By Alej Diaz
When the phone rang last week, we all had a feeling it was Social Services calling to see if we had room for another child. When they said they had a little boy in need of a home, I told them to bring him right over.
I wish you could have been here when he arrived….
The day a new child arrives is always a day of joy. There is always a buzz of excitement in the air. Everyone on our team knows something special is happening. The world that surrounds our home can be a very dangerous place for an orphan, but inside our gates children find the kind of love and care they’ve never experienced and desperately want and need.
When the Social Service worker handed me a little bundle of blankets, I was overjoyed to see the face of a beautiful little boy wrapped up inside. His name – Jose Pablo. Jose was born on March 15, 2011. Yes, that is right, he is less than one month old. As I held him, my heart broke. The thought of anyone abandoning this child just got to me. Even after all these years of working with orphans, I’m still deeply moved when a child comes to our home.
Little did I know that just a few days later, I would have those same feelings all over again….
Meet little Maria. She arrived at Dorie’s Promise on April 4, 2011 – just a few days after Jose Pablo. She is five months old. We don’t know the exact day she was born but we know her birthday is in December.
Like many of the children who come to our home she was abandoned at the hospital by her mother. Social Services is searching for her family and relatives but are not optimistic they will find anyone. They brought Maria to Dorie’s Promise in hopes of finding a loving and safe home for her.
We don’t know what the future holds for Maria or Jose Pablo. All we know is that God has brought these beautiful children to us. Our calling and responsibility is to make sure each one gets all the love and care they need. We don’t know if they will be with us for a week or a month or even longer. Most likely they will be with us until they are adults.
I would ask you to join me in praying for them. Ask God to bless their lives. He’s already done so much for them by bringing them to us. But the life of an orphan – even at Dorie’s Promise is not easy. Let’s pray together that God will use our team at Dorie’s Promise and all our friends who visit and support us to touch the lives of Maria and Jose Pablo in a powerful way. Let’s pray that they grow up knowing and believing that God loves them and that He has a plan and a purpose for each of their lives.
Thank you for all you do for Dorie’s Promise.
It is a privilege for me to answer the phone when Social Services calls. I can always say “yes” with confidence because I know there are people in the United States that love our children. There are not many orphanages in this area that can say that with confidence. To God be the glory! Thank you!