Some days, Bruce White rolls into the warehouse in his truck or on his motorcycle, and on other days, he gets everyone’s attention in his KPD Chaplaincy Dodge Charger. Bruce may have a lot of interests, but there’s no doubt he’s most passionate about the ministry he works for, Vine International.
Working for Vine International for nearly 30 years, he ironically never saw himself in a ministry career. But that’s often how the Lord works. At R&S, we love stories like Bruce and are grateful to provide warehousing for his organization. Here’s a bit more about Vine International, Bruce’s background with them, and what brought him to R&S.
Since 1993, Vine International has provided close to $150 million in medical supplies for vulnerable communities. They work with ministry partners in Guatemala to make sure the most vulnerable communities receive the medical equipment and necessary medication that can easily be taken for granted in other countries. To fulfill such important work, Vine relies on regular giving partners to ship supplies to their distribution center in Guatemala.
The distribution center is where Bruce comes in. As U.S. Collections Center Manager, Bruce ships and receives critical medical supplies down to Vine’s partners in Guatemala. About 3-4 times a year, he sends out a 40 foot container filled with these materials. Through the years, Vine International has shipped over 300 containers to meet the needs of the Guatemalan people.
In his time with Vine, Bruce has had the privilege of travelling to Guatemala on more trips than he can count. While there, he serves in remote medical clinics and stays ready to do whatever is needed. One of Bruce’s favorite memories from the medical clinic came during his first trip with the organization. A doctor noticed an electrosurgical unit and wanted to use it. After showing Bruce how to work it, he used it in the surgery room all day where Bruce was close by, helping the doctor with everything from surgery prep to a hip replacement.
Bruce has many fond memories over the years, especially ones where God’s involvement is clear. He recalled a time when DeRoyal was converting one of their warehouses in Virginia to manufacturing and were getting rid of tons of medical supplies. They reached out to see if Vine could use them, and Vine called on Bruce to ship the containers directly from there.
While working, Bruce found cases and cases of burn dressings. Pallets of them! He was amazed at God’s provision and knew they would be put to good use in Guatemala. So, he packed up the container, and a week after it arrived, a huge volcano erupted. Many people showed up at clinics in desperate need of burn dressings. The Lord had provided.
Stories like this are what Bruce loves about working for Vine. He calls it, kingdom work and said, “It’s often been said, ‘Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.’ If we meet a physical need in Guatemala, they’ll be more receptive to what we have to say about Jesus. We’ve seen a lot come to faith through medical clinics and through the ministries we support down there. That’s what this ministry is all about.”
Because Bruce works to collect medical supplies throughout the year before shipping them to Guatemala, he needs a place to store everything. That’s where R&S comes in. Bruce and his supplies are a fixture at one of our Knoxville warehouses.
Bruce reflected on Vine’s relationship with R&S saying, “They’ve been great to work with, especially in Lenoir City. I’ve always worked mostly by myself, and with R&S, I’d have them as additional team members. They’d take care of stuff while I was gone and were always responsive. R&S has been good to us.”
At R&S, we’re honored and grateful to work with people like Bruce and Vine International.
