Dinner with the Sloan family

Rally in the trenches

Rally in the trenches!

Rally in the trenches, brethren, gather in thy might!
Our enemy is pressing forward to destroy the light.
We shan't be moved, we cannot fail, our line defends the right,
And though the foe may fearsome seem, he shall be turned to flight
Rally in the trenches, brethren, gather in thy might!
Our Captain is the Lord of Hosts, and victory's in sight!

Summon all your courage, brethren, join in unity.
The message that we carry is of peace and liberty.
Do not despair, hold fast to thy righteous tenacity.
Do not give darkness tolerance; to sin, give no pity.
Summon all your courage brethren, join in unity.
Our hearts and minds will meld as one, just as Enoch's city.

That was one I came up with last night; it is not nearly finished, but I wanted to at least send you something! As the weeks go by, it is becoming more and more difficult to find time to write, but I believe that's a very good thing.

The reason I write you on Tuesday is because President Burt was holding interviews for our zone yesterday. It's always a pleasure to get to talk with that man. Let me just take a second and tell you how inspired he is: President Burt sends out a weekly newsletter to the mission, and he wanted us to have some copies ready for the missionaries when they came for their interviews. However, we had no access to any computer in the church. We sat down near his office, not sure how we could get copies, and just as we sat down, he peeks his head out of his office and says, "It occurred to me that you don't have any way to print the newsletter. Take my keys to open the family history centre and print it off there."

I doubt that was coincidental. AND THEN later that day, we were meeting near his office with the Sister Training Leaders to discuss a new mission Standard which will soon be implemented; we realized that we had a few questions that we were uncertain of; just as we began pondering our questions, President Burt (who was in the middle of an interview with a missionary) opens his door, peeks around the corner and says "I want to talk with you all about the new Standard. Do you have any questions about it?" Our inquires and concerns were then discussed and resolved.

The icing on the cake for an amazing week: the Sloans! You may recall one of my trainers, Elder Sloan. He was released from his mission a couple months ago and is now back with his family in the Surrey 1st Ward (where Elder Asi and I now serve)! They had us over for dinner the other night, and I couldn't pass up a picture with the whole family.

Until Monday! Happy November!
Elder Reynolds

We felt strongly prompted to knock on a certain door as we passed by, and the man that answered had a bird on his hand and a bird on his shoulder. He wasn't interested in learning, but he let us pet and hold his birds.   Also, a picture with Kushal.

Spirit and Manner

What if there's more than we perceive?

What if our minds cannot receive

An elementary wisdom

Of elemental things to come?

What if within Spirit beings

Are spirit atoms, quarks, and strings?

Can spirit atoms then take on

A different form with each proton?

What if, beyond our mortal sphere,

Beyond that which we see and hear,

The elements of truth and light

Are tangible and God's delight?

Perhaps across the veil, we'll learn

Of finer things eyes can't discern.

This poem summarizes the things which have been pressing upon my mind as I've studied the scriptures this past week. While these things have peaked my curiosity and pricked my reasoning, I also recognize that an understanding of such things (if at all possible) would yield no benefit to missionary work, so I don't want to lose any hairs over the matter.

It's crazy to think that I have now been through two Canadian Thanksgivings! Time becomes an unfathomable concept while on a mission, and it is impossible to tell whether the months pass rapidly or slowly. Canadian Thanksgiving seems to be more of a weekend event; the official holiday is on Monday, but most people have their big family gatherings on Saturday and Sunday. Monday then becomes a leisurely day-off from work. As missionaries, we like to work even harder on holidays, which is why P-Day is on Tuesday.

Elder Kelly and I have been using the chapel's gym for our morning exercise. When we arrived at the gym this morning, the seminary students in our ward informed us that they didn't have a teacher. So we taught the seminary class in our gym clothes, which provided a wonderful mental workout to prepare us for the day.

The work itself has been a bit slower. It can be difficult when so many people are from Punjab and don't speak English. However, we've been able to meet some amazing people, and we are changing up the way that we work with the ward and how we meet people on the street. Transfer calls will also be coming up this week, so it will be quite interesting to see what is in store for us now.

In the event that I get transferred, I've created a Delta Bucket-List:

1) Learn to tie a turban

2) Go to the Gurdwara (Sikh temple)

3) Eat at Krispy Kreme (the only one in BC and one of two in all Canada)

Today, Elder Kelly and I bought turbans, and we'll be visiting with a member this evening that says he'll teach us. On Saturday, I accomplished goal number 3. So if we get transferred, we'll go the Gurdwara next P-Day. 

