Dear East Two

Dear Surrey Two, "Growing up" in the community has always been an interesting experience for me when it's come to RYCon. Including this past one, I've been blessed to have attended 5. My first two were spent awkwardly roaming around, unsure of who to hang around. I was called to serve for my third RYC, so that one was undoubtedly the busiest. My fourth was during my first year as chapter head. Though I served for that one as well, the chapter was (of course) constantly on my mind. This past one, however, was unlike the rest. I wrote about how competing and sharing affected me greatly this year, but now I'd like to write about what had the greatest impact on me. A sea of yellow. My favourite colour, my favourite flowers, my favourite people. No other year can come in close comparison to this one because of you. This year was better than the last because despite competitions being on my mind, I was still able to spend so much time with you. There...

Dear Surrey Two, If the Lord turns "every test into a testimony", then the cross I had to carry throughout my first year as Chapter Head was heavy not for the benefit of myself, but for the benefit of those who were affected by my share. --- Last year was a big year for me. The Lord not only called me to serve the chapter, but He called me to fall: I fell down, fell apart, fell to pieces, fell to my knees, and fell in Love. And every bit of it hurt. To reiterate my share, I had a hard time during my first year as Chapter Head because of the unfortunate comparisons I made of myself towards others. Firstly, I felt that I was being thrown into the service because the sister before me had stepped down. I thought it should have still been her, and that I was solely there as a replacement. Secondly, I compared myself to the sister that I thought should have been asked. The sister who I felt had more love, more care, more heart, and more compassion for the chapter t...

Dear Surrey Two, At the last Chapter Assembly (this was the one before RYCon because it is now clearly after RYC and this post was saved as a draft for too long), we introduced the Litany of Humility. If you competed for RYC this year, it's likely that you had it as part of your fast. So, if you haven't already guessed, one of the main things we wanted you to take into and out of RYC this year is humility. I praise the Lord as this seems to have spread well throughout the chapter over the last month! The Archdiocesan theme for the 2013-14 school year is "Walk Humbly with Our Lord". Uncoincidentally (through His grace), our spring camp took on a similar theme, with it's anchor verse being, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled and all who humble themselves will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12). And if you didn't already know, my counterpart is one of the humblest people you could meet not only in this community, but in your lifetime. With al...

Dear Surrey Two, Talk about needing to walk the talk. The hope I wanted you to have in my " New Love " post was exactly what I needed to find in myself during camp. When it comes to talking to the chapter, I've never had problems. I've always been so eager and excited to converse with you and to interact with you, so to get to know you better. But it seems as though the evil one decided to take what I find enjoyable and turn it into something nerve-wracking. My spiritual warfare for the weekend became an inability to love. I busied myself with service as an excuse to hide away from interacting during the first hour and games of camp. During free time, I found myself walking towards new members with determination, only to divert elsewhere when I got close enough. A few of the service team saw me do this and encouraged me to just do it, but I couldn't. And it was ridiculous. So I picked myself up. I walked over to the Church and prayed the Ch...

Dear Surrey Two, The St. Matthew's "My Seven From Heaven" Catechism Retreat holds an incredibly special place in my heart. Though I never attended it as a participant, I have been blessed to be a part of the service team for the last 4 years. My first time serving as a facilitator of some sort was for M7FH, and since then I have grown tremendously. Every year I'm reminded that a good number of Surrey 2 members have gone through this retreat. M7FH has had the honour of being the first to touch the hearts of our brothers and sisters, thus inspiring them to be the leaders they are today.  I did not expect my heart to be as moved as it was this weekend. After being the last to gulp down this morning's beautiful breakfast, I headed down to the gym to join everyone in their free time before the day officially began. As I was setting down my stuff, I realized that "For You Almighty" was playing on the speakers and couldn't help but sing alon...

Dear Surrey Two, I am currently sitting on the bus trying to hold back tears. I am so overwhelmed with emotion that I want to contain it and release it all at once. But I can't contain it -- I shouldn't and my heart won't allow it. I am both excited and nervous, but hopeful in the Lord for what is to happen next. You see, my heart is overwhelmed with Love. There are seventy new brothers and sisters joining Camp Exalted. Seventy! How gracious is our God to bless us with so many new brothers and sisters to love, and how capable He must know we are of doing so. Oh, how He must desire that these brothers and sisters feel His Love and witness His wonders through us to bless us like this. How great His Plans must be for this Chapter to have us grow so vastly! But here's the thing: quantity does not matter. Seventy is a glorious number, but it is not meant to be rejoiced over and simply forgotten once this weekend passes. No, seventy is a dare. It is a challenge f...

Dear Surrey Two, As I was on my way to school this morning, I slowed down from my usual drive-as-fast-as-I-can-because-I'm-totally-going-to-be-late-and-have-to-pay-five-bucks-for-parking-instead-of-parking-for-free-across-the-street speed so to take in my surroundings. Though I often claim to dislike this season the most, I have never seen a more beautiful winter in play on the streets of Surrey. I couldn't help but smile to myself over the wonders of His works. The way the snow delicately blanketed my familiar streets made me want to stop the car and walk the rest of the way. But as I began to descend down the hill of 152nd Street, a mixture of rain and dirt from the truck before me splashed onto my windshield, leaving me momentarily stunned. After quickly turning on my wipers, my eyes readjusted to a different vision: fog. I was in shock; I couldn't believe that the scintillating sun had suddenly turned into this mess of gray. I checked my rear-view mirror in disbel...