The wind whipping off the ocean left a salty taste on our lips.  Gentle waves lifted the ferry up and down, not enough to make me seasick but to give a little butterfly sensation in the tummy!  Walter and I sat looking out the front of the ferry's lounge area, pointing out other ships and noting the sea birds dipping and diving for their breakfast.

We left Regina on Sunday, November 12 and drove as far as Brandon the first night.  With going to church, packing and all that goes with being away from home for a couple of weeks, we decided not to push the first day.  Monday morning we got an oil change in Brandon, then drove the one hour to Gladstone, MB (well, to Mark and Amy's country home).  Kaira had grown in the two weeks since we had last seen her!  So glad we could see her and Amy - Mark was still working some hours as the weather was mild enough for concrete pouring.  After some wonderful snuggles with baby Kaira and a nice visit with Amy, we reluctantly left for Winnipeg.

Best Western has been our hotel of choice and we are Diamond members now!  So we drove to the hotel and made arrangements for leaving our vehicle there for the duration of our trip.  They offer a deal for parking and a night's stay which is definitely cheaper than leaving the vehicle at the airport Park N Fly.  After a decent supper at the restaurant, we relaxed in the suite before getting to bed early.  The 4 am alarm/wake-up call would come way too soon...

Standing in the dark, chilly, pre-dawn hours waiting for the shuttle to the airport made me wish for the warm and comfy bed again!  But we endured the cold, thankful for the comforts of modern travel.  By that evening, we would be sleeping in a warm bed at Arrowhead Native Bible Centre in New Brunswick.  

The first leg of our journey went from Winnipeg to Calgary.  What????? Yes, you read that correctly!  We flew to Calgary, with a short layover, then a direct flight to Moncton, NB.  The flights were both smooth and uneventful.  Since we hadn't flown since February, 2020, we wondered how the airlines and connections would work out.  Thankfully, we had no issues and all our luggage arrived.  

Grant Fawcett greeted us in the Moncton airport, and drove us to the camp (Arrowhead) which is about an hour and a half.  We stopped first at the Irving restaurant (in Salisbury, NB) on the way back as we were good and hungry!  Grant gave us the keys for the camp truck - a Dodge Laramie - that would be for our use during the next couple weeks.  After settling us in the suite in the camp's lodge, we turned in early for a good night's sleep.

The Fawcett family have been directing the camp and bible centre ministry for 11 or 12 years, I believe.  Their three young daughters are sweet and love to be involved in camp life, as well.  They had just completed a chapel building project that they were able to use this past summer.  We arrived just as they were preparing for the annual "Christmas Craft Sale" to be held on the Saturday.  More about that later.

On Wednesday, November 15, we had a lunch meeting with our first missionary, Venus Cote.  By the time we got up, had our showers and coffee, it was time to drive the hour or so to Fredericton.  Venus lives on the St. Mary's Reserve (Wolastoqiyik - Maliseet nation).  She is a Saulteaux woman from Cote's First Nation near Kamsack, SK.  Stay tuned for our adventures with Venus!

 I had a busy day.

So what's new about that?  Walter and I are planning a trip to the Maritimes to visit our NCEM staff serving there.  We will visit every province except PEI this time...we are so blessed to have such opportunities.  We'll take planes, ferries and trucks on our travels.  And I hope we can enjoy fresh seafood!

I spent a few hours coordinating about a dozen missionaries, figuring out distances from Arrowhead Native Bible Centre in New Brunswick to each of the locations we will visit.  So stay tuned for the blog entries as I have time to write and record our adventures!

Another new thing around home is...SNOW! I'm never quite ready for winter, but once the snow arrives and I get acclimatized to the cold temperatures, it is enjoyable.  The cool, crisp air, the fresh white snow cover and the cozy sweaters are wonderful winter blessings!  

I had to run an errand today and consumer Christmas assaulted me.  The stores are decorated, displays of gifts, puzzles, onesie pajamas and much, much more made me feel the panic that I'm not ready for the season yet!  By the time we are back from Eastern Canada, I will have to get serious about Christmas preparations.  Should be enough time - 25 days!