Love you all!

A Dance with the Angels‏

At the sign of the conductor,
The band begins to play.
The angels take the dance floor
To waltz the night away.

Every angel takes a partner;
They dance with you and me.
We step within the rhythm,
And keep the beat of three.

The conductor picks up speed now,
His purpose to perform.
The tempo starts to hasten-
Allegro is the norm

As the angels start to quicken,
Some people fall behind
The devil hates the music
And wants it undermined

The hastening of this music
Is fought by shouts from hell.
Who will join us in the work
And dance with an angel?

Happy October! I have often considered October to be one of my favorite months, and I look forward to the experiences and stories from everyone, that in store this time around. A quick shout-out to my brother Brady; he will be eleven years of age on the 9th of the month.

This week was a week filled with meetings, but I felt extremely blessed to be serving the missionaries in our stewardship. We went on 2 exchanges, met with the District Leaders to provide additional training, gave a baptismal interview, and held what was perhaps the greatest zone meeting I've ever attended. The Spirit was strong within each of these meetings, and in each instance, all I had to do was prepare; when the time came, the Spirit was able to draw upon the things which we had prepared to accomplish the Lord's purposes.

This weekend's General Conference was phenomenal, and just what each of us needed. What a historic event it was to witness and sustain the calling of three new Apostles. Many of the talks given provided great comfort, and President Nelson and Elder Holland spoke eloquently on the rights and responsibilities of motherhood and the divine role of women in the Lord's plan. Love you, mom!

One of the commitments from Conference was to select one scripture each week to ponderize (80% pondering, 20% memorizing). My scripture of the week is Alma 13:24, which reads:
"For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory."

Have a great week!
Elder Reynolds

Adam's Autumn

Adam fell that men might be

As Autumn falls the leafy tree.

Since Adam's Autumn, we can see

The natural man, the enemy,

Opposes all things heavenly.

And Satan, with his enmity,

Still seeks to reign with tyranny.

But by the Lord's divine decree,

The devil's hosts shall quake and flee.

Then every soul shall bow the knee

And see Christ come in His glory.

And when we're in Eternity,

Mankind's Autumn will find mercy

For from the Fall, we finally

Have endless joy and agency.

Autumn is, by far, my favorite of the seasons, and though we often find ourselves on different doorsteps, I do miss the yearly celebration of Halloween. I've already got some costumes planned in mind!

Last night, we were able to catch a small glimpse of the blood moon, but it was a very cloudy evening, so that was a bit of a disappointment.

Last week was great! We had a lot of meetings, including Mission Leadership Council, which was phenomenal, and we had the opportunity to train some of the missionaries about Weekly Planning. Despite the amount of time that we lost, we were miraculously able to find 5 new investigators, and we've talked with many amazing people that are interested in meeting with us. Our faith is higher than ever, and it has truly been a spiritual witness to us after last week's trial of our faith. This week has no shortage of meetings either, including zone meeting, but we are hoping to find and teach even more people.

A fun fact I learned this week: Apparently British Columbia has the highest population of Indians than anywhere else in the world, except, of course, for India. From what I've seen in Delta, I would agree.

Another fun fact: most of the men that translate General Conference into Hindi live in this ward! So if you watch General Conference in Fijian Hindi, you will likely here the voice of one of the Prasad's.

Also, Kushal was ordained to the office of a priest yesterday in church, and he is preparing to go to the temple on October 9th (Brady's birthday). 

Sincerely,

Elder Reynolds

Gone a'Fishin

I decided to go for some Southern soul with this week's poem. I wrote a specific rhythm and melody as well, but that doesn't really convey over email:

Saint Peter was out on the sea

It was a lovely day on Galilee

But when he heard his Lord say "Follow Me,"

He cried, "Ma, we're gone a'fishin!"

My Lord said "Preach the gospel that you've heard,

"I've cared for every lily, fed every bird,

"Go feed each creature My holy word."

Ma, we're gone a'fishin!

I read His word in the Holy Book,

I'm heading on down now to the brook,

I got my bait, I got my hook,

Ma, we're gone a'fishin!

This ain't a dream or vain ambition,

It's the job of every Christian,

Ma, we're gone a'fishin!

