June 13, 2016

Something that I am happy about in the mission is that I finally understand so much about the gospel that I just did not get before hahaha. I really feel like I did not capture the reality of the atonement and everything, even though I had some really hard times of repentance. Makes me feel really good!

This week was really good but really crazy! First we went to consejo as Zone Leaders and it was my first one and all! Really fun and also really inspirational. We talked about all the problems and things that need to be fixed in the mission and how we can best help our missionaries. The answer that President helped us get to I liked alot: Conversion. 

We put a ton of things on this board and the answer of every single one of them is all the missionaries need to understand the doctrine with their hearts not their heads. I feel that is a huge problem right now in the world of missionaires. We learn the doctrine and really have a ton of knowledge that we have gained by studying, talking and learning. BUT we do not apply it to our own lifes because we feel like it is for the investigators. That is why I have been studying a ton in a small part of PMG called live what you preach (I think in English). It has helped me a ton this week to understand how to help my zone progress. 

Other than that we had a great week of finding people. We did a ton of divisions to help a few people in their areas. I took Friday and had another road trip. One of the district leaders here named Elder Romero is teaching a few people that live like 3 hours away from his area and it is about 40 minutes from mine. I got to know the parents of a girl that lives out there that they baptised this last week and I got really friendly with the Dad. So I decided it would be cool and helpful if I went with them to teach the first lesson. It was super cool and we taught like 8 new people that all went to church even though they live like 3 hours away! Super fun! 

Then we had a mediocre Sunday with only 1 person that got to church. We found a ton of people this week including starting to teach the super catholic family of our recent convert D. They seemed to be progressing so super well untill they decided to go to the misa instead of our chruch... ugh jajaja, but this week we are going to get back on it! WOO!

Today we made french toast as a zone! woo! I did not take pics though jajaja

 

 

June 6, 2016

Well our week was finally sort of normal! jaja. 

We had a really decent week with just normal things happening. First another baptism. We are just killing it right now and have some others getting ready for the end of the month. It has been just one of the funnest changes that I have ever had up to this point of work. We are just finding so many news and having just the greatest blessings with the situations. We did lots of divisions this week (3 to be exact). I stayed in the area all three and really got to have fun getting a bit lost because this is the first area I have that is city! Like this is my first area that is not in the middle of nowhere! 

Talking about traveling, I sat down and did some calculations and I have 140 hours in a bus up to this point in my mission! Now that I am a ZL, I will be traveling at least once a month! Today we are heading to Xalapa for consejo and back tomorrow to work. It is pretty cool but really I get pretty tired of being in a bus and would love to have a more normal schedule of just working. 

The zone here is like the coolest place ever. The weather right now is sitting at about 65 and cloudy all week and rains like everyday but almost always at night. I am in like sweaters in the middle of summer and I love it! 

We had a really relaxing pday, but we did go to a gym and we are going to be going to a gym at 6 in the morning everyday but sunday from now on. We just have such a hard time doing our workouts in the morning and being motivated so we asked pres and he said yeah we can! Should be good to start to workout good again! 

Not much other news to be honest just that I miss you guys a ton! 

Elder Bigelow

 

 

May 30, 2016

Another week, another awesome baptism! We are just rocking it right now and I feel so amazing jajaja. I really love this area so much. The weather is like perfect and the people are a little hard but rather nice and accepting. We have really been just crazy to be honest. 

Like every day we put all these plans and then head out. It never ever turns out the way we planned. Literally we are always doing service or anything else. But I can see all of the blessings from that because we have been able to have tons of new and really help them get to church and progress. I just love this work to be honest. 

I can say that being a ZL is super stressful and I am always worried about my zone and using my time to help their area, but I love it. I just really can get along with people. I really do feel like I help them and am really trying to put them first before my own desires. The Lord is blessing us for that because we have had so much success. 

I did have some crazy double dragon this last week though jajajaja. It means you are throwing up and having diarrhea at the same time. I really don't know what happened but in like one day I just got destroyed in my poor stomach. I had to do interviews and things that day so I went and worked like always but it was quite a few trips to the bathroom. I feel way better though so don't worry. I think I just ate something that did not fit well with my stomach. Sometimes that happens when you change regions or cities and it sometimes takes some time to change.

