Approach
Over 25 years ago two brothers who grew up on the mission field became increasingly dissatisfied with how short-term missions were structured. All too often, a seemingly impenetrable wall of differences separated North American missionaries from the materially poor communities they came to serve.
The brothers, Larry and Jonathan Smoak, responded to this challenge by developing a model which fosters relationships between North American teams and their Honduran partners, being careful not to provide "help that hurts".
Since 2003, Agua Viva has followed this model and facilitated the construction of 20+ gravity-fed water systems. These projects have provided rural communities with clean, accessible drinking water as well as latrines while pointing to the hope found in Jesus Christ, the “Living Water”.
