Jessica and Marcelo Gomez are a couple with big hearts and big dreams. They selflessly desired to turn their home into a small institution that could care for 14 orphaned children at a time. Little did they know when they attended a WWO gathering in Buenos Aires, that God would shape their dream a little differently.
“Jessica and Marcelo came to the gathering we held in Spring 2023 and wanted to open a mini orphanage,” said Maria de la Paz Zabala, fondly known as Pachi. “The WWO gathering completely changed their approach and strategy to helping orphans! At the gathering, they learned effective ways to help orphans thrive and live in safe and loving families, so they made some changes.”
The Gomez couple decided to use their home to care for seven children instead of 14. They took in orphans who were 12 years old and under and who had spent time in psychiatric institutes. They also committed to making every effort to ensure that each of these children would be placed in a loving and safe family of their own.
These efforts led to developing working relationships with government officials and churches as they sought to find suitable families for these children.
Collaborating with Pachi and WWO, they developed training to help over 42 pastors, leaders, and families across their local area better understand the trauma orphaned children face and how to help them through adoption.
“Marcelo, Jessica, and I offered training that consisted of three sessions (three hours each) at their local church this past June and July,” said Pachi. “It was open to the public, for those interested in understanding the Church’s role regarding orphans.
Ten families expressed interest in becoming foster or adoptive families. We are now working with Paola and Rodolfo, who are part of the collaborative team in Ituzaingó, Buenos Aires, to see how we can further mobilize the Church in this area and find more families.
The local government is surprised by how we’ve managed to find more willing families, as they haven’t been able to achieve that themselves. Currently, we are now planning to train and equip these families, so they are well-prepared when they begin the process.“