Christmas Ride

On Christmas day Melissa and I celebrated with family in Hendersonville, TN. The whole family was there but for Ben and Jennifer, who were with Jen’s parents in Kentucky. It was good to see Andrew again, who was home from Princeton Seminary. Melissa’s mom, Scotty, also had Christmas dinner with us.

Melissa had the week off and wanted to stay in Nashville for the week to visit with her family, but I needed to get back to work, so we “hound dogged” the Trumpet (my Triumph Bonneville) in the pick-up and I rode back to Knoxville that night. It was a cold ride, but I arrived safe and sound about 10:30PM. Melissa returns on Saturday.

I hope you all had a great Christmas, and may God bless you all in the coming year.

Welcome Home

On December 26 members of the Patriot Guard Riders and the Christian Motorcyclist Association gathered at McGhee Tyson Airport to welcome home Stephen Siegel, USN, who returned after four years of serving our nation overseas.

Stephen was based in Japan and worked in Air/Sea Rescue off of the USS Juno. His family was on hand to greet their loved one, and it was an honor to stand beside them in the flag line and shake Stephen’s hand.

The PGR and CMA would like to thank Stephen for his service to out country. Welcome home, and God bless you!

CHRISTMAS

On December 15 and 16 members of the Christian Motorcyclist Association and the Sons of Pennyrile Motorcycle Club joined Blount county’s Center of Hope mission to distribute toys and the Word to children and their parents in East Tennessee. On Saturday the toy distribution was at the Center of Hope. I was unable to attend; being at the Wreaths Across America ceremony. However, on Sunday I was able to join Center of Hope in traveling to the Appalachian Mountains to distribute toys and food to children and their families at Wynn Elementary School. As a light snow fell, I and three of my CMA brothers directed traffic in the parking lot while others ministered to the families inside. It was an all day affair.

The US Army provided two trucks designed for carrying heavy equipment to transport the toys, while a semi-truck transported the food.

Having grown up in a small mountain community, it brought back memories of going down to the local Methodist Church to receive our Christmas gifts. What a blessing it was to continue the tradition. Thank you, Center of Hope, for providing this opportunity to serve.

Wreaths Across America

On December 15 members of the Knoxville Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) and the Christian Motorcyclist Association (CMA) joined the nationwide project "Wreaths Across America" to honored our fallen Veterans by placing seven Christmas wreaths at each of Knoxville’s two veteran’s cemeteries; one wreath each for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, and POW/MIAs.

Ceremonies were carried out simultaneously at each cemetery and featured speeches, bagpipes, bugles, and ROTC honor guards. Local news anchor Alan Williams was the keynote speaker at the National Cemetery, while Knox County Mayor Ragsdale spoke at the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery.

It was my honor to attended the ceremony at the National Cemetery as part of the rifle squad that delivered the 21 gun salute. Members from each of the armed services placed their wreath, and former POW Bill Robinson placing the wreath for our POW/MIAs.

Photo provided by Norm Burns.

Personal News

Over the river and through the woods! This year Melissa and I spent Thanksgiving at my mother’s. Both of my brothers were there, Charles and John, as well as my sister Ellen and her children Ben and wife Jennifer, Mina and husband Ronnie, and Hannah and boyfriend Cory. Ellen’s number two son Andrew was at Princeton Seminary and was unable to make the trip. Mama baked a twenty-two pound turkey with all the fixin’s, and a good time was had by all.

I hope your Thanksgiving was an equally blessed time. We have much to be thankful for.

Shipping News - Nov. 26, 2007

Our container (shipped on October 22) arrived safe and sound at our ‘bodega’ in Guatemala on November 17. Thanks for your prayers. We had hoped to send another before the end of the year, but we’ve run out of time. The next ship sails on December 3 and arrives in port two days later, but that wouldn’t leave enough time for customs clearance before the Guatemalan customs office shuts down for the holidays. They re-open on January 7, and since it’s much cheaper to store it here rather than in port we’ve decided to hold off shipping until January. Samaritan’s Purse and MAP International are both preparing containers for us, which will also ship in January. It will be a busy month for our co-workers, Dennis and Doris Rice.

We’re importing a container prepared by a ministry in Georgia for Phil Plunk Phil is a dentist who has been ministering to the poor in Guatemala for many years. That container is in port now and we expect it to clear customs in a week or two. Phil’s a great guy who does a great work. My wife and I had the pleasure of staying at his house in Quetzaltenango a few years ago when we were on a work trip, and he even loaned my his motorcycle so that I would have some transportation while we were there.

Please continue to keep Vine International in your prayers as we serve those who serve the poor on the Name of Jesus.

