Everything you ever wanted to know about DAN HAMHUIS.... ALMOST 128 FACTS, INFO, TIDBITS...

I saw this on the Vancouver Canucks website today... I must admit I haven't read all of it yet, but I find it pretty interesting to read, his Christian faith is very interwoven into who he is and into these 128 facts:

• Born on born December 13, 1982.
  
  
• His name is pronounced Ham-hyoose.
  
  
• From Smithers, B.C. population 6,000.
  
  
• Son of Marty, a Coca-Cola Salesman, and Ida.
  
  
• He has an Uncle, Herm Hamhuis who is a businessman in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. He listens to Dan's games online.
  
  
• Has two sisters, Cindy 23, a ski insructor and Erin, 26.
  
  
• He started playing hockey at the age of four, and his father coached him for 8 years of minor hockey.
  
  
• Hamhuis couldn't play street hockey outside his house because their was no pavement on the road. So he played in his basement until age 9, in 1991 when they paved the road.
  
  
• Hamhuis attended Bulkley Valley Christian School in Smithers, a school with a enrolment of about 100 and the same one where his parents, Marty and Ida, had been educated.
  
  
  
• He is a devout Christian, and practices his faith openly. His family attends Smithers Christian Reform Church.
  
  
• Growing up, he played Minor Hockey in Smithers, and made it a goal to play Junior A for the Prince Spruce Kings.
  
  
• At 14, he suffered a broken leg the night before the big tournament where WHL scouts were, but battled back and returned the next season.
  
  
• He was never slected in the WHL Bantam draft. Hamhuis says he never noticed: "It came and went, nobody said anything. Nobody knew anything about it. I didn't care...I didn't even know what the [WHL] bantam draft was -- I just played the game."
  
  
• In Bantam, he played Single "A." But when his team went to a bantam AAA tournament in Prince George, the WHL's Cougars noticed him hastily added him to their protected list in January, 1998.
  
  
• As a Bantam player, he put up 131 points in 59 games.
  
  
• Hamhuis went to the September 1998 Cougars' WHL camp for the experience the next season and then attended the BCHL Prince George Spruce Kings camp as insurance. He impressed the Cougars so much though, that he did the impossible...he moved from Single "A" Bantam to Major Junior as a defenceman in one season as a 15 year old.
  
  JUNIOR HOCKEY
  
  
• Hamhuis wore number 5 in Junior, and rumour is that it will be retired in Prince George soon.
  
  
• As a Christian, he says he "publicly professed my faith when I was 15, the summer before I left to play junior hockey."
  
  
• When he moved to Prince George to play Junior Hockey his parents requested a Christian family for him to billet with. He said of being a Christian athlete: "The guys I play with in Prince George are really supportive of that. Everyone's kind of interested in it, too. It's fun to explain it to them. It's fun for them, too." His parents said dropping him off to his billet family's home in Prince George was a difficult night for them.
  
  
• His first year, despite moving to a new town and a new school, he adapted well, cracking the lineup for 56 games in the 1998-99 season, scoring 1 goal. In the playoffs against Seattle, the Cougars suffered key injuries to D-men Garry Toor and Jeff Zorn. Hamhuis logged plent of minutes as a 16-year old in the top 4 and really shined.
  
  
• He was named the Prince George Cougars Rookie of the Year and All-Scholastic Player for his strong performance in school his rookie season.
  
  
• Sometimes, his faith was challenged off the ice. He said "My faith was challenged, and I found out the importance of what Christian family and friends can mean in staying close to the Lord," says Hamhuis. "Trying to fit in with (teammates) was one of the hardest things to do; you want to be cool so you want to go to parties and have fun. But then I realized they would respect me more for standing up in what I believe, and I was right."
  
  
  
• Hamhuis spent the offseason after his rookie year at home in Smithers, and found out many of the townsfolk followed his progress closely the last year. The shy teen was even included as a celebrity in a golf event at the Smithers Golf and Country Club.
  
  
• He spent much of the offseason in the gym, doing plyometrics and working on leg strength in particular.
  
  
• He later signed with Vancouver-based agent Ross Gurney of R.W.G. Sport Management Ltd who has made a niche representing high-profile prospects from B.C. such as Canuck draft pick Taylor Ellington, Kyle Beach, and Zach Hamill.
  
  
• The following season, in 1999–2000, he improved to 10 goals and 33 points in 70 games. He had told the local paper that 10 goals was his personal goal for the season during training camp. He also helped Prince George advance to the Conference Finals of the 2000 playoffs, scoring two goals and five points in a junior career-high of 13 post-season games.
  
  
• As a Junior, he fought Jordin Tootoo, who would end up being a teammate in Nashville.
  
  
• He ended up living with his aunt and Uncle while playing for the Cougars.
  
  
• His parents and younger sisters drove 4 hours to almost every game in Prince George.
  
  
• In 2000, he again won the team's All-Scholastic honour for good grades. While in school in Prince George, he met his future wife, Sarah Griffen.
  
  
• In the Summer of 2000, Hamhuis was back in Prince George, finishing up some high school classes when he heard on the radio that he was invited to tryout for Canada's National World Junior Team that Summer. He "nearly hit the ditch driving to school when I heard it on the radio." "I'm just shocked," said Hamhuis, who wasn't even eligible to be drafted until the next summer. "I'd been told there was a chance, but not to get my hopes up. It caught me by surprise, but I'm really excited and right away I started thinking about all the things I have to do to be ready. It took awhile before it sunk in that I made the WHL, but this is a whole new step. If I show up in shape and do well, who knows what will happen."
  
  
  
• In 2001, Hamhuis had a good offensive year with 13 goals and 59 points over 62 games.
  
  
• In December 2000, he was invited to World Junior tryouts. He was late getting their, along with another player, Jay Bouwmeester, as their plane had icing problems. He roomed with Luke Sellars at the camp. There were 11 othe d-men vying for 7 spots. The day after arriving, Hamhuis took part in a morning skate and then dressed in a scrimmage. He didn't record a point and was minus-1. He said "It's tough playing on the larger ice surface, with no red line and the quick forwards. Everyone is so fast, you can't take a split-second off. It wasn't very physical because a lot of guys had trouble getting used to the big ice surface."
  
  
  
• After some exhibition games and 4 days of tryouts, Hamhuis heard the phone ring before the crack of dawn Monday morning in his hotel room. Knowing the Team Canada tradition that early morning phone calls generally come from a coach delivering bad news, Hamhuis froze for an instant. Luckily, the call was for his room-mate. It turns out, Hamhuis had made the team and was heading for Russia. That same day, Hamhuis, who had never travelled overseas set off for Sweden with the team for an exhibition game.
  
