All I Want for Christmas

All I want for Christmas is to finish the first draft of my book by December 31st. I am barreling towards the finish line. Tomorrow I will finish Chapter 11. The first 9 chapters have already been through the editor and back for rewrites and approvals. Chapter 12 begins in April 2005-HWI's first project as a organization to get 4 bikes to educators in Angola through Rise International. Maybe 6 chapters to go. The "grueling gusting headwinds" of the difficult chapters are behind me. Now I think "It is a fun downhill coast ahead!"

I must credit my editor and coach Stephanie for her amazing skills, talents and encouragement. Without her my dream would still be spinning around in my head.

First Person Interview December 10, 2010

This Week's Guest: On First Person Interview with Wayne Shepherd

Alice Teisan

Listen on Friday December 10, 2010 at www.firstpersoninterview.com D10 by

Shepherd at www.firstpersoninterview.com

Alice Teisan is a great example of someone who was called by God in spite of her weakness. Alice had a passion for bicycling and was about to leave on a 1000 mile trip when she suddenly became ill with something that felt like the flu, but was later diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS). But God had a design all along to use Alice to be the founder of His Wheels, International.

The mission of His Wheels is to provide pedal powered transportation, with dignity, through global partnerships, as a tool for expanding Christ’s Kingdom. You can read all about it online at http://www.hiswheels.org.

I met Alice a couple of months ago through a mutual friend and it was easy to find her, because our offices are only a couple of miles from each other. So I went to His Wheels and talked to Alice right in the shop where they repair and build some incredible bikes and trikes for Kingdom purposes.

I think you’ll enjoy getting to know Alice on this week’s edition of First Person.

Trike Promo

"Larissa from Discovery Channel (Canada) enjoys a HWI trike ride at ITEC." I never know what I'll find in my email inbox. How fun is this? Now let's pray that this visibility will open other media doors for HWI.

Prayer of Praise

This morning as HWI's team stopped to pray, Everette prayed, "Thank you Lord that as I went into College Church one morning this week, (where ESL classes through World Relief are held for the refugees) six out of the seven bicycles in the rack had HWI stickers on them." My eyes filled with tears as my heart echoed in praise with Everette's prayer. What a privilege to know we are making the lives of these refugees a little easier by providing them transportation so they can get to English classes.

First Bike

“Oh, puple is my favorite color,” Adeline said, as she received her first bike from HWI.

She was so excited. Adeline is a Billy Graham Scholar doing her Master’s at Wheaton College. She is from Uganda. She works with Uganda Studies Program through Uganda Christian University. Adeline works with study-abroad students from Christian colleges and universities in North America who go to Uganda for a semester of cross-cultural experience. Adeline writes, “A month ago, tired of needing other people to take me shopping, I decided to walk to The Village Marketplace for milk. It took me 25 minutes to get there, another 25 to get back. It was a good workout, but not the best way to get milk for late afternoon tea.

Then over fall break I got the opportunity to go to the Honey Rock Camp in Wisconsin. I saw all the bikes they had for mountain biking and decided I was going to ride one before going back to campus. With patient help from one of the leaders at the camp, I finally managed to keep myself on a bike as I wobbled around a grassy field, then ventured out on dirt roads in the woods. It was exhilarating! When I received my own bike two weeks later from His Wheels International, I got hooked. Yesterday I rode up to the Marketplace. Six minutes!"

Thanks Adeline for the ministry you do in Uganda, helping internationals to make a smooth transition and adjustment to their new and foreign culture. We at HWI are glad to have the opportunity to reciprocate, making your life a little easier while you are studying here in America. Afternoon tea is vital to keep the brain alert for studies.

No stopping Adeline now, she is off for afternoon tea

A Sneak Preview

A Day of Remembrance

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

The count down had begun. In four days I was heading out on a 10-day 1,000-mile bicycle trip from Illinois to ...Delaware....Many of the lasting memories, milestones, and mile markers throughout my first 30 years of life had occurred from a bicycle seat.

