4th of July Parade Request

We are still in need of people to help with the Wheaton, IL  4th of July Parade. We stage at Evangelical Child & Family Services on Main St. across from Walgreens. The street closes off at 9AM. The parade steps off at 10A. We'd like to have our crew there by 9:30A. If you are able to help, please let me know.

Update

The radio interview with "This is the Day, Worldview Wednesday" on WMBI.fm went well yesterday. 


We had over 40 people view yesterday alone. Thus far for the month of June we have had 629 people view our site. 

A church member said, "Great report today and God was very center of your report, thank you for all you do in a humble way. May God continue to grow His wheels."

A former board member said, "Sounded great! It's encouraging to hear the story again."

One couple wrote: "We heard about you on Moody today. My husband has given away more than 2,000 bikes over the past twenty years. We would like to volunteer for the 4th of July parade. We look forward to getting involved in your ministry.


Another wrote I have a bike to donate-  how can I get it to you???


My editor said, "Woohoo! Not many people get plugs for their book before it's even published! Nice job. :-)"


Today after I received this note back after our June Newsletter went out by email yesterday.


"It's exciting to see what you've done with your life and to know that I "knew you when" you were a vibrant, busy teenager. Now you suffer from such a dreadful illness and are still vibrant & busy & fruitful for Christ! Totally cool!! Blessings!"

Over half-way

The book-past the half-way point in my read through/edits. It's all down hill from here, from the cyclists view, not the locals perspective. On to 2005-start of HWI through to 2010. What a Jubilee year celebration it will be to have my book done soon. Yippeeeeee!!!!

4th of July Parade

His Wheels is in the Wheaton 4th of July Parade on Monday. It steps off at 10AM. We could use some help from children over 12 up to adults. We have trikes to ride, banners to carry, and brochures to pass out. If you can help please let me know.

Our team is growing!

At Thurs. night's work time 6 people attended. Grant taught basic tire changing skills. He explain presto and shrader valves. He explained that a Schwinn 26x 1-3/8th tire only fits on a Schwinn rim. Non Schwinn 27x1-3/8th rims require a different tire. He then demonstrated how to use tire irons instead of flat end screwdrivers to change the tire. Lots of opportunities for practice.


Today 8 people worked at the shop ranging in age from 16 to 81 representing 4 churches. What fun we had fixing bikes together, praying and thanking the Lord that we can serve Him, and joking with each other. "Hey, why do you have 2 different shoes on?" You can hear it next. Come share in the fun. Also a couple networking sessions around the pool table!


We also had a Wheaton Bible Church family come and pick up a bike for an Iraqi refugee they are helping out through the church. The one who came was a career missionary in the Central Republic of Africa. Now he is retired but still goes back and forth. In July when one of their team members returns to the area he wants to discuss the possibility of a trike project there. 

Question & Answer

Here is a question someone asked me

Q: “What have you discovered about God and yourself as the result of starting His Wheels. 

A:  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome refined my focus, but first it destroyed all my personal dreams. Only then could God give me the desires of my heart.” I thought my dreams equaled the desires of my heart. However I’ve found that “the desires of my heart” require the creativity of a Sovereign God to implement. My dreams are the highlighting threads woven amidst my heart’s desires. I shudder to think what I would have forfeited if I insisted on fulfilling my dreams my way and turned against God’s word, which says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.” (Ps. 37:4-5)

Volunteer help needed: 4th of July Parade

Are you available to join His Wheels in Wheaton, IL 4th of July Parade. The parade is on Main St. in Wheaton. It steps off at 10AM on Mon. July 4th. We could use your help: passing out our new brochures, riding one of our trikes, carrying the banner, and other things. Please let us know if you can help.

Upcoming Radio Appearance

Just accepted an invitation to be on WMBI, This is The Day, with Nancy Turner on Wednesday June 29, 2011 at 10AM. Listen in by radio or internet.

Cycles for Six Countries in a Day

Today was an exceptional day in my cycling career. Keep in mind my goal by the age of 30 was to bicycle on all 7 continents and through all 50 States. By then I’d biked on 4 continents and through 30 states. My day began by driving 3 miles to His Wheels International’s headquarters, arriving at 9AM. There I met up with Richard and Tom C, two of our volunteers who were fixing bikes. By noon I had visited and distributed nine bicycles to pastor’s, Bible school professors, youth minister’s, and other Christian leaders from Romania, Belarus, Russia, Macedonia and Moldova. When I dreamed of visiting all those countries by bike I never dreamed of hearing, “Thanks, you are such a neat lady,” and receiving hugs, and thanks as I watched them ride off on bikes. There are 13 Christian Workers here for a six-week study program affiliated with Wheaton College. They will have bicycles to tour my hometown and will return home and tell others about “the bike lady.”

Well, I don’t know about you, but by the time I visited all the representatives from those different countries I thought I’d kick back and relax. Instead I got home and made some HWI calls and “pastored” one of our team members who were facing some tough challenges in life.