We delivered some cookies this afternoon to our friends.  A family member is in palliative care and we wanted to support and bless them during this difficult time.  When we left an hour or so later, we felt loved and cared for!  It's funny how with some friends, you go with the intention of ministering to them and you leave the richer because they think of others before themselves.

And now our evening has been quiet.   A returned phone call to confirm another connection for our trip east, Amazon Prime and cup of tea.  A text of our little granddaughter while she's awake!  My she's growing quickly.

And that's a day in the life of the Selkes!

 

 Calendar pages riffle and fly away as time passes.  A whirl of activity makes the days, weeks and months feel like mere minutes.  Appointments, meetings, trips, events...very rarely do I get the opportunity for boredom!

Two weeks ago we were in Prince Albert for our monthly meetings.  I was arranging some meals for the upcoming Board meetings and felt things were well in hand.  Then we got a text from our son, Mark...they were in Brandon at the hospital and the doctors were talking about inducing Amy or preparing for a C-section!  Walter and I were absolutely distracted and unable to stay focused on our office duties.  We left mid-afternoon to do some food preparations and get ready for guests for supper.  

We were staying at a wonderful Air B and B located on the north side of the North Saskatchewan River.  Lovely!  We have a full kitchen plus a spacious living room and very comfortable bedroom that overlooks the river.  As we busied ourselves, we kept checking our phones for an update from Mark.  Nothing.  Walter finally sent a message and Mark replied.  Things were progressing labour-wise so maybe in 3 to 4 hours the baby would be born.

Their little one was not due for another 3 weeks but the ultrasound showed low amniotic fluid and this baby needed to be born sooner rather than later.  

Our company arrived and we had a wonderful supper.  We visited.  We discussed things about the ministry and other family news.  But our company couldn't help but notice how we discreetly tried to check our phones for any news.  

Around 8:30 pm our friends bid us good night and wished us well.  I had just finished tidying up the kitchen when the call finally came through on Walter's phone.  Baby girl arrived just before 8 pm - over 24 hour ordeal of inducing and finally having to suction baby at the last as she went into distress!  But Amy was doing fine and was on speaker phone with Mark when they called to give us the news.  Amy sounded quite chipper actually; Mark sounded hoarse and very tired.  I guess she got the good drugs and they didn't provide anything for the new Daddy!

Then we were up for another hour texting or phoning our own parents and family.  It is impossible to hold in such exciting news!

Although arriving 3 weeks before the due date, Kaira Mattie Selke weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long.  No concerns except that she would need some coaxing to eat and would require plenty of sleep.  Mark, Amy and baby Kaira went home two days later and then we received a few more precious pictures to cherish.

By the weekend, when the Board members were arriving for their two day meetings, Walter and I were still beaming and showing off the pictures of the cutest little granddaughter ever!  Yes, we've become those grandparents who shamelessly bore people with stories and cell phone photos!

On Sunday, we were finally back home in Regina and we were excited to make plans to head to Manitoba and meet little Kaira!  Although very tired, we were suddenly filled with energy to drive out and spend a couple of days holding this new little life and celebrating with our son and daughter-in-law.

A trip to Costco and Walmart and then we were there.  More pictures, sweet cuddles and just relishing in the precious moments with this perfect gift from God.  

This new season in our lives is one we have looked forward to and can't get enough of!

 Two family reunions in one week - Whew!

What do I mean by two family reunions?  Walter and I helped plan and organize the gathering of the staff of Northern Canada Evangelical Mission.  This is the family of God that we give leadership to as missionaries. About 180 adults registered and 35 kids! We spent three days together at Wilderness Edge in Pinawa, MB, which is a lovely retreat centre in a resort community in the Whiteshell Park.  Lovely walking paths, opportunities for canoeing, tubing, hot tubbing and much more!

We also had workshops, a special speaker each night and wonderful worship through music and prayer.  We enjoyed delicious meals together and fellowship around the tables.  It was a noisy, busy time with much-needed encouragement after four years of not being able to meet as a whole mission body.