“The world is your playground, Alice,” my high school youth pastor often told me. When I was fifteen I bicycled across the United States from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon. At...16...from San Diego, California to Virginia Beach, Virginia. ...17 ...through England and Scotland....I looked forward, with great anticipation, to a lifetime of exploring the vastness of the world as my playground.

With only four days to go,...July 19, 1992....I was struck by a volatile three-hour flu-like...episode. It left me completely drained. ...I was bummed. How could I get sick this close to my vacation? ...I tried to look for something positive in this horrific day. I thought, I’m so glad this “ 24 hour flu bug” decided to hit now instead of four or five days later, as soon as I got on the road. ...

When I could steal my mind away from the excruciating pain, I wandered down several bicycle memory lanes. In January, I had gone on a weeklong bicycle trip in Florida. While there I tried out a used, customized Schwinn Paramount...I... bought my new $1,200 bicycle. The bike had 21 gears, which was 11 more than I had on my last bike. So I was looking forward to the larger gear ratio, feeling I would be riding the deluxe model complete with my first set of clip less pedals. I felt like I had almost caught up with the jet-paced advances that had occurred in bicycle equipment.

Here is a sneak preview from the first chapter of my book.

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His Wheels Happenings: September & October 2010

Here is an update of the happenings at His Wheels International over the last two months.

October 19th Join me tomorrow from 3PM-4PM C.S.T. at www.wmbi.fm for a live interview on Chris Fabry Live. If you live in the Chicagoland area the interview can be heard at 90.1FM.

September 2, 2010: I met John Coumbe-Lilley, a professor in Kinesiology and Nutrition at University of Illinois Chicago’s (UIC), my alma mater. John offered to consult with HWI sharing his resources and expertise. Thus on September 22, 2010 five of us met to discuss HWI. Afterwards John compiled an extensive action plan, which includes increasing our social media presence, a speaking tour of all the Colleges and Universities in the USA, and having two trike racing teams in the 2011 Chicago Marathon. John brings a vast array of knowledge from his background as a successful businessman, his consulting work as sports psychologist with the 2010 USA Olympic Curling Team,, his work with athletes of all ages and his connections through his UIC faculty position. As a result of this meeting you can follow us on Facebook:His Wheels International, Twitter:HisWheels and at our blog: hiswheelsinternational.blogspot.com.

On September 21st we met with Jared, a sophomore business student at Wheaton College. Jared is part of an international business club called SIFE. Teams of Wheaton College SIFE students plan to help HWI as one of their SIFE competition projects.

On September 22nd Nancy Turner interviewed me on This Is The Day, a national radio program. You can hear the past program at www.wmbi.fm,.

On September 24th Wayne Shepherd did a pre-recorded interview with HWI for his new show First Person. The broadcast date has not been assigned yet.

September 27th At our board meeting we voted to narrow our bicycle focus to national bicycles thus eliminating being a grantor of money to continue buying bicycles internationally. Over the past five years we have distributed 139 bicycles in nine African countries. Nationally we have distributed over 1,200 bicycles to people affiliated with 83 countries. Narrowing our focus, will allow us to build upon our current program.

September 30th two trikes went to Sierra Leone with Women of Hope International.

October 8th Grant received approval from the Christian Formation and Ministry Department at Wheaton College’s Graduate School to complete his Master’s Internship with HWI. Grant will help us clarify the focus of the bicycle side of our ministry.

October 12th My nephew Ben and I spoke about HWI at Wheaton College in Evvy Campbell’s Principal’s of Development Graduate class.

Thanks for your part in help HWI to continue moving forward,
Alice Teisan

Principals of Development Talk

Alice (C0-Director A) & Ben Teisan (Co-Director B)

Since 2007 I have had the opportunity to speak in Dr. Evvy Campbell's, Principal's of Development graduate class at Wheaton College. This year I audited the class. As I was reading the text by Bryant L. Myers, he said many things that caused me to stop and think about. One of the things he said was,

“There are critical voices that sometimes are not heard. Ignoring the voice of women is now known to work against positive social change as well as sustainability. I go on to suggest that children are not only not heard but are also invisible and that this is a mistake,” (Pg. 17 Walking with the Poor).