  
• Marty Hamhuis, Dan's father, was in Toronto for the Team Canada camp and watched all the action with Dan's agent, Ross Gurney. Marty returned to Smithers once the team left for Europe. "Dan just went out there and played his game -- he didn't do anything outstanding," said Marty, who called himself "Dan's greatest supporter but also his No. 1 critic.""The forwards all know what they're doing, so he wasn't going to catch anyone with their heads down and get them with a hip check. He had a couple of guys lined up for it, then he realized (on the Olympic-sized ice surface) that the boards were still 15 feet away. Everyone said this was the least amount of hitting for a prep camp. It was pond hockey. I was sitting up in the stands and saw all the wrong things he did out there, but I wasn't watching the mistakes others were making. I had him coming home with me on the plane on Friday," Marty laughed.
  
  
• His mother said, "I'm actually relieved now. It was so tense for a few days when the cuts were happening, and there were a few nights where I didn't sleep."
  
  
• Tyler Bouck, a former Canuck who was with the Dallas Stars then, called the Hamhuis family to congratulate them as he was a former Cougar Captain.
  
  
• Hamhuis making the team was big news in Smithers. "I went to go out and do my job (Tuesday) and I had a hard time doing it because everyone in Smithers wanted to stop and talk to me for 15 minutes," said his dad.
  
  
• Hamhuis started his international hockey career off in style, picking up two assists in Team Canada's 6-4 exhibition win over Sweden in Stockholm. Both came 17 seconds apart...one off a goal by Jamie Lundmark and one by former Canuck Brandon Reid.
  
  
  
• He found Europe a little different. He said "It's really different here in Sweden. It's tough when you go into a grocery store and you're not sure if you're buying a juice or an alcoholic beverage, because you can't read the label. I had to check out all the Coke labels for my dad (Marty, who worked for Coca-Cola in Smithers)." About Russia he said: "The culture is different and the food is different. We haven't had a chance to see many of the historic sites around here, but we're supposed to go Saturday to see Red Square and The Kremlin."
  
  
  
• In a tough game against the home team Russians at Luzhniki Minor Sports Arena in Moscow, Hamhuis had a tough assignment: stop Russian superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. Canada lost 3-1 but Hamhuis got rave reviews for his play. "I had to play against him all night on the right side, and it was fun for the challenge. I think it turned out well for us," said Hamhuis, who thought Kovalchuk's pre-goal celebration on the game's final goal, with 100 feet of open ice and an empty net staring at him, was "classless." "In a game like that one, he didn't need to do that. We didn't like it very much, and we'll remember that."
  
  
  
• Before the game, fans from Prince George sent him a signed good luck telegram: "I unrolled the whole thing and read it, every name. It was crazy - I was amazed. I was only halfway through the first roll and I was in awe of all the people who signed their name on it. It makes you play a little harder with all the people back home who care so much about this."
  
  
  
• When Canada played Russia for a second time, they won 5-2, but it was a dirty game. Hamhuis left the game at 10:07 of the third period when he was hit from behind into the boards by Andrei Taratukhin, leaving him with a bruised left shoulder. Taratukhin received a major penalty and game misconduct. X-rays on Hamhuis were negative and he would not return for the next game...which Canada lost without him. Hamhuis called it a dirty hit. "I didn't see it coming. It was a tough position, just a few feet away from the boards when I was hit," said Hamhuis, who leveled Russia's Stanislav Tchistov with a patented open-ice hit earlier in the game. I didn't see it coming, and I didn't have my head down, so I guess you could call that dirty."
  
  
  
• Hamhuis also battled food poisoning during the tournament.
  
  
• Hamhuis helped Canada win the Bronze that year, and was on the ice for Raffi Torres Bronze winning goal. "We were so happy we won, and it was a great feeling to hear the national anthem played," said Hamhuis. He took a week off after the tournament, went home to Smithers and had a belated Chistmas dinner with his family, went hiking and rested his mind from hockey.
  
  
• When he came home with his medal, the town greeted him with a message of congratulations at the local A&W restaurant. "It's kind of weird to see your name up like that," he said.
  
  
• Hamhuis won the awad for the Cougars' Most Dedicated Player for his community involvement and was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team. Playing in his NHL draft-eligible season, he also participated in the 2001 CHL Top Prospects Game where he was Captain of "Team Orr." He also played for the West all- stars against the QMJHL's Dilio Division in Kamloops.
  
  
• Hamhuis volunteered for Child Find BC and other local organizations, and was Prince George's nominee for WHL 2001 Humanitarian of the Year. He also spoke at local Elementary schools about setting goals.
  
  NHL DRAFT
• In 2001, Hamhuis was ranked second to Jason Spezza by NHL Central Scouting among North American prospects for the draft. "He delivers checks that people on the receiving end would certainly think came from a larger man," said one NHL scout. Canadian Hockey Association director of scouting Barry Trapp compared Hamhuis to Ottawa defenceman Wade Redden.
  
  
  
• Hamhuis' family flew from Smithers to Vancouver in a plane so small, he joked, that the seats were window and aisle seats at the same time. He brought his parents, sisters, girlfriend and 2 uncles with him to Florida for the draft.
  
  
• The teams most interested in Hamhuis were Vancouver, Nashville and Chicago. He was interviewed by all teams and found the attention overwhelming. The speculation was over who would be the first d-man taken, him or Mike Komisarek?
  
  
  
• He said: "Coming from Smithers, I had no idea. We don't hear from anybody that goes through all this stuff. Just to experience it firsthand without any preknowledge, it's really exciting. A lot of fun....I'm not much of a guy for the spotlight," said the soft-spoken Hamhuis, who, with the other prospects, has been paraded around the continent for the past month. Just to be where I am now, I never expected this at all."
  
  
• The Montreal Canadiens took Komisarek with the 7th pick, and Hamhuis was the 2nd d-man drafted at 12th overall by the Nashville Predators.
  
  
• After being drafted, Hamhuis attended Nashville training camp as a rookie, but on September 19th 2001 was cut and sent back to Junior.
  
  CHL'S BEST
• Hamhis had a terrific Junior season in 2001-02, averaging about 40 minutes a game for the Cougars with 50 assists and 10 goals in 59 games. He had five assists in seven playoff games.
  
