The container has arrived in El Salvador and we are one step closer to beginning operations at the David V King Clinic in Jucuapa.  On the 9th of May, our son Blake and I headed to Tampa, Florida from Nappanee, Indiana.  That same day our friends and supporters Frank and Sharon, departed from Raleigh, NC, pointed in the same direction.  We descended on a storage facility where for the last several years equipment and supplies have been gathered to send to El Salvador.  Others joined us there and on the third day we had consolidated four storage units into one ocean-going container destined for Jucuapa, El Salvador and the David V King Medical Clinic.

The team sorted through bandages, surgical supplies, gowns, towels, equipment and medicines, picking out the items not expired and discarding others.  It was a welcome sight to see the truck arrive on Thursday but a little unnerving to know the six of us had only two hours to load the container.  We made it with time to spare and now all those supplies are in El Salvador.  In the next few days, the container will go through the process of clearing customs and transportation to the final destination.  

With these items on the ground we are closer to providing the services needed in the community surrounding Jucuapa.  You can help us pray for all the pieces to fall into place to be able to get the operating permits.  In addition to what is on the container, we will need to purchase some medicines and supplies in country.  Please pray that we will have the funding necessary to take us through this next phase.  If you want to help us get started we would love to tell you how you can be a part.  Contact Us for more information.

In March, seven volunteers traveled with me to Jucuapa to build cabinets for the clinic.  Though volunteers, they were hardly amateurs.  In just four days, we built 74 cabinets! The first week of May, four other volunteers will travel back to El Salvador with me where we will paint and install these cabinets, clearing the way to complete the application process.  After years of dreaming and planning, we are presenting the paperwork to the government to begin operating the clinic this July. We are identifying the personnel who will operate the clinic under our supervision.  In just a few months, we will be able to impact up to 100 patients a day.  The surgical portion of the clinic is about 90% completed, and we are praying for the funds to complete that phase as well.  I have made several trips to El Salvador this past year to be a part of the construction and now the preparations for opening.  This has helped me stay engaged with what is going on in all the ministries.  

Volunteers serve to encourage us as we labor in El Salvador.  I encourage you to find ways to volunteer to use your skills in your own community.  We are God's hands.