Our Impact team

Mark Smith

Mark’s passion for water projects took root in the early 1980s, when he was provided the opportunity to build a sustainable water system in a remote Waorani village in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador.

Accompanying him on this trip were nine men from the non-denominational church that Mark had founded and pastored in San Antonio, Texas. Struck by the dramatic change that the project produced in the life of the village, and in the lives of the volunteers, Mark sought out other opportunities to serve. He would lead more than a dozen water projects in the years that followed, traveling as far as Africa, where he helped build a well for an orphanage. Burdened by the need for clean water in remote villages, and passionate to help men grow in their faith, Mark transitioned from his pastoral position and began leading water projects full-time in 2008. Since then, Mark has directed over 43 water projects to the forgotten villages of Honduras.

mark@impactwater.org
Facebook: /markimpact
210.885.7157

Jose Yanez

Jose came on his 1st water project in 2013. He was a young man that the Lord was opening his heart through his first water project in El Horno, Honduras. Mark began meeting with him in personal discipleship and he saw the Lord work powerfully in Jose’s life. He went on 9 more water projects and since his first language was Spanish and he would spend summers as a child in remote areas of Mexico with his family, he is a perfect fit. He was given more and more responsibilities on each project and his ability to “connect” with the men in the village became a huge catalyst in their journey to connect with Jesus. In 2019 he left being the executive chef at Endeavor and went full-time with Impact. He is being used mightily to plant the Gospel in these forgotten villages.

Jose@impactwater.org
210.995.2998

Gustavo Lepe

Native to the region that IMPACT serves, Gustavo is a leader in developing gravity-based water systems, and a valuable community liaison. Gustavo holds a degree in Business from John Brown University in Arkansas and a MBA from Universidad Francisco Marroqui MBA School in Guatemala City but returned to his native Honduras to love and serve the marginalized people of these remote villages.

Gustavo has been engineering water projects with over 20 years of experience. He leads site selection, construction of the water tanks, and maps out the piping trenches that will bring clean, fresh water to the villagers’ homes. Gustavo and our Honduran Water Project Team also work with village volunteers to assemble the local teams that will work alongside IMPACT’s U.S. volunteers, ensuring timely completion of the projects. Gustavo’s tireless dedication, technical expertise, and gracious spirit play a critical role in the success of IMPACT’s work in Honduras.

Honduran@gmail.com
Facebook: /markimpact
504.9614-0406

Mari Espinal

Marisabel is a beloved community liaison and IMPACT’s Children’s Outreach Coordinator.Mari conducts Vacation Bible School in every village that IMPACT serves, providing spiritual training to children who have had little or no exposure to the Bible. Life is hard in these villages, and children as young as four-years old spend much of their time gathering water, working in the fields, and babysitting. For these children, Vacation Bible School is a celebration akin to Christmas or a birthday party. IMPACT’s U.S. volunteers also pitch in, connecting with the village’s children on a heart level, and providing village men with a better model of fatherhood. Mari’s role in this work cannot be overstated.

maesme28@yahoo.com
+504 9933 8551