Thursday, August 30, 2007

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.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

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.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

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