Caylea's in Germany!
All that worry and prayer and discussion and surrender now bears fruit that our daughter made it through the U.S. border and through customs into Germany with her medication...She sent us a picture at the Frankfurt train station, awaiting the train for Stuttgart to meet Gisela, our dear friend and retired missionary, who will be hosting Caylea and the Root family for the next few days.
All the tiredness and tension of the past couple of days is now switching to the next focus: the wake and funeral of Eva Shepherd, daughter of our friends, coworkers in Healing Hearts and more than than, dear brother and sister in Christ.  Nick and Vivian are planning the wake, the service and meals, asking their Healing Hearts family to contribute food and support.  Family and friends will also be helping out in various ways, as they say good bye to a woman who died too young, leaving seven children to grieve and cope.
Our God has been so faithful.
He has given us strength beyond ourselves to engage in the activities of the weekend.
We feel borne on eagles' wings, carried by the prayers of others on our behalf.
The Lord reigns!
The next two days are known by the God who knows everything and will be directed by His sovereign hand.
By the next opportunity that I will have to blog, I am certain that I will have more testimonies of praise and glory for how our Father has done great things!

I know that when I am at my weakest, God will be my strength.
These past few days have been very full, traveling to Edmonton for a wedding - which was such a joyful and worthwhile trip!  It was wonderful to see our niece, Robyn, marry a young man from Costa Rica, whom she met while in ministry with YWAM in Wales.  To have all the Selke grandchildren together was special.
And then Walter and I drove from Edmonton to Regina, then back to Prince Albert for two days, only to hear news that our dear friends, coworkers with Healing Hearts Ministries since its inception in 1994, lost their daughter, Eva, yesterday afternoon. We were to come home Thursday to see our daughter off on her trip to Europe (also a huge life event for her and a step of faith for us).
So with all the back and forth, we are feeling quite emotionally and physically exhausted.
We have commitments in Manitoba this weekend and will do more back and forth because of the upcoming funeral.  I just can't imagine getting into that car tomorrow...
Isaiah 40:31 is an enduring promise that I know by heart.
"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;
 they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
 they shall run and not be weary,
 they shall walk and not faint."
I am thankful that when I lie down and sleep, God does miraculously renew my physical body.  He created me to be a morning person, and so at the beginning of each new day, I am usually energized and filled with hope and purpose.  I may go to bed tired and feeling overwhelmed by the burden of the next day's schedule and demands; but I awake with fresh desire to work and serve.
By faith, I will go to sleep tonight and anticipate God's renewing strength by His Spirit in me.
By faith, I will wait on Him; I will trust in Him; I will not rush ahead and spend energy on worry or mental lists when I have this gift of rest.
Good night, all.  May you also experience the gracious gift of sleep!

Sometimes you can go day by day, reading devotionals or following a plan to read through the Bible in order.  Some occasions are rich and delightful.  Other times seem rushed and full of distractions, therefore dry and empty and silent.
I am trying to get through the Old Testament and find myself in Daniel right now.
The first few chapters are amazing accounts of God meeting with Daniel and his three friends. In training, they were offered the best foods and opportunities for development and learning.  But because of their Hebrew faith and lifestyle, Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego refused to eat anything but vegetables and fruit.  God honoured their obedience to His ways and they were in better health and fitness than the other young men in training.
Daniel and his friends were on constant trial in this land of their exile. Being commanded to bow to a statue of the king and also being challenged when praying to the Lord God,  they faced a fiery furnace and lions' den.  And God spared them.
God elevated these men to positions of authority in the government.  Their influence, and especially Daniel's favour in the eyes of the kings in power, gave them opportunities to show forth God's power and might and absolute sovereignty. In a foreign land.
Then I find myself reading the strange dreams that Daniel was called to interpret.  And the visions and dreams he himself received from the Lord.  Two things struck me in these passages.
1.  Daniel never brought attention to himself but always gave God the glory for the gift he had to reveal and interpret these dreams.
2.  Daniel was often emotionally and physically affected by the meanings and implications of the revelations from God.
This morning in our worship service, Bob asked us the question: How have you interacted with God this week?    I didn't share.  Others were speaking up and it was wonderful to even have a 12 year old boy share very eloquently today.  Besides that, I had some thoughts but couldn't quite formulate the words to communicate what I was mulling over in my reading of Daniel.
