Calvert and Tait & Associates have never seen the growth that we are experiencing at this time. We’ve also had some funny things happen recently.
We'll start with this story: Here I am with a bush of hair. Something needs to be done. It's P-Day and it's time to cut my hair. The problem is, all the barbers around here close their shops on Monday. Don't know if that is common with every barber or just some. Regardless – there we were - Elder Calvert, standing at 6'3”, and me, standing at 6'6", in our Toyota Corolla with our knees to our chins cruising around Salem/Peabody. We quickly caught on to the fact that the barbershops weren’t open after spending 1 hour in the car and visiting 7 shops. When we’d almost lost hope we spotted a barber with an open sign. We whipped the car around, jumped out, and sure enough we had come across a barbershop miracle. We entered to find a man who didn’t speak much English. I thought it was Arabic the man was speaking, but as I sat down in the barber’s seat and looked around I realized that the man was from the Dominican Republic. This was based on all the Dominican flags that were hanging up, and the tattoo he had of his country’s flag. I honestly struggled to tell what language he was speaking with his buddies. I am no language expert and I don't speak Spanish - but it didn’t sound like Spanish. Still, barely understanding his English, he continued with the haircut. Due to poor eyesight I wear glasses and for those who don't know, you really can't get a haircut with your glasses on. I pulled my glasses off and became blinder than a bat in the middle of day. But, I felt regardless of the language barrier, he understood what type of haircut I was looking for. Clean cut. Since I was blind, I could only tell how the haircut was going by how it felt. As it continued, I zoned off into my own little world, doing my best to ignore the heavy Dominican music in the background, when my barber friend asked me a question. It was something about my sideburns. I thought he was asking if I wanted my sideburns trimmed. I said sure why not. Need to make sure my sideburns are clean. But then, as I sat there blindly the thought dawned on me that maybe he had asked about shaving my sideburns. As the haircut ended and I put my glasses back on I saw that my Dominican friend had indeed given me a traditional sideburnless hair cut. So, I have no sideburns. But - no worries - they’ll grow back.
One other story from this week was the infamous 5 Gallon Cooler Baptism of July ‘14. In the Zone there is a small Spanish branch in the town of Lynn. Lynn's meetinghouse is relativity small and does not have a font. Whenever a baptism occurs in the Spanish Branch it usually takes place at the Lynnfield chapel, which is about 7 miles away. They had a baptism yesterday at 2:30 PM. They put Calvert and Tait & Associates in charge of making sure we started filling the font at 12:30 PM. No problem whatsoever. We put two signs up telling people to let the font run so it would be filled in time. Here at Calvert and Tait & Associates, we do our best to make sure you get The Finest Quality Service. We turned on the font at 12:30 PM. Go quickly to an appointment form 1:00 to 2:00. We come back to the chapel at 2:15 to see how the font is doing. Walk into the bathroom to find someone has turned off the font, and it's only filled halfway. We have no idea how that font got turned off - but it did. Baptism begins in 5 minutes. What do we do? We realized the physical baptism probably wouldn’t start until 3:00 to 3:15. We cranked that puppy on full blast then had to figure out how in the world we were going to fill this thing in 30 minutes. We told the Spanish Elders to begin the service and close the door so no one could see us running back and forth. We ran into the kitchen and found one of those 5 gallons coolers that athlete’s use. We went to the custodian’s office where there is a place you can fill up buckets of water for mopping. We filled up the 5 gallon cooler, then ran it halfway down the hall and dumped it into the font and repeated this for 30 minutes. We felt like we were at Wet' N' Wild' – except we were in our suits. After chucking gallon after gallon in we finally had enough water for the baptism to take place. I tell you what - if I ever win a football game I would be really good at dumping the cooler on the Coach. Just saying. Yet again, here at Calvert and Tait & Associates, we do everything to make sure you Enjoy Your Stay.
I apologize for the long e-mail – for those who have already dozed off - but if you get anything out of this letter I hope it will be the things the Lord has taught me in my personal studies.
