The captains and the kings depart.
Still stands thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget, lest we forget."
-Rudyard Kipling
Transfers have come and gone! I will be staying up here in Nechako for another transfer, though Elder Driscoll is going down to Vancouver. I will be joined by Elder Whitley! This is surely going to be a transfer to remember! We have zone conference coming up the second week in March, and General Conference to close the transfer.
The Sister missionaries that I started my mission with have all gone home. It's a sobering thought, and is a reflection of the brief time which I've yet to spend in the Canada Vancouver mission.
Arold and Erica, who were baptized last week, are the children of Mark and Jackie, who were baptized just three months ago! They've been just a pleasure to work with; it's so much fun to be with them all, and Jackie is a great cook, so we get fed every lesson!
This week, I've thought a lot about James 2:26- "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Faith is compared to a body, and works are compared to a spirit. The body, without being filled with a soul, is lifeless. But what of the reverse?
Our spirits came to earth so that we could learn and progress. God wants us to learn from this mortal experience. If we weren't given this opportunity, our progression would have reached an eventual end and would have been halted. A halt in progression is sometimes referred to as damnation in the scriptures.
Thus, as the spirit without the body is damned, so works without faith are damned also. That is to say, if we work without faith, our work will not progress, and only in progression comes true and abiding joy.
That's just the doctrine of Elder Reynolds though.
Happy Leap Day!
-Elder Reynolds
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