9

Several years ago, an animated film titled "9" was released in theaters. The trailers for the movie often featured music by the band Coheed & Cambria. However, upon viewing the film, many people were disappointed to discover that the movie did not have any music by Coheed & Cambria.

In a way, this event in cinema history is a reflection of my mission. This week, I'll have been on my mission for 9 months, and in all that time I have yet to hear a song by Coheed & Cambria. Fortunately for me, I'm not actually a fan of their music!

This week has been wonderful! We are currently teaching more people than ever, we have a baptism coming up in June for a man named Danny, and tomorrow I'll be giving my first baptismal interview to a really cool guy named Max in Vernon!

In celebration of Elder Yue's birthday, some recent converts in the Burnaby Chinese ward made the 5 hour drive to Salmon Arm to spend the weekend with us! We had Thai food on Saturday, they came to church with us on Sunday, and today we went to Sunnybrae and went hiking around the beautiful Margaret Falls. I took a lot of pictures, but I forgot my camera today. Expect pictures next week!

Yesterday, Elder Yue and I taught the Relief Society lesson at church. The lesson was entitled "The Power of the Word," and it focused on the importance of daily scripture study. Paul tells us that in our war with Satan, our greatest weapon is the "Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." (Ephesians 6:17). We are not defenseless and we are certainly not helpless against the great opposition which may come our way. We've been given our offensive weapons, and all we have to do to use it is read a little bit each day. It's that simple! Alma taught his son Helaman about the importance and simplicity of daily scripture study, and he concludes by saying, "do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way." (Alma 37:46)

Have a wonderful week!

-Elder Reynolds

May 16!

Greetings everybody! This Saturday, May 16th, is Elder Yue's birthday. If you get the chance, his email is ngo.yue@myldsmail.net. Give him a birthday greeting, if you get the chance!

In honor of his birthday, I must tell of his heroism this week. On Thursday night, we were driving down the street when we noticed a car parked in a field a few feet from the road. There was a lot of smoking rising from the engine, and there was a man inside frantically waving at us. I was driving our car, so Elder Yue jumped out, I swung the car around, and we helped him out and turned off the ignition. Several seconds later, there were several other people there to help us support and calm the disoriented man. We then called an ambulance, and a short while later the officials were on the scene. We like to think that we were able to be somebody's angels that day.

I am grateful for the opportunity I had to Skype my family on Mother's Day, despite the crazy weather and the lost connection on their end. Please keep safe!

Transfer calls have come and gone, and Elder Yue and I will both be staying in Salmon Arm for another 6 weeks.

I don't have as much time to write this week, as we have a lesson in several minutes. Sorry! I'll write you all much more next week!

-Elder Reynolds

The Fourth will be with you. Always.

Happy Star Wars Day, my fellow humans! Or, as some would say, "May the 4th be with you!"

Now, having lived near Las Vegas, Nashville, and Dallas-Fort Worth, I've always considered myself to be a city-slicker. However, this past week, we've stacked wood, clipped and burned trees, roasted hot dogs over a fire, raked gravel, mowed several yards, and helped repair a fence for a horse pen. Needless to say, I think I'm beginning to see the charm of small towns and rural labor.

Spring is a beautiful time of year on the Shuswap Lake. The sunsets are gorgeous, and the green plants and active wildlife can make Salmon Arm a very serene place to be at times.

I've recently decided to attempt to read the Book of Mormon in Spanish. It has proven to be quite an undertaking, but has been extremely rewarding. I cannot really speak the language, but I remember enough from Spanish class that I can read it fairly well. As I progress and practice, I've had to refer back to the English version less and less. It's an interesting experience though, because it really makes me focus on the wording and meaning of every sentence. This morning, I was reading 1 Nephi 10, and Lehi's prophecies of the Savior hit me in a way that they never had before, probably because I just skim through it in English normally. When you study the scriptures, you really have to focus on every word, and not simply peruse. 

Does anybody happen to know any good "Knock-Knock" jokes? I've been trying to explain them to Elder Yue, but I can't think of any good ones to use as examples.

Remember, we must always be armed with "the [lightsaber] of the Spirit"

Enjoy "Revenge of the Fifth" tomorrow, or Cinco de Mayo, depending on what you celebrate.

-Elder Reynolds

Pictures!

Having fun on P-Day

 

Elder Yue and Elder Reynolds

Fit as a Fiddle

Do you remember the last time you listened to a beautiful violin solo on the radio? Can you recall how the music moved you, how the melody tugged on your heart strings as the player's bow connected with the violin strings? And then, just before you lost control and burst forth into tears, you exclaimed "Wow, that must be a really shiny violin!" Do you remember that moment? Well, I don't.

Music is not credited to an instrument, a mallet cannot sculpt a statue, and a life-saving surgery does not put a scalpel in the newspaper. It is the composer, the craftsman, the doctor that produces such a work.In a similar fashion, we must remember that we are tools in the Master's hands, and we must be obedient to His will in order to accomplish His work, especially in missionary work. This is something that I finally began to understand this week.

Some of us are violins, some are cellos, and some are cumbersome french horns, but each of us has a part to play in the grand symphony of life, and we must do all that we can to be tuned properly. I do not believe there is such thing as a "Good Missionary." If we do all that we can to be humble, teachable, diligent, and we will become a "Tuned Missionary," and be able to play our part.We are called to be instruments. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be re-tuned if necessary. Jesus Christ is our player, our violinist, and we will one day be able to hear the music that our Father has composed for us."Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." (Matthew 19:17).

Life in Salmon Arm is a blast! We've been able to enjoy some of the nature trails here. We've also been doing a lot of service for the community, and we've been finding a good amount of people to teach. I've also really been enjoying my calling as a District Leader. The Elders that I serve with are so talented and diverse. We have a Zone Meeting coming up this week, and we're all looking forward to that.
May each of you have a blessed week! Be sure to celebrate May Day!
They don't celebrate that in British Columbia, which I find is a tragedy.
-Elder Reynolds

8 months!

Greetings all!

Today, April 20, 2015, marks that I've been wearing this black nametag for 8 months now. That's one-third of the mission, already past. It boggles my mind how time works on the mission. The days can feel so long, but the weeks seem to just zoom by!

We've been having some fun here in Salmon Arm. Saturday night, the Assistants to President Burt stayed the night. No, we weren't in trouble. They were driving to Kamloops the next day and just needed a place to sleep. We were able to talk about the work and the Canada Vancouver Mission.

I just feel so pleased to have been sent here. In fact, today I went to the thrift store and bought some brand-new shoes and an English-Spanish dictionary for a grand total of 3 dollars. Just some of the perks of Salmon Arm!

It's starting to get really warm here, which is nice. I've had to start wearing the good-ol' short sleeve shirts.

Hope everybody has a great week!
-Elder Reynolds

Photos

One of the Nature Trails

Elder Tillman

Shuswap Lake at Night