Heavenly Father doesn’t want to see us fail. If this is so, it’s then easy to ask
"Why is there opposition in all things?" Turning to the scriptures can help us answer this question and gain a fundamental knowledge of our Father in Heaven's Plan, as it says in 2 Nephi 2:24:
"But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him [Heavenly Father] who knoweth all things."
He knows we will succeed when we choose righteousness over wickedness. We cannot grow if we stay on a plateau. Adam and Eve were only able to progress by eating the fruit of the tree. But then it’s easy to ask, "What if I fail and give into temptation?” The answer is simple – repentance is provided through the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus the Christ. In 2 Nephi Chapter 2, Lehi the Prophet, who has led his family out of Jerusalem to the Americas, is close to death. Before he dies he speaks to each of his sons. To his son Jacob Lehi talks about why there is opposition in all things. At the end of the chapter, Lehi talks clearly about the Savior's infinite gift that we can all access. In 2 Nephi 2:26-27 is says:
"26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."
What we do with our life is up to us. This can hurt at times, especially when we make decisions based upon on what we want and not what our Heavenly Father wants. The cunningness of the world focuses on instant satisfaction. But the truth is, disobedience leads us away from truth and down a road of selfishness, low self-control, loss of the influence of the Holy Ghost, and ultimately, eternal regret. It’s "comfortable" for people to pick and choose which of God's laws they’ll obey, but in doing this they are throwing away their opportunities to progress and grow and become more Christ-like. I know that the principle of agency is fundamental to God's plan. It can provide happiness and sorrow, depending on people’s choices. I can testify that those who align their agency with God's will will never plateau on their path to eternal life. I try myself to do this everyday. I come short many times, but I have never once regretted obeying a commandment of the Lord. This is the way to true freedom. I have such gratitude for those who have been examples to me of aligning their agency with God’s will. Their decisions have inspired me to become a more dedicated disciple of Christ. It may not be easy, but I promise it is worth it. It is always worth it. I know the Savior lives and has a hand in our lives.
With love,
Elder Tait
Sponsored by Calvert and Tait & Associates.......Enjoy your stay.
We'll start with this story: Here I am with a bush of hair. Something needs to be done. It's P-Day and it's time to cut my hair. The problem is, all the barbers around here close their shops on Monday. Don't know if that is common with every barber or just some. Regardless – there we were - Elder Calvert, standing at 6'3”, and me, standing at 6'6", in our Toyota Corolla with our knees to our chins cruising around Salem/Peabody. We quickly caught on to the fact that the barbershops weren’t open after spending 1 hour in the car and visiting 7 shops. When we’d almost lost hope we spotted a barber with an open sign. We whipped the car around, jumped out, and sure enough we had come across a barbershop miracle. We entered to find a man who didn’t speak much English. I thought it was Arabic the man was speaking, but as I sat down in the barber’s seat and looked around I realized that the man was from the Dominican Republic. This was based on all the Dominican flags that were hanging up, and the tattoo he had of his country’s flag. I honestly struggled to tell what language he was speaking with his buddies. I am no language expert and I don't speak Spanish - but it didn’t sound like Spanish. Still, barely understanding his English, he continued with the haircut. Due to poor eyesight I wear glasses and for those who don't know, you really can't get a haircut with your glasses on. I pulled my glasses off and became blinder than a bat in the middle of day. But, I felt regardless of the language barrier, he understood what type of haircut I was looking for. Clean cut. Since I was blind, I could only tell how the haircut was going by how it felt. As it continued, I zoned off into my own little world, doing my best to ignore the heavy Dominican music in the background, when my barber friend asked me a question. It was something about my sideburns. I thought he was asking if I wanted my sideburns trimmed. I said sure why not. Need to make sure my sideburns are clean. But then, as I sat there blindly the thought dawned on me that maybe he had asked about shaving my sideburns. As the haircut ended and I put my glasses back on I saw that my Dominican friend had indeed given me a traditional sideburnless hair cut. So, I have no sideburns. But - no worries - they’ll grow back.
