BRENT & MICHELLE ELLINGSON

After more than 20 years leading short-term mission trips across Latin America, Brent and Michelle Ellingson felt God stirring their hearts toward something deeper. In 2016, they joined Engineering Ministries International (EMI) and moved to Managua, Nicaragua, to help establish EMI’s new Latin America office.

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While Brent poured his experience into building projects that serve communities in need, Michelle followed God’s prompting to serve among families living and working in a Managua garbage dump. Those early years opened their eyes and hearts to the incredible resilience of Nicaraguan people—and to a growing call to do more.

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Through a Nicaraguan church they attended, a local doctor introduced them to El Mango, a remote community accessible only by boat. What they found there changed their lives: hundreds of families experiencing poverty, and many children without access to education beyond Grade 6. Though the journey was long and difficult—a day and a half by road and river—the Ellingson's began visiting monthly in 2017, running a children’s VBS program that grew from 40 to nearly 200 kids.

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As they listened and served, God’s vision became clear. Brent left EMI, and together they founded Amparo International Canada in 2018 and Amparo International Nicaragua in 2020. When the leaders of El Mango asked for help building a school, Amparo received a miraculous gift—seven acres of donated land. Construction began in 2020, and by February 2022, Colegio Amparo opened its doors to over 200 students through Grade 7.

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Today, the Ellingsons continue to serve faithfully, watching the vision God placed in their hearts grow into a thriving school and community hub. Married for over 41 years, with five sons and nine grandchildren, they remain committed to empowering future generations through faith, education, and love.