A Gift of Mobility… The PET® Project

Dear PET-Kin,

Our 24th load-out is set for Wednesday, 15 February. The Fedex truck is scheduled to arrive at 10AM. The pizza will come at 11AM and the birthday cake is celebration of our 7th birthday will be in the shop. There will also be flyers for the first annual PET Derby Gala for you and for anyone you might like to invite to the evening of fun, great! Food and the derby of PETs. This is a fund raiser for our ministry which we hope to make an exciting event every year It will be held at Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church at 312 W Hawthorne Rd.

The wood from our PET-Kin is Alaska has arrived. It is being checked over by Bill Silverthorn with half of it being stored at his shop and half at the paint barn. Thanks will be sent to our Alaskan relatives for the great contributions they make to The Inland NorthWest PET Project. I want to THANK all of you who have faithfully contributed to the making of our 1049 PETs. We will in time know that that many people have been lifted off of the ground and back into a life of dignity. Finding a reliable company to manage the production of our 1000th T-Shirts to go with our celebration this Spring has been a challenge. We have a third one working now and hope that will prove successful.

This year’s annual meeting of PET International will be 14 and 15 September in Bryan,Texas.

PET TX-Brazos Valley will be hosting the 2012 PET International Annual Meeting and Workshops. More information will be posted in the coming months, but for now, mark your calendars! If anyone would like to go with me, as Don Mattocks did last September, please let me know. I read recently the best time to buy plane tickets is 3 months before you plan to go.

 We’ll be having some home schoolers at the shop(s) on Monday. Here’s Kelly’s note:

 Hi Dick,

Thank you for helping me to introduce home schooling families to the PET Spokane ministry. I will bring home schooling kids and their parents (15 people max) to the PET Shop on 2/13 at 11 am. After our time at the PET Shop, I hope to have several families follow you to the paint shop to pick up PET pieces to take home and paint.

I look forward to seeing you soon! Thank you,

 Here is what one mom wrote to me when I told her about the PET tour:

“I have been praying for direction on where our family can serve with passion. When I saw the PET video, I just wept. Giving others legs to travel. Doing it for God’s glory and delight. We want parts. We want to paint!”

 –Kelly Clark,   Exploring Families – Field Trips for Families

Dick Carpenter

Dear PET-Kin,

Approval for our 24th shipment came through this morning: Wednesday, 15 February at 10AM. Please let me know if you can be available for the load-out.

A reminder of the PET Derby Gala set for Friday, 4 May at WCPC from 6-9. It is intended to be an evening for fund raising for our ministry but also an evening of fun and great food. There will be dancing after the meal and dessert. Dave Rasor’s band will provide the music. Child care will be available. We’re working on a flyer to be publicity and tickets to be sold. We welcome ideas to make the evening a memorable one for all. Thanks.

Dick Carpenter

Beloved PET-Kin,

The excitement is rising and it’s aimed at Friday, 4 May 2012! This is the date of our first PET Derby Gala to be held at Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church (WCPC). The evening starts with a fun race of 2 PETs around the fellowship hall and it ends with dancing from the music of Dave Rasor’s band. In between will be an upscale dinner with 2 entrees and a lot of good times plus child care. We hope this will be the first of many Derby Galas all for the purpose of raising money for the PET Project. Our first planning meeting was Friday evening. We will soon have flyers and more publicity and tickets. The projected cost is $15 per person but this may have to be raised if the price of the entrees exceeds our budgeted amount. We hope you get excited about this and plan to attend. We will also need workers in several areas including tickets/advertising, checking people in, kitchen/dinner duties, decorations, set up and take down. If you are willing to help in any of these areas, please contact Rebecca Prince who leads the entire Derby Gala: “prince.family”@hotmail.com or 315-5097. Thanks.

We’re shooting for 15 or 16 February for our next shipment. We’ve asked Wheels for Humanity to coordinate with Fedex. We are within 10 PETs of having these 50 ready to go. Please let me know if you can help with the load out once I can tell you the exact date. If you ever need to use our 1000th PET, it is stabled across the street from the PET Shop. We have 13 boxes of wood parts coming from Alaska. We’ve decided to warehouse these for the time being because our painters have been swamped. They will decide their own schedule but could use 2-3 more painter volunteers to be on call. The red tires we ordered for the front of our PETs came in non-knobby so it will be another 3 months before we get knobby red front tires. This load will be a mixture of blue and green.