Now, Sunday afternoon, I have a little time to share my impressions.
All week I have sought to have quiet times with God.  It was a very busy week, from chapel times at 8:30 am and then various office tasks and a couple errands to run in Prince Albert.  We took people out for supper and I also helped assemble CD's of a Gospel music artist in the cases for shipping.  I would have good intentions of taking time after chapel or after lunch to have an extended time with the Lord...and by bedtime I just didn't have the energy or attention span to seek the Lord or focus on intercessory prayer.
Finally, at home on Saturday morning, I took my coffee and Bible and journal, still wearing my housecoat, and sat in my wonderful backyard.  Last summer that was my regular refuge and I was reminded of how faithful and steadfast the Lord has been over the past year as our family faced cancer, and we have accepted a new ministry leadership position.  Its been quite a ride!
I opened to the bookmark in Daniel and it was the prayer Daniel prayed.  He realized that now 70 years had passed and according to the prophet Jeremiah's writings, the restoration of God's people was now about to happen!  He prepared to meet the Lord by fasting, with the complete practice of wearing sackcloth and spreading ashes upon himself.  His inward and outward display of humility and brokenness before the Lord really impacted me.
Daniel took ownership of his sins.  He confessed the sins of his fellow Hebrews.  There were no excuses or justifications for the situation the Israelites found themselves in and Daniel acknowledged God's righteousness in judging the way He did.
Daniel also called upon the character of God, His mercy and compassion and justice.  He knew that there was no way he and the exiles in Persia would ever deserve God's favour and love but He believed God's promises.  If Jeremiah spoke of 70 years and then a journey home, then it must be true.
I was in tears as I soaked in this prayer.  I get frustrated if one week is difficult and challenging and I don't feel all that connected to the Lord.  Daniel would be a man in his 80's by this time and would have experienced all that had been prophesied.  He had a lifetime of trial and longing for home.  God had done incredible things on his behalf and had used him to influence several kings of different nations.  And here I was, on a beautiful summer morning, feeling that closeness with God and realizing my need to bow before the great God I serve.  I was overwhelmed with His wonders and His grace.
Lord, teach me to pray.  Teach me to wait.  Teach me to listen.  Teach me to praise.

Blazing sun had beat upon us all along the interstate from Regina to Glendive, Montana.  The car's air conditioner barely kept up with the July heat wave hitting us.  We stopped at Sidney for a late lunch and an icy-smoothie beverage.  As we turned onto the highway leading us to North Dakota, we longed for our destination like a camel for an oasis.
Crossing into the next state, we noticed the ranching area and oil-rich land.  And then suddenly, at a curve in the road, were in the Badlands!
To describe this unique topography, one must imagine the prairie becoming a sudden series of layered hills.  A long-ago river had rushed through the area, winding through the bush and earth and rock to erode and expose each layer.  Voila!  Then God created the Badlands and He saw that it was good!
On a whim, we decided to take a few days of our vacation to head to Medora, ND and take in the Medora Musical.  Several years ago, we were introduced to this country-western style variety show by senior friends of ours.  They recommended it as a quick get-away and a lot of fun.  I had my doubts as we were young (ish) and would we really enjoy this outdoor show?
Well, this was our fourth time coming down and it did not disappoint us!  We stayed in modest, bunkhouse accommodations, with our own bathroom and air conditioning.  An outdoor pool was close by and vending machines to sell cold drinks.  We bought tickets to the musical, of course, which would take place in an outdoor natural amphitheater.  And we also purchased tickets for the Pitchfork Fondue supper to be right before the show.  Years ago, we did the fondued steak; this time we tried the chicken, bison and ribs.  Yummy!
The little town has quite a history, and if you go to the museums, you can learn all about the Marquis de Mores, who sought to build a beef cattle slaughtering operation there. He named the town after his wife, Medora, the Marquesa of Mores.  Hard times hit and the thriving community all but disappeared.  Theodore Roosevelt spent time in the region and later, when he was president of the United States, he established a national park in the Badlands region there.  There is much tribute to him in the Musical.  An enterprising man, Harold Schaefer and his wife, developed tourism in the forgotten town in the 1960's and for the past 50 years, much has grown up around the western townsite.
