Hello out there!!

I am glad to type this email newsletter! With Covid restrictions lifted, it is so wonderful to have full access to arenas, for not only chapels, but for games. I am very thankful that things are coming back to normal… it might be a new normal, but at least it still has a ‘normal’ feel to it. Now, let me get right to it….

 

Two quick stories…. in a recent chapel, I asked if anyone had ever had a big turning point in their lives… One player raised his hand and said, “Last year I got baptized, and I felt that the Lord Jesus washed all my sins away. That’s my turning point.” I nearly did a happy dance right there! How fabulous is that? Also, on a road trip to Wenatchee, Washington, I held a chapel in the hotel. One player stayed to chat, and said that he was looking for God, but didn’t know what question to ask me. I let him know that he needed to know peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5) As we talked, I asked him if he wanted to acknowledge Christ and ask Jesus to be his Saviour. He said, “Yes, that is what I need to do.” Right there, I was honoured to lead that young hockey player to a saving faith in Jesus. I was smiling and jumping for days and days,,! I still meet with this young man, to chat and pray.

 

Coffee times are a staple of this ministry. These are times when relationships deepen and conversations become very meaningful. Here are a few pictures of coffee times: one with hockey friends, and the other with my good HMI pal, Larry Krause. Larry met me at the pier in West Kelowna for a morning coffee. We had a fabulous time by the lake, sharing Christ and encouraging each other!

 

We are now into playoff time, and as of this email, the Warriors are one of four BCHL teams still playing. One of the ways I get involved in these games is to sing the National Anthem, which is a joy for me. The other way is to get up in the broadcast booth and assist with colour commentary on the game broadcast. As you can see, these are fun, fun times..! (Even the fun times are ministry times…)

 

Because the season has been extended through a few playoff series wins, I am pleased to hold extra team chapels. The last time I went to the rink for chapel, the schedule on the electronic sign included a spot for Warriors chapel. It was such an honour to have the chapel listed by the city staff on the arena schedule.

 

I was asked at the end of the regular season to present the Warriors chaplaincy program award, which I did with joy. It went to our assistant captain, Chase Dafoe.. (His dad Byron was an NHL goaltender for the Boston Bruins.)

This summer I am very busy with weddings, almost all of them hockey related weddings…. I have included a wedding picture; just one of the joys of chaplaincy in the warmer weather….

 

Last, I wanted to end on a very somber note: a call for prayer for Ukraine. The horrors that are occurring daily are unspeakable, and I ask for prayer for an end to this madness. I have included a picture of the Zamboni in West Kelowna, which has been flying the flag of Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.

 

Be encouraged, the Lord is our Rock and Strength!

Don Richmond
Hockey Ministries International
Pacific Region
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