Here is Mel’s latest.

Dick Carpenter

Dear PET-Kin,

Yesterday was my beloved wife’s xx birthday and this will be our 45th year of marriage. I thank God for her and for all of you who have made the last 7 years so meaning full to us both. February is our birth month; therefore, we will have a birthday cake during the first week in February. If it’s not as work day for you, please consider coming to celebrate how God has allowed us to achieve so much to His glory.

Our first grant has been submitted to the Methodist Conference Advance. John Shaffer, a PET-Kin in the Seattle area took it on himself to do the writing. It may be several months before we receive feedback but we continue to trust in our Lord for our sufficiency. Our 1000th PET was suppose to come home yesterday but I was afraid my old van could not make it up Colbert Hill so I’ll get it next week.

We need to Thank our indefatigable painters for the work they have done in the last 2 months. We loaded them up with many hundred boards and they have finished almost all of them. The wood coming from Alaska will be put in storage if it comes soon. If it gets delayed as did their seats, then it may fit into our production process timely. As of 19 January, we had built 1029, packed 1027 and shipped 993. A subtraction shows that we just need 26 more for our next shipment. As our productivity increases, it becomes a logistical challenge but we’ve managed to keep up so far. We may slow in February as some steel parts come on line later in the month. Let’s just say “God’s in charge” and expect the unexpected.

ALL CAPS: THE PLANNING FOR OUR GALA DERBY FUND RAISIER IN IN FULL SWING. NEXT FRIDAY IS A LIGHT DINNER FOR ALL WHO WOULD BE INVOLVED. REBECCA PRINCE IS WORKING DILIGENTLY TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS IN ALL SENSES: FUN AND FINANCIALLY. HER TEAM NEEDS A LOT OF HELP. IF YOU CAN, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I’LL SEND YOU DIRECTIONS TO THEIR HOME. THANKS. WE ALSO NEED A VOLUNTEER TO RACE ME IN A PET AROUND THE HALLWAYS OF WCPC OUR HOST!

Here’s Mel’s PET Update.

The story in Von’s email below refers to the lady who’s PET was sold for $260. Once we discovered that, with a lot fo help from Von, we got it back to her and recovered the money. The crook was fired froms his job.

Dick Carpenter

Hi Dick,

I thought you cand Carol would like to see this.

– Von Driggs Director of Operations 903-881-5663

Dear PET-Kin,

A call from Walt Hays yesterday gave information for us but also showed us the scope of his efforts for PET. Briisbane, Australia is going to open a PET Project. They are sending a man to Penney Farm, Florida for 10 days of training. This sprouted from seeds Walt plantede about 2 years ago during a Lions convention down there. We will be sending 4 PETs to the Philippines some time during holy week when several Catholic priests Led by Father Tom of Anchorage join local priests for mission work. We will also be sending one PET to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where it will be stabled for periodic parades. A married couple have asked for one to support their efforts on behalf of PET. Finally, 4 boxes of wood parts will be coming from our PET-Kin in Anchorage enough for 10 PETs. Walt is in Spokane visiting his wife’s Dad and passed all that on in a phone call. Walt and Joan are a stream of energy working for PET all over the world including a project in Cameroon.

Back at home, we continue to produce more PETs than our logistician can keep parts in inventory. Our shortage of upper chain guards has been helped by our PET-Kin in Missouri sending us 2 dozen. Then Bill worked overtime to produce 67 more which are being painted by Apex but … Again… When we change one thing, it effects something else. When we asked Bill to not drill the hole in the chain guard, it left Apex with no place to hang the chain guard during powder coating. I had to have them drill a small hole in the side. We are over half way to completing our current iteration of 50 PETs. Without any intent to increase production, I think we’ve just become more efficient and effective in our work that productivity increases. I want to specifically acknowledge our team of painters who are keeping up with all of this and still giving us the bright and cheerful Rainbow PETs. Jim Dixon is leaving for Rwanda (2 trips). For one he was specifically asked to go because of his knowledge of medical machines. The second is with the team with which he has gone twice before. He may be speaking the local languages when he returns in the late Spring. The rest of the paint team includes Tom Crowe, Joe Kramarz, Don Mortenson and Larry Cook. We could use more men on that team if we can find some more volunteers. Our 1000th PET has been completed and was beautifully painted by Buck Foster. It is on display at Colbert Presbyterian Church.

