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From God on Valentine's Day

For God everyday is Valentine's Day. He loves us. At His Wheels International God has allowed us to share His love through bikes and trikes. 

Sometime His love comes in simple gestures that can easily be overlooked. 

Today I (Alice) almost didn't take my trash out. There wasn't much to take out. But I 

did and oh how glad I am that I did.

Here's what awaited me!

Valentine's day is a day where more than most days many of us in the USA want to know we are loved with an unconditional love. Often I've wondered where I as a single person would find my valentine hidden. As I took the trash out this AM I saw God had left me a double Valentine on my driveway for all to see. I had to look carefully at it. As I looked I wondered, "Who did this?" Well, I have many folks who use my driveway as a turn around. But the tire lines were so perfect that I can only think of One who drove by today and left those hearts-The Lord God Almighty, the Only One capable of loving each of us unconditionally.

 "You will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deut. 4:29

Interviewed

Today Audrey, a student in news journalism at Roosevelt University did an interview on His Wheels and Alice. She took copies of Alice's story and brochures to pass out to her classmates. I (Alice) also mentioned to her that I was trying to break into the television news arena. She said one of her classmates is with one of the major news stations and she'd pass our information on to her. 


Since Audrey has to write a hard news story of 500-750 words I told her I'm hoping to get a copy so we can post it on our website for others wanting to learn about HWI.


Now on to see the knife, my book editor. Getting final feedback on Chpt. 4 which I hope is just the butter knife, and the butcher knife work on chpt. 5

Biking Cross Country Fund Raiser

A listener heard me speak on "This is the Day" yesterday and contacted me today. "Alice, I will be riding coast-to-coast this summer. I would like to raise funds for His Wheels on the trip. I will be riding the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier. I would like to put a link to your website on my BikeAcrossUSA.com site. I will create a speech for my local Toastmaster Club. 

If you'd like to contribute to his efforts on behalf of His Wheels go to his website. 


Here is an example of God fulfilling one of Alice's unspoken dreams having been a cross-country cyclists.

Chris Fabry Program Listener Reply

(Sent to Chris) "I am sending you this e-mail because since I heard your program on Jan 2, 2012 about the woman that makes the trikes (three wheel bikes) with hand pedals

for the disabled people in Africa, the lord has not left me alone. I am a missionary to... Kenya... Last year ...we had what we call open air rallies where our local church sets up music and dance and the local people start to gather. Then a gospel message is given along with a altar call.... At one of the rallies, far from town... a man rode up on a three wheeler bike just like the one the woman was describing on your show. I noticed the bike right away because my background is in the automotive field. I thought the bike was pretty cool. When the altar call was given this man who was disabled in both of his legs rolled off this bike and drug himself about 40 feet in the muddy trail on his hands and knees to the front of the crowd and received Christ as his Savior. This touched me so much that every time I tell the story I start crying. Could you contact the woman that has this ministry and tell her that possibly this could have been one of her bikes and because of her faithfulness there is one more person in the kingdom," wrote T.

Thanks T. His Wheels has bought a trike in Kenya but we don't have one of our own trikes there. However this is a story we pray will be repeated countless times as a result of His Wheels bikes and trikes.

Wednesday Radio Interview

Listen to "This Is The Day" tomorrow on Moody Radio at 10AM EST, or streamed lived at their website www.MoodyRadio.org. Alice will be the featured guess during the 10AM segment.

Bikes in Ometepec Gro, Mexico

A few years ago I had a knock at my door from a missionary from Mexico. "I was given your name and told you may be able to provide bikes for us. I am a missionary in Mexico and we want to use bikes for camp ministries. I am driving back to Mexico in a week." So HWI prepared six bikes and he took them down.

On Jan 2, 2012 I got this message. "Hey I just wanted send you some more pics of the bikes. 

 We used the bikes as one of the adventures during camp. 

One of the campers named Moses latter told his small group leader that the camps really helped him break out of his shell and get to know others. I asked most of the campers that used the bikes how they enjoyed it and they loved it. Thank you again. God Bless you." The Wood Family in Ometepec Gro, Mexico

Tom R's Surprise Party

Wow did we pull off an awesome surprise on a Gold Oat today. We had a surprise 76th birthday party for Tom R one week early. There were 15 who came to surprise him. We all had a huge dose of laughter, the best medicine possible. First two friends walked in. We pretended like they were checking out the possibilities to come volunteer with us. Next four other people walked in. Tom asked Grant what was going on. Then we brought the cake in and just slid it on the table. He read it "Happy Birthday to a Gold Oat." 

