{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Jimmy Mellado | President & CEO of Compassion International | Becoming Before Doing","description":"Jimmy Mellado leads Compassion International, a global, church-driven ministry serving children in poverty across 29 countries. Born in El Salvador (full name: Santiago \u201cJimmy\u201d Mellado), he grew up across Latin America and Asia, ran decathlon at SMU, and later represented El Salvador in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. His life and leadership are anchored in faith, family, and a deep conviction that true impact starts with who we\u2019re becoming\u2014then flows into what we do. In this episode, Brad sits down with Jimmy at Compassion\u2019s global ministry center in Colorado Springs for a candid conversation about identity, calling, technology, and the local church. Jimmy shares formative stories from his childhood and athletic journey, the moment he sensed a calling to serve the church after the Olympics, and the identity wake-up that led him to embrace his heritage.  He talks about following Wess Stafford as CEO, why Compassion is first a church-equipping child discipleship organization (sponsorship is the funding mechanism, not the identity), and how the ministry is modernizing\u2014moving to the cloud, piloting secure, real-time communication, and using AI to protect children online. Along the way, Jimmy offers grounded wisdom on leadership burdens, character, and doing God\u2019s work without sacrificing God\u2019s work in you. \u201cLet\u2019s not do God\u2019s work in ways that hurt His work in us.\u201d \u2013 Jimmy Mellado \u201cHis yoke is easy and His burden is light\u2014so if it\u2019s heavy, who made it heavy?\u201d \u2013 Jimmy Mellado \u201cSpecial gifts can take a leader places where the absence of character won\u2019t let them stay.\u201d \u2013 Jimmy Mellado This Week on The Wow Factor: Jimmy\u2019s upbringing: born in El Salvador, moving 40+ times as his engineer father built infrastructure across the developing world Early faith formation: parents as his \u201cfirst pastors,\u201d family as his first church while on the move Track to the Olympics: SMU scholarship and competing for El Salvador at the 1988 Seoul Olympics A calling in Seoul: witnessing church revival in South Korea and returning with a mission to serve the church Identity moment: embracing \u201cSantiago\u201d and his Latino heritage after being told \u201cyou don\u2019t count\u201d\u2014and how God used it to realign his calling Friendship with Wess Stafford and the path to leading Compassion What Compassion is: a church-equipping, child-discipleship ministry (sponsorship fuels the work but doesn\u2019t define it) The need right now: millions registered, hundreds of thousands awaiting sponsors\u2014why the gap matters at the child level Modernizing at scale: retiring custom code, moving to cloud platforms, and building for quality, security, and growth Pilots in Peru and Ghana: secure, real-time communication among sponsors, children, and local church leaders Safety by design: using AI to flag inappropriate content and grooming language to protect kids A pastor\u2019s six-hour drive in Togo to make the plea: \u201cLet me thank our sponsors and tell the story of impact.\u201d Leadership and soul care: trading anxiety for gratitude, resisting the urge to carry what only God can carry Being vs. doing: why who you\u2019re becoming is the most important contribution you\u2019ll ever make Jimmy Mellado\u2019s Word of Wisdom: Become first, then do. Stay rooted in Christ, invite trusted voices to speak truth, and steward your assignment without making it heavy. The most enduring impact isn\u2019t what you accomplish\u2014it\u2019s the person you\u2019re becoming as you walk with God. Connect With Compassion Compassion\u2019s Website Compassion\u2019s YouTube Compassion\u2019s Facebook Compassion\u2019s Instagram Compassion\u2019s LinkedIn Jimmy\u2019s LinkedIn Connect with The Wow Factor:   WOW Factor Website   Brad Formsma on LinkedIn    Brad Formsma on Instagram    Brad Formsma on Facebook    X (formerly Twitter)    ","author_name":"The Wow Factor","author_url":"https:\/\/www.thewowfactorpodcast.com","html":"