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.