August 22, 2016

Well I sure hope that you get lots done, but I will be there to help if you need it when I get home. 

Well this week was really hard but filled with miracles. We just were not having a good time finding people and we had to let a few people go because they were not progressing. It was pretty tough on the soul. However, we fasted and that was awesome because on Sunday we had 3 people get to church that we were not expecting. They are now progressing really, really well to be baptized in September! It really brought up my spirits and we were able to bring those miracles also to the zone!

This is the first week in that we are really happy because almost all of the zone had more than 3 people in church. I have not seen those types of dats here in Tetzu in a long, long time. At least as long I have been here... I finally feel like I am getting the swing of things as a Zone Leader and actually feel that I am helping people. So yay! 

Other than that it was a pretty basic week with just the weather getting really, really cold.... jajaja I am so not used to this and it is super weird to be walking around in a heavy sweater in August so yeah... It is way better than other parts of the mission that are sitting above 100 right now jajaja. 

The assistants are going to be in divisions with us tonight and tomorrow so I am really excited to learn something special from them and help out my own area so I can have more time to help out the area of my missionaries. We are going to do plenty of divisions ourselves to keep helping the zone and I am excited because I will be with Elder Winters. He is a new gringo in the zone. I will help him get used to contacting and then doing super awesome things as a missionary in the future. 

That is pretty much it though so pretty basic really hahaha.

Love you guys and miss you tons!

Elder Bigelow

 

 

August 15, 2016

It is pretty hard to keep up with everything but something that always helps me in the mission is the Savior's example. When he had just finished a super hard task of the atonement he did not go take a rest or say that his work was done. He went and just kept working. So whenever I feel just wasted or hurt or whatever I just think that he did not give up so I will not either. It helps alot.

I have been enjoying church so much more in the mission because I have spiritual problems that I am looking for answers. The revelation a lot of the times comes from sacrament meeting for me. So just search for those questiones and answers and you can have a much better experience in church to be honest.

We had a good week, with the transfers I always think that I am running around with me head cut off trying to be every where at once. I really enjoy it and I think it is quite fun. We worked really hard and saw a few really cool miracles during the week and just kept working. We have a lady that has been to church so much, but has never been baptized. I thought she was just never going to be baptised but we had a super tear filled spirit of a lesson with her on Saturday. She finally accepted that she needed to do it. So yay for M!

We also found a few people that seemed really cool, they just did not make it out to church. So, back to work with them this week to see if they progress and make sure that they understand the importance of keeping this crucial commandment. 

We played ultimate frisbee as a zone today and ate some really good tacos! It was fun! And now trying to finish writing as quickly as possible so we can get back to our area. jajaja There are too many appointments!

Love you guys so much and really miss you a ton!

Elder Bigelow

August 8, 2016

Well the weather has been pretty crazy, I am not going to lie. We had some awesome monsoon like rain come through and ruin all our plans to contact people in the street. But I have finally put that huge rain coat to use! YAY! jajajaja Still loving it here even though we are the only people crazy enough to be outside in that type of weather. 

So to start the week we had consilio, which is the new name for our leader's conference that we have every month. I was really looking for answers because my zone has been having a ton of problems. To be honest, I felt like a failure as a leader. They really do not give you a manual for this work jajajaja. It was really good, the topic you could say was fasting and prayer. It hit me like a brick wall that I was taking on way to much of this work on my shoulders. I have this huge support with God and I had been denying him giving me blessings and carrying me through this. I can't say I have fasted for anything other than to just fast in a long time and my prayers had become just kinda monotonus versions of "Bless my family, bless investigators and so on." There was never really anything meaningful anymore. Basically I had become comfortable with the work and got selfish. I have changed that this week. The week was not miraculous or life changing, but I could feel such a difference in my faith as a whole. I saw myself doubting less and loving more, making sure to do everything right.

Well changes also happened but I will be staying here in wonderfully cold and getting colder every day Tetziutlan jajaja. I really love it here because it is my first ward and they treat us sooooo well. Love the members in this area! The zone is changing a ton and so many of my super good friends are going home right now! :(

Other than that just trying to be a better leader and do mission things :) 

It scared me about Gma Moore! I am glad that she is ok and i know that Gpa Moore is there for her and everything will be ok. 

Awesome that JT is back and working! I only have 6 changes left

... what the heck hahahaha

Miss you guys a TON!

Elder Bigelow

August 1, 2016

Yeah, that's what I am working on so much right now is not having fear but having faith.

We have found more families in this change than I have my entire mission. I feel so awesome but then like they take so much time to progress. Soooo much time.

We have been having a few dificulties in the zone and we have not had many baptisms recently. So, I have to figure out the problem and help inspire them to have success. 