Afterwards I called Ben my eleven year old nephew to interview him about his contributions to HWI. Back in 2005 when I began HWI, Ben was five. At our first event Ben said, Aunt Alice you aren't in charge of HWI. I said, okay. Who is? Ben said, God is in charge and you and I are co-directors. As Ben says, “well it’s not that way on paper, but you and I we know how it really is.” So, not to confuse things I’m (Co-Director Alice) CDA and Ben is CDB. This also plays off the fact that Ben's dad, Dan and I are twins. I am twin A and Dan is twin B.

I learned so much from the questions I asked Ben that my brother's family and I arranged for Ben to be at Wheaton College with me yesterday so I could interview him in front of the graduate class. Here are a couple questions I asked Ben.

Interview CDB:

1. In your 5-year-old mind, how did you realize we were to be Co-directors and I wasn’t to be the Executive Director of HWI, in charge alone?

Ben said, “See, when I was a little tike I realized if it was going to be His Wheels it couldn’t be just your wheels Aunt Alice (AA). I think at the time I was a little closer to God in prayer and thinking about God and so I realized if you were going to name something to be His, you had to be true to the name, or not use it.

Ben went on to say, AA I really haven’t had a big role in HWI.” Through this conversation I was able to point out to him that if I’d said, no, you can’t be CDB, I would have been saying, God doesn’t need your tender faith filled heart.

2. Do you think Myers is right that children are an important part of ministry? Ben said, yes because God said let the little children come to me.

3. What makes you encourage me to write my book

There are not many people in the world that have encountered this thing with God. Where you discover a relationship with God because of something bad happening to you. I’d be surprised if there were 5 people in the world who had the same problem as you. I doubt they would do the same thing as you have done.

What do you think they would do? They would make sure they stopped doing anything with their lives. They would say I have nothing left in the world to do. They would sit on the couch and become a couch potato, or they’d do something worse, if you know what I mean.

People all over the world have adversity. Your life basically tells them to do something about it. Don’t moan about it saying Why God, Why God, Why God. Just say yes God, yes God, yes God. Because he’s showing you something. It isn’t like he punishes that free hand if you know what I mean. (Ben told me this as he was sitting in an orthopedics office, for the final check to see if his broken right arm was healed).

Up until I asked Ben this question on Sept. 20, 2010, I had wrongly assumed that my 5 y.o. nephew wanted a part of the fame. Do you see what type of brain I was looking at the situation through, my convoluted adult brain. That wasn’t Ben’s thought at all. He wanted to make sure we stayed true to God.

Grant, Our First Intern

Grant, who is overseeing our bicycle division, has just been approved by Wheaton College to complete his Master’s Degree in Christian Formation and Ministries (CFM) internship with us. We are excited to welcome him. In 2008 Grant contacted HWI about potentially doing a group, class assignment with us. Grant has been with us ever since he met us while fulfilling that short class project.

"The Shop is my playground" Grant told Dan, Alice's brother.

Grants stand-in case he gets lost

Many HWI firsts have come from Wheaton College. Back in 1956 my father received his Master’s in what was then Christian Education and is now CFM. The vision for HWI came from a Billy Graham Scholar from Tanzania. Our first trike went overseas with Jeremy, a Wheaton Alum. Jeremy also oversaw the production of the first 20 trikes in North Africa with nationals. Now we are glad to add Grant to our rooster of Wheaton College firsts, as our first intern.

One week while Grant’s class was at HWI, Gordon, Grant’s dad, joined him. At the time Gordon was the owner of two high-end bicycle stores in California. Our mechanics team challenged Gordon to find a tool he needed for repairing bikes that we didn’t have. We passed the test and had all the necessary tools. We can’t wait for Gordon to return and see our new headquarters with his son’s signature on our shop. Gordon you will understand why I say to Grant, “Like father, like son.”

