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.