Camping, hiking, trail rides, shopping, eating, and wandering through the museums can keep a person busy for several days.  We have usually gone down for 2 nights and each time, we have discovered new things to see and do.
A highlight for us was to catch the "Painted Canyon" at sunset.  Words cannot capture the beauty, the everchanging shades of colour and shadow in the canyon area as the sun sinks beneath the horizon.  Below are some pictures we took.  Truly, if you haven't seen the Grand Canyon, this is every bit as spectacular, on a smaller scale but just as glorious in displaying God's handiwork in creation!
An added feature this trip was to take in a Gospel Brunch on our last morning.  We were treated to a delicious hot brunch of eggs, hashbrown casserole, smoked ham, bacon and sausage,  plus fruit salad and trays of meat, cheese and fresh pastries.  Oh, and a warm pan of caramel rolls!  Our plates filled, we found our table with a clear view of the stage.  As we finished our meal, the show began.  Some of the cast from the musical were part of the band and Gospel Quartet.  A former host of the musical, Miss Emily, did the narrating about the history of Gospel music and its impact.  An actor/cohost of the musical, Bill Sorenson, gave a "message", which was nearly a sermon in our estimation.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were pleasantly surprised at the Christian element included in the Medora experience.
Did I just write a Tripadvisor commentary?  Ha ha!  I deserve some reward for that!
God gave us a wonderful two weeks of vacation and this last-minute impulse trip was icing on the cake.  It was just what we needed.

The simple white cabin, with 70's wall paneling and outhouse facilities has been our sanctuary these past days... Waking to birds singing, warming water on the stove to wash our faces- yes, we have electricity!  Nothing like bringing life back to the basics to strip away the cares of the everyday world and just relax.
Poking at the dying embers of a fire and adding dry twigs and bark to bring it back to a blaze is sometimes the only goal we have at the moment.  Do I want another cup of coffee?  Biggest decision of the morning.  Love it!
Driving to Fort Qu'appelle or Indian Head for a few grocery items, some 2 X 6's (pressure treated) for a small project and to refill our water containers is the only contact with "civilization" while we are out at Katepwa Lake.  We might go an hour without talking to each other.  Taking time to think of nothing much and soaking in nature and a good book is just what we have needed.
Our son, Daniel, joined us for the Canada Day parade in the Fort.  We met up and watched the cheerful participants in the parade: town dignitaries in old cars, a couple marching bands, a float of red & white by the Lions Club and some folks on horseback.  Local business owner  in their trucks or vans tossed candy out to the crowd!  It was an impressive event and we only had to walk two blocks back to our parking spot.  We wandered to the Farmer's Market square and bought a $5 smokey on a bun for lunch.  Then we drove along Mission Lake, through Lebret to our cabin along Katepwa Lake. We puttered around and enjoyed hanging out with our son.  He set up a little pup tent in the shade of the trees for his sleeping arrangements.  At five o'clock, we drove down to the beach where live bands were performing for Canada Day.  We enjoyed the band called  "Old School", the drummer being brother to our back alley neighbour at the cabin.  Even our 25 year old son sang along with the oldies Rock 'N' Roll tunes!  By almost 7 pm, the crowd had thinned because the home opener of the Saskatchewan Roughriders at the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina was kicking off!  We drove back with the radio on to CKRM where the announcers were enthusiastic about everything in the first quarter.
I prepared veggies in foil and Walter stoked up the coals in the firepit.  We BBQ'd pork chops.  An old radio was hooked up outside while we cooked our supper and then ate it outdoors.  By 10 pm, the fireworks back at the beach were to start, but those Roughriders played overtime against the Winnipeg Bluebombers!  So we jumped in the car and started to drive to the beach, but instead, pulled over onto a roadside turnout where the view of the fireworks was clear.  We sat in the car, with the lights off and stared out the window while the double overtime game ended in a loss for our home team!  But the fireworks were a delightful end to a terrific birthday for our beloved country.
I am writing this at home in Regina, while laundry is being done and Walter is doing some errands. We plan to return to the cabin for a few more days before preparing to spend the following week in Prince Albert at the NCEM headquarters.
Having a real shower and changing out clean clothes for the campfire smoke-scented ones will give us a fresh start for the coming week.
Hope you are all enjoying the start of July!