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.
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
