Introduction

New Leaders...

It is our pleasure to introduce Dennis and Cindi McCutcheon. Dennis has written a piece for The End of the Pipeline and it is posted below. As stated in our last blog, they will be arriving in Guatemala the first of June. So, without further ado, here are Dennis and Cindi.....

Dear friends and family,

The McCutcheon’s, Cindy and I (Dennis) are moving to Guatemala and taking over the ministry of Vine International in that beautiful country. Dennis and Doris Rice have been at the helm for about 5 years now. They are retiring, tho’ I suspect they may slip back once in awhile.

Dennis and Doris are leaving large shoes to fill (also the furniture and vehicle, etc). They have improved the importation and flow of material aid to Christian medical ministries and orphanages. As I understand it Vine International was supporting about 30 such ministries when they came on board and through their project development Vine now helps to some degree over 100 orphanages, clinics and hospitals that share the Gospel of Christ as part of their work. The Rice’s are making it easy to step into their world. I actually turned Dennis down in May 2008 believing that MedEquip Missions, the ministry I have led for 13 years now, would have shop and warehouse space in the United States by the end of that year. But circumstances changed dramatically. It was Cindy that pointed out that the warehouse and shop already existed in the Vine Bodega in Guatemala and that we were the ones that should take over for Dennis and Doris. It was one of those slap yourself on the head “I could have had a V-8” moments.

God is good and patient with His children. It has been a tornado of activity since making this decision at Christmas time 2008. We cleaned house and put it up for sale as the bottom dropped out of the housing market. Our realtor kept shaking his head as the house showed 6 to 10 times per week. We have a contract for 96% of our asking price. The buyers don’t need to move in right away and have offered to rent the house to us after closing for a very reasonable price. Our realtor finally said SOMEONE is looking out for you. He’s right. Only God can orchestrate all that has happened.

We have our tickets for June 1. Peggy our youngest (18 y/o) will go for 6 weeks and Casey (older daughter) will come down the last week of that time and they will fly back together. We will be especially blessed in that the Rice’s will stay for about a month to help in the transition. Casey will get another opportunity to practice her craftsmanship as a biomedical technician and repair equipment. Woody Woodson and Dennis Rice are directly responsible for MedEquip Missions adding the repair of equipment in country using volunteer biomeds. We have learned a lot working together and this transition, I believe will be a blessing for all of us.

Pray for us. Cindy quits work April 29^th, we meet the buyers and attorneys April 3oth and finalize sale of our home of the last 17 years. We are speaking at churches for deputation. We are faith supported by donations from churches, family, friends and one business Metropolitan Medical in Asheville, NC. This Christian family owned and managed business sells anesthesia machines and service. They are a tremendous blessing financially, service and spare parts source. We are trying to set a budget, working on insurance needs, Peggy going to college, and travel. We will also be responsible for funding the equipment repair project we will add now to Vine International Guatemala’s services for medical missionaries in ‘the Land of Eternal Spring.’ Pray for our ability to learn the language. It’s my desire to learn Spanish and be able to preach in the next three to five years without a translator… pray, pray, pray.

We step into some pretty large shoes and know there will be difficult days. But it is our desire to be obedient to God’s call upon our lives. The verse we used for MedEquip Missions is “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life”. (John 3:14-15) Our lives have meaning and purpose because we lift up Jesus to the world around us. We would not and could not do this except that God gave us through Christ eternal life. We leave 4 adult children and a 2 ½ year old granddaughter behind in His care. We go rejoicing for the opportunity to serve Him.

As Dennis and Doris say, “That’s the end of the pipeline for now.”

Update

Excuse...

It has been quite some time since I've updated the blog, and I guess the guilt finally overcome the laziness! So, here goes!

Containers...

We are starting this year off with a BANG! By the end of this week, we will have shipped and received six containers. I think this is a first for Vine. Normally, this is what we would have received by August.

Only two of these containers have come to the warehouse. The other four, all containing wheelchairs from Joni and Friends, were sent on to Chris Mooney at Bethel Ministries in Chimaltenango.

