Welcome to summer camp 2008! This is day one and as you can see there is a ton of excitement and anticipation in these campers. This is the town of Trnava which is about one hour from Bratislava. What kind of camp is this, you ask. Well, have a look at these same campers the next day.

What better way to spend a week of the hot summer days than playing the greatest game around on the cool ice? At this particular camp we had 80 slovak kids from all around the country. The organization conducting this camp is Hockey Ministries International which originated in Canada some 30 years ago. They do hockey camps just like this one in places all over Canada, the United States, Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland and of course Slovakia.

Before the camp in Trnava I was in Slany of the Czech Republic for a camp with the same organization. Here there were about 35 kids from Czech and 17 kids from Poland.

In Slany they have a hockey arena with a hotel inside which is a perfect venue for a summer hockey camp. Slany is located about 40 minutes north of Prague and has a population of about 35,000.

Hockey is hugely popular in the Czech Republic, similar to Slovakia. There are a number of Czech guys playing in the NHL and other professional leagues around the world. Hockey Ministries (HMI) has built relationships with some of these professional players and invites them to come and use they their platform and fame to influence the lives of kids from their country. The most important aspect of these players is not that they play hockey but rather that they are followers of Jesus Christ.

Not all of the players who work with HMI are current players. Meet Glenn "Chico" Resch. Chico played goalie in the late 70's and throughout the 80's for several NHL teams but mostly the New Jersey Devils. Chico won a Stanley Cup with the New York Islanders. He has faithfully served with HMI for many years now teaching priceless wisdom about stopping pucks and sharing his faith in Jesus Christ to kids all over the world. It was my pleasure to share a room with Chico and talk about great hockey memories as well as the greatness of God the Father.

The challenge for us North American coaches is the language barrier. Its a bit more challenging to say all that you want to say to kids when you have to wait for a translator and even then there's no guarantee the message will get through. These kids know who Chico and the other professionals are so they hang on their every word.

The Slany camp also welcomed first time participant Noah Welsh. Noah has just recently broken into the NHL playing currently for the Florida Panthers. He grew up playing in Boston, played college at Harvard and then had a few stops in the minors. Noah was great with the kids, teaching them valuable lessons about the game, and they really enjoyed having him in camp.

Each of the different age groups of players were given 90 minutes of ice in the morning and in the afternoon. This camp was a bit smaller in numbers but still some of us coaches we were on the ice for 6 hours each day. Its times like these when you can feel every year of your age. My feet were not too happy at this first camp but my heart was loving every minute of it.

Imagine the impact on a young persons beliefs/thinking when a guy from the NHL expresses his love and faith in the Lord Jesus. Here Chico interviews Noah in front of the Polish kids and the Polish leader translates. A few moments later the Czech kids come in and listen to Noah share. Considering how brutal and tough the world of professional hockey can be its difficult for many to imagine how God could get a hold of the heart of someone from this part of the world. However it is precisely this type of person who often times has the most powerful story to tell about the transforming power of Almighty God. Be blessed Noah and may your light shine brightly in the dark environment of the NHL.

Each day the coaches had to be in close communication about what we were trying to accomplish on the ice so that the kids got the best training we could offer them. This camp had a an extra added challenge as we had to use 3 languages rather than 2 (Czech, Polish and English). The kids learned how to be stronger skaters in addition to better over-all hockey players.

These are 2 of our Polish friends. We were glad to have the Poles in camp. The kids and their leaders are really nice people and were lots of fun in camp.

For one of the evenings entertainment we had a little Karoke sing-a-long. I was roped into doing a weak rendition of "We will rock you." Thankfully, even European kids know the words to this song. A good time was had by all.

One of the best parts for me about camp is to have the opportunity to enjoy significant time together with brothers who share my passion for knowing God. It is these situations where we are able to draw strength, wisdom and support from one another. They seem to rather few and far between on the mission field which makes these times all the more special. You already know Chico and Noah (far right). The guy on the far left is Noah's brother Keith.

On the last day of Noah's stay in camp the boys flooded into the coaches dressing room for an autograph. Chico also was asked to sign his name to many jerseys, helmets and other equipment. Thankfully these are the type of men who know that it is more important to make God's name famous rather than promote their own name. Its a profound statement to impressionable boys who are being taught that fame, success and money is the road to happiness.

