While the rural mountains of Comayagua, Honduras, are characterized by lush forests and a cool, misty climate, they offer little more than dirt roads and limited opportunity to many of the people who live in these isolated villages. Jobs are scarce here. For many, education doesn’t exceed sixth grade. But thirteen years ago, something special began to take root in these hills. It wasn’t large or grand, but a quiet, faithful presence.
Small Beginnings, Faithful Obedience
“That is how our beginnings came about, with a house church, in some palm-leaf huts,” Tania Steer recalled. “We were able to walk through these mountains.” A simple calling to spread the gospel beyond the city and a willingness to obey became the foundation for something far greater.
When Paul and Tania Steer first connected with Children’s Hunger Fund, their goal was simple: to minister to families in need in the community where they served. Equipped with Food Paks and trained in relational mercy ministry, the Steers used food as a resource to enter people’s lives—not as strangers with solutions, but as neighbors willing to listen, pray, and return again.
Relationship Before Results
“The food box…has helped us…create more relationships that opened more opportunities for the gospel,” Paul explained.
They took the Food Paks and went house to house, learning names, hearing stories, and gradually building trust. As they did, they realized something important. The need wasn’t only for food; it was for consistency, guidance, and hope that would outlast a single visit—certainly longer than a Food Pak would.
Why they stayed
The years passed, and the ministry expanded—not through strategy, but through attentiveness. The Steers paid attention to the needs of the people of Comayagua.
“We saw that it was necessary to invest a little more in working with the children,” Tania shared. “We saw the need to spend more time with them and give them more spiritual values through the Bible.”
They began this teaching when they brought Food Paks into families’ homes. A soccer program started, drawing boys from across the community. Later, a space opened for girls to learn English. Eventually, mothers joined in as well, discovering new skills and newfound confidence in what they could do.
“We have seen great changes in the community,” Tania said. “Now we see that the children we began working with have other opportunities.” Some of them now work in cities or support their own families. Today, their younger siblings are walking through the same ministry doors.
But this transformation didn’t happen all at once. It took years of faithful presence.
And one small gift that changed everything.
Four Goats
Paul and Tania received a donation from Children’s Hunger Fund: four goats. The purpose was simply to support their family and help other pastors as they were able. There was no expectation of what would come next.
They didn’t rush to expand; they simply cared for what they had been given. They paid attention to the needs around them. Over time, they began to see new possibilities. Goat milk is highly nutritious and could help children struggling with illness.
“We saw the opportunity to be able to reach more homes by sharing milk with the children and to repeatedly visit the homes,” Paul said.
More Than a Project
What began as provision became a pathway.
Over the years, that small beginning has multiplied several times over. The number of goats grew. During difficult seasons, the ministry had to adapt. They traded animals to meet new and emerging community needs. They continued to steward what they had been given and ask how it could serve others well.
Today, that original gift has grown into a ministry that supports more than 250 families.
The Long View
But the real impact can’t be measured in numbers.
It’s found in relationships—like the one with Anthony, a twelve-year-old boy who has spent most of his life in the ministry.
“I grew up since I was 5 years old playing soccer with Pastor Paul, and until I was 12 years old, I’ve known him,” he said. When asked what the ministry has meant to his family, his answer was simple: “They have gone to my house and have prayed for us.”
Or there is Justin, who entered the ministry as a child alongside his older brother, spending time at the soccer school and growing up within the community Paul and Tania were building. As a child, he was a recipient, but at twelve, he now helps care for the goats, turning what was once outreach into participation and ownership.
This is what long-term presence makes possible.
What God Does with Faithful Hands
Today, the work in the mountains continues. The goat project has expanded beyond their community in Comayagua. “Thanks to this project,” Paul shared, “We have been able to donate more than fifty goats in the last eight years.” Every animal given to another pastor, school, or ministry is simply another seed planted for future ministry growth.
Every step of the way, the pattern has remained the same.
Faithfulness with what was given. Willingness to return. Trust that God would do more than they could plan.
What began with four goats has become something far greater—not because of the size of the gift, but because of the faithfulness of those who received it.
And in the mountains of Comayagua, that faithfulness is still multiplying.