The two containers that reached our warehouse were from our collection center in Knoxville and the other from MAP International in Brunswick, Georgia. We had some customs problems with the medicine that was on our container from our collection center.

A new law went into effect on 10 February of this year that forbids the import and sale of pseudoephedrine. Our container, containing 24 bottles of Equate Childrens cold and cough, landed in port on 12 February. This medicine, of course, contained a small amount of pseudoephedrine.

The Ministry of Health disapproved our importation of the medicine and this began the process of determing how to handle this problem. This was the first container to come into port with this medication since the new law went into effect. Needless to say, there was not a simple path to a simple solution, but in the end, the medicine was removed from the container and incinerated. We then received the rest of the goods in the container.

I've got to tell all of you, that without the help of our amazing ladies at Agencia Aduanal Tejeda Harris ( our customs agent) the process of getting this container could have been a disaster. So, To Andrea and Lucia Tejeda and their staff, a heartfelt THANK YOU!!!

The next container that we received, was a medicine container from MAP International. This one arrived in the warehouse without a hitch. All is well and the medicine is curently being distributed.

Visitors...

We've hosted three different couples since the 1st of February. The first was Dennis and Cindi McCutcheon, who will be taking the reins of Ascociacion Vine International Guatemala in July of this year.

Dennis brought a bio med tech with him and we did a trip to San Benito, Peten to work on the equipment in Hospital Shalom. When they completed the work there, we returned to the warehouse and the workshop and Dennis and the tech spent the rest of their time repairing the equipment there.

In the meantime, Cindi and Doris spent their time indoctrinating Cindi on full-time living in Guatemala. That means that they shopped a lot! Just kidding! Cindi wanted to spend time learning where to buy groceries, clothing, office supplies, etc. So, she and Doris were all over this town, learning!

The second couple to come, was Ed and Joan Leichner. They spent a week with us helping to put the warehouse in order. Ed and Joan, thank you for your help and encouragement. You are a blessing!

We also spent some time doing a bit of traveling while they were here. We drove over to the Rio Dulce to visit with Mike and Karen Rhea at Rancho Esperanza. We had a wonderful visit, getting to know the seven new children that Mike and Karen are are caring for.

The next couple to visit was our son Mike and his wife Mercedes. They were here for a week. We were a little tied down because of the container with the sudafed, but we still managed to do a few things.

Mike came down with a bad sinus infection, so for a couple of days he and I played a lot on the wii. He became very good a bowling and Tiger Woods golf. Meanwhile, Doris and Mercedes got in a lot of girl time together and went shopping in Antigua.

All in all we had a great time with them. It's such a pleasure to have them in our home.

Movin' on...

As you know, Doris and I are leaving the foreign mission field at the end of June. We will be going back to the states on July 1. Both of us agree that this has been one of the most fulfilling times of our lives! Serving God has been an adventure that has been beyond our wildest dreams!

Our time here in Guatemala has been very special to us. It's been full of life, love, sorrow, laughter, heartbreak, beautiful smiles, buckets of tears, and boundless joy! We thank God for trusting us and giving us the opportunity to minister to his people here in Guatemala!

We want to thank each and every one of you for your faithful prayers and support. As we continue on with our next ministry, we ask that you continue to remember us in your prayers. God bless all of you!

JESUS! THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

First, I want to wish everyone a Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year! Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season! This is the time of the year that we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus the Christ, not the birth of Happy Holiday, whoever that is!

Since my last update, a lot of things have happened. Doris has returned, we've received four containers, Woody was here and we helped with a wheelchair distribution.

Doris came home on the 15th of November, my birthday! What a great birthday present! As most of you know, she was in Kansas taking care of her mother and she has been doing this for about two years now. This, of course, is the last time that she will have to do this, as we are returning to the states in July to take over her full time care.

Our first container came from our warehouse in Knoxville with a lot of really good stuff for general distribution. This was the first of the four containers to arrive. The next container to arrive was from Wheels for the World (Joni and Friends) for the wheelchair distribution that was held from 11 December thru 15 Dec. More about this later.

