Over the last two months, the COVID-19 pandemic solidified our mission and reinforced the importance of our Dorie’s Promise community. Providing the best care possible to our children will always be our priority, but without faithful supporters like you who also love our children, our home wouldn’t exist. Our children at Dorie’s Promise need you more than ever.

Our Team in Guatemala

Most importantly, we are pleased to report that all of our children and staff are healthy. Doc Castro has been monitoring the pandemic since January; establishing protocols and training our staff to reduce the risk of exposure in our home. To date, none of our children or staff have been sickened by COVID-19. We are thankful for both God’s protection and Doc’s expertise during this time.

As you know from experience, the vast lifestyle changes and disruptions caused during the last few months affect more than just your physical health. Thankfully, our psychologists and social workers are actively working with our children to identify and work through their emotional and relational challenges during this time. In both groups and individually, we’ve worked on mindfulness, communicating well with each other, identifying our fears, and managing our emotions.

Every member of our Guatemala team has gone above and beyond during the last few months. Our office and missions staff have taken on active roles helping with our children. Each day, our teachers are juggling everyone’s school schedules and classwork. Sacrificing time with their families, our Special Mothers have lived on-site for days and weeks at a time depending on our needs and current travel restrictions.

Our staff and our children at Dorie’s Promise need you more than ever.

Program Adjustments at Dorie’s Promise

Fearing widespread illness, the Guatemalan government quickly enacted strict mitigation protocols in March. Borders are closed, public transportation is suspended, curfews are in place, travel between departments (states) is prohibited, and several times, everyone has been ordered to remain at home for three to four days at a time. These are the circumstances our staff faces each day.

Our work at Dorie’s Promise is critical and our mission remains the same—passionately serving the world’s forgotten children. What we do will not change, but we must adapt to the hardship we face.

The effects of this pandemic are serious and we have a responsibility to protect our children. Without us, they have nowhere else to go. We anticipate Guatemala’s strict mitigation efforts to remain in effect for a significant period of time. Until government restrictions are lifted and our staff feels confident we can host guests safely, our short-term mission trips will be suspended and then rescheduled.

We are hopeful Guatemala will be spared from a widespread outbreak and teams will return later this year. Nonetheless, our staff is preparing for the possibility that teams will not return for an extended period.

If you were planning to visit us in Guatemala this summer, our children at Dorie’s Promise need you more than ever, even if you can’t visit us in-person.

Assessing our Financial Impact and Needs

Like many of you, we are anticipating a significant decrease in our income this year. If we are unable to host teams as anticipated, we will be facing a substantial gap between the donations we typically receive each year and the funds needed to continue operating Dorie’s Promise without disruption.

Unfortunately, many of our faithful donors and monthly sponsors have suffered financial setbacks and hardships during this time as well. Understandably, some have paused their giving to care for their families and businesses. We are evaluating ways to trim our budget without sacrificing our commitment to provide a safe, loving home to our children.  

Our welcome video for mission teams explains the “loaves and fishes” method God has used to faithfully support us for 20 years. We’ve never faced a financial situation like this before, but we’re trusting God to provide the help we need from people like you.

We need your help to bridge this gap and continue caring for our children.

Whether you’ve sponsored a child for years or never considered giving a gift before today, you can make a difference. Our children at Dorie’s Promise need you more than ever. You can be the person who steps in for one of our dear friends facing personal hardship right now. Every gift makes an impact.

Ways You Can Help Us Right Now

• Pray with us and for us. Your prayers help carry us through tough times. Each Sunday, we share a prayer request on Facebook and Instagram. Join with us.
• Consider giving a special gift or becoming a monthly sponsor. We couldn’t exist without faithful friends who love our children and support our home.
• Tell others about Dorie’s Promise. Share our social media posts, tell others about your mission trip, and encourage them to help our children.

We need our friends now more than ever. Our children at Dorie’s Promise need you more than ever. Give a special gift or become a monthly sponsor today. Then, follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see the difference you make in the life of a child at Dorie’s Promise.