New Look

Our Vine International website has a new look. Check it out at www.vineinternational.org

Shipping News

The trucking company moved the pick-up date back to June 5, making it easier for me to finish this load on time. At 10AM this morning a forty-foot ocean container pulled away from our dock loaded with medical supplies and equipment for missionaries serving the poor in Guatemala.  This is container # 81 for our ministry (Vine International). It was a hard push there at the end to get this load ready to go. I'm looking forward to my first day off in nineteen days.  My thanks to everyone who prayed for the completion of this task.

Shipping Update

The shipping date for our container of medical supplies & equipment has been moved up to Thursday, June 4, to accomodate our carrier.  I'm sure glad that Guy and Roy helped me last week, as now I have one less day to finish this load.

Work

Guy and Roy (two of my CMA brothers) volunteered to work in the "bodega" today.  With their help it looks like I am a full day closer to making our target shipping date of June 5.  

THANKS brothers!

Work

The work is going well, and we're looking good for our June 5 shipping deadline; as long as I don't slack off. I'm still expecting some stuff from a ministry in Virginia for this load. Please pray that it arrives soon, because the ship can't wait.

I'm working seven days a week (because of my previous slothfulness) so please also pray for my stamina.

Bruce White
Vine International, P.O. Box 52086, Knoxville TN 37950
www.vineinternational.org

Please pray for my work. I've got a lot to do and little time to do it. 

Our next container of medical aid for Guatemala ships on June 5.

Vancouver B.C.

Finishing our work in Washington early (see WA Trip post) allowed us to do some sight seeing in Vancouver.  Here are some highlights.

We rode the mile high cable car from Vancouver to the top of Grouse Mtn.

They get a little more snow than we do.

The view looking back towards Vancouver.

Vancouver sunset.

WA Trip

We had a great trip to Lynden, Washington.  We picked up a load of medical supplies and equipment for a mission clinic in Guatemala from a ministry near Seattle and took it to Lynden WA to get it ready to ship.  There were seven pallets in all.  It will be loaded and shipped with along with wheelchairs for another Guatemalan ministry.

Mike, Bill, Kenny and myself finished our work earlier than expected with the help of John and Ralph, who are shipping the wheelchairs.  Finishing early allowed us to visit Vancouver, B.C. (See Vancouver post)

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

(L-R) Kenny, Mike, Bill, & John asking "how are we going to do this?"

Our moving van & mobile office.

Mike & Bill working in the "mobile office."

Finished Load.  Seven Pallets.

Wheelchairs to be added.

Mission Trip

Very early in the morning (Sunday) I and a few others will be leaving for Washington (state) to prep a container of medical supplies and equipment for missionaries in Guatemala. 

Please pray for our work (that it will be completed swiftly) and for our fellowship with one another. We'll be gone about a week. I may not be able to check back in before we return home to Tennessee.

News from Guatemala

Dear friends and family,

The McCutcheon’s, Cindy and I (Dennis) are moving toGuatemala 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.

Container Cleared

The container that we shipped to Guatemala last month was held up in customs because of some OTC meds that were recently banned from import. Who knew that we couldn't ship Equate Children's Cough and Cold??? Those meds have been found and removed, and our container is being cleared for delivery.

Shipping news

We're planning to send out our next shipment to Guatemala during the first week in February. We'll be shipping solar panels for a missionary couple who live WAY back in the hills, 100,000 tablets of Albendazole (for treating parasitic worms), one very nice ultrasound machine, some kitchen items (pots, pans, &etc.) for an orphanage, as many exam tables as we can cram on board, and lots of other supplies and equipment. All in all this container should be worth well over 2.5 million dollars. Not bad for a low very budget ministry like Vine International.

It's cold here, and the warehouse is unheated. It was 6 degrees (F) when I rode my motorcycle into work this morning (yes, I'm crazy). I'm not complaining. I thank God for my little motorcycle, and it's a blessing for me to be able to serve my Lord by serving the poor. I thank all of you also, from the bottom of my heart, who give to make this work possible. Together we bless the poor in the Name of Jesus, and there can be no greater calling than to serve others in His Name.