Sitting in the curtained area in Emergency, I fought tears and a rising frustration.  Were we not hearing from the Lord?  Our schedule was full and I could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel...and now Walter was having some pain that was severe enough to draw him to the hospital early in the morning!
The ECG  showed no heart episode.  Blood work showed his INR was low and needed attention (Walter is on therapeutic warfarin and must keep this INR in the 2.3-2.7 and it was 1.4).  The doctor suggested a few things; the nurse suggested some other possibilities.  We also had some ideas that may have affected the INR numbers and diet changes that may have caused the pain.
We still had two days of leadership meetings, with people flying or driving from all over western Canada to meet with the four of us on the NCEM Executive Team.  I called Walter's assistant director, Jason, to let him know we were at the E.R.  Could he and Bob take the meetings for the morning?  We would keep them informed of Walter's condition.
Some interesting outcomes developed from the events of that morning.
With the ECG results, the doctor asked if Walter had experienced some type of heart incident in the past?  We were both surprised that the results showed some kind of incident or episode and took this information seriously.  He also suggested eating healthy and increasing regular exercise.  And a follow up with a cardiologist.
The discovery of the INR levels was also providential as Walter's risk of having clots form, especially with all the sitting he would be doing this week, would increase.  Walter was able to make the necessary adjustments to his medications.
Jason told us that he was praying desperately when he knew he would be taking charge of the meetings.  As he prayed and drove to the office near Prince Albert, the "3 E's" Walter has been presenting came to Jason's mind.  He would use the "Equip, Empower and Encourage" principles to guide the interviews and hopefully be a starting point to build up the leaders of the mission. 
God was in control, even though Walter and I felt quite the opposite!
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Here I sit, at home in Regina, feeling calmer. I am still wondering:  how could we have avoided this health crisis and still have kept our commitments in ministry?  Is this normal old age creeping up on us?  Is this a strong message from the Lord to slow down and take that rest we were hoping for a bit sooner?
Walter stayed home this morning.  He doesn't miss church, especially at Healing Hearts in Regina, if he can at all be there.  So I know he isn't well.  I hope he can get in to his doctor fairly quickly and begin the process of following up on these health concerns. 
The Lord has a way of keeping us on track, even when we don't always know we are off the track!
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake."  Psalm 23