One other story from this week was the infamous 5 Gallon Cooler Baptism of July ‘14. In the Zone there is a small Spanish branch in the town of Lynn. Lynn's meetinghouse is relativity small and does not have a font. Whenever a baptism occurs in the Spanish Branch it usually takes place at the Lynnfield chapel, which is about 7 miles away. They had a baptism yesterday at 2:30 PM. They put Calvert and Tait & Associates in charge of making sure we started filling the font at 12:30 PM. No problem whatsoever. We put two signs up telling people to let the font run so it would be filled in time. Here at Calvert and Tait & Associates, we do our best to make sure you get The Finest Quality Service. We turned on the font at 12:30 PM. Go quickly to an appointment form 1:00 to 2:00. We come back to the chapel at 2:15 to see how the font is doing. Walk into the bathroom to find someone has turned off the font, and it's only filled halfway. We have no idea how that font got turned off - but it did. Baptism begins in 5 minutes. What do we do? We realized the physical baptism probably wouldn’t start until 3:00 to 3:15. We cranked that puppy on full blast then had to figure out how in the world we were going to fill this thing in 30 minutes. We told the Spanish Elders to begin the service and close the door so no one could see us running back and forth. We ran into the kitchen and found one of those 5 gallons coolers that athlete’s use. We went to the custodian’s office where there is a place you can fill up buckets of water for mopping. We filled up the 5 gallon cooler, then ran it halfway down the hall and dumped it into the font and repeated this for 30 minutes. We felt like we were at Wet' N' Wild' – except we were in our suits. After chucking gallon after gallon in we finally had enough water for the baptism to take place. I tell you what - if I ever win a football game I would be really good at dumping the cooler on the Coach. Just saying. Yet again, here at Calvert and Tait & Associates, we do everything to make sure you Enjoy Your Stay.
I apologize for the long e-mail – for those who have already dozed off - but if you get anything out of this letter I hope it will be the things the Lord has taught me in my personal studies.
Heavenly Father doesn’t want to see us fail. If this is so, it’s then easy to ask
"Why is there opposition in all things?" Turning to the scriptures can help us answer this question and gain a fundamental knowledge of our Father in Heaven's Plan, as it says in 2 Nephi 2:24:
"But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him [Heavenly Father] who knoweth all things."
He knows we will succeed when we choose righteousness over wickedness. We cannot grow if we stay on a plateau. Adam and Eve were only able to progress by eating the fruit of the tree. But then it’s easy to ask, "What if I fail and give into temptation?” The answer is simple – repentance is provided through the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus the Christ. In 2 Nephi Chapter 2, Lehi the Prophet, who has led his family out of Jerusalem to the Americas, is close to death. Before he dies he speaks to each of his sons. To his son Jacob Lehi talks about why there is opposition in all things. At the end of the chapter, Lehi talks clearly about the Savior's infinite gift that we can all access. In 2 Nephi 2:26-27 is says:
"26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."
What we do with our life is up to us. This can hurt at times, especially when we make decisions based upon on what we want and not what our Heavenly Father wants. The cunningness of the world focuses on instant satisfaction. But the truth is, disobedience leads us away from truth and down a road of selfishness, low self-control, loss of the influence of the Holy Ghost, and ultimately, eternal regret. It’s "comfortable" for people to pick and choose which of God's laws they’ll obey, but in doing this they are throwing away their opportunities to progress and grow and become more Christ-like. I know that the principle of agency is fundamental to God's plan. It can provide happiness and sorrow, depending on people’s choices. I can testify that those who align their agency with God's will will never plateau on their path to eternal life. I try myself to do this everyday. I come short many times, but I have never once regretted obeying a commandment of the Lord. This is the way to true freedom. I have such gratitude for those who have been examples to me of aligning their agency with God’s will. Their decisions have inspired me to become a more dedicated disciple of Christ. It may not be easy, but I promise it is worth it. It is always worth it. I know the Savior lives and has a hand in our lives.
With love,
Elder Tait
Sponsored by Calvert and Tait & Associates.......Enjoy your stay.
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