  
  
• In 2002, he returned for a 2nd straight World Junior Championship. Other returnees on that team were Jay Bouwmeester, Brad Boyes, Mike Cammalleri, jay Harrison, Steve Ott, Mark Popovic and Jarret Stoll. They ended up earning Silver after losing to Russia in the Czech Republic.
  
  
• At his first home game since coming back from the World Juniors, January 20th 2002 against the Red Deer Rebels, Cougars Assistant General Manager, Dallas Thompson presented Dan with an exclusive Stuart Antonenko Relief Carving in front of 6000 fans congratulating Dan with a standing ovation. Prince George Mayor Colin Kinsley, was on hand to congratulate Dan on behalf of the City with a print of the three local bridges done by local artists.
  
  
  
• On May 22nd 2002, Hamhuis was chosen over fellow nominees Erik Reitz of the Barrie Colts and Danny Groulx of the Victoriaville Tigres as the Canadian Hockey League's defenceman of the year .
  
  
• Hamhuis was the Western Hockey League's player of the year for 2002 and was also a nominee for the 2002 Nike/Bauer CHL player of the year which went to Pierre-Marc Bouchard of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Hamhuis was also a First Team CHL All-Star and WHL Western Conference First Team All-Star.
  
  
• He finished his Junior Career as the Cougars' all-time assist leader (123). He also served as their team Captain.
  
  
  TURNING PRO
  
  
• The Summer of 2002, Hamhuis worked out in Vancouver, and got to work out with one of his favorite NHL Players, Trevor Linden. He said at the time: "Being a B.C. guy, I was always a big fan of the Canucks, and still am."
  
  
• Hamhuis went to Nasvhille from July 8-14 2002 where he attended their prospects camp at the Centennial Sportsplex. Hamhuis signed his first pro contract with the Predators on Juy 7th 2002. Hamhuis lasted for the entirety of training camp, but on October 3rd 2002, just before the season started, he was assigned to Milwaukee of the AHL.
  
  
  
• While playing in the AHL at the age of 20, he had a spiritual awakening. He says " I was part of a group of older teenage guys, and we all succumbed to a lot of the pressures and temptations of being on our own and away from our parents for the first time. For me, I knew what was right, but it was so easy to do what was wrong. By God's grace, I managed to make it through those years with Christ still being a part of my life, but not the most significant part. When I was 20 years old, I went through a deeper spiritual transition."
  
  
• At the time, when he was with the AHL's Admirals, he would attend a team Chapel led by a team Chaplain. He says "He taught us about being bold and stepping out in our faith. It was a real eye-opener for me and my faith in Christ, which developed into a deeper, personal relationship that year. It was difficult being away from my family and friends, but I knew God was there. I felt His presence during a time when it would have been easy to feel more alone than ever."
  
  
• In November of 2002, Hamhuis was suspended 3 games for an elbow to the head of Utah Forward Barrett Heisten who suffered a concussion.
  
  
• Hamhuis scored six goals and 27 points over 68 games in his first pro season with the Admirals (2002-03).
  
  
• Over the course of the next year, the Predators lost Andy Delmore, Karlis Skrastins, Cale Hulse and Bill Houlder on their defense. This made room for Hamhuis to make the team. In their 2003 season preview, Sports Ilustrated called him "...a can't-miss player on the blueline."
  
  
  GOING TO THE NHL
  
  
• Hamhuis made it to the NHL for the 2003-04 season, and tallied seven goals and 26 points over 82 games with Predators in 2003–04.
  
  
• He played his first NHL game Oct 9th, 2003 against the Anaheim Ducks.
  
  
• Hamhuis scored his first NHL goal on October 16th 2003, beating the Blues' Chris Osgood. It was the winner in a 4-1 Preds win.
  
  
• A month later, he had his first career fight against Brenden Morrow.
  
  
• Hamhuis went to the NHL YoungStars game at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota in February 2004. His defence partner for the Western team was Christian Ehrhoff of the San Jose Sharks. The West won 7-3.
  
  
• At the end of his rookie year he was tied for fourth in point-scoring and second in average ice time among the NHL's rookie defencemen, including a five-point (1g-4a) night on March 4th versus Pittsburgh.
  
  
  LOCKOUT SEASON
  
  
• During the Summer of 2004, Dan returned to Prince George in the offseason and visited with the Jenkins family, the billet family of one of his ex-teammates, Jonathan Filewich. Hamhuis and Filewich would Skidoo all the time as teenagers on the family's vast property. Hamhuis asked them if he and his fiancee, Sarah Griffen could get married on their back hayfield that Summer. They allowed them to have a beautiful wedding. In the Summer of 2009, Hamhuis and Sarah brought their baby Anna and stayed overnight with the Jenkins family.
  
  
• Heading into training camp after his wedding, he said that being married would help his game: "It will make things better. It's so nice to come home after practice and have someone there for you."
  
  
• As Dan prepared for his 2nd season, the NHL lockout came. Dan headed to Milwaukee for his 2nd AHL season for 2004-05.
• Hamhuis had a monster AHL season, scoring 13 goals and 51 points in 76 games and was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team. "Coaches dream about having players like Dan on their team," noted Admirals Head Coach Claude Noel. "His game is complete. Some players are good offensively, some are good defensively, but Dan excels at both areas. He can play anywhere on the ice."
  
  
• In February, Hamhuis went to the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.
  
  
• His AHL coach, Claude Noel, is now the head coach of the Canucks affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
  
  
• Hamhuis was 2nd in scoring among AHL d-men in 2005.
  
  
• With the NHL set to resume in 2005–06, the Predators re-signed Hamhuis to a one-year contract on August 16, 2005.
  
  
  BREAKOUT YEAR
  
  
• In 2005-06, Hamhuis was back in the league as the lockout ended. He went on to record a career-high seven goals, 31 assists and 38 points in 82 games. He led Nashville in average ice time (22:33) in 2005-06 and was one of two Predators to skate in all 82 games.
  
  
• With the Predators out of the playoffs in 5 games, Hamhuis got the call from Team Canada, and went to the World Hockey Championships in Riga, Latvia from May 5th to May 21st. Canada finished fourth, but Hamhuis managed 5 points in 9 games. He lead all Canadian d-men in scoring.
  
  
• In 2006–07, Hamhuis held out the early part of training camp as his agent hammered out a new deal with Nashville. He would earn $1.5 million that season, $1.75 million in 2007-08, $2.25 million in 2008-09 and $2.5 million in 2009-10.
  
  
• He had six goals and 20 points in 81 games for Nashville in 06-07. He also has his 2nd career fight against Brent Seabrook of the Blackhawks.
  
