Happenings at HWI

November 2010: Wheaton Evangelical Free Church (WEFC) partnered with HWI. We look forward to ministering together, providing our immigrant local neighbors with bicycles while also providing a tool for expanding Christ’s Kingdom.

December 2010: Seth, a talented video artists spent a day filming for a new HWI DVD.

New Year’s Day 2011: As we at HWI said Good Night to 2010 in Wheaton, a container was pulling into Soddo Christian Hospital in Ethiopia. The container contained our first crate trike shipment filled with one completed trike and 15 trike kits. It was an Ethiopian leader who sparked the vision for our trike division back in 2005.

We packed the crate within the first week of being in our new Headquarters. What an exciting way to end 2010 and simultaneously begin 2011, having the trikes arrive in Ethiopia! See the full story at our blog. See address below.

February: Seth had finished the first cut of the DVD. We as a team were able to view it and give input. He still has to do the final editing of the DVD. Pray that God’s gift of creativity and inspiration will infuse Seth as he finishes this project. It is our desire that the DVD would glorify God and portray the ministry of HWI in an accurate, inspiring, and informative way.

February 18th: A second trike went to Maxene in Haiti. He received our first trike rode the trike so hard he broke one of the tubes. This helped Kevin identify a weakness in the frame and he made the needed changes. We wanted Maxene to do field testing on the revised trike version. In addition, we sent a trike repair kit so a welder could fix the first trike and allow another person to have wheels.

February 20th: I spoke at a Sunday potluck at Church of the Great Shepherd in Wheaton.

February 25th: HWI was featured at a Mission Fun night at Naperville Presbyterian Church. The trikes went to Haiti with a group from that church.

February 26th: Board Meeting. The majority of the meeting was spent going over the budget, which is a difficult but necessary part of an organization. In 2010 we had $41,000 come in. Our goal for 2011 is $75,000. Thanks for your part in helping us meet our financial obligations and remain debt free.

March 1st: We finished our Trike Specific Brochure and sent a copy to I-TEC who partnered with us last year. I-TEC will send out information about our trike program to those who inquire about their various programs. The I-TEC slogan is, “Our ministry begins where the road ends.”

March 3-6th: We had a booth at the “Mission on Your Doorstep Conference,” held at Wheaton Bible Church.

March 19th: We had a workday. Ten people attended, five of which were new to HWI. We hope to institute regular workdays where individuals and a variety of church groups can come together, exercise their talents, and use their strengths to further His work through HWI.

March 24th: A Master’s level leadership class from Wheaton College will take place at our headquarters. I will be the guest lecturer.

April: Our one-year anniversary in our headquarters. The building has allowed us to expand our ministry. We have been able to work through the winter getting bikes out every week to World Relief.

Clarifying Ministry Focus

In the last newsletter I did not articulate our refined bicycle focus. After our first 5 years of ministry we evaluated our bike and trike programs. We want to continue in our strengths, doing what we do best, and stop that which we weren’t doing well enough.

With our bicycle division we refined our focus to reflect our strengths. We began HWI with an emphasis on getting bikes overseas, on containers, and by buying them in different countries. We have found, however that there is a huge need for bicycles in DuPage County and throughout the United States as a primary means of transportation.

We also found that to grant money or sending containers overseas is wrought with logistical difficulties. Therefore we have discontinued granting money for those purposes. Unless individuals or organizations approach us, because they have a container and want us to have us donate bikes to put in it, we will focus our bike efforts nationally (within the U.S.).

We do keep an international focus through our hand-pedaled trike division. Our goal is to partner with missions and other organizations and provide the tools for the nationals to fabricate trikes in their own country.

"Better than a bike shop!" Jeff

Trike Side Makeover

Cleaned up just in time for hosting Master’s level leadership class from Wheaton College on March 24th at our headquarters. I will be the guest lecturer.

On March 18th I went to buy some steel industrial shelving today. When I asked the price the business owner, who I'd never met before said, "Oh, your a not-for-profit?" No problem, I'll give it to you. Just let me know what all you need. I can have it by Monday afternoon. What a Mighty God We Serve! Today we picked it up

No time to waste-from the truck to assembled in an hour!

Free shelving-20 feet of it. First 10 feet up. Thank You Lord and thanks to the generous company.

Bye-Bye Mess

Order taking shape

Thanks Elliot for the shelf wood

March 19th: We had a workday. Ten people attended, five of which were new to HWI. We hope to institute regular workdays where individuals and a variety of church groups can come together, exercise their talents, and use their strengths to further His work through HWI.

Pictures and white board hung, floor tiles cleaned.

March Newsletter -Internship Highlights

Throughout my internship I have been focusing on a developmental theory, which emphasizes that the whole person is important.... The tasks of working on bikes, teaching others how to fix bikes, and giving bikes away are what we do in a physical sense.

