So much has happened in the last week or two...we did travel to Alberta to speak in Walter's home town of Clyde.  The church there is small but vibrant and they were glad to hear updates on our ministry and also on Caylea's health journey.  What a warm welcome and expressions of love and care to us and our family!
It was some of the coldest weather so far this year but we had no trouble with our new Toyota Corolla (2009).  We went from Lloydminster to Edmonton to visit Walter's Mom and also had a quick coffee with his sister Marilee in Sherwood Park.  Then on to Clyde.  Sunday night we spent with Walter's brother, Ed and wife, Brenda in Ponoka.  A short visit but good to catch up on each other's lives and families.
Monday morning we connected with our staff from Big Valley, David and Elizabeth Lilly - meeting them for breakfast in Three Hills at "Joy Kitchen".  We were encouraged by our fellowship and their ongoing vision to reach  Metis folks.  But they had other commitments in the afternoon, so we found ourselves with some time before our next appointment on Tuesday.  Fortunately, Cliff and Gloria Pederson, the pastoral couple doing youth work in Clyde back when Walter was a teen, were available so we met them for lunch at, you guessed it, "Joy Kitchen."  The hostess there looked at us curiously as we came in to meet different people than at breakfast!  (The food was excellent, by the way!)  It was very uplifting to reminisce and to catch up on new developments in both our lives and ministries.
As we parted ways with the Pedersons, we drove south and east towards Brooks.  The secondary highways took us right through the beautiful badlands and the town of Drumheller.  I found the landscape and God's hand in creation to be a wonderful blessing.  We arrived in Brooks, found accommodations and McDonald's chicken wraps and relaxed for the evening.  As it turned out, the heat didn't work properly in the room so they upgraded us into an executive suite for no extra charge!  The room was large, with a separate sleeping area.  There were two fireplaces and televisions.  There was a popcorn machine in the lobby and we enjoyed free popcorn and ice water for refreshments while watching "Back to the Future"!  It was a relaxing and luxurious evening.
Tuesday we checked out of the hotel and drove five minutes to visit with Kevin and Janice Sims and their 4 kids!  They had acquired a new St. Bernard named Penny, who had two puppies, plus they had a new baby only two months ago.  It was a bit of a zoo in their home but we had a wonderful time with their active family.  I played with princess dolls and cars.  I read story books and held a sleeping baby.  We chatted and had lunch and I got a turkey noodle pesto recipe!
We left in the later afternoon, as Walter got some texts about a possible meeting with the engineer and architect for the wood shop on Wednesday.  So we needed to get home by noon if possible.
We drove into the rising moon, a big almost full orb in the winter sky.  I drove part of the way from Medicine Hat and we listened to our Louis L'amour audiobook.
After the lovely hotel upgrade in Brooks, the Super 8 in Swift Current was a bit disappointing.  But we were so tired that it didn't matter.  We were sleeping shortly after 10 pm.
Being middle aged as we are, we were awake early!  We ate the complimentary breakfast and began our journey back to Regina before dawn.  As we drove, we watched the sun rise.  Amazing!
We got back in good time, just to find the men were not actually meeting, so we had rushed home for nothing!  Caylea had her oncologist check up at noon, but went by herself.  But it was good to be home and have a good portion of a day to unpack and catch up on mail and messages.
And that is a typical ministry trip.
Now we are preparing for Christmas celebrations, which is only a week away.
I hope to share some thoughts on Christmas in the next blog.