The next container was right on the heels of the Wheels for the World container and it was from MAP International out of Brunswick, Georgia. This one was full of medicines and supplies that are badly needed here in Guatemala.

The next one was from CrossLink out of Memphis. This container arrived just before the wheelchair distribution. It was full of supplies and equipment. There were over 2000 boxes on this thing. Just a lot of little boxes in big boxes, but a lot of useful supplies in them. We thank the volunteers at Crosslink for their hard work!

Woody arrived on the 10th of December to help with the with the wheelchair distribution. We found time to talk about a lot of things and a lot of nothings. It's always good to have him around. I'm not sure he'll agree with me on that. This time he caught the laringitis that I had and when he left on the 16th, he was croakin'! We sounded like a pair of bullfrogs on the crik bank on a summers night!

December 11th began a 5 day distribution of wheelchairs here in Guatemala with Wheels for the World. What made this distribution different from the others that we've worked on is that the shipping of the chairs was paid for by the inmates at the maximum security prison in Angola, LA. Not only did they repair the chairs in the Joni and Friends shop on the premises, but the prisoners raised the money to ship them to Guatemala!

John Wern from Joni and Friends, was the organizer of this distribution. It was a monumental job coordinating the efforts of nine different ministries and organizations and three different work teams. But I'm sure John would agree that it was well worth the effort. 111 persons received chairs and many patients and their family members received Christ. Praise the lord! We want to thank John and Joni and Friends for their great work in providing these chairs to the disabled in Guatemala!

That, my friends, is the end of the pipeline....

Luke 2:6-11 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

New Container Shipped

Some more this and that...

Today, Bruce and Woody are loading another container for Vine International Guatemala. Bruce said in his last post that the container will ship late from Mississippi due to Hurricane Ike. We don't know how long the delay will be, but we suspect one to two days.

This container is mostly for general distribution although there are a few items designated for five ministries here in Guatemala. Bruce sent me an advanced copy of the packing list and it looks like there are a lot of great supplies on this container.

More good news! MAP International has approved us for another container of medicine. It looks like it might be on its way before the end of this month. There will be a good assortment of medicines and supplies on this container.

Wheels for the World will shipping their container to us in a couple of weeks. This container is for the Joni and Friends team that is coming in December. The chairs on this container were repaired by the inmates at Angola, Louisiana. The inmates also raised the money to ship this container so that they could help support the disabled here in Guatemala.

I'm back to batching it again for a couple of weeks. Doris is back in Kansas taking care of her mother. Her mother is doing great. She just needs a little help with some things. I expect Doris back about the middle of November.

We are still in the process of getting our importation number. My legal representative document is the hold up. So please pray that this document is registered and approved quickly.

That is the end of the pipeline...

P.S. Hey Bodega, have a great trip!

The Boss Was Here

Woody in town...

Woody Woodson, the president of Vine International, joined us on September 3 to attend a meeting with Joni and Friends (JAF) and to attend to some other business here in Guatemala. John Wern of JAF was here to set up a wheelchair distribution that will be held in December of this year. Vine International will supply the logistics support for this arrangement.

This is a special distribution that is being supported by the prisoners in the Angola prison in Louisiana. The prisoners repair the wheelchairs in Angola for JAF and with the guidance of their Warden, Burl Cain, are supplying the funds to ship the chairs to Guatemala for this particular disbursement.

Board meeting...

We also conducted our annual board meeting in Quetzaltenango. Our other members John Diehl and Noel Rodriguez met with us at Cardanali's and we enjoyed a nice lunch before the meeting. Some of the topics discussed were our lease, number of containers that have been shipped, number of projects that we support, number of new projects that have come on board since our move from Quetzaltenango and our latest problem with SAT. We also discussed the pros and cons of having our own importation number with SAT (Customs).

Accounting firm search...


Woody and I also interviewed several accounting firms to help us with our books and to assist us in getting our Importation number with SAT. With this number we can apply for an exemption of taxes on the goods that we ship into the country. Currently, we are using the importation number of Hospital Shalom in the Peten. We selected the accounting firm Fortuna.