Our friend and coworker, Cynthia, helped with most of the coordinating of room assignments, schedule and gift bags.  She also got door prizes that were a lot of fun to draw for!  We appreciated Cynthia's energy and ideas to make the conference fun!

One of the honours I had was to award service pins for our missionaries.  From 5 years of service to 70 years, we gave out pins to acknowledge our faithful workers in the harvest field.  Such a legacy we have in NCEM!

The good-byes were sad and yet joyful as we closed our conference with a communion service. Folks grabbed water bottles and snacks as they headed to their vehicles and drove home.  From Whitehorse, YT and Fort McPherson, NT to Goose Bay, Labrador and many points in between, our missionary family dispersed to their places of ministry for another year.  Our next General Conference where everyone meets again will be 2-3 years from now.

We drove back the seven hours to Regina, with one of our childcare volunteers catching a ride.  This dear woman helped teach and minister to our MK's ages 4-12.  She was quite excited and talked for a while about the different kids and her helpers.  We grabbed a bite to eat in Winnipeg and hit the TransCanada highway.  The next three hours we didn't hear a peep from her - napping all the way until Virden where we got out for a bathroom stop!  

By 7 pm we had arrived at home and within minutes, our daughter and her boyfriend, Eric, came in.  We had ordered pizza and thus began our Selke Family Extravaganza weekend!  On Friday, we slowly repacked and headed to our cabin at Katepwa Lake.  It was a lovely calm afternoon/evening so we weren't able to take out the sailboat.  But we enjoyed a campfire and supper which consisted of "bush pies" (bread and pizza toppings cooked in irons over the fire).  Then Saturday morning, our two sons and their wives arrived and provided brunch fixings.  

It was a hot windy day - too windy for the sailboat - and so we packed up for a day at the beach.  At 31 degrees Celsius, we all enjoyed the shade, the water and lots of cool drinks!  Supper back at the cabin and more campfire and hanging out together finished off our day.

Sunday morning we again enjoyed brunch, then after dishes were cleared away, we gathered around the campfire circle for worship.  I played some favourite worship songs on my guitar.  Then Walter shared some scriptures and some of the journey we have been on in the past year.  Walter wanted to encourage our family to continue to persevere in the faith, to support one another as we all face challenges and to trust God in everything.  We closed in prayer around the circle and what a special time that was!

Then we looked at the time and had a hurried dash to pack up and head back to Regina.  We had tickets to the Rider game and needed to shower and change and catch the shuttle bus!  We made it with time to spare and enjoyed the Rider victory over the Winnipeg Bluebombers in overtime.

By Labour Day Monday, our family was scattering to their homes or further on personal vacation trips.  With all our kids living away from Regina, our times to reunite are rare and special.  As the last one left, the house seems strangely empty and quiet.

But the memories are wonderful and I wouldn't trade the crazy schedule of the last week for anything!

 What a journey these past two months have been!

From candidate orientation & training to leadership changes to summer schedule, Walter and I haven't had much time to do anything but what is on the calendar one day at a time!

Today I want to do some writing.  It's a shame when the whole summer has whizzed by and I haven't enjoyed much down time.  So here are some thoughts to get my creative writing juices flowing...

I've been listening to the late Charles Stanley's podcasts as archived online.  This morning I enjoyed parts 1 and 2 of "Sanctification: The Process" as recorded in sermon form.  Such a good reminder of what I've learned years ago but needed a refresher!

Sanctification:  the process of change, transformation into something holy and set apart for sacred purpose

1.  FAITH - How does this process start?  Becoming holy and set apart for God's use begins with becoming born again, giving our lives to Jesus Christ and starting the spiritual journey.  As the Apostle Paul expressed it to the Corinthian church, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV) The very exact moment we become a follower of Christ, the old nature no longer rules and the new nature takes over.  That is a positional reality, an identity change!  We acquire a new name, a new family and a new future by faith in Jesus Christ.

