October 12, 2015

Sorry for not writing yesterday, but it was because I went to Xalapa! I am training this transfer again! But with a brand new missionary! I went to Xalapa yesterday to pick him up and the food with Hna Greer and such. It was a pretty awesome day because I got to see a ton of the missionaries I know and meet a ton of new ones. It was super fun and the food was delicious haha. Super awesome giant burritos of beef and every type of salsa and topping you could think of.  Then I found out who my kid was. President took all the newbies and one by one they gave their testimony in front and then received their comp. The first missionary that was up shared a super powerful testimony and I had such a strong feeling to really pay attention to the words he was saying. I realized when he said Amen that he would be my hijo. I was right and I received Elder Aguilar from Mexico City as my new companion. He is super powerful and so much like me it is kind of crazy. We both love to eat and talk and sports and just his personality is so much like mine haha. Today we spent the day going back to Tuxpan and just finished eating and everything. We will be headed to the house next for him to unpack and get ready for tomorrow.  Also this week on Thursday, I had the chance to go back to Cerro Azul for the day on divisions. It was such an awesome experience to see E, I and N again. We talked a bit and they gave a lot of references to the Elder that is there now. I also had them promise to go to the temple within 6 months to do baptisms. E and I blessed the sacrament on Sunday and are super powerful in the church. I am so happy for them! N is also very happy and the Elders are going to be teaching her daughter-in-law and grandson. It makes me so happy that I could have changed the lives of these awesome people and I am so excited to keep on keeping on and find more people to help. I am so excited for this change and to learn and teach from Elder Aguilar. I didn't take a picture this week because all my focus was one going to Xalapa I am sorry. I also forgot my cables so I will send photos when we get back to the house. Love you, Elder Bigelow

October 5, 2015

My Mom's favorite talk of conference was the one about Mothers. Yeah all the missionaries were sitting there thinking about how our moms are probably balling their eyes out hahaha. This conference was super special to me and it was really interesting how much there was about women and marriage and moms. Like a ton. It was so amazing and probably the first time in my life where I actually wanted to watch it. I mean I was always like woo conference but never like WWWWOOOO Conference haha. But I learned a ton. I learned a lot about myself and what it means to be a leader here in the mission and also a missionary in general. I learned better ways to teach and better ways to help those become converted to the gospel and dispel their petty concerns about the church. I learned a ton about the importance of women and how that is going to matter for me in 2 years hahaha. We also went to Xalapa on Tuesday for a meeting with all the trainers and their kids. If I have yet to tell you, I am finishing the training of Elder Chiñas so we went to Xalapa! haha It was like a crazy short work week. Like we went there all day Tuesday, woo 14 hours in a bus hahaha. I learned a ton though and really calmed my nerves about being a señor and training so early and how the heck am I qualified to do this. Then we worked like normal for 3 days and then conference! All in all I have been just amazing to tell you the truth. I almost have 6 months in the mission and that is absolutely crazy because I don't feel like that at all. This change was the fastest thing of my life. It is weird being a trainer and being oh so responsible for my area and real peoples lives. It is so different from anything I have done in my life. Like literally all I did before was sell chemicals to people with pools. Now I am helping people progress to eternal happiness. Like this means much more than any video game or college class I could be doing right now. That stuff will come but this is where I am supposed to be right now and I know that. I pray for you guys like every single night and that is what means the most to me is that you guys are fine. We also went to Liverpool again and ate food to say goodbye to the 2 leaving our zone. Elder Martinez and Elder Meza. They are good friends of mine and I have learned a lot from both of them. It was fun and good food so woo! Love, Elder Bigelow

September 28, 2015

Well this was not the best week of my life haha. We worked really hard but there was a couple of days where literally no one was there. To tell you the truth, I felt like a real failure because this is the first transfer that I am the mayor and it hasn't been going super well. We have investigators and everything but it just doesn't seem like we are doing what is necessary because otra vez (again) no one went to church. But I was reading in PMG and it said that when we let ourselves get disseminated and worry, we impede ourselves from hearing the promptings of the Spirit. So I cheered myself up and we are going to keep working!  In the end I don't have to worry about if i am going to be a leader or if I am going to serve as minor my entire mission. I don't really care what other missionaries think about me, as long as I am good with the Lord and I am trying as hard as I possible can to work then I should be happy. I can't control the decisions of my investigators, I can just invite and help. So that's what I am going to continue to do.  I am working on adjusting my teaching more to teach people not lessons because I feel like I am stuck in a groove and am not teaching exactly to what my investigators need. I am going to plan better with my companion and I am going to follow the spirit more. Today has been a really relaxed p day because the money comes tomorrow or the next day haha. So, we have nothing to do anything crazy fun with. But also cambios (changes) are in like 2 weeks which is crazy because I just started this transfer with Elder Chiñas and now it is already ending. Also I have a surprise trip to Xalapa!  hahaha because I am training there is a capaticion for new missionaries so I get to go to Xalapa tomorrow with Elder Chiñas and learn some more from Pres. and the other trainers and elders. I am excited haha. It is like the hardest thing in the world to fast to be honest because we fast without water, and I neeeeeddddd water! But I am super excited for this weekend because it is general conference and it will be different than all the other general conferences. To be honest I always had a pretty bad attitude about churchy stuff because I felt I know most of the stories. Even up to the end of studying my scriptures before my mission, I mean I did it but never really applied it. Now I am loving learning because it is the type of learning I love. That I can apply these things in my life and so much of the parts of the gospel and things in the temple make so much more sense hahaha. I love you guys! Elder Bigelow Another Bus Ride

