March 28, 2011

My Family and Friends, I thought about the words I would say in this email since this morning. I have been anxious to write it. I have prayed that I can write it in such a way that all who read it can rejoice with me in the glory and power of the Lord. My companion and I started doing this thing where we write little thank you notes to people in the ward. One woman in our ward came up to me with the biggest smile, and said "I adored the note!" We have found so many awesome people to teach the gospel. An investigator came to church yesterday, came to ward choir, and is going to play soccer with the young men this week. At choir, I helped the men learn their parts and then I lead the choir some. It was just such a blast! I was singing really high falsetto-alto part to help the woman really loud and just really confidently. After church we went to this other young man’s house to teach him and he loves guitar. We played guitar for a bit and I taught him these basic scales for guitar solos. We taught him the first lesson and he accepted to be baptized in May. I'm just feeling so, so good.

I was reading my scriptures this morning and I knew I was going to finish The Book of Mormon. I prayed before I studied that I would be able to receive a confirming testimony that this book is true. It came through a powerful personal revelation I had in Moroni 7:3. It spoke to my heart, and I will repeat it to all those reading this email. "Wherefore I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven." I was thinking how badly I want to enter into that rest. I thought of what I needed to do in order to enter into that rest, to obtain that sufficient hope. The thought was impressed very strongly upon my mind that the way this is accomplished is by pressing on, firmly holding on to the iron rod. It is the process of enduring to the end that this hope is developed.

The Lord is so merciful. I have received so many tender mercies, powerful scripture studies. I testify that I know Jesus Christ is our living Savior. Our Heavenly Father is so gentle. He is so wise. The Lord will never leave us. I know this. As I kneeled down after completing The Book of Mormon this morning, I prayed to feel that confirmation again. As I kneeled, I thought about my heroes, Ammon, Enos, Nephi, Abinadi, Moroni. I know these men are real. I know this book was not written by Joseph Smith. Anyone who reads it with a sincere heart will know the truth of it. I know it is a true record.

Thank you for all of the prayers and fasting. Thank you for the thoughts, and the words. Prayers are being answered powerfully, and I am so overcome with gratitude. My heart is full. I love you all.

Love, Elder Calvert

Pictures finally! March 21, 2011

The first picture is with Elder Steel, a buddy from Spokane who is serving way close and the other one is with my new companion Elder Henrique. You asked about my hand, I was super tired on February 3rd and I went to put the garbage outside before going to sleep. I left the keys upstairs in our house and I was just going to throw the garbage over the fence instead but I didn't want it to open up and spill everywhere so I stepped up on this little ledge that the front fence sits on. Imagine a ledge two feet off the ground with a fence on top of it. As I reached my hand over to drop the garbage on the other side, the corner I was standing on broke off, and my hand was over one of the sharp points at the top of the fence to keep people from breaking in and as I fell it cut my hand pretty bad. We went straight to the hospital and I had 20 stitches. I could hear the doctors talking and saying things like "there's the nerve" so it was pretty raunchy and deep. But the good news is, I can move my pinky and I'm fine now. I will have a big scar but I can type with my pinky now and it's totally fine.

This past week was really busy and a good week. We have been walking and walking and walking and teaching and teaching and teaching. I think my favorite part of the whole week was a lesson after lunch at a member’s house. My companion read one scripture and bore a simple testimony about forgiveness and she started crying and said how much she needed that message. It really meant a lot to me to see something so simple. I worry so much about people understanding what I say and what I am trying to communicate, but the Spirit does the work. It was a great reminder to me.

My companion has little mannerisms that remind me of Adam, and it always makes me so happy when he does them. I don't have a ton to write this week. I love you all very much.

Love, Elder Calvert

March 14, 2011

This past week was a good week. We are working so much with this woman named Edna. Her husband and one of her sons are members of the church. She is such a sweet lady. I love talking to her and conversing with her. She is such a kind mother, and feels so much anxiety because of her worries about her children and grandchildren. Two days this week she really opened up to my companion and I about her concerns and worries. It was great to be able to listen and feel so much compassion for her. I have been making an effort to express my gratitude and love much more often. I really do love her and the other people we are teaching. I don't know how to baptize people. I really don't. I feel like there are so many things I need to know as a missionary still, but I am developing a love for people. I think one of the greatest feelings in the world is when someone smiles because you enter a room.