Grant is going to help us put some infrastructure into the bike side of our ministry. This will include branding, bicycle flow, online application, and some other exciting things.

Workstations Complete

Grant who is overseeing our bicycle shop wanted to create three separate and complete bicycle workstations. The only thing missing was individual air hoses at each station. I remembered Jerry, a prayer warrior from church, saying if we ever needed help to let him know. I mentioned needing an air hose running from our compressor. What I didn’t know was Jerry spent his professional years working as an auto mechanic in his own shop. Today Jerry made our workstations complete running a system for each station to have their own airline. Thanks Jerry.

Jerry putting up the air hoses

Three air hoses up

Coiled hose

One Complete Workstation

Pray 10K

In 1988 Pastor Lutzer from Moody Church preached a sermon that has changed my life forever. "Can you not pray with me one hour?" (Good sermon if I can still tell you the title today!). So I began 1 uninterrupted hour a week. in 1988.

Then on July 19, 1992 at the age of thirty I came down with what I thought was the 24-hour flu. Ten months later after having to take a medical leave from my nursing position, and having many things I counted dear stripped from me, the condition was diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS). I remember the 1992 Summer Olympics had just begun and I found myself obsessed almost forcing myself to watch all of the hours it was on TV. However, I could only be out of bed for three hours at a time. After three days I had it. I changed my strategy. I had never been a TV watcher, but an athlete I had always been. I decided now was the time to implement praying one hour a day. On that day in July 1992 prayer became my number one occupation. Over the last 18 years as I’ve remained disabled I’ve learned there is no greater occupation than prayer. I was never able to return to steady work due to my health but with God there is never a worry of unemployment or disability.

In October 2009 I began reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. The words prayer prodigy echoed in my head. After finishing the first chapter, while praying, the Lord challenged me to a new adventure, Pray 10,000 hours.

It was a mind-boggling concept. I was left repeating the challenge several times, “Pray 10,000 hours. I wondered how many hours are in a year? How long will this take? What kind of time commitment will this involve? What will I be required to give up to reach the goal? How many hours a week? Then I calculated the hours: 24 in a day, 168 in a week, 720 in a month and 8,760 in a year.

I repeated it again, “Pray 10,000 hours.” This time I was struck with how I had cycled 10,000 miles and my goal was to bicycle through all 50 States and on all seven continents. Before becoming disabled with CFIDS at the age of 30 I had bicycled across the US twice, cycled in England and Scotland, through the Canadian Rockies, in Israel and in Zimbabwe Africa on a Short Term Mission Project. I covered 30 states and bicycled on four continents. Was it a coincidence that God challenged me to pray 10,000 hours and I haven’t even reached that point in the book Outliers?

I began wondering where will this adventure take me? Who will I meet along the way? What is the itinerary? Through this experience I hope to get a bigger worldview as I learn to pray intelligently and intercede for those God places on my prayer roster.

“Pray 10K?” How will I do this? What do I hope comes from it? As I do this I will pray that God will expand my spiritual journey. I will also pray for healing during this time and watch God do His mighty deeds. In addition I will pray for family, friends, the ministry of His Wheels International that God entrusted me with to be the Founder and Executive Director of in 2005.

By this time I was so charged up, as I thought about praying 10,000 hours, I thought what a cool goal. Why didn’t I think of that? It had my excitement brimming over and sleep was difficult to come by. I was embarking on an exciting, dangerous, labor-intensive journey into some of the hardest territory according to scripture. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore[1]” (Ep. 6:10-14 ESV)

As I think about this adventure, it will require concentrated effort on my part. I will need to make some lifestyle changes including decreasing the amount of time I spend talking on the phone or watching TV. Of course like any big adventure this challenge leaves me giddy with excitement, but also wondering what it will cost? Will I really be able to accomplish my journey? Where will it take me? What suffering will I endure? What joys will I experience that I may have missed?

