The Genesis of LSI (Previously AAVI – Asociación Aguas Vivientes, Inc. or Living Waters Association, Inc.) was the personal ministry work originally done by founders Martin Newby and Brent Whitehead. They came to the Dominican Republic in 1982 and became involved with the country and with this new ministry that God birthed by providing pure water. They believed that clean water and health education would help the overall health and wellness of the people. As believers in Christ they connected with the local church because of their desire to not only provide drinking water but also to provide the “living water” (John 4:10) that only Jesus Christ can provide so the Dominicans may “never need to drink again”.

After many years and many water projects, Abel Ramirez (Executive Director) along with the Board of directors agreed that although the Dominican people were receiving clean water, there was NOT the spiritual fruit that they had been striving for.

As a result of that desire to provide people in the Dominican Republic with “living water” LSI no longer directly provides water wells or health education. In 2005, Abel Ramirez (Executive Director in the Dominican Republic) proposed a paradigm shift in vision and mission of LSI (then, AAVI). Instead LSI works directly with the pastors and their churches to meet the needs of their communities.

The churches themselves do these works, through the program that LSI has developed. In fact it isn’t even the church as an institution that provides LSI’s services to the people but rather it is the people themselves in the churches that learn to minister to one another’s needs within the community through the works of LSI. (Eph 4:12 equip the saints to do the work of the ministry)