March 13, 2017

I CANNOT wait to go to the temple! I feel like I just started to understand it when I left and then nothing for 2 years. jajaja It hurts!

My week was good, I have a companion who is motivated and awesome and really wants to work. So, I have shown him the entire area and am in the process of really helping him find out how to be a Senior companion. Just going with all my old investigators and also finding new ones!

I also on Saturday night was in Martinez with my Zone Leaders and guess what!? After 23 months of being in the jungle, I fed a monkey!!!!! It was awesome. jajajaja Her name is Micah and was really nice to us and ate all our candies. jajajaja

We had stake conference and that was good. The 70 that came from Sonora was super funny and talked about the importance of the priesthood. He actually challenged my convert of only 3 weeks to prepare for the
priesthood of Melchizedek. jajajaja It was funny but super cool because my convert, Ruben, was super impressed!

5 weeks fam and then we can just hang out again and be a family <3 I'm excited but I know there still are things I need to finish here!
Elder Bigelow

March 6, 2017

It's the final countdown! With that comes transfers. jajaja These transfers were far from expected because drum roll I will be staying here until the end of my mission in Vega. jajaja

Yeah, Elder Ari is going to Poza Rica and I am going to be junior companion for the first time since my own training! Elder Monreal is
going to be senior companion for the first time in the mission with me. So, I am going to show him the ropes. jaja He is a missionary from Durango that I actually watched be born in Tetzuitlan and was his first Zone Leader. So, huh, look how the tables have turned!

Yeah, I am super excited to be entering my last change but I really want to make the most of it and pass on my amassed knowledge to the
next generation of missionaries and be able to go out working hard. I already have a huge connection with the people here and it will be my
3rd area of 6 months! That is crazy!

Other than that it was a calm week. Just working like normal. I am really focusing on my prayers recently and I have really been enjoying
the strength that he has been able to give me. I cannot say that I have been perfect but I have been able to make it through! Still loving the mission and the thought of going home is all a daze. jajaj Yeah, the trunky moments come on strong sometimes honestly.

I am trying to buy all the recuerdos and I wont be able to buy everything I want because I am in the middle of no where.

Love you!
Elder Bigelow

My card reader se chufó so i will have to find a way to send pics... :(

February 27, 2017

The computer that I am on has an awful keyboard and I really have 0 drive to write on it.

I am alive though and super happy with all the news and everything so we can talk about it all soon enough!

Miss you guys so much!
Elder Bigelow

February 20, 2017

That blows my mind honestly that Braden is at the age and a bit more than when we moved into this ward. :) That is so cool.

Yeah, I actually talked to my buddy in the offices and he will be sending exact flight plans this week but I almost know everything because well "sources". I will be back if I'm not wrong the 19th of April at about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. But you will be getting that this week, I think so yeah don't worry.

I had like the funniest week ever btw. So first off we have 2 baptisms. I want to tell you a bit about them because they are really interesting. They are named Ruben and George. They contacted us in the street about 5 weeks ago wondering why our church is never open jaja. Ruben is about 55ish and is a really interesting guy. He doesn't have work and is pretty bad economically but is a mason and also a lawyer. jajaja He accepted the gospel like a boss and just has completed everything like a rockstar to be ready for this past Saturday. Then his friend, George, is a 76 year old crazy guy that just fell in love with how the spirit made him feel and just followed that to the waters of baptism. He makes some of the craziest comments ever when teaching and also plays about 7 different types of guitars. He takes them to every sacrament meeting and randomly will play them and just be noisy but loving. jajaja I love it!
 
This Saturday was their baptism and we did it in a river. Well it went ok until we all tried to get out. My comp and George fell face first in the water and mud. After helping Ruben out, I fell straight back into the water and lost my flipflops in the water and had to literally swim after them. jajajaja It was crazy!

Then after that we went to all eat chicken at a members house with everyone that went to the baptism. George brought his guitar and started playing a ton of songs and everyone was just having a great ole time laughing and playing. It was the funniest thing ever to see the members just accept this weird old man. jajaja We laughed
our heads off and then went home.

Things like that make the mission you know?

Other than I am working on little things and trying to plan my future..... weird
Elder Bigelow!

February 13, 2017

That's crazy! Braden is like big? What I remember is Landen was like barely having friends and such. jajajaja

Well my week was pretty crazy but also really good to be honest. We had interviews and I pretty much just talked to my president about my future, my ideas and things. He just read me the coolest scripture that gave me a ton of confidence that I am always going to make the right decision if I go with the Lord. He will open
doors for me where I choose!

Also we went back to Tetziutlan for a zone conference and I totally snuck away to see one of my investigators that is getting baptized with her husband. jajaj I found her about 6 months ago and her husband was super rude to us over the phone and really was being a jerk and not letting her go to church, to the point that we stopped visiting her because she just stopped progressing. Until my last week, we saw her and invited her back to church again. She came and I guess since then its been a long process but her and her husband got married
and are getting baptized together! MariVel is her name and she is super cool with her two little kids :) It makes everything worth it!

Other than that just teaching Ruben a ton to prepare him for his baptism, he really has been a miracle. The first week till now he has just been really awesome and accepted everything. He says he got his answer during one of my Gospel Principles classes that this is the true church which makes me feel good. I really, really like teaching Gospel Principles to be honest and I kind of hope that they put me back in that assignment when I get home for at least a bit!