The discoveries I’ve gained after my first four hours of prayer is intelligent prayer requires work, study, research, and the Holy Spirit’s direction. “He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper” (II Chron. 26.5 ESV). Another scriptural discovery was, “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (I Tim. 4:8 ESV) I thanked the Lord for this promise and affirmation of my journey. “May I know I am not giving something up, I am getting filled up from the heavenly storehouse? The storehouses of blessings are mine.” I prayed. Am I willing to invest and seek hard after them? My heart bubbled up with excitement and a spirit of adventure.

Between October 2009-September 2010 I have prayed 863 hours. Since 1988 I have prayed over 7,341 hours. I know it is not the hours that matter, but the time with God. However it was a goal that would lead me to spending more time with our Savior.

As I conclude what I initially thought was my first year of Pray 10K (10,000 hours) adventure I stand amazed at how God answers prayer.

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Twitter

Find us on Twitter at His Wheels. We went live yesterday thanks to Jared, a Wheaton College business student.

Pedal-Drive-Fly

I-phone picture

Today I received an email from ITEC, Indeginous People's Technology and Education Center, www.itecusa.org. CNN at ITEC today-Got your trike out on display too!

Last Thursday after speaking at a Women of Wheaton College Luncheon someone asked if the national news networks know about His Wheels International. Up to now I have prayed regularly for a possible connection to TV visibility. One of the women plans to contact the news networks on behalf of HWI.

Pray for ITEC's team today as they do a pre-recorded broadcast with CNN. Also pray that the trike, so strategically located on the site, would spark interest in the CNN crew.

Below is an article about the flying car. After returning from ITEC in January I pitched the story idea to Christianity Today.

To God be the glory

The Maverick | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

www.christianitytoday.com

Christianity Today continues as a leader in providing informative editorial on current events, news from a Christian perspective, Christian doctrine, issues and trends.

The train has left the station!

This past week in Review:

Many long time prayers have been answered this week. I hit the ground running catching up on Monday after a wonderful week in Door County.

Tuesday: I met with a Wheaton College Business student, a prospective board member, and Grant, part of HWI's team. The meeting was a planning session for ways undergraduate students, as part of SIFE, an International Business Club with College Chapters and yearly competition, could participate with HWI. We are excited about partnering with SIFE teams at they fulfill Wheaton's mission for "Christ and His Kingdom," by assisting HWI in "providing tools for expanding Christ's Kingdom." The planning and anticipation of this meeting has been four years in the making.

Wednesday AM I was on WMBI, This is the Day with Nancy Turner. You can listen to the broadcast by going to WMBI.FM, This is the Day.

Back in the 80's I met Jim & Jean Warren. Jim was the Host of Prime Time America on WMBI. I remember him telling me in the 90's, "When the time is right, we'll get you on the radio." I wrote to Jim today, as he is struggling with his health and said, thanks for your words of encouragement.

Wed. afternoon: Four of HWI's team met with professor, John Coumbe-Lilley, professor in the Kinesiology Department at University of Illinois, Chicago, one of my alma maters, where I obtained my BS in Kinesiology. After our two hour mtg. John summed it up well, "I can see the anxiety coming from the back of your head." He was right. I wonder if he also knows his thoughts left my head spinning all night.

A few of John's thoughts are for me to do a nation wide college campus tour sharing about HWI through my story. He also suggested we sponsor a couple of our DOTT trikes, made for overseas use, and a couple of our junior racers, in the 2011 Chicago Marathon. When he mentioned the junior racers I was so overwhelmed that one of my guys said, "Alice did you hear what he said? He just mentioned your dream to put together a trike racing team."

If the title of this post didn't make sense before now, I hope you are getting the picture-or is it me that better start getting the picture?

Thursday Luncheon: I spoke at the Wheaton College Women's Luncheon. It was fun meeting some of the women who are part of the college. One of the women asked if I'd sent my story off to national TV news stations. She offered to do so on HWI's behalf. This has been another dream but I've not known how to go about it, nor have I had the energy to do so.