  
• With the Predators going out in 5 games to the San Jose Sharks, Team Canada's general manager Steve Yzerman picked Hamhuis and his teammate Shea Weber to play for Canada at the World Championships in Russia.
  
  
• In May 2007, the Canadian team won a Gold Medal with Hamhuis playing on the point.
  
  
• Hamhuis was also named, at age 24, the Predators' player representative to the NHLPA. At an August 2007 NHLPA meeting, he joked that he first thought his main job as player rep was to hand out the NHLPA hats at the beginning of the season.
  
  
• In the Summer of 2007, there was talk of the Predators moving from Nashville. One potential new owner wanted to the city to buy unbought tickets so they could average 14,000 fans per game. The city refused. Hamhuis joined with teammate Chris Mason to show his support by buying private suites themselves.
  
  
  
• In the 2007-08 NHL season, Hamhuis had 27 points in 80 games.
  
  
  
• At then end of the season, he was named to his 3rd consecutive World Championship, as Nashville was bounced in the 1st round again. This time, the tournament was in Quebec City, and Canada won silver, losing to Russia in overtime. He and Mike Green were the final 2 players added.
  
  
• In July 2008, Hamhuis' wife Sarah gave birth to their first child, a girl named Anna.
  
  
• In 2008-09, Hamhuis played 82 games and had 26 points. He also had his 3rd career NHL fight against Sean Avery.
  
  
• His consistent 2-way play got him invited to a fourth straight World Championship, this time in Switzerland. Canada lost again to the Russians, earning a Silver, while Hamhuis had 4 points in 9 games. They lost the gold medal game 2-1.
  
  
  BUSY OFFSEASON
  
  
• In the Summer of 2009, he was one of 46 NHL players named to the Canadian Olympic Orientation camp, which ran August 24-27 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary. At the camp, Hamhuis was so excited that he was the first one on the ice for every evening session, several minutes before other players.
  
  
  
• In the Summer of 2009, Hamhuis was part of the 30 man NHLPA Executive Committee that made the decision to fire Executive Director Paul Kelly. In a players' conference call in October, 22-year-old Sydney Crosby firmly told interim executive director Ian Penny to hang up the phone because union members wanted to have a players-only discussion. Penny finally had to relent and get off the line. Later that night, players voted 23-4 to establish a committee consisting of respected veterans Chris Chelios, Rob Blake, Nicklas Lidstrom and Mark Recchi to investigate all the internal shenanigans of the past few months that led to Kelly's ouster. The four players who voted against the committee were Hamhuis , Washington's Brooks Laich, Philadelphia Flyers player rep Scott Hartnell and Carolina's Joe Corvo.
  
  
  
• The vote was a stinging rebuke for Penny who, in the days before the conference call, had circulated a letter from Hamhuis that supported Penny, advisory board member Ron Pink and Hargrove and urged the union to focus on finding a new executive director. "There had been concern from some members of the (executive board) that Ron, Buzz and Ian have overstepped their bounds in their roles, that they won't be able to get along with the next executive director and that they had something to do with an orchestrated attempt to get Paul out," wrote Hamhuis. "I believe these men have acted in the best interest of the NHLPA and warrant our full trust. We are in a difficult time right now at the NHLPA and the easiest thing to do is to blame someone else. Now is the time to be looking forward not back."
  
  
  
• Hamhuis' letter prompted a strong rebuttal from another player rep, Shawn Horcoff of the Edmonton Oilers. Horcoff argued that Penny's contract "violated" the union's constitution because it was done "without being advised of Kelly's objections and concerns and without Kelly even in the room, which is in violation of our constitution."
  
  
  LAST SEASON IN NASHVILLE
  
  
• In the 2009-10 season, there was speculation that Hamhuis could have been named to the 2010 Olympic team. He was not named, however.
  
  
• Hamhuis gave his name/funds to be the presenting sponsor of the Ronald McDonald House "Extraordinary Evening" fundraiser, which brought in more than $50,000.
  
  
• He and his wife Sarah organized a potluck dinner where she and the rest of the wives provided dinner for the families at Ronald McDonald House.
  
  
• In 2009-10, he had his 4th NHL fight against Alex Burrows of the Canucks.
  
  
• In November 2009, Hamhuis initiated the Preds' participation in the "Movember" movement - grew a moustache for a month to raise money and awareness for Prostate & Testicular Cancer.
  
  
• In a game on January 12th 2010 in Vancouver, Alex Burrows was called for diving after he got tied up with Hamhuis in the cornerboards. He was called for interference on a Canucks power play when it looked like he was only getting into position to screen goalie Dan Ellis. After the game, Burrows alleged that referee Stephane Auger was out to get him. "It was personal," fumed Burrows. "It started in warm-up. Before the anthem, the ref came over and said I made him look bad in Nashville on the Smithson hit and he was going to get me back tonight. He got me on a diving call that I didn't think was diving and an interference call. I had no idea how he could call that. It changed the game." Burrows actually has scored 5 goals in 9 games up to that point. He instinctively parked himself behind Hamhuis at the far post and easily tapped the offering past Ellis for his first goal. He then got behind Hamhuis again to deflect an Alex Edler power-play point shot past Ellis to make it 2-2. He nearly deflected a point shot to make it three hat-tricks this season, but ended up having to defend himself against Auger.
  
  
  
• Before the trade deadline, the Predators shipped a second-round 2010 draft pick to Edmonton for veteran UFA defenceman Denis Grebeshkov, 26, fueling speculation that Hamhuis was available. "It's hard to ignore everything that's going on because it [trade speculation] is out there a lot," Hamhuis told The Tennessean newspaper.
  
  
• The Canucks were interested, but Ottawa, Philadelphia, Boston and New Jersey were also kicking the tires on Hamhuis. The Predators reportedly asked for Cody Hodgson in return. The deal was not struck and Hamhuis finished the season in Nashville.
  
  
• Hamhuis wife Sarah gave birth to their second baby girl just before the end of the 2009-10 season.
  
  
  COMING TO VANCOUVER
  
  
• As it became apparent that Hamhuis would not be re-signed by the Predators following the 2009–10 season, his negotiating rights were traded to the Philadelphia Flyers along with a 2011 conditional draft pick for Ryan Parent on June 19, 2010.
  
  
  
• After failing to agree to a contract with Philadelphia, his rights were traded once again to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2011 third-round pick on June 25th 2010.
  