Here is Mel’s update.

Dick Carpenter

Dear PET-Kin,

The home is quiet now. One set of grandkids have gone skating with their Mom and Dad; The others have yet to arrive. Our 19th shipment left on 3 March and our 23rd on 8 December. If my math is correct, that counts 250 PETs shipped this year. Our 1000th PET will move from WCPC to Colbert Presbyterian Church on Wednesday. If they are willing, I think we’ll stable it there until the Spring celebration with Dave’s band, barbecue, dancing and more. All of this has been possible because of the incredible team God has gathered together for this ministry. We may think we are building a machine but when they arrive in the villages of Mongolia, Central America, or Africa what we’ve really done is help some one build a new life up out of the dirt and into a life of dignity. Thank you to all of you who commit this part of your lives to PET. There are 2 things I’ve learned from 6 years of working with steel, wood and tools: (1) If you change one thing find what else as also changed; (2) One thing not done stops the process until that is completed. An example of (1) is when we extended the frame, it changed the way we pack: of (2) The lack of a brake handle means the PET can’t be completed. Thankfully, we haven’t had much of these as we have more than doubled production without even trying. A book by Dov Seidman “How: ..” seems to explain this: It’s not so much WHAT we do but HOW we do it that makes the difference. As I’ve read the book (And I recommend it), it seems that we’ve followed what he teaches without knowing that’s what we are doing. Our focus seems to be HOW we keep going or HOW we solve big problems; for example, the need to make our own pedal posts. Thinking this way, will bring many other examples to mind.

Our 7th year starts in February 2012. It’s been a fun and rewarding 6 years. Getting to know all of you and many more has added density to my life and I thank you for that. Just this morning as I came back from a futile attempt to get into our church, I found three of our dedicated painters diligently and creatively at work on a massive pile of wood parts: density. The way Buck made our 1000th PET so dazzlingly “rainbowish” keeping with our theme is a dramatic new way: density. It will be hard to disassemble and pack that one when its time comes. The men and women of the companies that have been with us these 6 years and some very difficult times for them but they stayed with the ministry: density. If you “look” where you can’t see, the men and women in their own shops and homes building frames and cutting steel, cutting reflective tape, cutting and sanding wood parts, creating and editing our newsletter: density. We have been given the grace of filling up each others lives in ways we could never conceived of but God knitted us together in an incredible team for “the least of these”.

We are well into our next 50 PETs. On Monday, we had packed 1007 and John had 2 more being finished. We have all of the parts to keep going but may stumble here and there. The one problem yet to be overcome is the lost of the hardboard we have learned to use in so many ways. The one use needing replacement is the two pieces we put in the box to keep the frame and handles from punching through in shipment. Some kind of thin plywood or equivalent will do the trick. See you next year if not sooner. Thanks.

Here’s Mel’s update.

Dick Carpenter

Beloved PET-Kin,

Our 23rd shipment is on it’s way to Med-Share in San Leandro, California. It took a little longer than our 20 minute record because the truck arrived before the PET-Kin, But, as they arrived, we got a bit faster and finished about 20 minutes before the pizza arrived. The extra time gave us more time for discussions and to get to know one another better. Thanks to all who made this extraordinary iteration of halving the time it took us to build and ship 50 PETs. Our 1000th PET will be finished next Wednesday. It will be a Rainbow of American colors: red, white and blue. Apex gave us the red powder coating and Buck is providing the wood colors. Thanks also must be given to our dedicated painters who provide the Rainbow effect we all have come to love. Our financial picture has improved since my last update. That has allowed us to purchase more tires, acrolyte, chain, bearings, sprockets and lumber. Lyle will pick up 2 units of lumber on Monday: however, we still need at least one more carpenter. Illness and other issues have hit our carpenter PET-Kin hard and without some one to take on the cutting of our wood parts, we will soon come to a halt. Del and Bill are working on this issue but they can’t handle it all. A wood cutting assignment consists of cutting from 400-500 boards then drilling and sanding them. It then takes at least a week for the painters to get then primed and colored and dried. Our welders are busy making frames and will take them to Apex for powder coating. We will hold the 1000th PET until the weather allows for our celebration with Dave’s band, food and more at Colbert Presbyterian Church.

Here’s Mel’s PET Update.

Dick Carpenter