Baptism

"12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father ^agive the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, ^bfollow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall ^afollow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no ^bhypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real ^cintent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are ^dwilling to take upon you the ^ename of Christ, by ^fbaptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the ^gbaptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the ^htongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel." 2 Nephi 31:12-13

Elder Calder had his first baptism! He has been working with a man named Mike.  On January 21, 2011 Mike decided to be baptized.  What a wonderful decision! Here are a few pictures from that special day-

January 23, 2012

I just wanted to share a quick paragraph from one of Schuyler's emails this week.  It touched my heart:

"'And now, my beloved brethren after ye have gotten into this straight and narrow path, I would ask if it is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.'

'Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.'

I was looking through my journal and at some pages I had had for later on (when I would return home). They were pages filled with movies or tv shows I'd like to watch or artists I wanted to listen too. I was then talking to Elder Cook about different things. After a bit I made a decision. I ripped them out of my Journal and threw them in the garbage. Why? Not because they were very evil things, nor because I couldn't watch or listen to them in the future. No, but because they were distracting me from the Lord, right here and right now. Sometimes it is only through giving up the worldly things we cherish that we can truly see our potential. I had to hand my life over to the Lord. And this is the type of people we need to be. We need to be able to say to the Lord, "Lord, I don't know why I think I might need to give it up, but you do. So I will do it. And I will trust in you that you will make me into the person that I need to be." That is where my trust is. I know that either way, in 2 years, I will be who He needs me to be, and I will stick with that. Because I know that in the end, I need to be what He needs me to be, or I simply will not be as happy as I want."

Mission President

Here is a picture of Elder Calder's mission President- President & Sister Jones

the new arrivals!

MTC Pics

Mom & Dad shared these pictures that Elder Calder sent home so I thought I might share them with all of you. Looks like he had a great time in the MTC!

 Elder Johnson and Elder Calder

 2 BOM reach

 Elder Calders'

 Loved the pie!

Elders

Here is a picture one of the family's in the Elders' ward sent Mom and Dad....

Elder Calder & Elder Cook

(don't they look like an awesome pair!?)

3 Months!

Well, I have been quite a slacker lately in updating Elder Schuyler Calder's blog.  I thought after having my baby that I would have more time to work on this, but it turns out I end up having a lot more things fill up my time.
Anywho, he made it! Elder Calder is now in TEXAS and he is loving it! He is doing so good and has grown tremendously. Schuyler also hit his 3 month mark on his mission! Yippee!! Even though he still has a long ways to go he has come a long way.
So, Elder Calder is living in Cedar Parks, Texas (I will get his address up-to-date soon... pictures to come as well!).  He meets a lot of crazy people and has had some pretty interesting conversations. Many people like to bible-bash with them and he loves that!  Also, many people have asked them about politics and about Mitt Romney running for president. Elder Calder and his companion get along really well (his companion only has a little bit left of his mission). He also tells us that he has actually gained weight- hallelujah!- thanks to the many wonderful meals provided by his ward members. He was able to spend Thanksgiving with a family in the ward- the Croft family.
We are so proud of Elder Calder and the progress he has made.  He tells us often how much he loves the Lord.  Elder Calder loves his parents, Curt and LuAnn, very much and tells them often. We are so grateful for his wonderful example and for the lives of those he has been able to touch. Good job Elder~ keep up the great work!

A little bit about his mission so far....

1. His companion is Elder Cook from Idaho.
2. They have had several investigators- to name a few:
1. Mike
2. Madison
3. Ralph and Keisha
3. Transportation: bike
4. It has been pretty chilly and rainy weather which makes biking an adventure! (Did I mention that they bike everwhere. lol)
5. They speak mainly English with an occasional Spanish.

Testimony

"A testimony is a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost. The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves His children; that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the Son of God, and that He carried out the infinite Atonement; that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel; that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior's true Church on the earth; and that the Church is led by a living prophet today. With this foundation, a testimony grows to include all principles of the gospel." -LDS.org-

Each of us has a TESTIMONY. Each person can obtain the spiritual gift of a testimony. Elder Calder shares his testimony often in his letters. The following are a few passages of some of his letters:

11/3/2011~
 I know that this Gospel is true. I know that close to 200 years ago, a young boy knelt to plead to his Father to know which pathway to take in life. And I know that through such a prayer, we have the Book of Mormon, we have the whole teachings of Christ, and we have His restored church. What a blessing it is to know that I have a pathway-that my life has meaning, through and because of my Savior Jesus Christ.

10/27/2011~
 I know that this church is true. One awesome opportunity I had this last week was to watch the Joseph Smith movie on Sunday. If you haven't seen it, or even if you haven't seen it lately, check it out, it's on LDS.org. It is so awesome. It really puts into perspective the Book of Mormon and this Gospel. Multiple times here in the MTC we here the phrase ''The Book of Mormon is either true, or it isn't'' What a true and revealing statement. I have read the Book of Mormon, I know that it is true. Pure logic points towards it. How could one 22 year old boy, who had never even read the Bible all the way through write a religious script that would be so captivating to capture the heart of millions. He couldn't. Because he didn't. Joseph Smith did not write it, but he did translate it, through the Power of God. Because God is real. Because God loves his children. Because I know that the Book of Mormon is true, I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet, I know that Thomas S. Monson is his honored successor. I know that this is the Church of JESUS CHRIST! What an amazing knowledge.

10/13/2011~
 I want you all to know that I know that Jesus Christ lives. He has a LIVING body of flesh and blood, and that although his scars still remain from the crucifixion, his body has been perfected through his ressurection. I know that God lives. I know that he has a plan for each of us-a plan that if we follow we can become our greatest potential person. Most of all I know that He loves us. Dios es nuestro amoroso Padre Celestial. Yo se que esta iglesia es verdadera, y yo se que Jose Smith fue un profeta verdadero. (God is our loving Heavenly Father. I know that this church is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet).