Happy July to all of you!
Let me fill you in on some of what I’ve been up to recently. During spring playoff season, I was in Revelstoke for a few days with the Kelowna Chiefs hockey club. It was there that I had lunch with coach Taylor Harnett of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. (This club is on a First Nations Reserve located near Russell MB) It was good to chat with him and share a prayer. I also was pleased to spend time with my good friend and Hockey Pathways Rep. Rylan Ferster as well as Revelstoke Grizzlies coach Ryan Parent. It was at this time that Chiefs owner Grant Sheridan was hit hard with meningitis, which I wrote about in my last newsletter. Please continue to pray for Grant, his wife Cherie and their son Tanner as Grant is still struggling with severe difficulty.
In May, I drove to Brooks Alberta to attend my 10th Canadian Junior A championship Tournament. (It was so nice to be able to stay with Lorraine’s parents, who live an hour east in Medicine Hat.) Getting tickets to the tournament proved to be a bit difficult, and it was the Lord who helped me with this. I wrote to the executive director of the BC Hockey League about my desire to attend and before I knew it, he had contacted the BCHL champion Prince George Spruce Kings about having me receive credentials through them. In the span of two days, I had my Spruce Kings credentials! I was able to walk into the tournament! How’s that for awesome? Thank you Lord! During the tournament I met many great people, (it’s always about the people…) one of which was the Alberta Hockey Ministries representative Tim Wiebe. It’s great to see HMI colleagues along the way, as often I don’t get to see HMI staff sometimes for an entire year or so.
I also want to include a picture of Mitch Martan, who was in my chapels in West Kelowna with the Warriors. Mitch moved on from the Warriors and landed in Wellington Ontario playing for the Wellington Dukes. It was good to run into Mitch and renew acquaintances. It’s so great to know that most of the people I have mentioned have been involved in a Christian chapel and in a prayer time throughout their junior hockey career.
In late May, I was invited to a Canadian Blood Services event in Kelowna and ran into a player who was in my chapels when I was the chaplain for the Vernon VIpers Jr A club way back in 2004 –06. Aaron Volpatti went on to play in the NHL for Vancouver and Washington. It was so good to reconnect, and we will continue to stay in touch.