  
• Several days prior to his free agency, the Canucks traded for defenceman Keith Ballard from the Florida Panthers, which initially led Hamhuis to believe the Canucks would be no longer interested in him. However, on July 1, the Canucks were one of 10 teams to offer him a contract and he signed with the club despite more lucrative deals of up to $5 million salaries and terms of seven years.
  
  
• On July 1, 2010, Hamhuis became an unrestricted free agent and signed a six-year, $27 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks.
  
  
• Hamhuis says he uses Christianity to focus on hockey. He says "To keep myself in the right mind-set, I read a devotion or Christian literature and pray every night before bed. This keeps me focused and energized to live in a way that pleases God."|
  
  
• Hamhuis would visit patients at Nashville's Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital throughout the season, and would go reverse trick-or-treating dressed up as Winnie the Pooh in 2008 and 2009. Check him out in costume here: http://www.vanderbil...e_bat_baby.jpg.
  
  
  
• He is only the fourth person from Smithers to play in the NHL, along with brothers Jimmy Watson and Joe Watson, and Alan Kerr, a former New York Islander.
  
  
• This past offseason, Hamhuis was back in B.C. helping organize his sister-in-law's wedding when an email arrived asking if any NHLPA hockey players would like to go to Haiti. The father of two young girls initially hesitated, because of the potential dangers involved. But his wife convinced him the trip would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to help people in need. "It's not your everyday trip," said Hamhuis. "This is living in the dirt with a tarp pulled over your head. It takes you out of your comfort zone. But this is a beautiful country too, with the scenery and stuff. But the people are obviously not in the same economic state."
  
  
  
• He went to Haiti with Haitian-Canadian NHLer Georges Laraque. They went as part of a charity project to rebuild Grace Children's Hospital in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Fans can make a donation directly toward the "Hockey for Haiti" effort through www.worldvision.ca/hockey.
  
  
• He trains every Summer with Vancouver-based personal trainer Peter Twist.
  
  
• His nickname is "Hammer."
  
  
• Enjoys camping, hiking and biking in the offseason.
  
  
• In April 2010, he was named the Nashville Predators' nominee for the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which recognizes a player with "leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution in his community." The designation came after a vote by the players themselves.
  
  
  
• In Nashville, he and his wife would often drop by St. Luke's Community House or the Ronald McDonald House to do maintenance work or just chat with patients/residents.
  
  
  
• He donated $20,000 in 2009 to the Teammates for Kids Foundation which was routed back to benefit the Nashville Rescue Mission. He and his wife routinely volunteered their time at the Rescue Mission as well.
  
  
  
• Hamhuis is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, speaking to local chapters throughout the season. Brian Pothier is also a member. So is wrestler Kurt Angle.
  
  
  
• While in Nashville, Hamhuis personally purchased 25 gift cards at $100 each during the holidays to give to families in need. He also participated in a photo shoot with U.S. Marines to promote a Toys for Tots toy drive.
  
  
• He also promoted the in-arena recycling program by participating in the PSA which airs every game. PSA encourages fans to recycle cans and plastic.
  
  
• Participates in Prince George Cougar's charity events, where fans can win tickets to fly to a Predators game and meet him.
  
  
• Despite his son making millions, his dad is still the local bottling/vending rep for Coca Cola in Smithers.
  
  
• In Prince George, they used to play a montage of his best hip checks called "The Hammy Hippy Shake" playing the Georgia Satellites' version of the song "Hippy Hippy Shake."
  
  
• He is a former teammate of current Canuck Darcy Hordichuk.

Restlessness

I was listening to music while doing the dishes last night, and a track came on by Mattie Montgomery, called "Restless." I would recommend a listen.
It speaks of our destiny as Christians, what our destiny should really look like.
Check him out (and the song) at http://www.myspace.com/mattiemontgomery or download his cd for free at comeandlive.com
I am really enjoying listening to him, he is actually the vocalist of a screamo band called For Today, but during his concerts he often breaks into preaching, prophesying, praying, etc. This CD is so good, I can't get enough of it. I listen to the songs over and over again.

"We are called to a higher calling, God's vision to struggle for the sake of Christ and for the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven... All creation has come together for this single moment...to see what will come of your time here on earth, to see if you will align yourself with Destiny and God, with your inheritance of holiness. Because if you do, you will unleash a tide of hope that will sweep across our generation... that will change everything forever... a new restlessness... as the end of injustice..."

Okay, coffee break is over, back to work,
Enjoy, and have a good weekend!

My Olympics experience - Athletes In Action Olympic Project

I wrote this a while ago... right after the 2010 Vancouver Olympics ended, but got busy with homework and forgot to finish editing it and posting it!

So, here is my experience, pretend you are getting it at the end of February:

Well, it has been about a week since I got back from Vancouver, so I thought I would update you who about my trip to Vancouver for the Athletes In Action Olympic Project. It was a really amazing experience to say the least. I had no idea what to expect going into it, and I definitely got a different experience than basically anyone else who went to Vancouver for the Olympics. So much I could say, but I will just give you an outline of what we did and a few highlights.

A highlight of the trip was traveling to Vancouver and back with the Athletes In Action (AIA) crew from Edmonton. It was awesome to get to know them through the car pool. We had some really awesome talks and it was amazing how quickly the trips flew by (especially on the way back). We had some really neat chats and it was awesome to hear the life stories of these really neat men and women!

Our project started off on Saturday, February 13 at Power To Change headquarters in Langley, for a weekend of training and the yearly AIA staff conference. It was a really neat weekend of mingling between AIA staff and students from across the country. We had some really cool training and encouraging from Doug Pollock. He wrote the book "God Space," and it was so neat to be reminded that evangelism does not need to be us running around handing out tracts to people and sharing the 4 spiritual laws with people! We were given a whole pile of materials to give to people, but we were told to just be natural and just love people in conversation and let Christ shine. There is so much freedom in this! He used some sports analogies; sometimes we need to use the driver (for people who are opposed to God or have never really thought about it before) or just try to get a first down, while other times we use the putter (leading someone to Christ) and get a touchdown. We need to be sensitive to the spirit and sense where people are at in their walks. Just live with people and love them and show them that Christians are not a bunch of crazies who just want to sell them the gospel, but that we love them and want to wonder with them and help them get closer to God. It is so easy to go to either extreme, always want to use the putter or just be friends and never share the gospel. We need to find the balance.