Hearing from others during our prayer and update time are the times we connect spiritually. Talking and having fun while working is the environment of the shop. It is never results first and relationships second. The way Alice says it is: ‘If we give away a thousand bikes, but burn out our volunteers, then I don’t want to do this. HWI has to serve those serving within the organization too otherwise it isn’t furthering the Kingdom.’

Alice has challenged me to find the skills and gifts people have. Then to encourage them to contribute in those ways, while steering them away from work that they may not be contributing much through. This kind of strength identification is learned as a leader. I look forward to continuing to learn how to do this.”

Trike Specific Brochure Pg. 2

DOTT Trike in Ethiopia

The Assembly Fixtures

Along with the development of the DOTT trike, assembly fixtures were also created. These four fixtures allow each part of the frame to be held in perfect alignment during the welding process. They simplify the most difficult part– construction–making it possible for some to build such a trike in as little as 10-25 hours.

These fixtures, along with a welder, tube bender, notcher, drill and various smaller tools are enough to equip a trike manufacturing shop for production. A reasonably experienced welder is recommended. All other production operations can be learned relatively quickly.

Drawings And Documentation

HWI can make many types of documents and drawings available to support trike production:

• Pictures • Standard blueprints • Exploded assembly views • Individual part drawings • Bill of material • Parts sources • Fitting manual

If desired, a highly detailed 3D AutoCad model of the trike is available.

Production Training

HWI is currently producing a trike assembly video. Future plans include a week-long “Trike Building Experience”training course available to those who can come to the Chicago area.

Please contact HWI for more information:

His Wheels International P.O. Box 423 Wheaton, IL 60187 630-510-1005 info@hiswheels.org

All contributions to His Wheels International are tax-deductible. HWI’s Tax-Exempt number is 55-0896471.

In the picture above, a complete DOTT assembly fixture set is shown. The round tubing seen on the large fixture is a trike chassis ready to be welded together.

HWI has many schematic drawings available to support trike production. This example illustrates the major components of the DOTT Frame.

Trike Specific Brochure Pg. 1

Here is Page 1 of our Trike Specific Brochure:

A picture sparked His Wheels International’s Global Trikes Division...“We need hand-pedaled trikes throughout Africa,” an international leader stated in 2005.

Throughout the world many people have been affected by polio, landmines, and have other physical disabilities. Without transportation, these individuals are left to an animal existence, crawling along on their hands, pulling their paralyzed limbs through the dirt and sewer.

Construction

HWI Dual Offset Tube Trike (DOTT) is most easily built from round or square steel tubing, welded together. It uses relatively common, rugged bicycle parts for the drive train; and equally rugged sealed ball bearings and flat-free wheelbarrow wheels to avoid the spoke breakage and flat tire issues common on rough roads and paths. HWI uses plywood for seat surfaces, but thin steel, woven surfaces, or other seat surface options can be employed. This design can be modified to use different types of wheels, and suit local needs.

Ergonomics

The DOTT design has adjustability in the seat back angle, seat depth, leg length, knee angle and ankle position to properly fit the user. Crank arm length and gearing have been selected to help prevent elbow & shoulder joint strain. The offset frame tube design makes transfer from a chair or wheelchair easier.

Performance

The DOTT is highly maneuverable; it can nearly pivot around the rear wheels. The “direct drive” front wheel allows the trike to be pedaled in reverse for added maneuverability in tight situations. No active brake is provided for this reason as the hand pedals are used as the brake. However there are parking and active brake options available if terrain could be cause for braking needs.

Cost

Costs will vary depending upon the availability of local parts, logistics and location. HWI estimates that the basic material costs will range from a low of $100 per trike or less; to a high of $270 per trike if most or all parts must be imported from the US, and all options are included. Cost estimates do not include shipping. HWI has developed and tested a manufac- turing process that can make it possible for local organiza- tions to build these trikes.

Friday I heard that "Two women severely crippled by polio were fitted with a trike in Sierra Leone this week. One is essentially homeless and has 3 children that hang out on the streets with her all day begging with her....They will return weekly to give us feedback and so we can check on them. So far, the women LOVE their new mobility!" Wow!

Workday March 19th from 9AM - 1PM

JOIN HWI This SATURDAY MARCH 19th FOR A WORKDAY

Who: All ages (children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult)

When: Saturday March 19th from 9AM-1PM

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

Why: A workday

What will we do?

• Brainstorm group: Compile mission application for trikes
• Frame and Hang Pictures
• Repair Bikes
• Clean Bikes
• Clean headquarters: (Bring broom or Vacuum if you can) clean windows and bathrooms
• Construction Projects: Call if you fit in this category for specific skills you have, projects to be done and tools you will need.

• Directions: We are on the south side of the street in a 2-story brick building. Phan Auto Repair is our neighbor to the East. His garage door faces our back door.

  From the East: We are located 0.4 miles from Finley.

  From the West: We are located 0.25 miles from the Prairie Path Entrance