When Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them...and He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest field."
Matthew 9:36 & 38
The mission of Compassion in Action is to provide an outstanding elementary and secondary Christian education for as many students as possible in Dario, Nicaragua where, due to poverty, local resources are not currently available to accomplish this on their own. Through Christian education, we are positioned to bear witness to the life-transforming truths of a personal relationship with Jesus. By extension of the school’s family and community relationships, Compassion in Action works alongside local families to help them gain a Christian worldview which can promote and sustain spiritual, physical, and vocational well-being.
Our Vision
It is the vision of Compassion in Action to provide outstanding elementary and secondary Christian education in Nicaraguan communities such as Dario, where, due to poverty, local resources and expertise are not currently available to accomplish this vision. We seek to encourage and assist as many students and families in Nicaragua as possible toward a saving faith in Jesus Christ and toward a Christian worldview which promotes lifelong spiritual, physical, and vocational well-being.
Leadership
Board of Directors
Dr. Richard Brown, Jr.
Rich has been active in student ministry throughout his adult life starting in 1983. While in college God led him into vocational youth ministry where he majored in Youth Ministries.
His degrees include a Bachelor of Science in Religion, Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Religious Education, and a Doctor of Ministry. Brown is also an ordained pastor.
He served in churches in the Midwest and the Seattle area for almost twenty years.
In 2003, Rich transitioned from serving as Pastor of Student Ministries to become Assistant Professor within the Department of Church Ministries at his alma-mater, Liberty University. Brown teaches both residential and online youth ministry courses and has written the curriculum for three of these courses. He loves teaching the next generation of youth leaders, and the college students God has placed in his life. His ministry passions include: leadership development, teaching ministry philosophy, encouraging church leadership, and speaking to students.
Rich and his wife Janet reside in Lynchburg,Virginia with their three children.
Robert Crandall
Rob Crandall is a graduate of the University of Washington Business School and has worked in the Electronics Industry for over 20 years. Rob is co-founder and managing partner of two successful small businesses, Stratus Technical Sales, LLC, and Romar Services, LLC, and has served in a variety of leadership positions within non-profit organizations, including Compassion in Action.
He first traveled to Nicaragua with a Compassion in Action team in 2007, and had one other opportunity to go and help with Dario Christian Academy administrative duties.
Rob and his wife Mary live in Sammamish, WA, with their three daughters.
Glen Gordon
Glen Gordon has been a business owner and operator in the residential and commercial construction industry since 1972.
He has enjoyed the privilege of being part of several construction-related short term mission trips, locally and in countries including Kenya, Trinidad, Venezuela, and most recently in Nicaragua, where he worked with construction teams at Dario Christian Academy on two occasions.
Glen married his wife, Becky, in 1980. They are deeply rooted in the community of Fall City, Washington, where they live and work, and raised their two children. They have two grandchildren.
Pastor Abner A. Solano
Abner has been an ordained Pastor since 1976, starting in Nicaragua, and then traveling to be a church planter in the U.S.A. with Grace Brethren Home Mission since 1989 to the present. He graduated from the Bible Institute in Nicaragua with Central American Mission and has a Bachelor degree in Christian Ministries through SETECA Theological Seminary in Guatemala. Also, Abner has an appliance repair business.
He has been traveling to Nicaragua, and leading mission teams to support Compassion in Action, since the beginning of the organization in 1999, and every year since.
Abner and his wife Nelly live in Grandview, WA. They have three grown children, and two granddaughters.
Rodney Krueger
Rod Krueger graduated from Washington State University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science degree, and was concurrently enrolled in the R.O.T.C. program, after which he served as an officer in the United States Air Force for four years. Upon completion of his military service, Rod spent two years working for the Federal Aviation Agency before starting a residential home construction and painting business, which he has been operating for over 30 years.
As a result of participating on a humanitarian and construction mission trip to Nicaragua to help rebuild after the destruction of Hurricane Mitch in 1999, Rod co-founded Compassion in Action and has served as the organization's Executive Director to the present day, traveling to help with the mission work in Nicaragua frequently.
Rod married his wife, Karen, in 1972. They currently reside between Kent and Seabrook,WA. Together they raised four daughters, and have nine grandchildren.
Advisory Committee Members
- Jeffrey Bollman
- Cecil Catterall
- Becky Gordon
- Barry Hankins
- Justin Lane
- Roxanne Martinez
- Wes Paz
- Abner Solano, Jr.
- Dr. Ben Sonnichsen