29 days

less than one month till I meet all the riders and we head on a adventure of 1,300 miles of pedaling, spreading endless love and promoting the Fuller Center for housing.

Im honored to be doing one of the fastest growing Charity bike rides. I initially just knew I wanted to do one. I compared Bike and Bulid and Fuller Center for housing. One of main factors I chose Fuller Center Bike Trip was 100% of the money we raise goes directly into low income housing. `100%. That is amazing to me.

So many people ask what we are doing about sleeping, eating and showering. Most of the time we will stay at churches and they will cook us dinner. We will share our information with them as they eagerly invite us in.

However, as excited as I may be. How thankful and enlightening it is to have every ones support. Im also nervous. I still have a big chunk of money to raise, and this is where I need your help. Thank you to those who have been so generous and donated. To those have not, I understand the difficult economic times. Im facing them as well. and so is Everyone in America. But can you give up one Starbucks coffee, a night out at the bar, and our a extra pair of shoes and donate to this wonderful organization.

I aslo need help spreading the word. so please feel free to invite your friends. send a email to them. tell them about it.

:)

Less than 30 days. and I can NOT wait. :)

People keep asking for TFC principles. you asked. you shall receive
We at the Fuller Center for Housing believe that:

* We are part of a God movement, and movements don’t just stop
* We have been called to this housing ministry; we didn’t just stumble into it
* We are unashamedly Christian, and enthusiastically ecumenical
* We aren’t a church but we are a servant of the Church
* We are faith driven, knowing that after we’ve done all we can do the Lord will help finish the job—something that requires us to stretch beyond our rational reach
* We are a grassroots ministry, recognizing that the real work happens on the ground in communities around the world through our covenant partners, so a large, overseeing bureaucracy isn’t needed
* We try to follow the teachings of the Bible and believe that it says that we shouldn’t charge interest of the poor, so we don’t
* Government has a role in our work in helping set the stage, but that we shouldn’t look to it as a means to fund the building of home


One lasting thought..

the demand for safe, affordable housing is enormous. The United Nations estimates that over one billion people around the world live in substandard housing. In the United States alone, almost two million people live with a hole in their roof, 3.7 million live with broken windows and 2.5 million live in a house where the foundation is crumbling beneath them. Just over one million people live without complete plumbing facilities. (Source: American Housing Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, 2005)

Oh yeah and
The team is also interested in speaking to anyone who might like to come along as a volunteer support person and full-time SAG wagon driver. Those interested can email: bike@fullercenter.org.

& Ryan just posted on facebook that.

We have an opportunity to make our trailer for our bike ride look really awesome if we can find a sponsor for it. Cost is $950. We'll add a company's logo and give them some good publicity. Anyone know someone who might be interested?

Article from the Mennonite Mission Network

Ryan is the director of the bike trip. The Mennonite Mission Network talks good about him and the trip.

AMERICUS, Ga. (Mennonite Mission Network) – This summer, using bicycles, water bottles and helmets as their tools, 18 riders will travel from Michigan to Florida to help raise houses. From July 10 to August 16, these bikers, led by former Mennonite Voluntary Service participant Ryan Iafigliola, will travel from city to city, spreading the word about the Fuller Center for Housing and raising money to supplement building projects. The bike ride will also honor Millard Fuller, the founder of both Habitat for Humanity and the Fuller Center for Housing who died unexpectedly after a brief illness in February 2009.

Begun in 2005, the Fuller Center for Housing continues Fuller’s legacy of making decent housing available to all people. The Fuller Center focuses its efforts on helping to provide upkeep and renovations to existing homes. Instead of simply building new homes, they can fit homes with handicap accessible features like ramps and handrails, put on new roofs, and help with a variety of other repairs. “Millard began to notice that there was a target audience that Habitat couldn’t serve. For example, elderly people who are living in a home but they don’t have the resources for upkeep. Now people can be blessed by receiving repairs and then help send back a gift that can bless someone else,” said Iafigliola. Iafigliola first got involved with Habitat and Fuller during his time as a student at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. He knew he was interested in working alongside Fuller after college, and MVS provided a program that allowed him to serve with the Fuller Center for a year as a volunteer. Mennonite Voluntary Service, one of Mission Network’s Christian Service programs, invites adults of all ages and backgrounds to spend a one- or two-year term living in community and serving in a variety of locations across the United States. During his volunteer year, Iafigliola was encouraged to develop his own gifts as a leader and came up with the idea of a bike ride to raise awareness and funds for the Fuller Center. He modeled his idea on walks across the country that Fuller hosted during the 1980s and 1990s. Last summer, eight riders joined Iafigliola in a coast-to-coast bike ride from San Diego, Calif., to Savannah, Ga., and raised $135,000 for the Fuller Center. This year the goal is to raise $200,000, and Iafigliola is still looking for more riders, for a day or for the entire trip, to help meet this goal. Last year, one biker, Katherine Stump, found the ride on Facebook, an online social networking site. She was so inspired by the mission of the Fuller Center, that when the bikers rode through Americus, Ga., where the Fuller Center is located, she submitted an application and interviewed for a job. She now serves as the assistant director of communications for the Fuller Center. “The bike ride changed my whole perspective. I had never considered working for a nonprofit before, but for the first time in my life I felt God calling me to do something. It renewed my faith to see people putting their faith into action,” said Stump. During the 2009 bike ride, bikers will stay at churches and connect with Fuller Center partners in different cities. On July 12 in South Bend, Ind., Fuller Center board chair and longtime supporter, Leroy Troyer, is organizing a building event where riders will help to renovate a house alongside people from the community. Bikers will also stay at Kern Road Mennonite Church in South Bend and have a chance to share with church members about their ride. Members of the congregation will also join the bikers for the first day’s journey. “In our county, we’re working on a program to eliminate substandard housing. The Bible says that with God all things are possible and we’re claiming that. It’s exciting to see young people like Ryan getting involved,” said Troyer. After completing his year with MVS, Iafigliola continues to work at the Fuller Center as a staff member because of his belief in the program. “God gives us life so that we can give to others,” said Iafigliola. “This program has a tremendous ability to break down barriers and to build relationships.” Individuals are invited to join the Fuller Center bikers for any length of time during the ride. For more information about the Fuller Center bike adventure, visit www.fullercenterbiketrip.com. For more information on Mennonite Voluntary Service and other Christian service programs, visit service.mennonitemission.net by Hannah Heinzekehr