Every year we welcome hundreds of visitors to Dorie’s Promise in Guatemala City. Not only is it home for our children, but it also serves as home base for our short-term missions program. The combination of a private home and missions house is a constant balancing act for our staff. Our priority is always our children, but we also know our missions program offers unique opportunities for our children and visitors.

You’ve probably encountered people before who question orphan care, which methods and environments are best for children, as well as who should oversee the lives of vulnerable children. Honestly, you probably have lots of questions also. Just the same, while there’s a movement for people to engage in social issues, there’s also questions about the impact of missions programs.

We’re concerned about orphan care and missions too. We’d like to welcome you into our conversation.

For almost 2 decades, we’ve worked to provide the best care possible for orphaned and abandoned children in Guatemala. Initially, we helped facilitate international adoptions and helped hundreds of children find their forever families. For the last decade, we’ve focused solely on orphan care for the many children remaining in the family court system after international adoptions closed.

From the beginning, our focus was caring for the children in our home. We’ve never wavered from our mission to passionately care for the world’s forgotten children. Everything we do is viewed through the lens of how it serves vulnerable children in Guatemala.

Short-term missions provide a unique opportunity for both our children and visitors.

Through our stories and social media posts, we try to convey the lives of our children, local families, and Guatemala. The truth is until you experience something you can’t really understand. Meeting our children will make you fall in love with them. Seeing our home will help you understand why we choose individualized education and specialized staff. Visiting local families will give you a new insight into the challenges faced by Guatemalans every day. Experiencing Guatemala opens your eyes and your heart to the people we serve.

“We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms.” David Platt

Thus, we invite people to serve with us at Dorie’s Promise. We welcome them in, to meet our children and friends, and to see beyond the stereotypes of orphans and poverty. Not only are we caring for our children and friends, but we’re also offering the opportunity for our visitors to gain an invaluable perspective on the world.

Serving children and families in Guatemala is our passion. We know their stories and hear their dreams. Most importantly, we believe they are more than their circumstances and we have the opportunity to help them succeed. These are our children and our friends. They are always our priority and we will serve them with love and dignity.

Will you consider joining us? We invite you to visit Dorie’s Promise this year. Meet our children. Visit our friends. Serve with us and see the impact you can make. You are welcome here. You will be forever changed.