1 Kings 18

1 Kings 18

If the Lord be God, follow him.

But if Baal, the follow him.

Or if ye choose thy god to be

Only that which thou canst see,

Or follow all that is worldy,

These idols will bring misery.

If thou wilt trust man's will and whim,

Let man be God, and follow him.

The God that answereth by flame,

Let Him be God; praise ye His name.

 

Ye cry aloud, wail and complain,

But canst thou see thy cry is vain?

Can that which hath no power save?

Doth Babylon free from the grave?

O man, why dost thou misbehave,

And not accept the blood He gave?

O priests of Baal, ye slice thy veins

As Satan wraps thee in his chains.

The God that answereth by flame,

Let Him be God; praise ye His name.

 

My God doth not flee, nor doth He sleep.

Thy god speakest not, no, not a peep.

My God heareth all,

The great and the small,

To thy god ye call

And so thou shalt fall.

For just as ye sow, so shall ye reap,

And soon comes they day when ye shall weep.

The God that answereth by flame

Let Him be God; praise ye His name.

 

"O Lord my God, be it this day

Known to them that dwell in clay:

That these idols hath no part

In the kingdom where thou art."

The Spirit burned within our hearts

A fire that would not depart.

All they that felt began to pray

And then they heard the Spirit say:

 

"The God that answereth by flame,

It is the Lord; praise ye His name!"

That is based on the confrontation that Elijah had with the priests of Baal in 1 Kings 18; it's always been one of my favorite Old Testament stories, so it served as a wonderful muse for this poem.

 

So of you may be aware that yesterday, August 3rd, was BC Day, so our P-Day was moved to Tuesday. As such, it has been one of the most hectic P-Days I've ever had. We often have a bunch of regular appointments every Tuesday, so we last week we were trying to shift things around a bit so we could have our full P-Day. This week is also transfer week, so if we were transferred, we'd likely have to leave Wednesday morning. Thus, we made are plans accordingly.

 

So we then found out that I was getting transferred to Delta, which is an area just south of Vancouver and Richmond, right on the US border. We then received a phone call this morning that I needed to leave Salmon Arm today at 4pm. This news completely destroyed our plans today, because I needed to be fully packed by 4pm, and we were losing 2 hours of P-Day, and we have an appointment later this afternoon. So it has been an extremely crazy day as I've been trying to get everything organized.

 

Next week, I'll send some pictures of my new area and companion! I have to get going, for reasons previously stated. Love you all!

-Elder Reynolds

(photo of Elders at the golf driving range)

July

Hello Everybody!

In order to be better motivated to work out, Elder Blasko and I have bought some sweat-bands for our heads and wrists; we figured we'd be more excited to exercise if we looked like we were on some 1970's exercise show. And you know what? IT TOTALLY WORKS.

Also, just an update. Next Monday, August 3, is a "Civic Holiday" in Canada. From my understanding, it's just one of those days where people take a day off. As such, President Burt has asked that we treat that day as a normal day, so that we could talk to people who would otherwise be working. That said, P-Day will be moved to August 4th. So don't freak out when I don't write next Monday!

My mom's birthday is August 3rd, so I'm sorry that I'll miss the opportunity to email then.

Brian Gorner is a young man who returned from his mission last week; I'm very grateful for that, because we've been bringing him out with us all the time!

It's weird to think it's been over 11 months. The more I think about it, the faster it goes. I just can't get over how much I've learned in this short amount of time, and how much more that I have yet to learn.

My mind is just really jumbled and scattered today, but I can't quite figure out why. I've determined that next week, I'm writing another poem.

Love you all!

-Elder Reynolds

An Equal and Opposite Reaction‏

This week has undoubtedly the busiest and best week that I have had laboring in this small portion of the Lord's vineyard. We've talked to more people than ever before, and as a result, we are teaching more people. This week, 5 people committed to be baptized. Elder Blasko is a fun, diligent companion, and we have pushed each other to work harder than ever before.


We've also been blessed with an assortment of other miracles as well. Just a few days ago, a man approached us in a store and offered to pay for all our groceries; it turns out he was a member of the church in Las Vegas and was just passing through town when he needed to go to the store. We've also been able to contact a lot of people whom we haven't heard from in a while; throughout the week, we would feel prompted to call somebody we haven't been able to reach in a while, and they would finally answer!


However, there must needs be opposition in all things. This week, we've also had more people yell at us, try to bash with us, and give us anti-mormon stuff. It would seem that we are truly at war, and the adversary is not pleased with what we've accomplished this week. It's certainly been exhausting, but worth every bead of sweat.


But, despite it all, we try to keep things fresh and fun. We've been singing, we had a dance-off with an investigator, we've been checking out more of the stores downtown (there's a store called the Candy Vault where I can buy Yorkie bars!), and today we're going to the driving range to hit some golf balls.


