trip to Honduras with No Greater Love Ministries of DuQuion, Illinois, and again in 2002. In 2003, he was joined on a trip by his wife, Karen. God touched their hearts so deeply that they committed to being more active in ministering to the underserved in Honduras.
After a time of meditation, prayer and discussion, Marvin and Karen created Feed My Sheep Ministries in response to their calling to follow the mandate of Jesus to “Feed My Sheep”. Feed My Sheep Ministries has been at work in Honduras since 2005. Groups of missionaries from Christ Church in Fairview Heights, Illinois have been going to help on mission trips. Many people from the church, and individuals in the surrounding communities, have been serving by volunteering to help with the work needed here at home and with financial donations to help with supplies and to sponsor students every year.
Feed My Sheep relies on the generosity of those who feel called to serve and/or donate. May God continue to bless the ministry and all who feel called to help connect the people of Honduras with Jesus Christ.
Honduras Mission Field
Per a 2019 World Bank report, 48.3% of the population of Honduras lives in poverty. In some areas of Honduras, 20% of the people live on less than $1.90 (U.S.) per day.
A 2020 United Nations UNICEF report advises that 23% of Honduran children suffer stunted growth due to malnutrition. Additionally, a 2020 report from the U.S. State Department’s Agency for International Development states that 31% of Honduran children under age 5 are anemic. : Feed My Sheep has two programs to help address these needs: 1) our children’s feeding sites at which meals are served; and 2) our free medical clinics at which we provide vitamins with iron.
Per the U.S. Center for Disease Control, one of the main healthcare problems in Honduras is the lack of access to doctors. The CDC reports that there are 0.37 physicians per 1,000 people in Honduras. Feed My Sheep provides the opportunity to consult with a physician at its free medical clinics which are open to the public.
A 2020 United Nations UNESCO report lists the net enrollment rate for secondary education in Honduras was only 51.5% in 2019. Per a 2020 World Bank report, only 79.5% of children complete their primary education. Feed My Sheep and its student sponsors encourage children to remain in school through our scholar program that provides school supplies and uniforms.
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security report stated that Honduras has the largest number of unaccompanied children trying to enter the U.S. illegally from Central America. The largest number of children from any one city came from San Pedro Sula (the area where Feed My Sheep focuses its ministry). Children are sent to attempt entry into the U.S to escape the poverty and violence in Honduras.
There are many factors that you must take into account when you talk about the health of children in Honduras.
- Inconsistent diet
- Exposure to violence
- Lack of clean drinking water
- Sleeping location
- Lack of proper personal hygiene
- Exposure to natural elements
- Inability to obtain or follow up with medical care
The life expectancy for those in poverty is shortened and infant mortality is increased.
The need is great in Honduras. God has called Feed My Sheep to serve His people there.