I am still here as you know! As I started to type an email to my mission president, the wind began to pick up, enough so I could see the dust moving above the street, and then rain began to pour. People were running down the street to try to get out of the rain. Then the power went out. Then a wet dog entered the place where we're emailing. It was pretty sweet.
I am excited to spend another transfer here. Salta de Pirapora has been my mission other than the CTM. By the end of this transfer I will have lived in this ward for almost 6 months. That's almost as long that I lived at BYU. My companion was joking that if I stay one more transfer, they'll probably send my membership records from Salt Lake to the ward here. Tuesday was the day that we had planned to go around and just say bye to everyone, but instead it was a day of work. Our district meeting was really sad, because there was going to be only one change in our district and our last transfer wasn't that successful as a zone. There was very little energy. We went to work that afternoon and received a call from our zone leaders with a little challenge to mark a date. I am so susceptible to motivating things like that. I can't explain it but it is in my blood or something. It was such a great day of work and we marked 3 dates for baptism that day. It was such a blessing from our Father in Heaven and the challenge got me going!
We met with this couple, Jean and Josiane who have two kids. This couple is awesome. They are very, very kind, and quite successful. It is very easy to picture them members of the church, and their kids are so well-mannered. Here in Brazil, you say bem-educado for people that have good manners. If someone does something rude, you could say (if you wish to call them out on the rudeness) "falta de educação." They are so smiley and kind and just a great family.
Wednesday was great as well, Wednesday morning we went to teach this girl named Leticia. She has a date for baptism the 24 of December. Our training in our district meeting was about listening. We taught her about the word of wisdom and she was concerned she wouldn't be able to stop drinking alcohol. The question popped into my mind , ask her about other trials she has overcome in her life. She went on to share a personal experience and at the end of the lesson she said, "That really made sense to me." She had done all of the talking, but the connection she made, with just a little help of pointing out that she is already overcoming a challenge so much bigger made sense to her. I hope it gives her more courage to stop. It really was from the Holy Ghost.
We were fasting Friday afternoon and Saturday morning before our second lesson with Jean and Josiane, and when we showed up Josiane was getting her nails done. I was pretty bummed and it was hard to focus during the lesson where we read some scriptures with Jean. I wish it could have been different, but I know Heavenly Father desires that they enter the church. I have faith our fast was not in vain. That day I saw lightening strike nearer to me then I ever have in my life. We were sitting in a lesson and we saw this huge flash of lightening like 50 feet away. It was so so loud, and Elder Cavalcante gave a little yelp and spilled his juice on the ground.
Sunday after church we went to eat lunch with Luiz Carlos and his wife Efginia. He is going to mark a date to be married this week! He has been trying to mark one for a long time, but something hasn't quite gone right so we gave a challenge to mark a date this week no matter what. If you have to make some arrange with your boss, just do it so you can get married and be baptized. Last night we went to a family night that had 26 people there. It was really good. Luiz Carlos was there with his wife and their two little boys.
So that was the week. I wanted to share a funny little story that happened on the street where we had our family night. We have one there every Sunday night and I guess a few years ago the mom who lives in that home heard a fight going on outside and went to the front of their house to see what was going on. She saw someone getting beat up pretty bad outside a bar but fortunately someone called an ambulance. Unfortunately the guys who were beating the man up decided to beat up the medics in the ambulance, and steal the ambulance. They drove off, and I didn't quite understand the last part of the story but I guess someone that stole the ambulance with them was injured and they drove them to the hospital where the police were there waiting!
I love all of you very much. Merry Christmas!! Love, Elder Calvert
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