2.  LIFELONG TRANSFORMATION - The next steps are a lifelong process of gradual transformation.  We are being sanctified daily and it continues for our entire earthly existence.  Even though our old nature is not in charge any more, it still has influence and can be influenced by the world and by the devil.  So the progress we make in sanctification must be influenced by something/someone  even greater than our own flesh, our old nature and its tendency to allow peer pressure and the devil's lies to impact us.

Something Charles Stanley included in his sermon was the fact that it is God's will that we undergo this sanctification process.  1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification..."  God doesn't want us to be saved only, but to become more like His Son, Jesus.  He isn't willing that we stay the same, living in addictions, bondage, fear, sinful ways.  He wants us to live abundantly and joyfully.  "The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy.  I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly."  (John 10:10)  Jesus came to reverse the devil's plans and schemes against humanity.  He came to give life, to restore what Satan stole and to rebuild.  But all that process of sanctification comes with some effort on our part, as well.

To continue what Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honour..For God has not called us for impurity but in holiness."  (1 Thessalonians 4:3,4 & 7)  Our part is to abstain from immoral and impure activities.  Our part is to use self-control over our bodies - which also means controlling our thoughts, words and attitudes.  One of the evidences or abilities that the Holy Spirit gives us once we are Christians is self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  Another way of defining or explaining sanctification is the work of letting the Holy Spirit clean out our old nature and bring in the new nature.  That is the only way we can overcome sinful and unholy ways - by the Holy Spirit replacing them with His character and holiness.

3.  DEATH - This may seem morbid but the reality is that we will never attain perfection until we have died. While in our earthly bodies and functioning with our earthly minds, we are always in the process of sanctification.  But, when we experience death and then the promised and glorious resurrection, we will be absolutely pure and holy and complete.  1 John 3:2&3 was written to believers of the early church who were struggling with sanctification and with being persecuted for being Christ-followers.  Here is what the Apostle John had to say:  "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.  All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure."  For now, we don't know what we will become and cannot be made whole and holy on this side.  But when we see Jesus face to face -  whether we are taken up when He returns or must go through death and be raised up on resurrection day - then we will be perfect as He is.  

The  hope of seeing Jesus our Lord and being completely relieved of our earthly bodies and the struggles that we constantly battle in the flesh, motivates us to purify ourselves.  Do we want to see Jesus covered in our filth and caught in sin when He comes?  Or to die in shameful ways that we had a choice to avoid?  As Jesus spoke a parable to His disciples about the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25, we all are to be ready for the Bridegroom's arrival.  We don't know when He will return to take us home; we also don't know when our days on earth will be over.  So having our spiritual lamps full of oil can be symbolized by our lives being filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit!  

How awesome that we will one day be transformed into the person God had intended us to be!  Although I don't look forward to death, I know it will be worth going through in order to experience the complete work of sanctification.  A verse that has helped me through some very exasperating times is Philippians 1:6 "...being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  That is my ultimate hope and motivation to persevere: God WILL finish the good work He started in me.

HAVE A GOOD DAY, MY FRIENDS!  God's not finished with you yet!

 

 Each entry in this blog is an intentional message.  It may be my heart crying out to express what I have just seen or experienced; it may be God wanting to speak to those who read it to let the reader know they are loved and valued by Him!  Whatever YOUR reason for reading, may you understand that my purpose is to share something meaningful, something worth taking the time to read.

Two huge events have impacted my life since May 1, 2023.

1.  CANDIDATE ORIENTATION & TRAINING - Each year, Walter and I spend 3 weeks with the newest candidates to NCEM, to teach and equip them for serving as missionaries to the Indigenous peoples of Canada.  Connecting with each of the latest recruits energizes us!  We have often met, interviewed and then welcomed them to the mission family through email or Zoom/Facetime. At Candidate O & T, we get to share life with them in close quarters for 3 full weeks!

Walter teaches sessions on NCEM History and Thought, Dependency Issues in Ministry, Spiritual Warfare and Vicarious Trauma.  This year, he added a session on "Suicide Prevention and Intervention."  When one of our guest instructors was sick and had to cancel, Walter stepped in with a couple of sessions last minute and I'm so thankful he has that gift of "winging it!"