Shipping News - Oct. 24, 2007

On Monday Oct. 22 we (Vine International) shipped a container of medical supplies and equipment for our distribution center in Guatemala. This is container number 61 for us. Among the 918 items in the container are 4 anesthesia machines, an infant incubator, and a portable x-ray machine. The ship sails on Monday the 29th. Please pray for a safe voyage and swift customs clearance.

THANKS!

Shipping News - by Woody Woodson

First, much thanks for your prayers concerning Vine's shipping issues. To say they've been resolved is not totally correct, but as the Lord often does - He provides another way - & in this case - it's paying import taxes on the aid. Sounds weird - right? Having to pay taxes to donate aid? Actually, it gets stranger. It can be cheaper to pay taxes than to import tax-free. Would a short explanation help? Technically, the container shipping companies give shippers (like Vine) free use of the 40-foot box for about a week & then start charging daily penalties - & earlier in 2006, they began enforcing those penalties. Importing tax-free through the First Lady's Office of Guatemala takes a month & we've been paying $1,000 to $1,500 in penalties per tax-free container. By-passing the First Lady's Office & just paying the import tax on charitable aid is a quick process - with no penalties. We've just shipped in 2 tax-paid containers - one costing $450 & one with a lot of medicines & vitamins costing $1,550 in taxes. Overall - we're figuring the typical container will be under $1,000 in taxes - without all the delays. Between now & the end of the year, we'll be playing catch-up on our aid-levels shipped for 2007 & when the new Guatemalan administration is installed in January after elections, we'll re-visit all the tax-free issues with the new First Lady's Office. Clear as mud? There is nothing easy or simple about this process - but what we do know is that well over 100 projects in Guatemala look to Vine to assist their efforts in serving the poor in Jesus' name. So, please know - your prayers & support are effective & they keep the pipeline flowing. Again, muchas gracias.

Riding the Blue Ridge

The last weekend in July the wife and I decided to get out of town, so we tied the camping gear to the Trumpet and headed for the Virginia side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you’ve never ridden the Blue Ridge, I highly recommend it.

In southern Virginia the Parkway winds through mountains, forests, and farms. As you travel north you begin to see more of the mountain vistas and twisty roads that are common to the North Carolina side. On the Blue Ridge there are no stop signs, little traffic, and no commercial advertising to mare the natural beauty. There are also no signs to tell you where to find gas. This shouldn't be a problem for cars, but if you're on a bike you may want to pre-plan your stops. The employees at the many attractions along the way can direct you to the nearest gas station.

At the north end of the Parkway is Skyline Drive, which winds through the Shenandoah National Park. There is a $10 entrance fee for bikes ($15 for cars), but the worst part about the Skyline is the 35 mph speed limit. The views are great. Melissa enjoys the view at one of the many overlooks (picture at right). Deer are plentiful and somewhat tame, which probably accounts for the painfully slow speed limit. This deer (pictured left) was just a few yards from our campsite. One good thing about the Skyline is that gas is available at reasonable prices. Each gas station also has a restaurant, campground, gift shop, and camp store. Camping is $15 or $20, depending on which campground you choose. There is a lodge and some cabins, but they are a bit pricey. We stayed in the tent.

Some of Virginia’s attractions are the Natural Bridge near Glasgow (pictured at left), the D-Day memorial near Bedford (pictured below right), and the Luray Caverns in Luray, VA. Mount Airy, NC (the boyhood home of Andy Griffith) is a good place to stop for the night. There are plenty of restaurants and motels, and the ride down 691 from Orchard Gap will bring a smile to the face of even the most jaded Dragon rider. (FYI - The infamous "Dragon" is 11 miles with 318 curves on Hwy. 129 leading up to Deal's Gap, NC.)

If you plan to ride (or drive) the whole Blue Ridge and Skyline, plus see a few sites along the way, give yourself about five or six days.

Vine Is Shipping Again

For the first time since 1993 the Guatemalan government’s social aid department (SOSEP) has refused to allow us to import medical aid and equipment duty free, forcing us to pay taxes on material that we give away free to missionaries and ministries throughout that country.

Last week we imported our first “commercial” shipment; a container of wheelchairs and handicap aids. The customs charges were very reasonable. Yesterday we shipped another container. This one includes more highly valued items like medicines and children’s vitamins, which are subject to inspection by their department of health. The ship sails on Monday (Aug. 13) and will be in port on Wednesday. Customs clearance should take about two weeks.

Please pray that all goes well with this container. I'm hoping that SOSEP’s refusal to work with us will be a blessing in disguise, allowing us to ship whenever we want without waiting for their approval, speeding up the clearance process once in port, and also allowing us to again ship Bibles and tracts, something they began denying us about four years ago.

Thank you all for your prayers. I'll keep you posted.

Bodega Bruce