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!!”