MESSAGE FROM THE COACH

Well, we've been busy working on some programs for this summer and fall. Praying...taking ideas... formulating thoughts... laying them at the feet of God for His direction... then doing "what we can do" which is printing brochures, creating a new website (www.ywamhockey.com), and promoting the programs. Then we leave it in the hands of God for His work.
It has been so encouraging!
Here are the three major projects:

1) SUMMER HOCKEY CAMPS FOR KIDS:
We will be involved in 6, week long, hockey camps, up from 3 last summer.
YWAM Hockey Camps in Prince George and Westside (Kelowna).
We are partnering with AIA to do a residential camp in Langley.
I have been invited to be the Head Coach at Peace River Bible Institute in Grande Prairie and Winkler Bible Camp in Manitoba.
The last camp is AIA's camp in Chemainus (Vancouver Island).
Camper registrations are coming in.

2) SUMMER HOCKEY INTERNSHIP:
This is a partnership with AIA. It's a 7 week Internship for Christian hockey players, aged 17-25. We are hoping for 2 girls and 4 guys (1 being a goaltender) who will serve at 5 of the above hockey camps (except Winkler) as assistant instructors, counselors and camp support staff. There will be a very intense 5 day Mini Training Camp at the start. Shafe & I will be the leadership team for the 1st 6 weeks and Chris Wiens of AIA will take over the last week.
2 girls & 1 guy have applied so far.

3) HOCKEY DTS Sept. 25 to March 7/08:
This is will be our second 5 month discipleship program, 3 months in Vancouver and 2 months outreach to Russia, for Christian hockey players aged 18-25.
We are hoping for 10-12 students with a mix of guys & girls with at least one being a goalie.
To date we have 4 guys registered with a 5th guy (a goalie!) apparently sending his application very soon.

It has been a very interesting and challenging, past 6-7 months. It seems that we're still below the ground, using high rise building construction analogy, building the foundation of what God has called us to do.
Some additional things that we continue to pray about is our monthly support level and our van looks like its on its last legs (close to 300,000 KM on it).
All in all it has been pretty exciting seeing how & where God is at work.

"HEART & GRIT"

Heart and Grit characterizes my old hockey team; the 1972/73 Jr. A Penticton Broncos of the BCHL, and thirty four years later that was the headline in the Penticton Herald newspaper.
This past weekend the Penticton Broncos were priviledged to be honored, by the current Penticton Vees Jr. "A" team, as one of the most successful junior teams in Penticton's history. The players who were present at the celebration were Bob Nicholson, Grant Mulvey, Chad Campbell, Tim Struch, Mike Holmes, Dan Ashman, Doug Lawton, Ed Dempsey, myself, coach Don Slater and director Hoss Cartwright. Many others were not able to make it to the reunion.
I love these guys!
1972/73 was a very special year. We won the B.C.H.L. Championship, the B.C./ Alberta Championship and then lost in the 7th game to Portage La Prairie in the Western Canadian Championships.
After playing 60 league games, we played another 32 playoff games in 39 days, including all the travelling. Every playoff game was a battle, fighting tooth and nail with Kelowna, Kamloops, Chilliwack, Calgary and then Portage La Prairie (who went on to win the National title in 4 straight games after our series).
Mark Patterson played every playoff game with cracked ribs that needed freezing, by a needle in the ribs, before each game; and Bob Nicholson played with a broken thumb; and every player played with an assortment of hurts, bruises and fatigue.
Our team had heart, we would go through the wall for each other (and I believe we still would).
We loved & cared for each other and were committed to a common goal. We are still close today because we went into battle together and came out the other side as winners.
Isn't it interesting that each of us, to a man, still lament about how we were up 3 games to 1 against Portage and let them come back to beat us. We were, oh so, close to winning the Centennial Cup as National Champs.
I finally tried to deal with the disappointment of the lost opportunity a few years ago.
While driving across Canada we spent a night in Portage where I visited the old rink where we had lost that final game of the series. Shafe, my wife, left me to myself "at the scene of the crime" saying "do what you need to do".
Not sure how successful I was but I felt bit better.

Glen Bueckert