The 2018 mission trip season is quickly approaching at Dorie’s Promise and we’re readying our home for more than 300 visitors. Recently, our staff met to discuss our home, our children, and what we want 2018 to look like at Dorie’s Promise.

Mixing the daily needs of 40 children with 300 visitors can be overwhelming to both our staff and kids. Some may wonder why we welcome visitors at all. There is no better way for people to understand the needs in Guatemala than through experience. Plus, we know the people who come to Dorie’s Promise want to serve our children and communities. Our job is to create a program that is healthy for our children, manageable for our staff, and meaningful to those we serve.

As a staff, we asked hard questions and consulted professionals who know our children.

What are the benefits of allowing so many people into our home? How many people should we allow into our home? What changes can create healthy boundaries for our children? What should we really expect from our staff? What kind of projects are we good at?

Over the course of 3 days, we realized just how far we’ve strayed from our original mission.

God has called us to passionately serve the

world’s forgotten children through life-changing ministries.

2018 is the year we refocus on the reason we first started hosting teams. We know when people meet our children and see the need in Guatemala, they join with us to serve the families and children of Guatemala.

By identifying our priorities and gifts, our focus again became clear—the children in our home. They are our greatest priority at all times. Our gifts can also help families throughout the country. We believe in families and are committed to preserving families who may be on the verge of crisis. For those children whose families have experienced crisis and find themselves in a government orphanage, we intend to partner with organizations to care for them until they too can be united with a family.

2018 is our year to refocus missions at Dorie’s Promise. Our calling is clear.

Preserving Families. Caring for Orphans. Transforming Lives.

This is how we fit into the Guatemala missions community. We are both relieved and excited as we prepare for the 2018 trip season at Dorie’s Promise. As a staff, we are united in our vision for the future. We understand how we are called to serve the families and children of Guatemala. We are already identifying families, community partners, and other facilities who share our vision and have needs we can meet this year.

We will serve everyone with dignity and humility, providing solutions and opportunities that promote independence instead of dependency. We will listen well and only offer solutions that are needed, even if it means we change the way we operate.

This is the year we remember why we started.

Will you help us preserve, care, and transform in 2018? We still have openings for both teams and individuals in 2018. Join us as we serve the children and families of Guatemala.