This week was really, really good. I usually only talk about the end of the week, but we had a wonderful Tuesday. I have a really good buddy named Elder Otterstrom and during our district meeting we taught together to practice/apply the principles we learned from our training. It started off really well, and ended up going really bad! I knew it was bad. I wanted to make up excuses but I didn't. I eagerly asked what I could do different and what I could change. I think this is something that I'm learning to do better. Actively seek feedback, even if you have to humble yourself a lot.
So later that day we had a practice for the Primary Music Program. We had scheduled to do this big lesson to receive references for a family at 6:00 and we left our chapel, about 3/4 of a mile away from their house, at 5:53! I was booking it and when we got out of view of the people at the chapel, I took off running (in our training to deliver this message it was stressed how we have to be on time) My companion was yelling stop, stop and was just half upset half smiling but I yelled something like, "We have rules that we have to stick together, and i'm running!" I was running down this big hill and I heard him yell behind me in English in an awesome Brazilian accent, "You use steroids!" I was waiting for him by the door and when I showed him my watch, it was 5:59. A minute early even! It was really funny. We had that lesson and received 75 people to teach! It went really, really well.
Friday was a huge day for me here. I was walking around our home doing morning things and studying Portuguese and stressing about all of the things we need to do, when I decided to go read a letter from my buddies who are serving missions. I picked up Morgan's and Dane's letters to their family and read them. I think I have some of the biggest studs for friends. I love those guys so much. The message I got from both of their emails is that they have learned to give their best and leave the rest up to the Lord. I remember reading Dane's words "I think that's where I've changed the most on my mission. Instead of being ridiculously competitive (I remember Dane freaking out during basketball and wiffle ball in his backyard, Zackary and Morgan and Chase can attest to this) to just doing my best and knowing the Lord's will- will be done." I was standing near my bed, and everything was different. I can't tell you how much of a difference it made. It hasn't stopped either. It was as though it opened my mind to everything differently. I was stressing about what we can do differently, how we can find more people, what we can do better, to all of a sudden, completely at peace. There is a lot of unneeded stress in our lives. I forgot about freaking out, and then went and just talked to my companion. It was really, really nice.
Friday night we had a family night in the home of a part member family. Early that week we broke a piece of glass that is symbolic of the church Christ established. We brought the scraps and the complete piece and spoke about how any amount of reconstruction could not give you the exact same piece of glass. I think it went pretty well, it is a very hard situation with that family. The mother is waiting for an answer and has been for quite sometime.
Sunday I gave my first talk in Portuguese. The Bishop came up to me and asked me to sing right before as well, so I sang and right after gave my talk. I talked about baptism and made an analogy of baptism being the ticket to enter the stadium to watch your favorite soccer team. We can't have a ticket that someone went and made a Xerox copy of. We have to have the real ticket, the real baptism. Honestly it went really well. I really enjoy speaking, I truthfully haven't felt nervous to speak in Portuguese in big settings like this at all. It really is a miracle.
I love you all so much. I really do feel yours prayers so much. I am so grateful for my friends that are serving missions. I pray for them everyday. I love you all so much!
Love, Elder Calvert
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