I spoke on Sunday about agency and attitudes. At EFY when I was 14 I had a powerful experience hearing about how attitude made all of the difference with Nephi and Laman and Lemuel. All of them returned to Jerusalem for the plates, returned for the daughters of Ishmael, crossed the sea, but after they arrived their paths were so very different. During all of these experiences together, Laman and Lemuel complained about nearly everything while Nephi was always positive. I learned how much our attitudes affect our choices. I talked about this and about not liking school when I was young and how I would repeat to Dad "today is going to be a great day" and I began to have great days.

Yes I am singing! Last night there was a fireside about the Restoration and Elder Bavender and I sang "O how lovely was the morning" together. It was so so much fun. We didn't practice at all and the woman in charge thought that all of the missionaries were going to sing so when just Elder Bavender and I stood up she was a little concerned but it was so fun. I felt the Spirit really strong when I was singing.

This morning my companion and I went to a house of a family that I love in our ward here. We worked out with the Dad and his son and another member of the ward and after that ate lunch. Then I helped their neighbor with English, they are trying to earn a position to study in the US. It was a really nice pday. I was translating a paragraph at their kitchen table in almost silence, and I closed my eyes and felt like I was at home. The Spirit is so strong in their house, and I made sure to tell Irma Sarah how much it meant to me.

I love you all so much. Thank you for your prayers! Please keep praying.

Love, Elder Calvert

March 7, 2011

Dear My Family,

I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers and emails. I feel the Spirit so strongly as I type these words, so happy to feel how I do right this moment. My companion's name is Elder Henrique. He is from Joao Pessoa and he is one of the kindest, most humble people I have met in my life. In the car driving back from the mission office, someone showed me a four leaf clover and I said quietly to him, "I want a four leaf clover" kind of joking around. When we were leaving our house after dropping his things off, he was looking at this planter in front of our house, and said quietly "I only can find 3 leaf clovers". That may sound like a silly little thing, but it meant a lot to me as I just said it in passing and he heard and was looking for a 4 leaf clover.

These last few days have been so filled with work. We nearly found as many new investigators in these few days as the last transfer combined. We will be walking in the streets and he will say little goal/challenges about how many people we want to come to church, dates we will mark and I work so well with little challenges like that. For me, it's like Daniel Hill saying lets squat 405 10 times when we've only done it 5 times and we are already completely dead, but with a good friend who believes in you, you do it like it's nothing. I was thanking him for the week and telling him how great of a missionary he is and he said in his quiet voice that he wishes I could have been his trainer and that I'm the best missionary he knows. I just feel like a great guy with him. I am so grateful for his kindness and his gentle manner. I thank Heavenly Father many times everyday for Elder Henrique. He is the angel that you have been praying for.

We found an awesome new family this week. The dad's name is Joao, his wife Ilda, and his sons Caio (Kyle), Emmerson, and Rai (Hi-ee). They came to church and this weekend was the youth conference for all of the youth so hardly anyone was at church. I think there must have been around 30 and there were lots visiting. I felt so nervous that Joao and his family didn't like church that much because it was so empty. I was pouring out my heart during the whole meeting, that although the situation was not ideal, that their hearts would be touched and they could enjoy the meeting. We went to his house after the meeting and before even asking him he said he's going to go again next week! I was really pumped. I learned that often my fear or desire to not we overbearing or overstay our welcome or pass by too many times is often entirely false. In fact, it's never been accurate. It is always just a little fear that tells me another path rather then doing exactly what I know is right. I am learning more and more that what Charles Schwab said "I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm amongst my people the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by enthusiasm and encouragement" is so very, very true. Chastising, criticizing, or negative comments is a terrible way to motivate. I have been applying this to people and they are so much more inclined to act. I will experiment this with myself this next week, sometimes out loud just little positive comments like "you can do it Spence" or something like that.

Yesterday in church an instructor from the CTM who I really like came to my ward. He used to attend there and when he walked in I gave him a huge hug. He invited us over for lunch today and we went and ate tacos and cookies. It was so, so good. I thought of Monday night tacos.

Love, Elder Spencer Calvert