Each of the campers receives an award at the end of camp for their excellent participation and effort. We are praying it will be a week they will long remember.

The last day of the Slany camp, it had to come. The final day of camp is always a bit sad although there are new friendships to enjoy and grand memories to savor. And, of course, there always next year to look forward to. This camp has been running strong in Slany for approximately 10 years.

Then it was time for the Poles to hit the road. They had a 10 hour drive to endure so they got on the road several hours ahead of everyone else.

These are my Canadian friends Cassidy, Brad, Steele and Matt. They were at the camp last year and decided to return for another. Because I was one of the only native english speakers in camp I was privileged to serve as the off-ice counselor for these kids. Each day we met in the HMI group known as the Huddle to talk about important, relevant issues in our lives such as faith, family and how to deal with fear, heartbreak and doubt. So here's a little shout out to my friends in Cananda: Hi Cass, Hi Matt(alias stinky), Hey Iron Man, watt up? Peace my friends.

Now back to the Trnava camp. Each day of any camp we have what is known as Chapel. This is a time of song, testimony and teaching about knowing God and knowing truth. There are some games also associated with this time but the center peice is exposing kids to the truths of the gospel and what that means to us in our own lives.

The coaches dressing room where we are having our strategy meeting for the upcoming session on the ice. The guy on the right is Alex Pirus who played in the NHL back in the late 70's, early 80's for the Minnesota North Stars and Detroit Red Wings.

The first hour of each of my 6 daily sessions started with helping Chico warm up and train the goalies which meant shooting countless pucks. For a former right winger that is a great assignment (until your hands are full of blisters). Although sore hands could never take away from the fun of these daily trainings.

A familiar camp site: Chico, surrounded by goalies and the all important translator by his side.

The Trnava camp had an army of young adults who were there to serve the kids in a number of different capacities. Some were there to watch over the kids during free time and bed time, some were there to meet with them in the huddles to share their faith and initiate discussions, some were there to provide off-ice training and some were on-ice trainers. This is Michael. I think he is 18 years old. He speaks a small amount of english and was initially a bit shy but after some guidance and prodding developed into a fine coach for the kids. He is also a promising young hockey player in his own right.

The energy and enthusiasm of these kids reminded me of my own childhood days playing hockey. Strapping on all the equipment, feeling the adrenaline build up in your body, and finally exploding onto the ice to feel a rush of cold air hitting your face as you fly around the rink. What a great moment. The only thing better for hockey players is looking forward to the next ice time.

Toward the end of the Trnava camp we had a very special visitor. This is Peter Budaj who has national fame and recognition because he plays goalie for the Colorado Avalanche. Many here believe he is the best at his position from SK. We had 12 really excited goalies in camp when Peter showed up. No need for translators here.

We also had the honor of having the founder and director of HMI in camp, Mr. Don Liesemer. Like every other former player, its still a joy to get on the ice and teach kids the game you love.

For the younger kids, we tried to design hockey drills which teach some area of skill but also have a high element of fun. This one is a Superman imitation.

Each practice session ends with a brief prayer at center ice. The kids are impressed when they see someone like Peter Budaj pray.

These moments were some of the most important in all of camp.

To my left is Bohus (Bob) who was the main SK on ice coach, Budaj, Marty, another SK coach and Alex, my former North Star.

I'm sure Peter's hand was tired from signing his name by the time he left camp. These are memories many of these boys will never forget.

Many of the coaches were pressed into the autograph movement. Chico is always a willing participant.

Here is a better picture of Don and his daughter Christy who is a full timer with the organization as well.

Peter is a 17 year old SK who was instramental in camp (no pun intended). Peter was our very capable worship leader as well as on-ice translator for Chico. Peter also gave a beautiful testimony at Chapel of how the power of God began working in his life when he asked Jesus to come into his heart and save him from his sin. Great job in camp Peter, thanks for all your service.

What a great group of kids. We pray that each of them departed camp with a seed of faith that will one day sprout and blossom into something deep and strong.

The kids have gone home and now its time for the coaches to relax together and give thanks for a week of power, fun and many blessings. There was a real sense of joy at this table. Well done good and faithful servants!