Well this last week was really good. Monday we taught with this guy named Erik in our ward who will leave on his mission in a month. We taught with him on Tuesday as well. The temple was wonderful on Wednesday. Thursday we helped with integrating Rafael into the ward and strengthening our relationship with the Bishop and his family. Friday night was really sweet. We were teaching Erik's mom who will be baptized this Saturday. She raises two little grandchildren and they were feeling sick that night. We were teaching the lesson when the granddaughter (4 years old I think) came and climbed into her lap. She was very restless and obviously in a lot of pain. She rolled off of her lap and was just sitting on the ground when her face began to look a little familiar. I don't know how I knew but I was absolutely positive she was about to throw up. About 5 seconds later, I realized that she had eaten noodles for dinner! I was cleaning it up while the grandma was getting a rag to clean, and the granddaughter was just standing kind of in shock. I had cleaned it up and was waiting for the grandmother to return when the little girl just started bawling and ran to me and hid her face against my leg. I picked her up and she began to calm down. I got a little throw up on my pants, but I didn't care. I remember in Salto de Pirapora, we were doing a service activity and I remember thinking, "man I don't want to get my pants dirty". (It was when we were moving mushroom blocks for the (Bishop Tyler's wife, Silvia's, dad) I remember thinking about my pants, but then my mind switched to this old man and the help we were about to offer him. I thought of the trade off of having clean pants, and not being as effective, or working really hard, getting a little dirty, and washing my pants which either way I would inevitably do. I was happy when my mind went back to that experience with vomit on my pants, a little in my throat as it smelled pretty raunchy, but I didn't hesitate to help a human being, a sweet, innocent daughter of our Heavenly Father. I am very happy I didn't let vomit on my pants hold me back from calming a crying daughter. This may sound like a silly connection, but I think many times in our lives, we let "getting vomit on our pants" stop us from serving and helping others. Vomit can be in the form of laziness, selfishness, or a "lack of time". I can promise that I left so much happier with the smell of vomit in my nose, then I would have with clean pants. My pants may have been dirty, but my heart was clean and happy.
Yesterday was awesome. We didn't eat dinner because we never do, but lunch was awesome. We ate a lot of chocolate too and it was great. Yesterday in church was one of my favorite days of church of my life; my favorite on my mission for sure. My companion left with another Priesthood holder to pick up investigators from their house, and I was waiting in the church for other investigators too arrive. A man in our ward introduced me to Eduardo, who said he was visiting today. I began to talk to Eduardo and I got to know him a bit. He is 25 years old, an engineer, and works in Rio during the week. Every weekend he stays at his parent’s house here in Freguesia do Ó. He heard about the church from friends in Rio and began to read about the church online. He decided to come alone. I sat with him in all of the classes and answered his questions. During the Sacrament Meeting, he asked many questions and humbly asked if he could partake of the Sacrament. After the meeting, we gave him The Book of Mormon and he asked for some direction on what he should read during the week. For those who aren't very familiar with missionary work, this is such an awesome miracle. I bore my testimony to him, and after church sitting in the benches with the ward mingling together invited him to be baptized. He said he would. I then went on to say how much he loves the teachings about eternal families. He expressed how important family is to him. He thanked me personally for helping him during the meetings, and I graciously returned thanks to him. He said he was nervous to come alone but knew that sometimes you have to take a step into the darkness. He said he felt that he was so well received. We are going to teach him next Saturday when he returns from Rio for the weekend. That experience was a huge source of joy to me.
There is something about relationships and friendships that is so, so wonderful to me. In reading a talk that the Vafa's sent to me (thank you very much for your kind letter) I learned that strengthening healthy relationships invites the Spirit to be with us. I felt that Spirit, particularly the joy aspect of the companionship of the Spirit so strongly after meeting Eduardo. After church we went with a members to her sisters house. There are problems with drugs in this home and she asked us to give blessings to her sister and her niece. This type of work is an important part of missionary work. In talking to a very wise woman, she shared with me the analogy of a man building a church. When asked what this man is doing he could reply, "I am putting one brick on top of another." He also could reply "I'm earning money to provide food for my family." Or he could reply, "I'm building the House of the Lord." If we raise our gaze and expand our perspective, the checklist of today becomes the greatest and most important work. I am striving everyday to build a House of the Lord. To really love people.
Thank you all for being in tune with the Spirit, and helping me learn so much. I love you all.
Love, Elder Calvert
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