| MEETING THE LORD IN UNEXPECTED PLACES |
| "He was homeless, and hungry. I fed him and gave him a place to lay His head" |
The race track is a community family, not only are our Chaplains caring for our race trackers, but the community also cares for each other. Here is a story one of our Chaplains told me while serving his race track community:
Margo and her husband Miguel, originally from Mexico, operate the cafeteria located at the track. Together they furnish good home cooked meals to the front and backside alike. Miguel has a van set up for delivering and selling breakfast burritos complete with drinks to the barn area, which allows the grooms, exercise riders, and trainers to get "breakfast on the run".
 Every morning at 7 a.m. after I have finished early morning devotions and prayer for the backside over the P.A. system, I go to Margo's to get a cup of coffee. Margo usually teases me a little bit in her native tongue with phrases like "good morning", and "how are you." She expected me to answer in Spanish, which is her way of teaching me her language.
One day went a little different. There was no teasing from Margo as I purchased my morning coffee. Instead, she leaned over to me and whispered, "God visited me last night". "Visited by God?" I thought,... pretending that I hadn't heard her clearly I ask her to repeat what she had said. She exclaimed again in a soft voice, meant for only my ears, "last night I was visited by God", she was obviously confident in what she was saying as she pointed behind me. I turned to look over my shoulder and there in the back of the cafeteria sat a man slumped over the table sleeping. I could see that he had moved the now empty set of dishes and silverware aside to make room to put his arms, on which he was resting his head.
Margo went on to explain,... "Yes, God visited me last night... He was homeless, and hungry. I fed him and gave him a place to lay His head". There was no teasing that morning,... just teaching. She understood very well what Jesus meant in Mathew 25:40 NIV, "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (Contributed by Dar Howard)
Yes indeed, Margo had been visited by God! Are you prepared for that visit too? I hope so, for what a wonderful opportunity to share the abundance of great blessing that comes with being a servant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Prepare your heart for a blessed Christmas Season.
Chaplain Craig
Executive Director
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THANKING OUR RACE TRACK HEROS
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| 12th Annual White Horse Awards in Arcadia, California |
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On October 30th, three deserving individuals were recognized at the 12th Annual White Horse Awards Luncheon.
The luncheon is held each year in conjunction with the Breeders' Cup World Championship. This year's MC was former trainer and television host Nick "Sarge" Hines. This year's keynote speaker was Dean Reeves of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing. Following his poignant and inspiration speech, the following award recipients were recognized:
WHITE HORSE AWARD
Jockey Rodolfo Arvizu
COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
Chaplain Nicholas Salios
TRIBUTE TO EXCELLENCE AWARD
The late Jeffrey Coady
We offer our sincerest congratulations again to our deserving award recipients and their families. Your dedication, service, and heroism also inspires us and we are blessed and humbled to share your stories, read about each recipient here.
Read about the event as written by Tom LaMarra for The Blood-Horse.
Next year's 13th Annual White Horse Awards Luncheon will take place in Lexington, Kentucky.
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AN UNUSUAL CALL TO DAILY PRAYER
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| "Without God's help I won't make it through the day" |
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A story of hope from Chaplain Rick Bunker at PARX Racing in Philadelphia:
The other day I was meeting with a small group of men and I just simply and plainly asked them if they had made a decision to turn their will and lives over to the care of God. We had been meeting together for a few months now and it wasn't the first time that it had been discussed. It wasn't the first time the invitation had been made to do just that.
Well, that day, after the question there was a long silence. There were many nonverbal expressions that were somewhat reassuring. Then one person began to speak.
He said, "You know 'Chap', every night now before I go to bed I shove my shoes under my bed so that when I get up I have to get down on my hands and knees and pull them out from under the bed."
I knew that he had really bad knees that are in need of surgery and thought how it must be painful to get down and get those shoes out from under the bed.
He went on to say, "I throw them under the bed each night so that when I get up and have to get down and pull them out from under the bed I remember to pray and ask God to help me through the day. I know that without God's help I won't make it through the day without falling back into my old ways."
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2nd ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
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Benefiting Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund
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On October 1, 2014 we hosted our Second Annual Golf Tournament at Griffin Gate Golf Club in Lexington, KY. With the support of 14 participating teams, over $1,000 was raised for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), a non-profit charity that provides financial assistance to former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries (www.pdjf.org).
 Terry Meyocks, National Manager of the Jockeys' Guild and a Board Member of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, was among the day's golfers and graciously accepted the contribution on behalf of PDJF.