Around 4PM I just about caught my breath and I was off to deliver 4 bikes to a refugee family from Nepal. When I arrived I was flocked by children and then mom, dad, grandma, and neighbors came to see what was going on. It reminded me of when I landed on a village airstrip in Zimbabwe as a short-term missionary, a passenger in a small Mission Aviation Plane. I fitted the four children with bikes and since I was unsure which bike would fit one of the children I took a 5^th bike with me.

After fitting the children, the mother straddled the 5th bikes. I began to show her how to ride. In sweltering heat of about 96-degree we had a parade of bikes swirling around the parking lot in this apartment complex. The father too got on one of the bikes. After about ½ an hour I was getting ready to leave. In broken English the mother said, “I love you.” I asked if I could give her a hug and she agreed so we embraced. We couldn’t share a language but we could share a thank you through a hug. The father shook my hand and put his finger up indicting for me to wait a minute. He ran inside and got me a can of pop and made a thank you head gesture. Here was an example of wanting to give back to me as a way of saying thank you for giving to us. The grandma told me her name and I tried to pronounce it. Oh they did so much better at my name than I did of theirs.

After a couple sips of pop they invited me in. I went in. Before I sat down they had turned the fan my direction making sure I was comfortable. The father ran into the kitchen and prepared a plate of fruit for me: an apple and grapes. Before long there were many small hands coming over to share in the fruit platter, which the parents wanted to give just to me. However, I welcomed all the children to eat and enjoy my feast with me. As we shared one of the girls asked if we sell bikes. I said “Yes, we sell some and we pray for God to provide the money for others so we can give them to you. Isn’t that neat to get a bike?” Before I left I told them the bikes came from the Wheaton E. Free Church where their school does their special Christmas program. I also was able to ask if they wanted information about our summer program for children. After an hour with the family I left blessed by how they had treated me as the guest of honor sharing a feast with me overflowing out of their poverty. How true that for all of us the verse is applicable: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

At the age of 30 I would have laughed if someone told me I’d get a hug and an “I love you from a person from Nepal,” on the same day a pastor from Russia would give me a hug and say, “You are a special lady.” Indeed God has allowed His Wheels to use bicycles as a tool for expanding Christ's Kingdom.

Fulfilling our Mission

One of our new volunteers this year was a person who loved to bike but could no longer do so due to a serious health problem. While working together the volunteer shared with me, “My life is ruined,” from this health issue. This week I had the privelage of leading the volunteer to the Lord. I pointed out how scripture is filled with paradoxes and quoted II Cor. 12:10, "When we are weak then we are strong" (II Cor. 12:10). Here is a precious example of how bikes and trikes were used as a tool for expanding Christ's Kingdom.

I have clung to that scripture many times over the past 19 years with my medical disability with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I can especially relate to how The Message Bible words that passage. You may too.

^7-10Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

   My grace is enough; it's all you need.
   My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. (The Message Bible II Cor. 12:7-10)

Today's Activities

On Wed. night after helping a HWI volunteer pick shop for bike gear we went out for dinner. While eating his wife mentioned they were getting rid of a pool table. My eyes lit up. It's been on my office wish list. I'm going over today to begin disassembling it. I'm looking for 2 strong college men or young grads to help us move 3 pieces of 3/4 in. slate sometime in the next week. Let me know if you can help.


We are gearing up to give away 13 bicycles next week to a group of Christian workers from the Eastern European block who will be here on a study program at Wheaton College for 6 weeks.


Today we had 6 people working on bikes. There were 5 area churches represented. One of our new workers I met during CareFest. I remember meeting his wife and asking, "What do you like to do as a hobby?" Not knowing my bent towards bikes she said, "take day long bicycle trips." We were off (sort to speak). With time I learned her husband likes to tinker with bikes. So he has joined us.

May's Activities

We had 10,500 color brochures printed in May. God provided us with an awesome deal.

2. After paying all our bills for May and June's rent we remain debt free.

3. Over 442 people watched our You Tube video in May

4. We had 619 people view our website in May of which 315 were new viewers as opposed to 363 total people view our site in May 2010.

5. In May we picked up bikes from Winfield Police Department.

6. One of our big give away projects was in conjunction with an elementary school in Wheaton and Wheaton E. Free Church, my home church. We gave away 18 bikes to 12 families. We had 11 families from the church do the deliveries. We just got a new request today for another family from the school for 4 bikes.

7. We also gave away 2-3 bikes weekly to World Relief DuPage

8. During our weekly mechanics days we continued fixing bikes.

9. In June we provide bikes for a group of Christian workers who come from the Eastern European block to study for 6 weeks. They will be here soon.

10. I've already had a few missionaries knock on my door to let me know they are back in the country. They last received bikes from us in 2006 and are now back on their next year long furlough.

11. Here's our new challenge from one of our consultants. For 10 new people to view His Wheels site at www.hiswheels.org and to watch the video that is on the front page. Then for those 10 to tell another 10 people each and those 10 tell another 10 people to equal 100 and the repeat the cycle. Our overall goal is to aim for 10% increase in hits to our website and views to our video per month from May until December.

12. Our trike designer worked on 4 new trike prototypes over Memorial Day weekend. Here is one of the chassis. He has nicknamed the one below the rambler, after the car because of its look. (Oh and observe our new steel table addition we bought this month for welding)!