When we share about our children and staff at Dorie’s Promise, we tell stories about our family. Quite often, our big family becomes a place of respite and healing for sibling groups. For us, the more, the merrier—let’s celebrate the siblings within our home. Aron, Daniela, and Ailyn If you visited our home in 2019, you probably met these siblings. Aron is quiet, but his younger sisters...
Those who have visited Dorie’s Promise understand the juxtaposition of our world. We live within the modern conveniences of Guatemala City and our community outreach programs stretch into very rural communities. Flowing throughout is the rich history of our indigenous Mayan culture. As part of our homeschool program, we’re teaching Mayan history in modern Guatemala. Studies in Mayan History Given the many advantages a modern city holds,...
Here’s a peek inside last month’s birthday bash and updates about our birthday kids. At the end of February, we celebrated Abraham, Ana, Aracely, Jesus, Maria, and Monica Abraham Our silly little boy Abraham is growing up. Don’t worry though, his fun and funny personality still shines through. Did you happen to catch the back-to-school picture we shared at the beginning of February? Lately, he’s been really...
We never know how long a child might live with us. Some children will live with us until adulthood, others may only stay with us for a few months. Forever changing lives with the time we’re given remains our mission. One Child at a Time Before shifting from international adoptions to orphan care, the time we had with children was shorter and the process was clearer. We...
For years, our mission trip schedule included a visit to the government orphanage outside San Jose Pinula. Each week, teams would step off the bus with supplies and activities to share with the staff and children. Each week, the reality of life inside large orphanages confronted teams. We choose to be different at Dorie’s Promise. Different from the Beginning For more than 10 years, Heather (our founder)...
We’re raising children who experienced unspeakable trauma before joining us, often at the hands of those closest to them. Imagine small children being left alone all day to care for themselves—hungry, scared, and vulnerable. Some escape physical abuse. Many do not. How do you help children whose physical wounds reveal even deeper emotional pain? We believe in healing through holistic care—spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and...
It’s our very first birthday update of 2021! We’re excited to share about our January birthday celebration. At the end of January, we celebrated Alejandra, Brayan, Marta, Santiago, and Silvia Alejandra Our home is filled with more laughs and more love because of Alejandra. Her laugh catches your attention and draws you in. Over the last few years, we enjoyed witnessing her transform from the anxious girl who...
Finding the best schools for our children is always a priority because we know education provides opportunities. As our children’s needs change though, we also must change schools. We’re excited to share about Mario’s new school for the new year. Not Everyone Learns the Same Way We’ve always known that Mario’s developmental challenges could affect the way he learns. He has a hard time focusing in class...
As many of you understand, school during the last year has been complicated. One day our kids were at their schools like normal and the next day they were home indefinitely. Forty kids, six different schools, a LOT of different schedules, all at home, all the time—it was like nothing we experienced before. After months of small tweaks, some rethinking about what works and what doesn’t...
After a much-needed break, our kids and teachers are back to school! 🏫 Distance learning, homeschooling, preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school—we have it all this year! Back to school, Back to Distance Learning Midway through last summer, we finally figured out how to make distance learning work at Dorie’s Promise. School was a carefully orchestrated balance of kids being on Zoom at the right...