Transportation For John's Ministry

On Sept. 24/20, John Bechtold was travelling in his vehicle and returning home from an 11 day trip, on which he was visiting chaplains and supporters of his ministry living in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan, when he collided with a moose on the highway. Being the only occupant in the vehicle, John miraculously avoided any serious injury and was able to walk away from the accident after being attended to by on scene medical personnel.  John Bechtold, a former school teacher,  has been, and continues to be, a highly dedicated and committed member of the Hockey Ministries International (HMI). Included within John's role and commitment with HMI is his extensive travel, by vehicle, throughout Western Canada and the NW United States where he attends training camps and games of the various leagues, as well as other hockey related events throughout the year in order to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. John provides oversight and mentorship to the various hockey team chaplains in the various leagues including the SJHL, WHL and others. John also meets with various team officials when opportunities present themselves regarding the team chapel program and the promotion of HMI, as well as letting various team and league officials know that HMI is willing and available to support them in anyway it can. One example, of many, is the role John embraced after the tragic Humbolt Broncos bus crash. John, who also oversees and supports the SJHL team chaplains, provided the much needed emotional and spiritual support and guidance to the chaplains during that very difficult time. As can be expected, John Bechtold accumulates many, many kilometers on his personal vehicle during his travels in all types of weather and road conditions imaginable. As can be seen in the photo attached, John's personal vehicle was severely damaged in the accident and had 345,000 km on it at the time of the accident.  Having been fortunate enough to have worked along side of John Bechtold in the past as college hockey assistant coaches at Briercrest College, I have seen, first hand, the sincere and genuine love and passion that John has, and lives out, for Jesus Christ, his family, hockey players and HMI. I am hoping that others will join in with me to acknowledge and support John Bechthold in the faithfulness that he has had, and continues to demonstrate for Jesus Christ and John's ministry to others.  It is the goal of this Go Fund Me effort to help raise enough funding to enable John to purchase a newer, safe and reliable vehicle in order to enable him to continue with this much needed ministry. Although John will receive some money from insurance for his total loss vehicle, it will be very minimal, which would be expected regarding an older vehicle with 375,000 km on it. John does not receive any financial assistance from HMI for a vehicle, but rather has, and continues to rely on individual supporters for the efforts of his ministry . ABOUT HMI: Hockey Ministries International (HMI) is an organization that exists to serve the hockey community. Since 1977, HMI has been active in every level of the game serving all levels throughout the world of hockey. From youth hockey to professional teams and everything in between, HMI's desire is to see the hockey world impacted with the Christian message of hope. Through their many camps, chapels, hockey clinics, conferences, books, Faith Nights, Outreach Breakfasts and Hockey Player's New Testaments HMI serves and supports the spiritual needs of players, coaches, families and fans. HMI's mission is to reach the world of hockey, every player, every team, everywhere, with the message of hope found in Jesus Christ. Camps Each year close to 2000 children attend Christian Hockey Camps from across North America and Europe. These camps give the opportunity for children to enjoy a fun week of hockey while learning about Christian values and the joy found in Jesus Christ.  Chapels HMI's hockey chapel program was established in the late 1970’s to serve the spiritual needs of hockey players in the NHL. Since then it has grown to include chapels in 39 North American leagues, serving over 2500 hundred players.