The Board of the George Faile Foundation met on April 5, 2010, at 6:30 p.m. at the office of Lee Jennings. Present were Dr. George & Elizabeth Faile, Laurie Douglas, Dr. Dewey Dunn, Lee Jennings, Jarratt Bryan, Dr. David Kearns, Dr. Willie Ree Howell, Martha Cates, and Dr. Cindy Shumpert, and guests Cathy Dunn and Edie Vaughn.

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Willie Ree Howell gave the treasure’s report. (Copy attached.) In January of 2010 $25,000 was sent to the hospital account in Tamale, as we had agreed at the last meeting, and the other $25,000 will be sent with Dr. Nate Cook late in June. There was discussion about the fee for wiring (currently $40.00), and about possibly changing our local bank accounts to a bank with an international connection to Ghana. Cindy and Paul will check with Suntrust and Wachovia/Wells Fargo. There have also been some changes in the way the accounts in Ghana are handled, especially in connection with short-term volunteers. One suggestion that Cindy will look into is for each volunteer to deposit with us the funds for the trip prior to leaving the U.S. Then we will transfer the funds to the bank account in Accra for Jimmy Huey to handle in Ghana.

 

Cindy reported on the volunteers who are already committed:

 

Dr. Rich Ambler will go from April 12 – 22. He finishes his training in July and would like to return to Ghana in September for 1 – 2 years. We will pay for his expenses while there.

 

Greg Nyhus went on April 2, and his wife and 3 children will join him. They will stay until December 31. He will be the Volunteer Coordinator. His wife is a nurse and will work when possible. They have raised support of $600 per month; we will pay $900 per month, plus we paid for airline tickets for all five.

 

Dr. Nate Cook is trained in medicine & pediatrics, and has been recommended by Micah Flint, the coordinator for INMED. He is going from June 21 – July 3 at his own expense. He hopes to be able to go long-term in July 2011.

 

There are 2 possible candidates that have not been finalized. One is a Ghanaian surgeon who is not happy where he is now. The other surgeon is from the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons and is from Nigeria. Both are negotiating with the hospital concerning salaries, bonuses, etc.

 

There are three upcoming mission meetings that will be attended by our representatives. We have a new banner for display to interest people in the Baptist Hospital in Ghana; it was designed by William Hahn. First, the Baptist Medical Dental Fellowship will be April 15th in Ft. Worth. Cindy, Willie Ree, George and Elizabeth Faile, and Dr. Dunn will attend. Second, Christian Medical Dental Association will be April 29 – May 2 at Ridgecrest. Paul and Cindy and Dr. Dunn will attend. Third is the INMED May21 – 23. There are always a lot of students that attend this one; Paul and Cindy will be there. Cindy mentioned the possibility of selling raffle tickets to win some of William Hahn’s pictures in order to raise some money for the Foundation.

 

Some needs at the hospital currently include a new Dermatone and problems with the generator. The Dermatone is used a lot for skin grafts; it is very old and impossible to repair. The transfer switch system for the generator is not working; estimates are being obtained from local sources.

 

Willie Ree reported problems with the Cave Spring Post Office, especially with timely delivery. After discussion of possible solutions, Lee Jennings agreed to take on the duties of Treasurer, which will include having a post office box in Rome. Willie Ree resigned as treasurer; she and Lee will work out the details of transfer.

 

In a brief overview of the situation at Baptist Hospital, it was reported that talks are still proceeding with the Ghana Baptist Association. At the present the IMB still owns the hospital, although at this time there are no funds available for support. The Hewitts and Dickens will both be leaving this summer, which means there needs to someone there as Volunteer Coordinator (Greg Nyhus at present) and as administrator. The hospital is governed by a board that includes representatives from the Ghana Baptist Association & the IMB, plus the Medical Superintendent. In the future we hope to have a representative on the board, especially if we continue to give large sums of money for the hospital.

 

Cindy will be going to Ghana on June 29 for three weeks. She will try to check on some of the situations while there.

Dr. Dunn gave a report of his recent trip with the First Baptist Church of Clarkesville, TN. The group included about a dozen doctors. They were able to take over the hospital and allow Earl and Joel to attend a meeting elsewhere. There is a nursing school in Nalerigu now, and the students work in the hospital as part of the training. Dr. Dunn emphasized what a wonderful spiritual experience it is every time he goes. The hospital chaplains do a wonderful job, but could use some support from visiting teams. In particular, he mentioned the worship services in the middle of clinic days, where many decisions are made for Christ.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Martha Cates

 

Addendum: Paul and Cindy opened an account of Wachovia with the help of Brian Wilkins. Wiring money will be no problem and will cost only $9.00. Checks will be signed by Willie Ree, Paul, or Lee. The new address for the George Faile Foundation, Inc., is: P.O. Box 212, Rome, GA 30162-0212