I also help with instruction on raising support or "Building Our Support Teams."  Using a booklet I wrote of short articles on fundraising principles and practical tips, as well as other resources by mission agencies, I share how to begin the journey of living by faith for our financial and prayer needs.  Walter coaches the new candidates on how to give one-minute, five-minute and 20-30 minute presentations to churches and groups and even individuals.  The group critiques each others' presentations and we give tips on improving their content and delivery.

Another session I teach is on "Abuse Issues."  When we started out in ministry in the inner city of Regina, I felt very unprepared for the many stories and disclosures of abuse that I heard, and had no skills or tools to help people deal with their trauma and wounds.  Through reading, seminars and workshops, Walter and I both have become equipped to reach out to those who have lived through abuse or are dealing with current life situations that are unsafe and dangerous.  This is a topic near and dear to my heart.  Even some of our candidates have experienced abuse and we take the time to talk to them in private if they need support and help.  The training we give is very introductory and we encourage our new missionaries to further equip themselves if they find their ministries involve a lot of counseling/supporting roles in their communities.

Besides the classroom setting, we hang out with the group of 12-15 candidates, including 6 kids aged 9 and under!  It was fun, exhausting and rewarding to get to know our new staff and their families so intimately. We spent the first two weeks at Big River Bible Camp.  The final week we drove two hours to Pine Ridge Bible Camp and finished our training time there.  The folks expressed how they enjoyed seeing both of our SK camp facilities and meet more of the NCEM staff that way.

2.  CHANGES IN OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM - Unexpectedly, two of Walter's Executive team members have stepped down from their leadership roles.  This all happened during or right after the Candidate O & T, so we jumped right into extra responsibilities!  Walter and I are still processing these changes and are actively pursuing others to step up into becoming part of the leadership of NCEM.  The challenge is that in mission organizations, you don't simply advertise your need and hire from a pool of mission leaders.  Most often, leaders arise from within, and preferably they have been preparing and training for their roles over a period of time. 

We were hired from another mission organization, but had spent our first 10 years of ministry under the NCEM banner.  So we were not entirely strangers to the mission family and were familiar with how NCEM operated and the culture of their organization.  But we find ourselves now praying and wondering:  who will God raise up to fill the vacant spots and where will they come from?

This has been impacting us greatly, coming off three weeks of intense candidate training and then immediately finding more responsibilities on our plates before we could rest and regroup!  

I like to write fiction.  My favourite stories have happy endings.  Even when I blog, I like to tie up loose ends and have a positive moral to the story.  

Not today.  

We are waiting on God.  We are taking this week to rest.  We are praying for God to make a way.

 A new hobby!

Walter jokes around that his hobby is collecting hobbies.  I am beginning to believe this is a true statement.  So what are some of the interests Walter has pursued since I've known him?

Photography, scroll saw, Cricut, RC planes, curling, walking/hiking, Frisbee golf, VW Beetles, and now...repairing and restoring gramophones!

Me?  I enjoy curling, bowling, mini-golf, music, writing, walking, shopping, baking and the Roughriders!  My husband bought me a lovely dollhouse for my 50th birthday and I have not quite finished it.  It is a hobby, but at the moment, I moved it from our dining room where it was in the open to be worked on and now it is tucked away in a spare bedroom.  But I will pull it out again and continue to decorate and set it up.  I am stuck on the flooring and windows stage and now have most of the supplies I need.

Walter likes hobbies that challenge him.  He loves to learn, explore and understand something in order to conquer it!

Me?  I like hobbies that are relaxing, often repetitive, have some instant results or are social events.  So sometimes our hobbies are compatible and we can enjoy them together.  And other times we each enjoy our alone time with our separate projects or activities.

Now the gramophone is one of those crossover hobbies:  he can challenge himself with fixing and restoring, while I can enjoy the music aspect.  I will have to acquire an enjoyment for the style of music that was recorded on 78's, I guess!  It certainly is from a different era!

And that's my little blurb on hobbies.

What hobbies do you all enjoy?