Following the 1976 earthquake that struck Guatemala City and killed approximately 20,000 people, David Beam, a young missionary from Michigan, went to help. Upon returning to the U.S. to seek funds, he met Dr. Carl Heinlein of Indiana who began to help financially. In 1977 Dr. Heinlein brought his wife, Joyce, and their ten children (and they later adopted a child in Guatemala) to Guatemala to establish a children's home to care for babies suffering from malnutrition. Property was rented in Guatemala City at Kilometer 18 on the Pan American Highway, with the plan being to have children live in family groups with an American couple in charge of each one. He continued his medical practice in the U.S. and flew down on weekends for the first year. After seeing the need to be there full-time, Dr. Heinlein closed his practice and moved to Guatemala. The home was incorporated under Guatemalan law in 1980. In order to raise funds he returned to the States, driving from church to church in an old truck, telling of the need and collecting clothing and other items for the home.

At Christmas of 1984 John and Jeanie Kilpatrick of Miami went with their young son to Guatemala to see the child they sponsored and to help at the home. After returning home, they struggled with the decision of whether or not to go back to Agua Viva. Once they felt sure of God's direction, they quickly settled their affairs and raised support in order to answer the call. Within a short period of time, they learned that the Heinleins had left Guatemala, the ministry was turned over to World Opportunities International, and the Kilpatricks were named the new directors of the home. God had indeed called. There were 50 malnourished babies and 60 other children, few supplies and no towels, soap or toilet paper. The Kilpatricks set to work, caring for the children and handling such emergencies as a collapsed water well and power outages, while learning Spanish at the same time.

In 1992 the Guatemala Children's Mission, Inc. was created to be the sponsoring mission agency of Agua Viva, with John Kilpatrick as the first President. This non-profit Florida corporation is directed by a U.S. board of directors, and gifts are tax deductible in the U.S. As a non-denominational Christian mission, GCM has helped provide for the physical, spiritual and educational needs of hundreds of impoverished children through the years. Its goal is to rear and educate them in a loving Christian environment to be successful Christian adults with the desire and ability to help their own people.

A Christian school was established to serve the children of the home. In 1987 it was opened to the poor children of the surrounding neighborhoods and grew to 320 children in grades K-6. The older children were enrolled in a private Christian school off campus.

The home was on rented property on the Pan American Highway on the edge of Guatemala City. As the city grew, the property became more valuable and the owner wanted to sell it for commercial purposes. Since the land had become too expensive, a search began for property on which to build a new home. After considering 18 parcels of land, a beautiful piece of property was chosen about 36 miles west of the original site in June, 1997. It is on a plateau and provides plenty of fresh air, sunshine and beautiful views. The funds to pay for the land were raised in less than a year, and then a "Home of Our Own" campaign was begun to raise money to construct the new buildings. God provided in an amazing way through many individuals and churches. Near the end of construction, with funds tight and the lease about to expire, Pro Missions of Memphis, Tennessee, provided a loan, which was paid off within a year.

The children moved into their new home in November, 1999, with great excitement at having clean, roomy buildings that were a vast improvement over the old facility in Guatemala City. There is provision made to participate in a variety of sports and food is being grown on the property, giving an opportunity for the children to learn about agricultural methods. The purpose of the home has moved away from caring for malnourished babies to caring for children from broken homes. Although there are some orphans at the home, many of the children are brought by a single mother who is unable to feed and clothe her children. Some are from abusive situations and are sent there by the courts.

After 15 years of pouring out their lives for the children of Agua Viva, John and Jeanie Kilpatrick retired as directors in December, 2000. John and Debbie Salisbury, who served for three years at the home, guided the transition. Kirk and Michelle Lightfield, with their two daughters, Ashley and Amanda, were commissioned to serve as full time missionaries in February 2003. They had served at Agua Viva for three months in the summer of 2002.

An on-site school was established for the elementary children in January, 2001, using space in the original buildings, while the older children continued to attend a private Christian school in the area. In June 2004, GCM had reached a level of funding for a new school building that enabled us to begin construction. The two level school building is being constructed on land that was reserved for the construction of a school in the original development plan.

Hundreds of adults and teenagers have come to Agua Viva over the years to do short-term mission work. They have brought urgently needed supplies, such as soap, shampoo, vitamins, school supplies, sleeping bags, shoes and clothing to help the home financially. They have also helped in many ways: doing construction, making repairs, painting, sewing, conducting Bible school, leading street evangelism, providing devotionals, music and skits in the evenings, and most important of all-loving and encouraging the children. It has been a blessing to both the visitors and the children. Many have felt that coming to serve has had a great impact on their life.