More goods, please...

Our next container is due to ship the first of next month. We need it!! The level of goods on our shelves is very low.

That is the end of the pipeline...

Dos Mundos Monterrico

Warehouse...

We've had several organizations come into the warehouse since our last posting, to take advantage of the new items that came in on our last container. Also, several of the groups that had designated shipments have been in to pickup their shipments. There remains two designated shipments that need to be retrieved. Hopefully, they will go by this next week.

Monterrico...

We had a great three days in Monterrico, Guatemala. Monterrico is a sleepy little fishing village that lies on the Pacific coast of Guatemala about halfway between Puerto Quetzal and El Salvador. It has the typical black beaches found on the south coast. The water is warm and very pleasant to be in when the sea is calm. At the rising tide, they become a bit rough.

We stayed at the Hotel Dos Mundos Pacific Resort. It is located about 1 kilometer east of Monterrico right on the beach, The hotel has 14 bungalows that are typically Guatemalan. They have King or Queen size beds and each is airconditioned. They have the rustic thatched roofs with beautiful open log beams. Each has a private veranda on the front with a couple of chairs and a hammock.

The garden is large and well maintained. There are several volcanic rock gardens that are filled with the local flora. Lots of coconut trees, colorful shrubs and flowers are planted throughout the property. There is a small pool located in the center of the garden just for children.

The main pool and restraunt are located at the edge of the beach. Both have open views of the Pacific Ocean. Along side the pool is the bar and lounge. I was surprised at how refreshing the water in the pool is. Normally, most pools in the lowlands feel like you are getting into a warm bathtub. This pool is well shaded and there seems to be a nice breeze across it that keeps the water at a very refreshing tempurature.

The restraunt maintains the rustic Guatemalan theme with an open air dining area and a nice veranda. The food is not typical but Italian. Lots of pasta and sea food dishes with shrimp being a main item on the menu. I highly recommend the shrimp ceviche. All of the food that we tried was very good. A typical breakfast was included as part of our room.

I think we were most pleased by the fact that there is no TV, radio or internet. So, we took several books with us, though we didn't get much reading done. It seemed that we napped, swam, napped, ate, napped then it was time to go to bed!

So, if you are looking for a nice place to relax while you are in Guatemala, we recommend Hotel Dos Mundos Pacific Resort in Monterrico.

Ma 6:31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (RSV)

That is the end of the pipeline...

UPDATE

Container Arrival...
We received another container on the 13th of this month. The container arrived in Puerto Barrios on the 17th of July. So, it has taken us just about a month to get this one out. There were some problems in Customs, but we were able to solve the problem with some help from our excellent boss, Mr. Woody Woodson, and the services of our tramitador, Andrea Tejeda.

All that aside, we have the contents of the container in the warehouse and ready for distribution. Much of the contents are designated. That means they have been sent to a specific organization here in Guatemala. Some of the ministries that we are helping with this container are Hospital Shalom Peten, Faith and Practice, Familias en Esperanza, Strong Tower Ministries and Hospital Cristiano del Llano. We also received our Vine Vites for our vitamin program.

We are waiting for another container that will ship in September. Bruce White, our Collections manager, is preparing that container at this moment. I believe this container will be mostly items that are for general distribution.

Anniveraries...
This month Doris and I will celebrate our 48th Anniversary and the begining of our 13th year in Guatemala. My, how time flies! We were looking at some old pictures the other day and found one of our wedding ceremony. I can't believe how young we looked! Just babies!!! But, in spite of our age at the time, with God's help, and a strong love, respect and admiration of one another, we are still married and still in love.

We are going to celebrate our anniversary by taking a few days vacation in Monterrico, Guatemala. Monterrico is a small, somewhat secluded fishing village on the south coast. If you Google Earth it, you'll find it next to El Pumpo, Guatemala.

Future Postings...
In the future, I'm going to try to keep this blog updated at least every two weeks. I'll
post the updates on Mondays. So, if you would, bookmark this page in your favorites and check back with us every two weeks.

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, (RSV)

That is it from the end of the pipeline.....