Friday Morning: I hung out at HWI's headquarters for about an hour with the gang remembering that recycling cycles is where we began. At 10AM I was the featured guest for a pre recorded broadcast with Wayne Shepherd. He is launching a show called First Person on October 1st. He did a 10 min. section on my life with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and then a 10 min. section on HWI.

Having grown up in Detroit, one of the things I learned in the Detroit Public School was that many of my classmates did things as a group, not alone. In that the show is called First Person, HWI isn't about me. So, to the chagrin of three HWI's team members they too will make a debut with me on First Person.

To find out more about Wayne Shepherds new program visit www.wayneshepherd.net.

The week is not over yet. On Sunday I will share our HWI video and update my Adult Bible Fellowship, Pathfinders.

Open House Video

Thanks to Richard Cole for many of the pictures, Carolyn Adolph and Daniel Rische.

June Summary

Since our inception HWI has given away over 1,300 bikes and trikes to people affiliated with 72 countries. “You have almost touched 100 countries far exceeding your original goal of giving away just 100 bicycles,” stated a missionary to Senegal.

In June, your contribution helped HWI minister to people in many ways. I shared six times to audiences including board members of a mission, church leaders, and veteran saints. I also had interviews on Family Radio and Wheaton College’s radio station.

At HWI’s headquarters we demonstrated and provided a hand on learning time for Dr. Duane Anderson, and two board members. Dr. Anderson is the Ethiopian Field Administrator and Orthopedic surgeon for Soddo Christian Hospital (SCH). In June SCH sent a container to Ethiopia, which included15 HWI hand-pedaled trike kits and one completed trike. Dr. Anderson will identify a team of individuals to weld and assemble these 15 trike kits. Pray that this is just the beginning of our partnership with SCH.

On June 12^th we had 91 people attend the open house at our new headquarters. Thirty people gathered for our prayer and share time. Here’s what people are saying about HWI:

• The new headquarters is better than a bike shop! Jeff
• HWI is obviously directed by the Holy Spirit. Jerry
• I love being part of HWI where everyone’s part is important. Daniel
• How do I summarize this open house? It was awesome. Louise
• My part in HWI is baking cookies. I baked the cookies for 100 people. Lorraine

Here are some of the things that have come from our open house.

· One visitor invited me to speak at Tyndale Publishing House’s Chapel.

· We recruited three sharp teenagers who are volunteering regularly with us.

· Others saw ways they could get involved utilizing their skills and resources.

After the open house five teens moved over 150 bicycles from my backyard to the second floor of our new building. A constant stream of bicycles has come in through drop offs. Volunteer mechanics then repair the bikes. Bikes are leaving regularly for refugees from World Relief, Missionaries home on furlough, and to a group of Eastern European Students studying in the states for six weeks during the summer. Three bikes are heading to Senegal, Africa in a container.

From Bronson, Michigan Jan writes, “Alice we gave away 2 bikes at Vacation Bible School (VBS). We gave them to the kids as a giving gift. They are to find a child who cannot afford a bike and give it to them. The kids are excited about doing this. After VBS a parent came up and asked if their daughter could get a bike. She did not have one. Thanks so much for all that HWI has done for the bike ministry in our community!!”

What is new

"The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." (Ps. 19:1)

An interview at 7:30AM with Joy in the Morning on WETN

WETN's radio control board

Speaking Engagements this past week have included:

Thursday June 3rd-St. Luke's Healthcare Foundation Board Dinner

Friday, June 4th-St. Luke's Healthcare Foundations full board

Saturday, June 5th-WJCH-Family Radio. This broadcast can be heard at our open house

Sunday, June 6th-Wheaton Evangelical Free Church-Kupples Klass

Monday, June 7th-WETN radio interview

Dr. Duane Anderson trying our trike on June 5th at the St. Luke's Healthcare Foundation Board Meeting.

The 16 trikes HWI just sent to Ethiopia will go to Dr. Duane Anderson who is an orthopedic surgeon at Soddo Christian Hospital in Ethiopia.

