February 21, 2011

It is rainy here in Sao Paulo but it was a beautiful day earlier. A recent convert named Kleber, two other elders, my companion and I hiked up this mountain that is close to our area. It was so beautiful and many times I felt like I was in the Pacific Northwest, except for the huge spiders, florescent green bugs, and 2 monkeys! I enjoyed talking to Kleber so much. He is an amazing 21 year-old who was baptized when my buddy Elder Knoblauch was here and they were great friends as well. His whole family is wonderful and we are trying to help his mother except baptism. We are going to go there after emailing and organize a family night, talk about the importance of family scripture study, and I will bring the cookies that I received for my birthday. His mom is this cute petite woman who caters for weddings with little entrees and beautiful cakes. She loves feeding us whenever we are there. His dad is an electrician and he gave me one of his tools so I could do this little art project and I broke it and tried to buy a new one but he wouldn't let me. They are such kind people, I feel closer to home in their house.

Saturday night we contacted a reference that we received from a member and we taught the Plan of Salvation to Regina and Marcos, who lost their 32 year old son to cancer on Mother's Day of last year. When we arrived, we said "Hey we're friends of Daiane" and she had no idea who Daiane was but she graciously invited us in. The mother was so emotional and she said she felt much lighter after knowing what was happening to her son. In her closing prayer Regina promised the Lord she would go to church. It was a really sweet lesson.

Friday I did a division in Pirituba and I visited a couple that Jacob baptized while he was here! I think his name is Emerson (I feel bad I forgot!) and his eyes got really wide when he saw another Elder Calvert. They were sealed in the Temple many years ago and the missionaries who are serving in the ward said he is such a strength to the ward. They said Mom and Dad even went there too! I was so pumped to be in the same house you had all been in. The wife repeated several times how beautiful mom is. It was a great day in Pirituba with Elder Warner there. He is a really amazing missionary, and a great support to me.

A little Spiritual Thought of the week, I was studying about holiness. In the Bible Dictionary it describes holiness and the way I understand, it is high moral character, and not common. Not common is so key to me in my life at this time. I was comparing 3 Nephi 12:48 and Matthew 5:48 (I believe these references) and the Savior's invitation to be perfect, complete or fully developed. The footnotes references holiness and I began reading, thinking about the perfection of the Savior, our invitation to be perfect and the description of Holiness not being common. This could be interpreted to not being of the world, but I take the liberty and think of it more as the diversity of perfection. As a missionary, I am trying to be Christlike, not to be Christ. The Father is perfect as well, and I'm sure He is a perfect representation of these same attributes, but how wonderful it is to know that two distinct Beings, with two distinct personalities, are both perfect. Common in perfection, different in person. I will strive this week to develop the perfect Spencer Wade Calvert, and I invite all to do the same. To compare ourselves to ourselves, and choose through small and simple choices, to be a little better today than we were yesterday. I will try my best to do these things this week. I love you all.

Love, Spencer