I apologize that I was unable to write last week. It was transfer week, and we had to arrange travel plans for the missionaries in the zone, so our P-Day last week was a little hectic. Since we are also some of the closest Elders to the airport, ferries, and mission office, we were also given the task of driving missionaries around during the transfer week. We also had to drive a missionary to the hospital because of a stomach infection. (Fortunately, that has been resolved). We also had 2 of the missionary cars in the shop, which means even more driving as we facilitated the car transportation. Needless to say, we have been in the car a lot.

Within the past 2 weeks, 5 of the cars in our mission were totalled, and the mission doesn't have any spares. In order to prevent further accident, President Burt has said that phones are not to be used in the car while it is in motion, not even by the missionary in the passenger seat. It has been difficult making this adjustment due to the copious amount of time we spent in the car. However, it has made us even more effective with our phone usage; it is not something we take for granted, and we are making more calls outside of the car than we ever did while driving, so it has been a blessing in disguise.

Through various arising circumstances, our teaching pool has diminished greatly. This past week, we only taught one lesson. It has been a bit of a trying period, but we've been able to learn so much, and despite the heightened opposition we have faced, our faith is greater than ever. Any time we were out of the car, we truly were "a'fishing," and though the work seems to have slowed down a bit in Delta, I can stand with a clear conscience knowing that we are laboring with all our might. Though we have many imperfections, we strive for improvement.

At many times in our life, we face opposition on all sides. Sometimes, we're trapped between blood-thirsty Egyptians and an unforgiving Sea, with no route of escape. Sometimes, we are called upon to stretch forth our hand, the Lord parts that Sea, and we can freely walk on dry ground. However, sometimes our route of escape is less miraculous. I believe that sometimes we are called upon to jump in and start swimming, relying on the infinite mercies of the Lord to provide us the strength we need to push past the opposition and endure to the shore.

Always be mindful, however, that "Just Hang in There" is not a principle of the gospel. The phrase "Endure to the End" can be better rendered as "Enjoy to the End!"

-Elder Reynolds

Mind and Heart

Some say they have a shoulder angel

Rivaled by a little devil.

Some say a boy who has no strings

Has a cricket that can sing.

And others yet claim they have ghosts

And all sort of hellish hosts.

Now here I am with none of these,

But I'm not worried in the least;

I have my own bickering guides

Whose endless fight remains inside.

One is that constant, rhythmic Heart, 

And then, the Brain, the counterpart.

The Tell-Tale Heart, the story goes,

That beats with its poetic prose,

Will often drive my mind insane

For feelings cannot be explained.

And when the Brain demands reason,

The Heart simply cannot appease him.

My Heart's description of emotion

Can stir up a great commotion

When my Brain has much to say,

My Heart always wants his own way.

So here I am stuck in between,

And this whole thing is just obscene.

My thoughts and feelings often fight

When I'm not sure what choice is right.

But now and then the Spirit guides

And Brain and Heart become one mind.

So how is it these enemies

At last decide they can agree?

"I'll tell you in your mind and heart;

The Holy Ghost will not depart.

And with this Spirit, you can be

As Moses parting the Red Sea."

So in conclusion, my dear friends,

Follow the Spirit whom God sends.

Surprise! I'm emailing you on a Tuesday! Monday this week was Labor Day, which means our P-Day was moved to Tuesday. Not only that, but we were able to attend the temple today! It's been such an amazing day, and we have some great appointments later in the day that we're looking forward to.

Also, here's a fun little update: Deana and Emma Slack were baptized back in Salmon Arm last week! I've not written much about them, but they are a wonderful mother-daughter family that we were so blessed to teach.

Our teaching has recently dropped substantially, so we've been spending a lot more time out and about in the community. We've seen some really cool miracles as we've been talking to people. Just last night, we had an amazing, hour-long conversation with a young man named Kyle at the bus stop. He's the first white guy I've met on my mission that had never heard the word "Mormon" before. We're going to see him again this weekend.

Kushal has been doing very well! Those his understanding of Christianity is still limited, he's recently been talking a lot about how his friends need to "put the alcohol away and get Jesus." He's also now one of the happiest people I know, and he always has Christian music playing in his house, and he reads the Book of Mormon every day.

It is worth noting that next Sunday, we will be receiving our transfer calls. Personally, I doubt that Elder Kelly or I will be transferred, but I'll keep you on the update of anything that happens.

It's starting to get cold and rainy, and it's likely going to stay that way for the next 6 months. Welcome to BC winters.

Until Monday,

Elder Reynolds