Hey all it's been a long time since I've posted a blog because I've been busy with things these past few months. I'm sure you remember me being really excited for the possibility of being a paid Fire-fighter for the city of Schenectady NY. I'm sorry to say that even though I did get offered a position within the Schenectady city FD's ranks, I turned it down, due to the fact that at the same time I interviewed with the city's FD, I was also getting a 2nd interview for a job I applied for in the fall of 2007. That position was with an organization call Compassion International. I'm sure you have all heard of it or something familiar like Catholic Children's fund. Basically what Compassion does like 90% of the time is offer people the chance to adopt a child from another country financially through monthly donations. They provide you with a picture, some history of the child and the part of the world he/she lives in and allows you to connect with that child through letters and support. Well what I do is I am a Logistics Coordinator, which basically means that I find the manpower, money and resources from local churches, organizations (ie General Electric) and so on, who are willing to donate: Time, Money and equipment, to support existing missionaries in the field. We at Compassion also support and work alongside of other organization like Doctors without Boarders and Nurse's abroad, as well as the World AIDS tour.

This new role for me has not only opened doors for me in the sense that I've been able to travel to such countries as Belize, Central America, but also in the future, Africa and hopefully South America. In the end of May 2009 (this year) I was able to re-visit some friends down in Belize, at the Belize Missions and Retreat Center and was able to secure 7 solar panels and 2 desalinization membranes-donations from GE under their Alternative energy campaign. I was scheduled to head out in late November of this year, to Uganda, which is located in East-Central Africa, and join members of the Doctors without Boarders and Nurses Abroad on a medical missions trip. As of this week our visa's have still been denied-mostly due in part from the extensive medications we have requested to help with vaccinations, AIDS, and for people suffering from war-wounds from the on-going struggle in Northern-Uganda.

The cool thing about Compassion, is that only am I being paid (Salary) a heck of a lot better than starting pay @ Schenectady City FD, but it allows me to still be a volunteer Fire-Fighter and support my local community-which I would be forced to surrender my active status had I taken the paid FF'ing position. Also Compassion will be paying for my RN school which I will be starting in the Fall of 2010. I am still at Mohawk Ambulance Service here in Schenectady-although I am considered full-time (working at least 40hrs/wk) I find time to work at Compassion as well. My hours are Tuesday-Friday 9-5 @ Compassion; while I full-fill my Full-Time status @ MAS by working Monday 24's (Monday 07:00am-07:00am Tuesday), Wednesday Night (18:00-07:00am Thursday) and Friday Night (18:00-07:00am Saturday). Also in the summer I still work for the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). Needless to say my schedule is jammed pack but I love what I'm doing.

Currently, I'm trying to save up for a house, while in Belize this past May I was able to purchase some land (2 acres) located right next to the Belize Missions and Retreat Center, with 500+ feet of Caribbean shore-line, no not access, but actually on the coast-->it's mine, on my property. All I do (when I build a house there) is walk out my front steps and there's the Caribbean Sea!

So needless to say I think it was a blessing when God gave me that pin-prick to my heart and let me know it wasn't right for me to take the Schenectady city fire position. It kinda sucked because that's what I wanted to do-but it worked out in the end.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support.
Stay Safe & Train often!
-Lt. Scott "Lucky-Charms" Runkel
Paramedic/Fire-Fighter
Town of Glenville District #2
Alplaus Station