Left to right: Ken Amstutz, Zach Brumbach, Kevin Nikolich, Alice Teisan, and Dr. Duane Anderson. Kevin Nikolich and Ken Black had the opportunity to show Dr. Anderson and two of their board members the manufacturing fixtures, and tube bender.

Ken Black is doing contracting work for HWI. Our hope is to bring Ken on as our first full-time employee to oversea the trike program. Ken grew up in Sierra Leone as a missionary kid. Then he spent a few weeks in Brazil on a short-term mission project while in High School with Don Matteson, HWI's newly elected board member. Ken, and his family served in Russia, and Guinea W. Africa for over 14 years. We are glad to have Ken on our team.

Kevin showing Dr. Anderson how to use the tube notcher, part of the trike building process.

Alice and her brain in white

Meet Kate Nyenhuis, administrative assistant par excellent. Kate has taken our last 5 years of stats and put them in a working order. Hopefully soon I will compile the data. What HWI has done in the last five years is beyond what I could have ever hoped or imagines.

We are finally back to fixing bikes and the waiting list for bikes keeps growing. We could sure use some volunteers to help repair bikes. Please pray toward this end.

Our shop is coming together. We have a piece of Kevin's workmanship in wood and organization holding our wrenches and socket parts. Come visit us on Saturday or any other time and see what God has done for HWI.

Open House

Join us this Saturday, June 12, 2010 for our Open House

When: 12PM-9PM

Where: 21W161 Hill Ave., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Why: Celebrate what God has done over the last 5 years and to see our new headquarters

Special Times: Between 2-3PM and 7-8PM we will have a formal time of gathering for praise and prayer.

· Enjoy some homemade cookies, munchies and beverages

· Meet new friends and get reacquainted with old friends

· See what HWI is up to and Learn of ministry opportunities

· Hear Exciting Stories of what God is doing

· Listen to some original musical compositions

• Bring an instrument with you and enjoy a jam session

Directions From The South: From West Roosevelt: Go North or Left on Park Blvd. (Glen Ellyn) to Hill Ave. Turn Right or East. You will stay on Hill about 1-1/2 miles. Pass the Glen Oak Country Club on the right, then the Prairie Path entrance. Our building is about ¼ mile further on the right hand side, A 2-story brick building facing the road.

From East Roosevelt: Take Roosevelt to Finley Rd. (Lombard). Go North to Glen Oak Rd. (St. before the Railroad Track). Go left on Glen Oak Rd, (Lombard), which changes names to Hill Ave. in Glen Ellyn, We are about .4 miles from Finley on the Left side.

Directions From The North of Railroad Tracks (Wheaton): Take St. Charles Rd. East to Crescent Blvd. Turn Right on Crescent to first stop sign, which is Finley Rd. Turn left over the train tracks. After crossing the tracks take an immediate right on Glen Oak Rd. (Lombard). Glen Oak Rd. turns into Hill Ave (Glen Ellyn). We are .4 miles on the left side of the street.

We look forward to seeing you and meeting some of your friends. So bring a car full with you. See you on Saturday.

Work in Progress

Celebrate our progress with us

Our sign is up

2nd desk has the overhead compartment up now

Kevin hung the peg board and arranged some of the tools. The counter still needs some organizing. A second board to follow. This one is a combination of Kevin's engineering ideas and his woodworking projects.

The organized peg board is soothing to my eyes

Some mechanics have begun. Good times began even earlier. Richard has been with us since 2006 faithfully coming twice a week. Thanks Richard

Today was Tom's first day to see the new digs. He did some sorting of the counter top and finished off a bike. Tom knocked at my door in July of 2005 when I was home praying for a secretary. God knew a mechanic was a more urgent need. Tom has worked faithfully since 2005.

The bike shop is coming together nicely

Thanks Tom for organizing the counter top today.

Below you will see there are still some areas needing work!

I'm glad we have Kevin for figuring out how to layout our workspace.

Hopefully we will have our things sorted out for the open house. This is hopefully going to be our trike area for starters.