Happy 20th Birthday- Elder Calvert

Thank you very much for the emails and Happy Birthday wishes. I was looking forward to reading the emails a lot this day, and hearing your kind words. Thank you- I really appreciate all of the emails.

Well this last week was really good. Tuesday was an awesome day. I enjoyed my interview with the President so much. I talked to Sister Cooley a lot too and really emotionally connected with them. President Cooley was giving me counsel and it was so very apparent to me that he is called of God and “my” mission president. I have supported him since I entered the mission, but I feel it so strongly now. He gave me lots of counsel and expressed love and confidence in me. It was a wonderful interview.

This week we have been working a lot with this man named Arlindo. He is the man that will be baptized this weekend. He is such a tender man. We were sitting in church quietly and he leaned over to me and said "I'll go to your wedding." He calls us his children and "his angels." Yesterday we told him about removing images from his house, and as we were leaving I was shaking his hands and I was reaffirming with my testimony that God wants us to pray to Him. He took both of my hands and said, "If you tell me to do it, I will do it because I know you're a man of God." It was a little memory that I will remember for a long time. He is a sweet man, and old, so along with that goes a little lack of understanding but his heart is so pure. I will be praying to know if it really is the right time for him to be baptized and talk to the missionary who will do the interview.

This week I learned a lot about the Spirit, patience and love. President Cooley talked to me about always staying in control of situations. Before we would leave the house this week, I have been praying with all the strength I can muster to ask for patience and love for my companion and those we teach. I have been filled and taught by the Holy Ghost. I have noticed behaviors and my own behaviors and solutions to what seemed impossible, were given to me by quiet whisperings of the Holy Ghost Changing ourselves a little bit to work better with those around us is difficult, but it's a decision we can make right now. It has helped me so very much this week. I have felt lots of joy this week.

On Wednesday, I was feeling like I did in the beginning of my mission with missing all of you at home. I was upset and thought there was seriously something wrong with me because after 8 months I still have moments where my heart hurts so bad. I looked at the quote that Mom gave me last week that says, "We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day" and decided that today (last Wednesday) I was going to be happy until I was happy. It worked! I started by saying out loud "today is going to be a good day!" It took me right back to leaving for school in 2nd grade and saying it out loud to dad before I would lean in and give him a hug in that brown leather jacket. Attitude is so important! I'm so grateful for that experience I had of not liking school when I was young, and learning about the power of positive thinking as a 7 year old boy. That will never leave me, and that little technique I learned as a boy is working for me now as a MAN. I'm smiling as I'm typing this, I don't feel like a man, but it seems appropriate because of my birthday- 20 years old. But really our attitude is so important. Happiness is a choice. We control our thoughts. If we are sad, choose right this moment, to be happy, because eventually we will become happy. We are who we are because this is who we want to be. If we wanted something different, we will start the process to change right now.

One funny story I forgot to tell you last week. We were walking back from a lesson with 2 other elders, and my companion said he wanted pizza. It was already late so we wouldn't have time to order it, but a few seconds later this pizza man went flying by on the motorcycle, so fast that he lost his hat, and many menus flew out of his huge delivery pouch. 2 police cars flew past us, chasing the pizza man. We kind of laughed at the funny situation, and when we rounded the next corner, we saw a pizza box that had fallen out, with most of the pizza on the ground but one still in the box! My companion ate it, it was awesome!

Well that is all for now. Next p-day I will email the 9th not the 7th because we are going to the Temple!! I am so excited!! I love you all. I know with all of my heart that Jesus is the Christ. Heavenly Father answers prayers. This last year was a year of my life I think I will always hold very dear. I am so grateful for my wonderful family and friends. I truly love you. I can't wait to talk with you and hug you all, but for now, know how much love I feel for you in my heart.

January 24, 2011

We baptized a family this weekend! I want to send pictures so, so bad but they won't send. I was fasting to be able to purely love the people, and not to have any selfish gratification in the baptism, but just feel the fullness of this wonderful covenant with God. It really was a Spiritual day. Wedja the mother and her three children Guilherme, Samir and Maiara were baptized. I want to send pictures so bad but know I will next week because I will bring another little cable to make sure it will send. I am healthy and tan, so all is well. I think I'm looking older too, but I don't know!

Well this last week was a very, very busy week. We had baptismal interviews Monday night and I did a division with another Elder, Tuesday we said bye to our district leader Elder Silva, Wednesday we moved to Freguesia, and that night I did a division with the new Elders in Brasilandia to show them some people we had been teaching and some members homes while my companion stayed with the Bishop here in Freguesia. We learned that Wedja's husband (not married but living with him, which was preventing her from being baptized) had left finally! I called that night and asked if she wanted to be baptized with her children! So Thursday night we went and talked about it and she said yes! Friday night she had her interview, Saturday morning we did a service project in her house, and that night all four of them were baptized! It is amazing how fast we have become friends with her family. They were being taught initially by my buddy Elder Knoblauch who was serving in this area. I'm so excited to serve in his old area, he is such a good guy.

Yesterday I did another little division with the Elder's Quorum President and it was wonderful. We are teaching this older man (almost 80) named Arlindo and he loves telling stories. We tried teaching the entire 1st lesson earlier in the week but it didn't work out too well, so Clayton and I went back and taught just about the Restoration. He loves church and will pray to know if he can be baptized. He is worried that God will condemn him if he is baptized again. He offered such a sincere prayer at the end.

Many miracles happened this week. People came up to us and asked us about the church. I really felt so very, very blessed. My companion Elder N. Junior is great with people. He is so good at making friends really quick and people like him instantly. I am excited to work together for this time here in Freguesia.

