Ode to Surrey

(The Desert, part 2)

Again on my feet, I frantically spin to find my Saviour

(And for once, I am glad there's nobody near to see my behaviour)

I spin and I search but no one's around,

Yet a voice pierces through me, a still, quiet sound.

The voice echoes in me, the words resonate, the message is clear:

"You cannot quit now," the voice says, "You're already here."

Disgusted, I shout "You've abandoned me here, just let me turn back!"

The voice says more sternly, "Look down to find what you lack."

I obey and glance down, wondering what I will find,

But it's just my sad feet, and the burden I've never paid mind.

(Part 3 to come next week)

Well, it seems as though my time in Surrey has inevitably come to its end. I've served in this zone for 4 transfers, the approximate equivalent of 6 months. Now, 6 months may not seem like a very long time in the long run, but as a full-time missionary, that's basically a quarter of my life. It was no surprise when the transfer call came, though I never would have expected where I'd be sent to.

Tomorrow, I hop on a plane and head up north to Prince George, a city referred to as the "Capitol of the North" in British Columbia (though it must be noted that Prince George is still in the southern half of the province. It's a big province.) I guess I cannot spend 2 years in Canada without experiencing a real Canadian winter. I suppose it is a blessing that I've been lugging around a ski coat for half of my mission, because now I get to use it. It's a smaller zone than Surrey, because covers a lot more land. Some of the missionaries live about 4 hours away from where I'll be.

A highlight of the week was when Elder Daniel L. Johnson of the Seventy came to preside over the Surrey Stake Conference. He taught a lot regarding our responsibility as followers of Christ to bring others into the fold. On the Saturday night conference, he called up Elder Asi and I, along with our Bishop and his wife. He then has Elder Asi and I teach a principle of the gospel (keep in mind that this was not rehearsed, nor had we any idea that we'd be participating. Being called up in a Stake Conference is very uncommon). Thankfully, it went well, and the Spirit was there to keep Elder Asi and I on the same page.

Love you all! We have to go and make some travel plans for the zone.

-Elder Reynolds