Well, the decision was made yesterday afternoon to go ahead and fly!
     Gary Brown is in the air as I write, flying from the NCEM airbase in Nipawin.  He will pick us up at a small private airstrip near Lumsden.  And then we will be airborne to northern Alberta!
     Our small bags are packed and by the front door.  Praying we will have a smooth flight and peace that passes understanding as we soar above the prairies, lakes, forests and communities.  
     The Scriptures in my daily devotional were all about being thankful.  So today, I intend to give thanks in all circumstances and give the honour that is due my God and King!  He has blessed me beyond my hopes and dreams.  He has given me a rich inheritance through Christ.  He has given me all I need and more by His great love and mercy.  Our family has been blessed through hard times and He has given us reason to rejoice!  Over and over...I can give thanks easily when I begin to consider all I have received.  My Father is so good to me!
      I will update when we get back home on the further adventures of the Selke Family...

     This week we have made plans to fly in the Cessna 206 (NCEM plane) up to La Crete, Alberta for a regional conference of our western field missionaries.  Here's the thing:  with the smoke from forest fires in BC, we may not be able to fly as this plane must have visual capability as it is not instrument rated.  So we could fly on Tuesday morning and in about four hours be at our destination.
     The pilot is a very experienced and godly man in northern flying.  I trust his judgment.  By tomorrow afternoon, he will give us the final yea or nay.  That way, we still have time to drive the fourteen and a half hours from Regina to La Crete.  The conference begins Tuesday at supper time.
     Today, I have been praying off and on as the shadows of anxiety darken my thoughts.  I know as Caylea also is traveling with us, she feels pretty nervous about the small plane.  Will we have issues with turbulence and air sickness?
     I wish I didn't have these travel anxiety issues.  I have seen God's faithfulness in the past several years in keeping us safe and blessing our trips.  It just seems to be an area of weakness in my life and I pray Caylea hasn't inherited this from me!
     Deuteronomy 33:27 is my verse for the day:  "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."
     

On as many mornings as possible I like to sneak away to the backyard for devotions.  A cup of steaming coffee, my Bible and journal are the items I need.  Some mornings I hear the birds, especially the meadowlark, and just enjoy the sounds of nature.  At other times, I enjoy the frolicking squirrel make its way along the back fence, or see baby robins get flight training.  As the flowers come into their time of blooming, I have been blessed to see peonies, lilies, daisies and bleeding hearts arrayed in all their glory!
A few weeks ago, I had settled into the hammock seat Walter had attached to the beam of our deck's glass roof.  I was simply listening and quieting my heart before reading and praying.  I noticed a young robin land on one of the rocks along the stream of our water feature.  It stood tentatively, nervously, taking a small sip from the flowing water, but immediately looking up and around.  Quick and anxious. 
Then I saw a blackbird, usually not my favourite as they are aggressive and scare off the other birds.  Sure enough, when it landed boldly and forcefully, the robin flew off in a flurry.  Not seeming to care, the blackbird plunged into the pond up to its neck in the water.  Splashing, flapping its wings, this bird immersed itself with great gusto and completely bathed in the refreshing pool.  After a minute or so, the bird hopped onto a rock and began its grooming ritual.  Taking time to preen each feather and shake out the excess moisture, the bird did a thorough job of coming to the pool for its needs.  Satisfied, it lifted off and flew away into the nearby trees.
The Lord brought to my attention that sometimes I am like the robin, coming to His presence just to take a quick sip of His life-giving waters.  Nervous, distracted and quick to leave and get onto other activities of my day.
What He wanted me to notice is that I can be like the blackbird, plunge in and soak up the presence of the Lord!  I can choose to chase off distractions and fully engage in drinking from the river of living water.
I have been letting that life lesson soak in. 
This morning, as I got comfortable in the hammock seat, I was surrounded by the ambience of birdsong.  My coffee steamed and the water fountain gurgled gently.  Then my eye caught sight of a brown-grey feathery ball beside the pond.  I could make out the wings tucked tightly, and a little beak and closed slit of an eye.  A morning dove was soaking in the warmth of the summer sun.
Again, the Lord showed me how peaceful and rich it is to simply sit and enjoy His presence.  The entire time I was journalling, reading Scripture and praying for my family and others, that little dove rested by the quiet waters.  Psalm 23 came to mind and I let my thoughts linger on how sweet it is to be restored by the Shepherd.  Hebrews 11:6 also came to my memory, reminding me that "...anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and the He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."  How special to receive the gift of God speaking to me through nature and His creatures!
Just when I was thinking it was time to go back into the house, the dove stirred from her warm place and flew off beyond the back fence.  Not to get to spooky, I took it to mean that there is a time to carry on with the day.  Even though I would love to sit and bask in God's glory, there are works for me to do...