I learned this morning happiness isn't so much in doing and accomplishing as it is in being. Being who we really are, and acknowledging our divine roots will truly bring happiness. Living in alignment with the Spirit inside all of us. I know that we are children of God. I forget sometimes, which is evidence of stress and feelings of things being out of control. But I know I am a child of God. When I really know, really feel this, all my worries leave. My daddy in this world has told me this many times. Now I'm beginning to understand. I love you all

Love, Elder Spencer Calvert

January 10, 2011

We found a new family this week! We are in this one neighborhood we don't spend very much time in, and we knocked on this door and this really kind woman opened the door and invited us in. Her name is Mara, and we are teaching her, her son Vinicius, her daughter Nicoli, and her nephew Fabricio. It was so wonderful to teach them a few times this week and they went to church on Sunday too!

We also had a cool experience with this girl in the same neighborhood. We had only been to this neighborhood once before so we planned to go there, Elder Cavalcante had an address that he had gotten in a contact so we went there. It was random for us to go to the neighborhood but it was so cool because during the lesson with this contact, Izabella, she said she had a dream the night before and heard that she should wait a little bit longer, because God was preparing the path for her. It was really sweet.

I know Jesus is the Christ. I love The Book of Mormon. I love 1 Nephi 20:18 "Oh that thou hadst harkened to my commandments. Then had thy peace be as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea." I know this church is true, and I know that the Lord will keep His promises.

Next week is transfers. I won't know until after so next week could be the last time I email from Salto de Pirapora. I love you all. I pray for you everyday.

Love, Elder Calvert

Well after we got off of skype it was nuts. I was zoning out so much replaying the conversation in my mind. I was trying to suck every little bit of life out of the conversation. I felt pretty low Saturday night. I wanted to just feel positive and energy but it was really tough. The Elder's from Pilar slept in our house that night and during the quiet time before they left I asked Elder Otterstrom to give me a blessing to help me focus. The power of the Priesthood is so real, and I am so grateful for worthy Priesthood holders in our lives. I felt so lifted after that blessing.

This week had many challenges but I clung to The Book of Mormon. I love The Book of Mormon. I love it. It is so powerful. I can't think of a better way to progress spiritually than a regular study of The Book of Mormon. Also, I love the Apostles and Prophets. I love their words. They speak so much to me. The things they talk about are so true. Far more true then anything we can describe, they speak to our hearts. Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk is wonderful. He quoted Thomas Carlyle who said “All true Work is sacred; in all true Work, were it but true hand-labour, there is something of divineness. Labour, wide as the Earth, has its summit in Heaven.” I just love it.

On Thursday we were praying very earnestly to find someone that we could teach the gospel that was prepared. (Really quick I remembered a miracle that happened Sunday night, we received a text from an old investigator asking us if we could teach her again. That almost never happens so I was very grateful.) It was a rough day because this girl told us we had offended her about asking her to be baptized. We told her that we can't think of a better way to demonstrate love and friendship then by sharing this gospel. I was really sad. We were walking in the center of the city and this lady started talking to us. While we were talking to her these two drunk people started talking to us too. We walked over to them and began talking but I wasn't really paying attention because the conversation wasn't going anywhere when I saw this guy sitting on a bench. I learned something very valuable, because I didn't feel a strong impression, "Go talk to him". I just saw him, and decided to go talk to him because he was there. He happened to be in our path. I began talking with Valdir and we talked for 45 minutes. He talked about his father who had passed away, about his depression, and his curiousity for a true church. He is attending another church but prayed a few months ago that if he is attending the right church, could be given a sign. He hasn't received a sign yet, and I promised him that it wasn't by coincidence that we talked that day. He said he will read the whole Book of Mormon and pray.

I began promising things this week as a representative of Jesus Christ. We taught some very powerful lessons, and made some very specific promises, and it was wonderful to be used in the hands of the Lord. We taught this lesson to this woman named Zilda and at the end I felt impressed that she was feeling the Spirit during the lesson. I sang Joseph's First Prayer, and we talked about what she was feeling. I knew her family situation and made very specific promises about the things that would improve through accepting this message. We did mark a date with a woman named Marianelma and her son Mateus.

Last night for New Years we went to this members house and it was sweet. People worked normal this week but yesterday and today the city is empty. People just party a ton though. So contacts today might not be effective. I learned so,so much this week. It was a very trying week, but I would not have it any other way. I read the talk “Fear Not” in the December Ensign. I think everyone should read that talk, not only those who are worried or fearful. I learned so much in all of my scripture studies. I want to share an experience this week. I want to talk about trusting the Lord. I was getting ready to shower on Wednesday morning this week and I was listening to the new cds I received for Christmas the song "I feel my Savior's Love" came on. The voice of a child starts the first line of the song, and eventually there is a children's chorus singing lines such as "I'll offer Him my heart" and other praises unto our Savior. As I looked into the mirror, I felt the strongest impression to just entirely trust in my Savior. To let go of your will, and just give everything to Him. The childrens voices sang the melody a little out of tune in parts, a few voices kind of sticking out here and there, but I wouldn't want it any other way. It didn't matter because they were just singing for the Savior. It doesn't matter how they were breathing or blending. They were just children singing about their love and the love of our Lord. The love that led Him to lay down His life for us. To submit His will to the Father. To entirely trust the Father that all would work out. And it did! He arose 3 days later. Because of Him, Satan has no victory. There is no sting of death, a heavy heart, hurt feelings, longing for a loved one. There is no sting, because our Savior overcame the world. Everything that is unfair about our lives can be corrected through the Atonement. So in the moment, when our hearts are aching, there is a sting, our feelings are hurt, and we long for a lost loved one, let’s still trust the Lord. We have been blessed with hearts that have such a tender ability to love, and we fortunately can feel these pains, because it is through these moments that we truly learn of Him, our Savior who submitted everything. I know He lives. I know He is our Savior.

Love, Spencer