The only disappointments I had with the weekend was that there were so many people I wanted to sit down and visit with (people who I went to Thailand with, etc who I hadn't talked to in like 3 years), but we were so busy that I basically just got to say hi and then a quick update and then back to a session. But, was a sweet weekend anyway.
So, after the awesome weekend we went out into the Vancouver community! We broke into hubs of about 6-8 people and went into the Greater Vancouver area to serve in different capacities. My group was working alongside a church in Burnaby/Surrey. We did a couple of community outreaches in the church (with the Olympics on an overhead and playing games with kids, or serving food to the homeless), and then doing some mini-Olympics in two different schools. I had some really neat chats with a few people. In particular, it was neat one night sitting down and chatting about life with an older retired gentleman who was bringing his grandchildren to the church for activities. He is from a really rough past, but it was neat to just talk to him, and then on Friday I saw him when he dropped off his grandchildren at the school we were serving at! He asked when the next thing at the church was, so hopefully he can connect with someone there.

The school outreaches were really encouraging as well, we could not share about Jesus or anything but just tried to love the kids and share some good messages about teamwork, etc. We told them who we were and that we were working with the local church, so they should check out the street hockey tournament on Saturday. These kids were from really sad backgrounds, a lot of broken homes and teachers were telling us how they needed to make sure that some of them had lunch every day. I led a group around and it was so neat to see how much it meant to just look these kids in the eyes and smile at them and just love them! The kids always wanted to stand in the front of the line next to me! I felt really blessed at the end of the day as a kid who I had met earlier in the week (didn't think I had spent much time with him) ran across the gym yelling, "Jadon, are you coming back next year?!" Showed me how much of an impact we can make in lives in such small ways! I had not seen him all day and had barely talked to him earlier in the week, but he felt a connection with me!

We also spent a day and a half down town, just experiencing the Olympics and talking to people. It was neat how much it means to people for a stranger to smile and say hi and chat with them! Shocked a lot of people at first, but it was really neat to just hear people's stories, share what we were doing in Vancouver and just encourage people! Just letting Christ shine through in our actions and going where the conversation went, and where people felt comfortable going.

One last story, we wore jackets that had icravechange.com written on the back collar (Erwin McManus made a small version of his book "Soul Cravings" that we were supposed to base the "More Than Gold" Project on). Well, we were on Granville Island and I was just chatting with a family whose daughter was playing the fiddle (another cool story in itself, amazing 14 year old fiddle player!) and this guy ran up to me in a hurry. He said, "What is icravechange.com? I only have a minute because I need to go drive a delegate soon!" So, I quickly told him we were with AIA and what we were doing and brought out the "Soul Cravings" book and tried to explain the main concepts to him as he looked at it. He said he had to leave but seemed really interested, so I let him have the book. He was shocked that I would let him have it. It was a crazy conversation, like literally a minute long. I was left kind of dumbstruck! "Did that just happen!" I just kind of stumbled trying to explain everything as quickly as I could and not really sure what to say!
So, we didn't get to go to any events, but it was a really neat experience just to be in the environment and serve people! The atmosphere downtown was incredible, and the weather was amazing the whole week! How can anyone be disappointed in the quality of the event with such a gorgeous setting, an awesome transit system and such an amazing atmosphere everywhere! (I heard people talking about how much better the downtown atmosphere was than Turin, and look at the fans at curling!)

Peace my friends!
And thank you for your support!

PS. Enjoy the picture that I had taken in the Canadian Mint Pavilion! haha They had a booth set up there.

Reflections from NTC- God's love, and sacrifice and freedom!

It is amazing how God continues to blow me away over and over again! It shouldn’t be a surprise at all, but God continually works in people’s lives in ways beyond my expectations! There is so much I could say, so many amazing stories of God working in students lives this past week, so I could write a novel, but I will try to just write an over view and a few thoughts here!
I attended Athletes In Action (AIA) National Training Camp (NTC) in 2004 (at TWU) and again in 2005 (at the U of A), and I felt called to intern this year. I wasn’t really sure why, but I just felt like it was something that I had to do. AIA used to hold two NTC’s each year, one in Western Canada and one in Eastern Canada. In 2006 I was planning to intern at the Western one and it got cancelled due to there not being enough participants signed up, so I was not able to attend. This year I was trying to get my little brother to come with me, so I signed up hoping that that if I attended so would Nathan. Nathan couldn’t come due to work, but I still felt like I needed to go. I was not disappointed at all!
I find it hard to explain exactly what NTC is, as it impacts the lives of people in so many different ways. I will do my best to try to explain it for a background. NTC is a week long conference to help create an environment where athletes can learn how to integrate their faith into their sport (and their whole lives). It is a safe environment for athletes to learn different truths and principles that they can then use in their sport. Many of the principles are good to help with focus and motivation in sport, but also to learn how to worship God through sport and through all aspects of life. It is always amazing to see athletes wrestle through the principles and see them experience freedom in their lives as the week progresses. NTC ends with a 24 hour sports marathon, called the SPECIAL, that brings all of the learning from the week together and the athletes seem to always meet God in really personal and profound ways.
It was an amazing week, starting with a few days of meetings with the AIA campus staff before the students arrived in Ottawa. It was amazing to get to know the staff better and hear stories of how God is moving in the many campuses across Canada!
Then the students arrived and it was awesome to watch them bond quickly and allow God to work in their lives! There were literally student athletes from all across Canada, from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (Mount Allison) to BC (TWU), and everywhere in between! So many universities were represented and it was so amazing to see how God is working in the lives of student athletes across the country! The Holy Spirit is working in the lives of so many athletes across Canada and is building up leaders to further His kingdom. I feel like the Holy Spirit is really moving among key student athletes across Canada and I am so excited to see how the Lord is going to work through these athletes as they go back to their campuses! There were more athletes at NTC than in several years, and many very elite athletes, I really feel like this is the beginning of a movement amongst the University athletic community. I feel like God is building up a group of leaders across Canada who will have an amazing impact on their teams, athletic programs, campuses and Canada as a whole! There is much potential in these athletes and I look forward to seeing how God uses them in the future!
A common theme that I saw was the theme of God’s love for these athletes. That God loves each of them not due to their performance but because He loves them! Christ died on the cross for our sins and we are the most valuable things on this earth! Nothing we do can decrease or increase our value in His eyes. I saw the freedom that this experience gave each of the athletes! They do not have to perform to earn God’s love, and no matter their past God loves them just the same!
The other theme that really struck home to me was seeing athletes giving their whole lives to God, including their sport! This was huge because so much of an athlete’s identity is their sport! I loved seeing athletes using their bodies as living sacrifices for God (Romans 12:1 was very prominent), and using the SPECIAL as a way of worshipping God. It was awesome watching athletes really experiencing the Holy Spirit through sport and just committing and giving up their whole lives to Christ, sport and all!
When I woke up this morning I turned on my iPod and a song by “The United Pursuit Band” came on titled “Even Now.” It really spoke to me especially with the commitments that were made this past week. It speaks of giving one’s heart to God. Giving up our hearts to God is all of us, our lives, our sports, our relationships, our finances, our security, all of us! I saw athletes experience God’s love in ways that they hadn’t before, and laying down their whole life to God. It was beautiful to see! Here is a snippet of the lyrics that really hit home:

It doesn't always work like I've planned it
I've seen a lot of good things, a lot of things been out of my hands
Even when I don't understand it
We have all got choices to make
And this one is mine…

Even now here's my heart God
I'm in love

Runnin' out of reasons to doubt You
Can't live another day here without You

Even now here's my heart God
I'm in love

Your love is sweeter than honey
Your love is stronger than death
Your love lifts me off my burdens
And teaches me to dance

TSN personalities and me...

Okay, I want to write this down before I forget the details... was a pretty "interesting" experience.
So, every year Athletes In Action holds a Grey Cup Breakfast on Grey Cup Saturday. This year the Grey Cup was in Calgary, and since it is in Edmonton next year a whole crew of us from the U of A AIA went down to Calgary on the Friday night (this way we know what is expected of us for next year!). It was the Friday night where there was that crazy weather (a bunch of multi-car pile ups between Red Deer and Calgary). I will get to the story soon here, just gotta lay down the background and foundation.
We were at the Hyatt in Calgary at 5:30 am in the morning, and most of us were assigned around the Telus and Hyatt to direct people where to go for the breakfast. Well, Colin and I got directed quite far away from where the breakfast was being held and were told by the head honcho to stand at the top of the escalators and he would be back in a few minutes to show Colin what was expected of him. Across the room was a room with walls that were all glass, and two sets of glass sliding doors. It looked like TSN had made that area their headquarters. Sure enough a few minutes later Rodd Smith, Dave Hodges and a high strung young lady walked up to the glass doors and tried to get in, but the doors were locked. Colin and I just observed from across the room and tried to remember the Dave and Rodd’s names!
The next thing we knew this lady was walking towards us in a very determined, purposeful manner! (Please note that it was probably about 6:45 am at this point and because of the snow storm I only got to bed at midnight and had to wake up 4.5 hours later… getting driven in a friend’s RCMP Uncle’s new 4x4 from Red Deer to Calgary Friday night was sweet, but that is another story and still made a long night!)
This lady was about halfway towards us and Colin and I both stiffened up because we knew we were in for a rude awakening! She blurted out, “how do we get in there… let us in there… we need to be in there and on the air in 15 minutes!” I tried to explain to her that we were just volunteers, but could only stammer out, “We… don’t… know… how… volunteers” between her aggressive demands. She demanded, “someone hired you, so let us in.” I tried to explain that we were just volunteers for the Grey Cup breakfast, but, could only say “Volunteers… Grey Cup… Breakfast” between more of her rants before she said, “I DON’T CARE what you are here for!!! SOMEONE hired you, so let us in!”
Colin and I were both getting very frustrated, but I once again tried to calmly say, “we are volunteers for the… Grey Cup Breakfast… the person who is in charge… will be back in a few minutes.” But, she kept cutting us off and then stormed off! It was incredible!
She stormed back to Rodd and Dave and a few minutes later a security guard came along and she told him off before he let them in through a side door.
The rest of the day was awesome though. Darren Dutchyshen came along about 10 minutes later so I called him over and showed him the back door in, and he was nice. Then Dave Hodges came out and chatted with me for a few minutes and asked me to let another guy in through the side door. So, I got to help TSN a bit in the end and talk to Darren and Dave!
Oh, and I have SO MUCH respect for Henry Burris (I know Rider fans may jump on this, but it is true), and “Pinball” Clemons. Seriously, such AMAZING men, and such good examples. All the CFL players came by with security guards surrounding them, the Als and Riders specifically, well Hank came strolling in by himself and stopped to shake my hand and ask me how I was doing. This was 7:30 am in the morning, and he genuinely cared to hear how I was! Solid guy! And “Pinball,” after the breakfast he stood and signed autographs for a probably a solid 1.5-2 hours, and I observed him as he signed, and each person was treated so special, like they were his best friends for years, gave every young kid a huge, and meaningful hug. Gave every person so much respect and love!
So, was a good and memorable morning!
Crazy TSN lady and all!

The Advent Conspiracy

Will Smith's Secret to Success | Guideposts

Will Smith's Secret to Success | Guideposts

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Intoxicating

I talked in the fall about how I want to be obsessed with God. That I wanted him to consume my mind and be in love with him more than anything in this World. Well, I came across this song by "The David Crowder Band" the other day called "Intoxicating." I have heard lots of David Crowder and am a huge fan, but never heard this song before! Wow, this song hit home in so many ways for what I want to feel like towards God! So awesome! Especially the last lines of the song,

"If I'm out of my mind it's You, You
'Cause I'm crazy in love with You, You
Inebriated by You, You
'Cause I'm head over heels with You, You"

I want to be intoxicated with God, obsessed with God, so in love with God that He consumes my mind, and that no matter what I am doing that he is in the back of my mind... Just as when I love someone I don't care what people think of my actions to show my love, I want this to be even moreso with Christ, I want to do what He wants from me, no matter if some may think I am crazy!
I want to be able to truly sing this song! I want this to be my prayer!

