I was born in Regina, SK, and spent some years of my early life there. Our family moved several times, and I found myself switching schools and houses a lot! With all the upheaval I felt very unsettled and lacking in peace. We weren’t necessarily a church-going family, so I didn’t know a lot about the Bible. When I was about 11 or 12, I went to a kids’ Gospel rally and somehow my name got on the prayer list of a dear saint. With her prayers, I didn’t stand a chance to run away from the Lord!
At the age of 14, I started attending a youth group. My mom was a single mother at that time, and my younger sister and I were again moving to a new community. I was curious about church, the Bible and what the Christian faith was about. John 14:6 was the Scripture that I wrestled with until I prayed to follow Jesus as “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” I realized that there was only one way to the Father, through Jesus, and I gave my life to Him.
The Lord led Christian people into my life to help me grow in my new faith. I was so hungry for God’s Word! But I needed a lot of healing and transforming in my life. My anger and mistrust needed to be dealt with, and it has been a huge challenge to let God into those dark corners of my heart.
God directed me to Bible college right after I graduated from high school. I loved reading through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation; I had so much to learn. I was also introduced to missions and the needs around the world. As I pursued the mission booths one afternoon, an NCEM missionary, Evie Everett, engaged me in conversation and offered me an application brochure for the summer program known then as Northern Missionary Training Camp.
That summer, I found myself heading to northern Manitoba for a life-changing, cross-cultural experience in a First Nations community. From there, I returned to Bible college to prepare for full-time ministry. While at Nipawin Bible Institute, I met my husband-to-be, Walter Selke. He was very ministry-minded and eventually, he noticed me! The Lord drew us together, in spite of challenges we faced. We were married in 1989 and began serving with NCEM in the city of Regina.
Our focus on the inner-city community led us to begin “Healing Hearts Ministry,” with an emphasis on helping people find healing and hope through Jesus Christ. As we learned to walk with others through their pain and woundedness, I also found healing. It’s amazing that although I thought I would be offering the answers as a missionary, God used others who were hurting to help me find grace and peace.
The Lord can find us, save us and call us into missions no matter our background or where we come from! I truly am grateful for how God chose me as His child and adopted me into His family, an inheritance from Him. God also gave me a wonderful husband and three children with whom to serve the Lord together. I feel so blessed!
More recently, Walter and I are now called to give leadership to NCEM, with Walter serving as General Director and me as Personnel Coordinator. It is our privilege to continue in First Nations ministry to offer the hope of the Gospel through our missionaries across Canada. •
“I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He has judged me faithful, appointing me to His service.” 1 Timothy 1:12