Today we went and visited a few waterfalls and things! It was way fun and I am so happy that we are having so many activities because I really feel like it helps the zone out, and it is a ton of fun! I took plenty of pics and even tried to scale a rock wall! It was pretty fun!

I am just so happy family! Time is passing so fast, every change is faster and faster. I am almost done... like literally that is how I feel because it is going way to fast. I just have to work until I finish because if not I will not have been able to finish the work that the Lord has given me here to do. 

Love you guys!

Elder Bigelow

 

 

May 23, 2016

Well, I really hope that you can find time to relax because you really do deserve it! That is what I am helping my compañion with most right now is learning to find the time to relax and not let the stress of being a leader get to you. 

I have so much to tell you that I am not sure I will be able to jaja. Well like I said the last week, I got the asignment to be a zone leader in the zone of Tetzuclan in the state of Puebla. It is the only zone outside of Veracruz and it really is super interesting to be here and see all the changes. The food is different and the weather is amazing! Literally it is like 80 or less during the day! I barely even sweat! Love it! jaja I left from Papantla where it was like freaking 100 and something to one of the coldest parts of the mission. My compañion is Elder Flores, he is from Matamoros which is right on the border with El Paso, Texas. He is really fun but like I said stresses a bit and has had a few problems with getting stressed and a few misionaries got really mad and annoyed with him. I get along with him super well and he told me last night that it is awesome that we are compañions and that I am helping him a ton! 

We have been working like super duper hard and I have really enjoyed that and having a ton of success. We baptized this last Saturday and we are going to baptize hopefully the next 2 weeks as well. We have also found a bunch of really awesome people. 

We had a sweet miracle this last week. So my first day we went and visited an Hermana that we are teaching and I met her son that is super depressed. Like has not gotten out of bed for like a year depressed and neither bathed or eaten almost nothing for like a really long time. Well, they have tried to help him and make him happy and help him out for a while but the second day that we went to the house he left the house to talk to us. He had bathed and told us he really wanted to go to chruch. So we took him to chruch on Sunday and he really liked it. We are way excited to keep teaching him and help him out. His name is Nacho. 

It has been interesting being a leader but it has its perks. I got to plan our first outing as a zone. I decided that as a zone, to help build unity, that we should climb this mountain to a statue of Jesus that they have up here. It was a decent hike but really turned out super amazing the views of the city and the pine forests that are here and it was just way fun. Almost the whole zone came and we had a really good time. 

I am really excited to keep helping our zone baptise and work and have fun. I am still scared but to be honest the Lord has blessed me a ton with abilities that leaders need. I feel the Lord really knows that I should be here in this exact moment to help out the zone and my comp. I am so happy right now!

Love you guys so much!

Elder Bigelow

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May 16, 2016

WellI, I didn't have a lot to talk about until the end of the week! But yeah it has been a crazy couple of days!

First on Thursday we had a Seventy come and talk to us so we went to Poza Rica and it was way fun to see some old friends again. The conference was also really, really well done and gave me a few good ideas to go back and start working on. One that made me really think abut things is that we should be preaching more to the head of the family, the dad. It is so important that they also feel the spirit even though sometimes for them it is harder. The priesthood is so important in a home and the ability for a wife and father to work together and make the decisions together. I am working harder on that.

Then on Sunday we had a baptism and it was sweet. His name is C and is a 19 year old that is straight kick butt. We literally just met him walking and he gave me a donut. I gave him a card and then we started teaching him the next day. He just sucked in the gospel and wanted the change of life that the gospel gives us. We had a few trials with getting him to church, but in the end he is even considering a mission! YAY. Also in the conference the Stake President in Tuxpan said that 2 of my converts in Tuxpan will be getting the Melchizedek priesthood! YAY!