"That's Me" Tom said

All the while people kept filing in.

Gotcha

Sure Did!

Basking in our mischief

Hecklers!

The other instigator

Having trouble with those obnoxious candles?

That's one way to keep him quiet

Wow was that good

 No-it was downright PERFECT!!!.

New Year - New Opportunities

The year started off with a bang. Unbeknownst to me two radio interviews I had in the past were rebroadcast at the end of December and on Jan 2, 2012. A local program was on Family Radio in the Chicagoland area. The other was on January 2, 2012 on Chris Fabry Live which was broadcast nationally.

As a result of the broadcasts we've heard from someone who wants to start building our trikes. The newly formed organization has an interest in Haiti, which has been on our hearts at HWI for some time.

A physician just contacted HWI about the possibility of incorporating trikes into his medical missions to the Philippines.

Another person emailed me and informed me that she knew a para olympic cyclist who is also an engineer. We have prayed for such a connection. Please pray with us that as the friend shares with the para olympian that her heart might be moved to check us out.

The Road of Life

At first I saw God as my observer, my judge,

Keeping track of the things I did wrong,

So as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die.

He was out there sort of like a president.

I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn’t know Him.

But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride,

but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal.

I don’t know just when it was that He

suggested we change places,

but life has not been the same since.

When I had control, I knew the way.  It was rather boring but predictable . . .

It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead,

He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds,

It was all I could do to hang on!  Even though it looked like madness,

He said, “Pedal!”

I worried and was anxious and asked,

“Where are you taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn to trust.

I forgot my bring life and entered into the adventure.

And when I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy.

They gave me gifts to take on my journey,

My Lord’s and mine.

And we were off again.

He said, “Give the gifts away; they’re extra baggage, too much weight.” 

So I did,

To the people we met,

And I found that in giving I received,

And still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first,

in control of my life.

I thought He’d wreck it;

But He knows bike secrets,

Knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,

Knows how to jump to clear high rocks,

Knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.

And I am learning to shut up and pedal

In the strangest places,

And I’m beginning to enjoy the view

And the cool breeze on my face

With delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I’m sure I just can’t do anymore, 
He just smiles and says . . . “Pedal”

  Author unknown 

Working Bikes Founder visits His Wheels Headquarter

Today Lee from Working Bikes located in Chicago came out to His Wheels Headquarters. Working bikes has a system where they have shipped 6,000 bikes around the world this year alone. They have trained mechanics where the shipments are sent. With the bikes they also send spare parts that are needed to repair the bikes. These bikes need more repair than we would put into them. So today we have begun a partnership with Working Bikes. Those bikes that are beyond repair will go to Working Bikes. 

 Where will this bike go? 

No problem. There's room. 

Grant is learning from Lee, the pro. 

 What # of bike does that make Grant?

Guess how many bikes ended up in this load. Add to the number you guess one HWI trike. 

 They will put our trike on display at their headquarters. Lee will also take it with him to the 50 + events he attends around the state every year.

Working Bikes Visit

Here are a few pictures from our visit to Working Bikes in Chicago last Tuesday, the 29th.

 This is their storefront where they sell bikes, do repairs, and sell a small selection of parts.  This is about a quarter of their building where Kevin estimated they have 5,000 bikes stored!

 Here Alice and Kevin are getting a run down on how volunteers get involved, while Grant wandered around gaping at the 10 work stands and full tool sets they had in this upstairs workshop.

One Working Bikes' major purposes is to send bikes overseas to partners they have in various Global South countries. All the bikes were all ready to be packed into one shipping container with tons of extra tires, wheels, seats, and other parts they might need to be replaced when they arrive. They give out 5,000 bikes a year this way.

 These polaroids are of some of their volunteers who have helped work on bikes and pack shipping containers. They look like a fun group!

This last picture is of one of the ways they like to get people excited about bikes. This old Schwinn trainer is connected to a generator that as you pedal faster turns progressively turns on the each bulb, 1 through 5.  Another bike was set up to power a turn-table that played a Diana Ross record.