So, here is the whole song:

"Intoxicating" by The David Crowder Band


Intoxicating You are to me
Illuminating You are to see
Truly breathtaking You are to breathe
Sending my head spinning You are, You see

And I've lost my mind, I'm sure to find
Need to apologize for my
Lack of inhibition, for my belligerent condition
But with You this near I'm dizzy

Inebriating You are to me
Completely captivating You are yo see
Sending my world spinning You are, You see

And now I find a blurry line
Here between You and I
Raise the cup, drink 'til I'm full
Sing 'til I can't, 'til my voice is gone
And my head is spinning

CHORUS:
La, la dee da
La dee da, dee da
Dee da da da
Hey la, la dee da
La dee da, dee da
Dee da da da

Illuminating You are to see
Truly breathtaking You are to breathe
Sending my head spinning You are, You see

And now I find a blurry line
Here between you and I
Raise the cup, drink 'til I'm full
Sing 'til I can't, 'til my voice is gone
And my head is spinning dizzy

If I'm out of my mind it's You, You
'Cause I'm crazy in love with You, You
Inebriated by You, You
'Cause I'm head over heels with You, You

Uncle Stan Paulson- the loss of a Hero

My Uncle Stan Paulson passed away after a two year fight with ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease) on Wednesday. As soon as I heard of his passing, thoughts flooded my mind about how much he impacted my life and the lives of everyone around him through his 74 years on this earth. As these thoughts entered my mind I knew I had to get them out and onto paper, and that I wanted to share the story of my Uncle Stan, from my perspective of course, as soon as I could!
I began to think of this incredible man of God, who I am sure would have made it to healthily into his 90’s if not for the terrible disease gradually destroying the muscles in his body!
This past weekend I went to Grande Prairie for the funeral and I was reminded again about the amazing man that this world has lost!
So, here is how I remember my Uncle Stan! I find it hard to narrow down all of these thoughts that are swirling around my head and make it into a cohesive writing, but I will do my best.
In the fall my Uncle Stan was starting to feel the effects of ALS more and more and he started to chat with a man who was dying of cancer, George, at church every Sunday. They would reflect on life and would compare notes and guess who would get to heaven first. Well George made it there in November, and now Uncle Stan is there as well.
After the church in Sexsmith had a healing prayer meeting for my Uncle Stan one evening, my Uncle was talking to his son, Duane's Father-in-law about the prayer service and had the following insight: "David, do you remember how we used to order from the Simpson's and Eaton's catalogues back in the day, and if they didn't have what we ordered they would give you something better in it's place. I think that is what happens with requests to God. If he doesn't give us what we ask for He gives us an upgrade, something much better than our request! If God does not answer our request, and I am not healed, then He will give me an upgrade, something much better!"
Right until the end Stan was making an impact on lives. I heard stories at the family get together about the last few days of Uncle Stan's life. He had an impact on people right until the end. Nurses were drawn to serve Uncle in ways that are not normal. The story that shows this more than anything else is how one particular nurse served him for only two days, the Monday and Tuesday before he passed away. The nurse came to talk to Uncle before she left her last shift and asked if she could kiss him in the forehead. She said that he had impacted her life in ways that she had not been impacted in before. The way that he was not bitter, but showed love to those around him. The way that they could see peace in his life. Uncle Stan could not really talk at all the last few weeks of his life, but a few days before his passing he was still making an incredible impact on lives of those around him! That is totally God, and shows you a glimpse of how God worked in Uncle's life!
Uncle Stan was like a grandpa to me, he was more than your normal uncle, especially since he was an Uncle through my Dad's sister, Hilda, who passed away in 1993! And the crazy thing about this is that the way that he treated my brothers and I was not an exception. He treated all of his nephews and nieces, and I know also other people who he got to know, in this same way as if they were special, and like they were his favourite! All the nephews and nieces, and even great nephews and nieces had memories of things that he did for us that showed Christ’s love for us. We all thought that we were his favourite nephew or niece!
My Uncle was such a servant! And he inspires me to this day. I want to be half the servant of God that he was! When he retired from working for the school division he started coming out to our farm to help with seeding and harvest and he would work harder than any of us. And Uncle Stan would not just come for a few weeks, he would come right when seeding or harvest started and would not leave until it was over! And when there was ever a break due to weather, or anything else he wouldn’t just sit back and read a book, no, he would get out some paint and start painting the sheds bins, etc. He was always finding ways to serve us and fix up our farm! And I know that between seeding and harvest he would be helping his children, or his other relatives! And every winter he would go on a trip doing missions for a few months in countries like Ethiopia, Korea, Columbia or China! He would help fix up schools, or help fill a teaching role for a semester, or I am sure whatever else needed doing! He had such an impact on the people who he met in these countries that several of them even came to Grande Prairie to go to College and stayed in his house! One of these young men from Ethiopia, Anyo, even flew from Toronto for the funeral and was an usher with my brother and I!
Uncle had the whole funeral planned out, and it was just the way he would have liked it to be, about family, friends, fellowship and fun! And most of all about Christ's love!
I remember every time he came to our farm for seeding he would bring pictures of his expeditions over the winter for us to see how God was working in other parts of the world, and he would always bring coins, and ties and other types of trinkets for all of his nieces and nephews and their children.
Or I think of the letters that he would send me in the mail that were written on birch bark.
Uncle Stan would always be looking for ways to help us, like if he knew we needed a car or that we were interested in something he would get us magazines about it.
Or I think of my cars that I have owned, how am I ever going to buy another car again without him to assist me? He would let me drive his car at such a young age. The first car I ever owned was his old car, and he let me pay for it in installments, so that it wouldn’t hurt my budget heading off to University!
Even the newest car I got. I was in Thailand on a missions trip and Uncle Stan had heard that my old car was starting to fall apart, so he emailed me to come up through Grande Prairie to buy his car. But, in the meantime he had found a car which would probably better suit me, more in my price range. So, he recommended me to buy that car and did all the paperwork for me. I am so glad I had that 4 days with him, while we figured out all the paper work to get it into Saskatchewan! It was hard to see the first stages of ALS at that point.
I have so many memories of Uncle, from him taking us moose hunting, or of us putting coins on the railroad tracks behind his house and seeing how they had been squished by the train!
The last few weeks before Stan's passing he was heard saying several times, "I am ready to go home, I want to go home." One of the requests he had was that his children (Twyla, Sharlene and Duane), and grandchildren (Brady, Brian and Hannah) would live their lives for Christ, so that after he sees Christ, his wife, and parents and the rest of his family already in heaven, that he will wait to greet his family to heaven. He said that the most important reminder for us is to love our family first and then to love others. The most important thing in life is love! And that love flows from Christ!
The World has lost an amazing man this past week, a man of God, and the world was a better place with Stan Paulson in it and is not as good of a place without Him. As my younger brother stated, when Uncle Stan arrived in Heaven, I know that God said, "Welcome home Stan, you have done well, my good and faithful servant!"
Uncle Stan was not given the temporary healing that we wanted for him on this earth, but instead was given the greatest gift of Ultimate healing in Heaven!
I miss him, and I know I always will while I am on Earth, but I know I will see him soon, and I will always be inspired to be like my Uncle Stan. I know that if I come even close to being the man he was that I will make an amazing impact on this world!

Two of my heroes in the faith and men who have had a Huge impact on my life, Uncle Miles and Uncle Stan. This was taken at our 2008 family reunion, and the last time I saw Stan.