Then changes came that night. To be honest I was really hoping to stay here in Agua Dulce because I am really loving the work here. But the assistants called me and told me something that I was really not expecting. I am being raised up to be a zone leader in the zone of Tetzuclan. That is the only zone in the mission that is in the state of Puebla here in the mission. They say it is so different from here and that it is really, really cold! But it is summer so I really hope that everything turns out fine. 

We also went to Tajin today which was really fun. They are ruins here close to Papantla. We took some crazy fotos and had a really good time. I also bought some boots that should last me tell the end of my mission easy jaja.

I am pretty nervous but rather excited. I feel really inadequate but I know that God will help me out with all the problems. I am going to try my best to serve those in my zone. Well here we go!

Love you so much!

Elder Bigleow

 

 

May 9, 2016

No letter this week. We did get a call on Mother's Day. Kind of a funny situation, but it was great getting to talk to him.

May 2, 2016

Please help the missionaries! I am going to get back home and baptize Z and A hahahaha I mean I will try because they are such great people!

This week was hard but really good. The heat like soared up to above 100 easy... I had kind of forgotten how terrible the summers are here. So me and mi hijo decided to buy some sweet hats to keep the sun out of our faces hahaha. It does not help with the humidity or heat but maybe I wont be that pink all the time! 

We worked really hard all week but it seemed like we were just not going to have success. Until the weekend, we found a few people and had a great day at church because 4 people made it there and we baptized! I am really excited to keep working here and I really, really want to stay here in Agua Dulce for at least another change. It is crazy but this change is almost over! I really cannot believe it. It just seems that the harder I work the harder the Lord makes it so that I learn hahaha but he lets us have success because this is his work and I love it. Sometimes I really feel like I lose sight of the fact that we have the Lord's help in all of this and it seems like I get lost in the work of well just working. But then something hits me hard and I have to humble myself and ask for more help. It always comes.

Today was pretty bomb we played with water balloons and played dodgeball! Then we went and ate for the birthday of my ZL Elder Villa. He is one of my best buddies in the mission and we always have a ton of fun! 

I love this work and I am hoping this next year goes by fast but is filled with all the things the Lord wants me to do! I testify this work is true and that this church is the only way that I can live with my family forever. That is why I am here. 

Love you guys so much!

Elder Bigelow

 

Another Arizona Missionary

Hats to protect

 Baptism

April 25, 2016

My week was so fast! It was Monday and suddenly Friday and suddenly Monday again. Sounds way cool to see Ryan get married. Feels like I left when everyone is getting married! Just like everyone jaja.

I am loving the mission though. Right now is for sure the hardest part of my mission concerning stress and work and I have no time to even think sometimes. I have a pretty big district of 5 companionships so I spend my whole night talking to them. They are working so hard though so I am proud of them. We have a lot of baptisms planned for May and it seems that God is really blessing me with patience and understanding and help. Sometimes I am literally falling asleep walking jajaja. But i know he is watching out for me and we are being guided to those that need this message!

We are going to baptise this next week so that is pretty bomb! His name is H and his is a 9 year old whose family went inactive for a little bit, but we are trying to activate them and work with them. He is really cool and excited to get baptized! Then we have a 19 year old named C that is like crazy smart studying to be a judge that is progressing really well. I am excited to see him make this decisions and hopefulyl get baptised!

Other than that I am heading down to Xalapa... again ajajaja we have the meeting of the new missionaries tomorrow so we will be taking off in a couple of hours in a bus. I am really tired of traveling to be honest. This is like my 5th time taking this 5 hour trip and then 5 hours back. Should be fun though and we always eat really awesome when we go down there. So yay FOOD. 

We also had our interviews with pres this last week and it was really awesome. Something he said to me really stuck in my mind. He said do not tire in good works. Sometimes i really feel like i just do not have the enrgy to keep going. But then I remember that this is the work of the Lord and that these good works will mean everything for that family around the corner or that sinner that needs these grand tidings of great joy. I am surprised everytime how much this gospel can change a person in a couple weeks and to see them in white and active in the church is everything. 

I love this work!

Elder Bigelow

 

 

We went rat hunting hahahahaha.