Misioneros de Esperanza

In 2002, a group of young people from Honduras attended World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada. They took it to heart when Pope John Paul II told the attendees to "be the light of the world," and Misioneros de Esperanza (MDE) was born. 

Misioneros de Esperanza is a group of youth volunteers headed by Dina de Flores and based in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. They work principally in La Cordillera de El Merendón, the mountain range just outside of San Pedro Sula, in northern Honduras. During their trips to the mountains they focus on Education, Health, Infrastructure, Evangelization, and Mission trips. For about half of the year they have "Encuentros", or gatherings, every weekend in the village of Tomalá. The Encuentros are intended to be Christian-based recreation and educational opportunities for the children of El Merendón.  Because of MDE's regular visits to the mountains and their close relationship with the "delegados" (villagers who have been trained as lay church leaders and catechists) of each village, they can continually adapt to the needs of El Merendón. And they continue to extend their programming and the scope of their impact. Every year, for example, they organize celebrations for the International Day of the Child and this year 371 children from various villages came. 

Most of the members of Misioneros de Esperanza are teenagers from San Pedro Sula, around high school and college age. For that reason, Misioneros de Esperanza also serves to instill and foster an ethic of solidarity and compassion in the next generation of Hondurans. MDE works in conjunction with Tulane Catholic (since 2004), Marian University, Sacred Heart Parish in Broussard, Louisiana, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Saint Genevieve School, Centro Cultural Sampedrano, ACCESS (through the US consulate in San Pedro Sula), and more. They rely on donations from organizations like these or private individuals to carry out their programming. 

Click these links to learn more about Misioneros de Esperanza, find out how you can get involved in their incredible work, or make donations. 

MDE Website (click "contacto" if you want MDE's contact information): http://www.misionerosdeesperanza.org/index.html 

MDE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Misionerosdeesperanza.hn/