Vine International is a service to servants here in Guatemala. It will take a couple of years to share with you each person or mission with which we share. But I want to start with Sergio and Veronica Castillo. This couple are Guatemalans who choose to serve in San Antonio/Chocolo on the Pacific side of this country. It is an area of sugar cane, rubber tree and low land coffee plantations. The men work hard and the women work harder. According to Sergio it is "The Land of Hernias". This couple has given all to serve this poor region. Sergio leads a men's Bible study each week. His stories will keep you laughing for weeks to come. One evenings study was about one of the stories of Jesus and the disciples on the Lake of Galilee. One of the men interupted and asked if Sergio had any other stories as "we hate fishermen here."
Still this humble couple by example day by day get to share Jesus into hurting families. God gives amazing opportunities to save lives because this couple stepped out in faith to do what God has designed for them to do. Dennis and Doris Rice started sending resources their direction 3 or 4 years ago and took the MedEquip Mission teams there to fix equipment. Now other teams are stepping up. A Baptist church in western NC is evaluating this site for possible future support and the word is getting out. A team is coming next week and 50 surgeries are on the book. I am amazed with the equipment in the two surgical rooms that they will be able to handle this schedule (even then people had to be turned away and that is difficult for us who want to serve all that God sends us.)
Literally our first project after delivering Dennis and Doris to the air port Tuesday last week was to meet Sergio and Veronica in the Vine Bodega (warehouse) and give them two pallets of materials to help with the above project. He has called tonight and both of his electrosurgical units have failed. Casey (my daughter the biomed tech) and I may go out there on Thursday or Friday to see if we can help... please pray as it sounds like they are "fried".
Cindy and I have signed up for language school beginning 20 July. We will go 4 hours in the mornings Monday - Thursday. We will try to keep Vine work to the afternoons, Friday and Saturday - yes it is a five and half to six day work week here.
Paying bills here is a trip! Most are paid at a bank. We paid rent at one bank, the fees for property upkeep at another bank and spent over an hour standing in line for the opportunity.
The "girls" Casey and Peggy are a hoot. They work hard and are good organizers, and they act like the sisters they are. Cindy and I are NOT looking forward to delivering them to the airport on Saturday.
Ron and Susan Naish are coming to stay a couple of nights while staging for a week at Sergio's Hospital Santa Fe around the 19th of July. They have a ministry called International Christian Hospice. It is a unique ministry that is glorifying Jesus Christ by teaching pastors, medical personnel and families how to counsel and help their patients and loved ones at the time of their death. Souls are being saved folks. It will be a joy to see them. Please pray for them as their route here takes them through Honduras. Check them out at http://ichospice.blogspot.com