During the dinner following the tournament, Churchill Downs Chaplain, Ken Boehm, delivered a very moving message about God's saving grace. Thank you Chaplain Ken for sharing your gift of speech with all of us that day.
Among this year's event sponsors were; WinStar Farm, Brook Ledge Horse Transportation, The Jockeys' Guild and Miller, Mayer, Sullivan & Stephens, LLP.
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| THANK YOU FROM SALTY ROBERTS |
| A Note from RTCA's Founder on his 83nd Birthday |
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RTCA's Founder, Salty Roberts, celebrated his 83nd birthday in September. He asked us to extend his gratitude and thanks for all of the well wishes sent to him. He appreciated hearing from everyone and said that all of your kind thoughts were uplifting.
A SIDE NOTE:
Salty's holding up "Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled" Booklets. He was able to visit the National Office in Lexington, KY this past April during our 2014 Chaplain School and left each of us a copy. It's unfathomable how many of these booklets, and ones like these, he's given out over the years. His desire to spread the Gospel was the catalyst for the formation of RTCA. Read more about his story here.
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| A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM US TO YOU |
| Our Small Way of Saying Thank You for Your Support! |
Through the end of January 2015 when you make a donation of $100 or more to Race Track Chaplaincy of America we will send you a small gift! Choose from one of the following books:
"Silent Night" The Stories Behind 40 Beloved Christmas Carols. "With its unique blend of history, tradition, and devotional insight, this book will bless your Christmas experience year after year."
"God's Blessings of Christmas" by Billy Graham
"Prepare your heart for God's blessings during this Christmas season. Through Scripture and song you'll find the hope, joy, love and peace that began one starry night over two thousa
nd years ago."
Both books are ideal size for holiday traveling, making it easy to share their messages with family and friends!
Please Note: Quantities of each are limited.
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SUPPORT RTCA BY SHOPPING ONLINE
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| Support RTCA While You Shop This Holiday Season & All Year |
When you shop through AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Race Track Chaplaincy Of America Inc.
Bookmark the link https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7181877 and support RTCA every time you shop.
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HOLIDAY FUNDRAISER
Please join with us this holiday season to make the holiday a little brighter for the men, women, and children on the back side!
A hot meal, a warm shirt, an organized time of fellowship are the gifts that our Chaplains bring. These simple acts of kindness have a real and meaningful impact on those in need and result in lasting rewards for the giver!
RTCA has 27 councils, with 33 Chaplains, serving approximately 100,000 people all across the United States. So, don't wait... please give generously today!
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The next Chaplain School will be April 7-12th, 2015 in Redondo Beach, CA. All are welcome. More information to come in 2015.
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Amazing things can happen when people come into agreement.
Join with RTCA as we lift up these people in prayer:
RTCA Board of Directors
Chaplains
Councils
Gary Cartwright
Who is currently undergoing physical therapy after a surgery.
Pat Willingham
Pray for her recovery after open heart surgery. (Charles Town, WV)
Eddie Cox
Pray for a continued positive recovery after a surgery resulting from an injury on the track. (Evangeline Downs, LA)
Alphonso Luan
Pray for recovery after an injury on the track. (Evangeline Downs, LA)
Patsy Payne
Please continue your prayers for Patsy as she works through her treatment for cancer. (Remington Park, OK)
Mary Romero
Please pray for her health. She is the mother of Chaplain Bobby Romero from Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico.
Chaplain Sergio Armas
As he recovers from hand surgery as a result of a motorcycle accident. (Los Alamitos, CA)
A. G. Cross
Pray for a successful by-pass surgery and healthy recovery. (Oaklawn Park Council, AR)
Lisha Robertson
Pray for her recovery. She is the daughter of Pastor George Robertson of the Penn National Council Board (PA).
Jane Hoover
As she recovers at home from an illness. (Former Penn National Secretary, PA)
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IN MEMORIAM:
Marie Bunch, mother of Phyllis Bunch, RTCA Oklahoma Council
Delford Day, father of Chaplain Tom Day, RTCA Arizona
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We would love to help you get the word out about what your council or chaplaincy is doing. Please email us your story, ideas and events.
Do you have associates who might like to hear about RTCA? If so, please forward this email to them.
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RTCA APPAREL
Get RTCA gear for co-workers, family, and friends by visiting our apparel store online. Choose from shirts, hats, jackets, rain gear, and more. Various colors and styles to choose from. To visit our store, click here and enter the code RTC2014.
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"The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory comes from the Lord." Proverbs 21:31
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