I have been helping out Hermana Christenson, from our stake, a ton. hahaha We moved her last night without a truck. I feel like we carried her fridge for like a mile. hahahahahaha But I didn't even take pictures... ahaha

But yeah other than that, we are fine. We just keeping working really hard to try and have success. I am trying to have patience and make sure to find the people that want to progress but it has gotten really, really hard. The people here are so stuck on their traditions and just ugh hahaha

But we have people progressing so yeah whatevs!

Loves you!

Elder Bigelow

July 25, 2016

Finally we can be done with all the home projects, hahaha, but I really didn't mind all that much when it was types of work that I liked. I just like hate painting with a passion hahaha. 

Well this week was interesting. Basically, it has been like cold, cold and raining all week. The morning is always sunnyish and we go out all happy but after our lunch appointment at 2 we leave to monsoon like rain. I am not joking it has been pretty nuts. That huge rain coat thingy that I bought is finally worth all the time that I lugged it around the mission :) 

We have kept our spirits high though even though we have had a few big difficulties with our investigators. The family of three is losing their desire and I am super bummed about it. But we have not given up hope yet and we are going to keep working really hard with them to help them out. 

I really got bummed about all the problems and the fact that the rule of the harvest is just not coming to fruit when I want it to. It is really hard to be a leader and not have the success that I feel God wants me to have. It hurts because I am an example whether I like it or not. If I am not baptizing, I really cannot ask my missionaries to baptize either. So I had a hard time with that on Friday and Saturday. I really received some revelation on Sunday though.  The lesson in Elders quorum was actually really awesome and was titled "Men there is a Work to be Done". I really enjoyed it because it just helped me realize that I have a work to be done and if God wants me to go through these trials I will go through them. Just like Joseph Smith, they will just be for a short while and then I will receive a joy and benefit from it. I just hope it hurries jajaja. 

But I am really getting along well with my companion and he helped me understand and move on this week. He is a great missionary and I really think a friend for a long, long time (I hope). I think we will stay together this next change as well because they just did special changes to change a lot of the zone leaders around and lower and raise a few. I am happy and sad about that because my really good buddy, Elder Villa, got lowered so now we have less of a chance to be companions jajaja. 

I am just working hard and enjoying life! 

Elder Bigelow

Update on the bee tie: A sister in my ward fixed it and I wore it on Sunday :) I have stunk at taking pictures though so I will try and get better this week hahaha

Congratulate Nathan for me!
Elder Bigelow

July 18, 2016

Man the rodeo is small but it is so fun, I really miss that to be honest. Those awesome little weekend trips to places and doing some really fun things. 

Well my week was good. To be honest, I am really stressed because the zone is having a lot of problems work wise. The missionaries are really awesome and we are trying our best to help them but things are just not really falling into place. 

This week was better though because we focused on a meta of news in the zone. It seemed to help the missionaries focus more on their jobs not just walking. So, lots of the areas that were struggling found more people and many of them went to church. Just about 3 of the areas had problems. We have plenty of people in our area but sometimes repentance takes longer than we hope for. 

We have a super awesome family that I love so much. They have plenty of problems but are progressing. Sometimes they just don't make it to chruch or a few things. But we are progressing with them a ton. It will be my first baptism of a full family! Missing the Dad but they are G, the mom, C, the son, and L, the other son. They also have a little 4 year old daughter named M! Love them a ton.

Other than that everything is awesome! Time just keeps flying, to be honest 9 months is not even a blink of an eye at this point. That is just 6 transfers, honestly I am worried that it isn't enough. Sometime time drags on but to be honest most days fly by and we work really hard. Like I said before, right now in my mission is the most effective that I have been in a long time. 

I really do miss you guys though, it is starting to get to me that I am not home and that I am missing things. Not a lot so don't worry, but I started thinking that I do not even really remember the last 4th of July when I was at home jaja. Like I remember the one in the mission and then yeah. 

Love you guys so much and I really hope that everything is going well with all my brothers and such because they don't write me. jaja

Well everything else is good! I loved the bee tie but I already stained it.... :( 

Guess i have been really bad at taking pics because I have none from this week....

Elder Bigelow

July 11, 2016

Yeah totally got the package! Even though it was small everything that you sent me was like the coolest ever. hahahaha I love, love, love the socks. You have to keep sending cool socks with every package. It is fun to wear them in the gym when we go in the morning. 

We had a really crazy week that was just so busy i could not even believe it. First, we went to Xalapa (again) for another counsel of leaders of the mission. I really like them because ti inspires me to be better and helps me with ideas to help my missionaries become converted.

Other than that we just had a rough week trying to help out other missionaries and then finally getting to our own area and having little success. We did not find many news and the family got moved back a couple weeks for a few things of repentance... but yeah we just keep on working. 

I have to find the line of being a leader and being a friend of the missionaries. Sometimes I just feel like I have a hard time telling them what is what because they are my friends and such. Me and my comp had a long talk about what we want to do with our zone and how we are going to help them though. 

Love you guys!

Elder Bigelow