Then today we went to the beach with my buddies from San Rapheal! Elder Babcock! We have been together for a lot of our mission, and he really is a good friend! So yeah right now we are going to eat some quesadillas before we go help them work in their area! WOO!

It was a good week :)
Elder Bigelow

 

February 6, 2017

JAJA Who knows maybe my President wont let me leave tell he leaves in July. No, they just barely called me about 2 weeks ago to go ahead and buy the airplane tickets so I imagine the plans will get to you in a couple weeks or so idk. They just changed the secretary so he is pretty
new. jajja

I totally forgot it was the Superbowl until a member yesterday was like it must be hard for you to be missing the Superbowl cause you love football. jajaja I was like thanks! I had forgotten it, but sounds good that it was a good game. jajaja I heard it was the only Superbowl ever to go into overtime. hmmm cool!

I also had a pretty good week. My winter tummy is full on grown so I need to like find a way to do some good body burning exercise before I get home so that I don't look gross. jaja

We as usual right now have had a really good few weeks and have a double baptism set for the 19th of February. In 2 weeks, they are pretty
secure so yeah! Like pure little miracles that we have been able to find and help out. Like I feel like God is giving me the hardest investigators right now because they have had more problems and have been harder to convert.

I have really been able to focus on what's important which is never to baptize someone that's not ready. Here in Mexico the missionaries
are under constant pressure to baptize and it means sometimes we jump the gun and baptize people that are just not actually ready. I have brought sooo many people to church these 3 changes so far, but only looks like 3 or 4 will be ready for me to baptize, the rest will come after. :D

10 weeks though! jajaja This week will be pretty crazy because we have interviews on Wednesday and then a Zone Conference in Tetziutlan on Friday. jajaja Yay more traveling!

Love you guys lots!
Elder Bigelow
 

Vega!

First two kisses in 2 years jajajajaja

 

January 30, 2017

Dakota is going on a mission and will be gone before I get home hmmm life happens I guess. 

Me and my buddy Elder Grundvig were reminiscing about the mission and it kind of blew my mind how much time has really passed and everything that we have done. Things are just going to be different at home. Like the new me is going to have to find its place in the new-old world that I left behind. Something I am genuinely worried about is to make so many decisions about myself. Like I don't make many self affecting decisions here, its all about other people and I almost always am thinking about others. Suddenly I will have to think about myself. Strange.

But while the mission still lasts I am good so yay! Another week went by, full of work and things but just well another week. I guess its just the rhythm that I have now. The days just blend and suddenly its Sunday. See lots of the same people and then keep on seeing them for the next 5 weeks. The good thing is that I really enjoy Vega de AlaTorre. Its one of those little pueblos that just is fun and small. I know like almost everyone by now and just seem to be saying hi all the time to old investigators and members. 

In a world conference for missionaries they changed a bit our pday, so we can leave a bit earlier from our studies and then gave us a bit more room to plan our day effectively. So, we can plan in the morning not at night. We can now go to bed if we choose from 9:30 to 10:30 soooo woooo more time to sleep. jajaja I also got a talking to for not writing in my journal so I will try to see what I can do for these last few weeks.

I confirmed Maria yesterday and she is doing so amazing. Already is working on her family history and is preparing to go to the temple come February! She is really cool and really wants to prepare to seal herself to her husband that died a while back. 

Other than that just keeping on working. We had like 6 people in church yesterday and they seem to be progressing really well for this next month or early March so yeah woo!

Well ya thats me right now. jajaja I really am getting tired of writing every Monday. jajaja Maybe I'll just send you I am alive for 11 weeks until l I get home ;)

Elder Bigelow!

 

 

 

January 23, 2017

Just train Athena. When I get home she can sleep in my room and I will make sure she understands! Love her!

Yeah so I got my call to what airport I am going to and that was super weird. jajaja I was joking with him about like going home in bus or on donkey and it was fun. I don't know the date exactly yet but yeah 12 weeks? WHAT!

Then the baptism was super awesome yesterday :D Maria is seriously like the coolest grandma ever and has been the best investigator ever! It was in a river and was super pretty. I felt awesome to be in nature again and REALLY, REALLY wanted to swim!

Also I am going to stay in Vega with my little buddy, Elder Ari. I really have grown to be fond of him in these days but it was a very testing change this last one and then to repeat it was a hard idea. I actually talked to my President and we decided it was best if I was not the district leader. So yeah! FREE!

But I am doing really good :D

Elder Bigelow

January 16, 2017

Woah Dad refing 6a that's pretty bomb hahaha I would love to go. O´Connor is 6a, Right?

The work seems to be accelerating randomly though. jajaja We suddenly have this super awesome baptism that I did not expect on Sunday. Its this little sweet old lady that has just been super pilas from the start and has been just so faithful and amazing from the start. She is named Maria and I am sure that I will send pics of her this next week. 

I am also in a trio again with a newbie named Elder Hurtado because his comp just decided to go home. Yeah it kind of sucked and so now he is chilling with us. So yeah jaja Woo.

I am almost entering my last 12 weeks of the mission, I still have yet to receive a call about my ticket home

But yeah I am just really focusing on the little things right now :) Just enjoying trying to make myself better by working through the boredom and tiredness that I have. I feel myself getting better every day and though i am excited to get home in about 3 months I do know I still have work to do here in myself and with others :)

Love you guys so much!

Elder Bigelow