In 1987, Woody Woodson & his family adopted their 3-month old son from a children’s home in Guatemala.  Two years later they moved there to work in that home – or so they thought.  It turned out this was only the catalyst God had used.  During that stay, Woody was introduced to medical missionaries & discovered two things –

(1)               This was a platform for the gospel.  By meeting physical needs, these dedicated providers earned the right to be heard concerning deeper issues – the spiritual need for a true relationship with the Creator.

(2)               A common problem existed – the lack of resources.  God had His children there to serve, but they had access to few medical resources.  They knew the resources were in the US, but getting them into their hands was the problem.

In response, in 1993, with friends & volunteers, Vine was founded as a non-profit relief organization.  No 5-year plan, just a desire to be fruitful branches abiding in the Vine – Jesus Christ (John 15).  The first trip through Mexico to Guatemala was a van-load of medical supplies & equipment donated by Samaritan’s Purse.  Then it grew yearly to a school bus, & then a bus convoy – topped with racks full of wheelchairs from Joni & Friends.

As the amount of aid increased, distributing from the buses became difficult & then Vine learned something else.  Latin America has few large medical end-users that could use large loads, but many small ones – clinics, medical & healthcare workers, medical missionaries, church out-reaches, orphanages, & feeding programs.  Vine needed to build a distribution infrastructure to serve them.

As a result, a simple distribution system was developed with a collection facility in the US – supplying a distribution facility in Guatemala – by way of 40-foot ocean containers.  A simple concept, yes…but the logistics are enormous.  The simplicity, however, means the concept can be re-produced in other countries, but it became obvious, God wanted us to first learn to serve one country well.

So, we go to bless – but we receive the greater blessing.  Vine’s friends, co-workers, & team members are never the same.  Every-day people – placed in God’s hands – discovering why a branch is so dependant on the Vine.