Preserving and empowering families through the church

Mark Gumm

Senior Director of International Programs
World Orphans

On a sunny December day in 2008, my wife Julie and I sat on a couch in a bustling Ethiopian orphanage. Outside the open door, dozens of kids played in the courtyard, kicking a tattered ball, braiding hair and giggling while they snuck curious looks at the white foreigners. Hours later, as we left with our two newly adopted children, I couldn’t help but think about the kids left behind. No matter how well cared for they were at the orphanage, God designed each of us to be part of a family. To be loved, nurtured, guided, and protected.

God placed a call on my heart that goes beyond adoption. I served in orphan-care ministry for many years, first with World Orphans and then with another nonprofit organization. After working in church ministry for the last eight years, the Lord is leading me back to orphan care with World Orphans. Working in nine countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Iraq, and Nicaragua), World Orphans equips and empowers local churches to support vulnerable families and children in their communities. One of the beautiful things about their work is that the local church is the champion and the light to those in need, not me or World Orphans.

As Senior Director of International Programs, I serve alongside our incredible in-country staff, pastors, and local church leaders to provide vision, leadership, and support for our programs to care for orphans, widows, and vulnerable families in their own communities. 

I’m excited to see churches engaged, children restored, families preserved and strengthened, and communities transformed by the gospel of Christ.

Thankfully, World Orphans is dedicated to using resources effectively to ensure that the majority of financial support from donors is directed back into projects that rescue, care for, and restore orphans and vulnerable families. As part of my commitment to World Orphans, I have agreed to ask friends and family to prayerfully and financially support the work I will be doing. My role is 100% donor-supported, and monthly financial gifts fund my salary, while your prayers give me the encouragement I need to pursue this faith journey.

Would you consider partnering with me? You can partner by:

1-Praying

2-Becoming a monthly or annual financial donor

3-Connecting World Orphans with your local church.

Read Past Newsletters

December 2025 – Merry Christmas

November 2025 – Thanksgiving Update

October 2025 – Greetings from Ethiopia

September 2025 – God’s Providence & Prayer Requests

June 2025 – Father to the Fatherless

February 2025 – Heading Back to Ethiopia

December 2024 – Merry Christmas

November 2024 – From Gratitude to Anticipation