At 22 years old he was already graduated from a Bible Seminary, and as an evangelist was traveling to many cities across Brazil to preach the word of God at youth rallies, crusades, and evangelistic events.
A few years later, fully involved in the ministry, as a statewide youth leader, and continuing preaching across the nation, he received an invitation to come to the United States to study English and to work at a South Florida Bible School.
In the year 2000 he got married to Karla Kleim Gomes, now, his wife for 22 years. Together they arrived in India as missionaries exactly 1 month after their wedding day and launched WEM - World Evangelism Mission, with the support of a friend called Sebastião Oliveira, that was working in the U.S.A. to raise funds for their missionary endeavors.
After a few months, Gee and Karla realized that India was a huge challenge, and they needed help to keep going and be successful. Prayerfully, God told them: “Raise an army of missionaries and I will raise an army among my people to support their work”.
In Brazil, Carlos José de Melo, a Brazilian Air Force official and church minister, in a vision was shown the northern region of India, which was burning and sparks were spreading throughout the whole nation.
On his first trip to India, Carlos met Gee Gomes in a visit to WEM Missionary Training Center in Mumbai, who told him of Indian missionaries ready to be sent to the fields, but needy from a minimum of support to perform their ministry among the northern and southern villages of India (approximately 500 thousand villages) still unreached with the Gospel of Jesus.
Impressed by the spiritual darkness of India, poverty, and lack of evangelistic resources, the question that the Holy Spirit imprinted in the heart of Pr. Carlos was: “How Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled if we continue with the current methods of action?
What to do, then? God's answer was: “Go back to Brazil and challenge my people to help. He said more: "I, the Lord, will raise a powerful army, and my word will be preached throughout the earth”.
In asking the Spirit of God as this could be done, as he had no experience, limited ministerial expressiveness, and the absolute lack of resources, the Lord told him clearly that He would use great leaders and simple servants, and with the appropriate method, would mobilize His people for the great task.
WEM - Brazil, was launched based on the word of God and the efforts of some of His servants that joined Pr. Carlos. WEM - Brazil, a branch of WEM was formed to be a link between the missions field and the Brazilian church. Pr. Carlos and his team went on visiting many churches and leaders in Brazil challenging them to help the missionary work in India.
Later, retired as a Brazilian Air Force colonel, Pr. Carlos became the WEM international president, as Gee Gomes and Sebastião Oliveira, founders of WEM, followed other paths in the ministry, and could not continue their work with the missionary organization.
The ministry grew exponentially to many other nations beyond India. WEM has established missionary bases in more than 35 countries, with almost 2000 full-time missionaries, hundreds of planted churches, and a growing children's sponsoring project, among others.
In the year 2020, after many years doing other ministry work, Gee Gomes returned to WEM as its USA leader, and together, with Pr. Carlos and many other national and international leaders, are fulfilling God’s purpose - reaching the nations with the powerful message of the Gospel.
WEM's goal, since its foundation, is to reach mainly, those regions still unreached with the Gospel, thousands of precious people that are dying without peace and salvation.
WEM’s strategy is to have as many native missionaries as possible, as they already live in the local culture and speak the language, lacking only training, guidance, and financial support to do the work. After more than 20 years of doing it, it is proven to be more effective, as it is cheaper, easier and faster.
With this strategy, any individual, or church, in partnership with WEM, can sponsor a native missionary with only $60.00 monthly.
According to researches, the cost to send a foreign missionary to another nation averages $5,000.00 monthly, besides the culture and language barriers, which makes it very difficult to do missions.
This is the easiest, most practical, and effective way to do missions.
A cost simulation, taking the India project as an example:
If a church/ministry sends an American missionary, it will have to invest an average of $5,000.00 monthly, only for the missionary and his family support (no projects or buildings involved). 100 American missionaries would cost something around $500,000.00 monthly.
With WEM’s strategy, each national missionary (depending on the region and family size) needs around $60.00 monthly as financial support.
Normally, in partnership with churches, we send a foreign missionary, as supervisor, to lead and oversee the work of 100 native missionaries (Indians) which would require an investment of $11,000.00 monthly, to support the foreign plus 100 native missionaries.
In conclusion, 100 national missionaries that already know the culture and language, plus a foreign supervisor, would cost $489,000.00 less than sending 100 foreign missionaries.
We have one vision, one mission, one goal
Reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus.
Faced with the critical situation of the world, a person can have three types of attitudes: Watch, Flee or Act.
Will you watch people dying without salvation? Are you going to run away from the great commission to evangelize the world? Or will you act now, evangelizing as many as you can?
Millions of people are dying without salvation. Let’s do missions together?
What are you waiting for?