1st Togo Trike Update

When the Ebersole's went back to Togo West Africa in 2007, they took one of our first generation trikes. Today I got a report back. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Christmas than knowing how God has used a trike in a person's life. Russ Ebersole wrote, "we exhibited the trike many times as we were looking for a good candidate.  Because of its larger size, it was not conducive for a younger child, and the fact that the chain moved continuously (ie, no "glide" if you stopped pedaling) made it more difficult for younger people.  But during that term, we found a young man from a village about 7 km away from the hospital who had to have his leg amputated due to a delay in seeking care after a severe fracture that became infected.  He was at our hospital for a long time, and afterwards he returned to see us on many occasions. So we gave him the trike, and we have some photos/videos...I will get forward the pictures your way.  Thanks so much for that trike, and I know this young man (in his 20s now) certainly appreciates it."

They will take one of our latest generation trikes back with them in the fall. They are interested in possibly getting some compact trike kit.

Our time at UIC

Here are a couple of pictures of the two different groups that presented on Tuesday about their findings regarding HWI potentially bringing a US trike into production. These undergrad students learned a lot about how hard it is to bring a product to market and we gained a lot more understanding about what we will have to do if we want to make that happen. 

This last picture is of Harvey and Alice laughing, I think this portrays the fun that we had that morning both at UIC and at Working Bikes.

Thanks & Congratulations UIC Students

Hooray to the 9 University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)  Students. They gave amazing presentations of their US His Wheels trike findings. What an amazing group of students. Thanks so much to all of you and for the hundreds of hours you poured into the project on behalf of HWI.

Trip to Chicago

Tomorrow His Wheels travels to University of Illinois (UIC) to hear the US trike feasibility study findings presented by 9 students. Then from UIC we will head south a few miles and meet with the folks at Working Bikes. We look forward to many new discoveries on our trip to Chicago.

Conference Trike Journey Continues

Since Dr. Harold Adolph took one of our trikes to the Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, from November 10-12th we got an email from Al, a board member with PET International. PET is a faith-based, (Mennonite I think) volunteer-powered, humanitarian, and world-wide organization. Personal Energy Transportation vehicle is a hand-pedaled three wheel wooden trike. Since their inception in 1995 PET now has 22-affiliate site that have made and distributed 30,000 PETs to 92 countries through over 23 distribution partners. PETS  mission is to reflect the love of Jesus Christ by bringing the gift of mobility and dignity to those in developing countries who are unable to walk. Al's email said, “The need has come up for a trike that has higher wheels... and can carry some cargo. From your photos it looks like His Wheels is making a trike much like what we  are envisioning. How can we work with you to get a trike that fits our needs?”

The email was followed by an hour phone call. A few days later a meeting was scheduled at His Wheels headquarters for December 5, 2011. Representatives from PET along with someone from Hope Haven will come from Indiana, Missouri and Iowa to meet with us. Hope Haven's mission is As followers of Christ, we unleash potential in people through work and life skills so that they may enjoy a productive life in their community. To date, over 90,000 wheelchairs have been distributed in 106 countries.This ministry, as with all of Hope Haven's services, is "a ministry of Christian mercy based on the conviction that God's Word speaks to and directs all of life." There is also a program in Guatemala where the disabled are manufacturing wheelchairs and have built some other prototypes. 

We look forward to what God has in store. Please pray for safe travels and God's will to be done through this meeting whereby we as the Church of Jesus Christ can assist those in need through the tool of transportation.

 

Christmas Bike Sale

Bike Sale rescheduled for this Friday from 9AM-2PM instead of Saturday. The sale is at 302 Union St. in Wheaton, across the street from the 10,000 Village Sale. If you can help email me at info@hiswheels.org. If you are interested in buying a bike we have about 30 bikes for sale.

Trike headed to Togo West Africa

Yesterday I emailed Dr. Harold Adolph who took our trike to the Global Missions Health Conference this week. I had learned that Dr. Ebersole, whom we sent a trike to Togo with in 2007, was speaking at the conference. 

Today I got an email from Dr. Harold Adolph who is at the Global Missions Health Conference where he had a trike. He said, "You will be interested to know that God arranged to have this trike go to Togo and my brother Bob packed it up in his vehicle to take to someone going to Togo soon. They will take pictures and send them to you.

 

I had just told the Lord that the trike still didn't have a home and would He please help me find a good home for it. At our booth, when I arrived, was my brother who said he would like it to go to Togo. That was a long wait for a great answer."

 

How exciting to think of where this trike will take His Wheels. We trust the travelers and the trike will have a safe journey.

Global Missions Health Conference

Dr. Adolph with Soddo Christian Hospital took one of HWI's trikes tot the Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, KY. The conference is from Nov. 10-12th. We are then hoping to give the trike away to an organization that is participating in the conference who may have a way to use trikes in their ministry overseas.