The days just seem to be zipping by, and it doesn't seem like there's anything I can do about it. Elder Blasko and I were philosophizing last night: Because God is Eternal, He doesn't really exist in time, for how can there be time in eternity? That said, it would seem that the closer we are to God, the less we exist in time. That rings true in missionary work, because the more consecrated we become, the faster it goes. Just some food for thought!


Have a great week! Remember Pioneer Day: July 24, 1847.



-Elder Shane David Reynolds

Safe in the Lord's Hands

Hey everybody! I hope you were able to enjoy your free slurpee on 7-11 day, because I sure did!


This week has been crazy. In an attempt to hasten the work, Elder Blasko and I have decided to hasten our step and jog as much as we are able as we go between appointments. We also had an amazing Zone Conference with President and Sister Burt. While we were in Kelowna, we were rear-ended by a Mercedes. It was unfortunate, because the Mercedes wasn't driveable anymore. Luckily, our car just took a small dent and a couple scratches.


Elder Blasko and I were also called to speak in sacrament meeting yesterday. Salmon Arm is still just as beautiful and just as hot! Fortunately, I hear the temperature isn't going to get above 30 C this week, so we are really looking forward to that.


Also, I just discovered that the church has released a musical! I've been listening to a bit of the soundtrack, and it sounds like it was really well done. The music, script, and everything can be found online, so I imagine anybody with the resources would be able to produce it.

https://www.lds.org/callings/music/savior-of-the-world?lang=eng


I hate to do this again, but my email today will be cut short. We've still got a lot of things that need to get done today, and we've got a very busy week ahead of us. However, do not forget that I love you all! I'll give more details next week!




-Elder Reynolds

Colourful Companions

If you are familiar with the Hartman Color Code, this will be quite notable. If you are not, I would suggest that you try to get familiar with it because I love it.

I have just begun my 8th transfer in the mission field and have my 6th companion.

Elder Smith, my trainer, was Red with secondary White.

Elder Sloan, my lovable Down Syndrome companion, was Blue (I could never find out a secondary)

Elder Winkler was Red with secondary Yellow.

Elder Tillmann was White secondary Red

Elder Yue was Blue Secondary White

This week, I've discovered that my current companion and trainee, Elder Blasko, is Yellow. (It's too early to determine a secondary)

It would seem that I've had my way around the color wheel. I am White, secondary Blue. It's been interesting to apply what I've learned from Dr. Hartman to each of these relationships.

I am often quite amazed about how much one can learn about oneself when in the service of others. These past months, I've learned so much about myself. I've especially become more aware of many of my weaknesses, which hasn't been a particularly enjoyable experience. However, we are given weaknesses to be kept humble and to recognize our dependence on God.

Guilt also seems to take on a different meaning. Before the mission, guilt would take the form of "Wow, I really hurt that person," or "I shouldn't have lied about that." On the mission, we are given a much higher standard of living, and the deepest feelings of guilt and shame become "Dang it, we left the apartment 2 minutes late this morning," or "I know I should have talked to that person, but I let fear talk me out of it." I am just amazed that the "godly sorrow" spoken of in the scriptures can apply to the simple disobedience of "Oh no! We slept in until 6:45!"

The quest for perfection can be long and painful. It also seems increasingly impossible, but we are simply asked to do our best and press forward with faith.

Happy 7-11 this week! Go and get your free slurpees!

-Elder Reynolds

(Shane sent this picture, titled, "Ready for Cake" in reference to Aubrey's birthday cake)

Photos of Elder Yue and Elder Reynolds. Serving in Salmon Arm, B.C.

Additional photo with Jean, a woman learning about the church.

O Canada

July 1st marks the celebration of Canada Day, which is very similar to Independence Day on July 4th. Unfortunately, Canada Day doesn't have a movie about aliens and Will Smith, so Canada really needs to step it up. 

On Wednesday morning, I gave Elder Yue to the Kamloops Elders, then I drove down to Kelowna, took a plane into Vancouver, then spent the rest of the day in Vancouver. It was pretty crazy talking to people in the middle of such a big city, but we had a lot of good conversations. Fortunately, there are so many people (especially weird people) in Vancouver that we really didn't feel out-of-place.

The next morning, I attend a new missionary meeting with President Burt, which lasted several hours. I learned that my new companion is Elder Blasko, from Maryland. He's 6' 4" and wears size 16 shoes. He's also great at the piano and great at talking to people (far better than me, and I'm supposed to be the trainer); I look forward to learning a lot from him.

One of our investigators asked if we could dedicate his home, and when we did, there was a VERY noticeable difference in the way that the room felt; we all got chills. We then set a baptismal date with him for July 19.

I've been feeling pretty under the weather today, so please excuse the shortness of my comments. My entire frame feels very drained, and there is still much to do this evening.

Love you all!

Elder Reynolds