Why would we make a travel decision by the toss of a coin?
This is not our normal method of discerning God's will for our ministry!  We try to be available for people and needs, but ultimately want to be obedient to the direction of the Lord.  Nevertheless, we just could not decide whether to head for Regina or to Elk Point, Alberta.
We knew a memorial celebration for the late Eva Shepard was to be held in Regina, the one-year marker of her passing.  She was the daughter of Nick and Vivian Helliwell, and she left seven children in the care of the Helliwells.  The last we had heard, the memorial was to be held at the Healing Hearts ministry centre. 
If we turned right at the intersection, we would head to Elk Point, where the funeral service for Ross Amy, a missionary who did language translation among the Woodland Cree for years and who had served with NCEM for a time.  Walter knew him from Calgary back in the 1980's, meeting Ross and Marrianne at Crossroads Community Church and even helping the Amy's when they went north to a Cree community. 
When the coin showed heads, we took this as God's direction and Walter turned right.
I think we both felt uneasy at making this decision in this unusual and random way.  Walter asked how I felt about it and I shrugged.  What if we made a phone call to find out the details in Regina and at least let Nick and Vivian know of our change of plans?  Walter called their cell phone number.  No answer.
Within a minute, Vivian was calling back.  She was busy cooking and Nick was out.  When we asked when the memorial was to start, she let us know it was at 4 pm at Candy Cane Park.  A quick glance at the clock, and we knew we wouldn't make it to Regina in time. But if we drove directly to Elk Point, we would make it with fifteen minutes to spare!
Feeling a little better that we called and connected with Vivian, she understood that the funeral was also a very important event.  We drove the three hours cross-country and made it to the Baptist Church with enough time for us to make a quick wardrobe change and find seats in the sanctuary.
Walking in the church, we didn't see anyone we recognized. We hoped to see Marrianne and maybe some of the children to express our personal condolences.  As we filed in behind a line of people, we saw a small woman in black, greeting folks and receiving embraces.  It was Marrianne and she looked as I remembered her from twenty-five years ago.  She recognized Walter right away!  She thanked us for coming and took several minutes to chat. 
Then we made our way to the church library, where Ross was laid in a plywood coffin, made by one of his sons.  We waited while others paid their respects, then looked in at the body of Ross Amy.  He looked thin, older, but definitely like the man we remembered.  Resting on the Hudson Bay blanket which lined the casket, tears burned our eyes.  Death just isn't fun.
The funeral was a combination of a First Nations man offering a prayer and the local pastors leading the service.  Four of the children read out their father's testimony as he had shared it a few years ago in that very church.  A pianist and guitarist led in some of the Amy's favourite hymns.  It was a tribute of honour for a missionary and a family man who died at the age of 67.  Too young.
We stayed for the lunch to follow and met up with several First Nations believers and pastors who knew Ross.  It was good to connect with these folks, and to meet some of the Amy family, as well.  We could have joined the folks as they drove the half hour to the cemetery where Ross would be laid to rest.  But we needed to decide now if we would return to Prince Albert or just take the TransCanada highway back to Regina...another coin toss?
We both felt ready to head home, no debating necessary.  Listening to an audiobook, the miles slipped by and we made it home by midnight. 
I'm so thankful for God's guiding hand on our journeys.