September 21, 2015

This week was pretty weird lol. We had the Mexican Independance day and everything and that was like the worst day ever because we had to be back at the house at like 6. We had a class with the Pres. until like 2. So we had about 2 hours to work. We weren't able to visit all of our investigators and it really showed when no one came to church. Kinda hurts when you are the mayor and none of your 10 investigators come to church. But I am happy to go and teach them a lesson about the dia de reposo (Sabbath) and have all 8 of them that are still investigators go to church this next week!

We did have an awesome baptism this week. We were able to help Hermana S get married on Monday and then baptized this Saturday! woo! She is really funny and everything, and bought me and my comp a bunch of food lol. I love having baptisms!

My district leader Elder Wadman left this week to go to Xalapa in the offices! So, we got a new district leader named Elder Moore. He is always willing to help so I am happy. Elder Wadman was from Arizona and I guess his friend found my blog and was talking with him about me. lol 

I was with my zone leaders the other day and we were talking about what I would have thought if I had been called to be the district leader to replace Elder Wadman. I said that I would do all that the Lord calls me to do but to be honest that would be really scary. I am having a hard enough time being a mayor let alone having to worry about other elders. They said that when president asked them who should replace Elder Wadman they told president me. They have been telling me that I need to prepare myself because I will be a leader really fast in the mission. Like that is really exciting and all but I am really really scared about this. I have so many other things to worry about. But I know the Lord will provide a way to do all things. 

We went fishing today and it was super weird because it was with a bottle and string. It was like the weirdest looking fish that I have ever seen in my life. I kept on thinking about Black River and all the crazy things we would do.

Love,

Elder Bigelow

September 14, 2015

Alma 7 is an awesome chapter about what the Lord really took in when he completed the atonement. It was all our sins but much more all of our pains and grief and temptations. You can pray to receive love and relief from even the smallest stresses. 

Well my week was pretty awesome to tell you the truth! We went from having 1 investigator to 8 lol. We just went on a finding spree and found like 7 people in like 3 days. Made me feel really good because at first I was really nervous that we were not progressing in the work and that it was my fault as mayor. That all changed this week lol. I know the Lord is helping me out because some of these families that we found were really cool miracles including an old lady that literally asked us at the door what she needs to do to be baptized. Hopefully we can have a ton of success with this transfer and I can keep working and finding new people this week and my whole mission. 

Like now that I am mayor I feel like the mission is flying by way faster. These two weeks were like 2 seconds, I swear. This week should be really cool because it is the 15 de septiembre, which is the Mexican Independence Day. We have to be in our house at like 6 at night. So, literally we cannot work like at all. Also, we have a class with Pres. Greer in the mañana till like 2. Literally not a day for work which I am kinda sad about but it will also be a really awesome relief. 

Today was a super sick pday! We played nerf in the morning with our zone lol It was super awesome because we just were a bunch of idiots and young boys lol. Then after we went and ate at a place called Peter Dog. It is a hot dog and hamburger place that is super American and good. All the zone was like Elder Bigelow needs to do the challenge! I was like bueno lol. It was to eat 2 hamburgers of 4 patties each with like a ton of cheese 8 (like a ton of cheese lol) and toppings and everything with 6 big buns and like 8 onion rings and a coke in 20 mins. I almost did it too! Like I finished all the meat and toppings and onion rings and only needed to eat the bread in like 5 mins and I couldn't chew fast enough to swallow and so I lost. But I was so close lol. It was fun and the whole zone was there cheering me on and well I have cool pictures lol. 

La verdad (The truth), I am doing like really amazing here. My kid Elder Chiñas is like really cool and we are progressing really fast. I had surprise divisions with the Zone leaders and I went with Elder Morales. The whole time he was talking about how I need to be preparing because I am going to serve as district leader and zone leader really fast in the mission. It kinda freaked me out because I don't feel prepared for what I am doing now. Then to have to lead people, I just don't know how I would be able to do it. My spanish is doing good but I don't feel like I could have the respect of latinos if I was to be leading them. That's in the future however and right now I am happy and healthy lol. I know that if I am chosen to lead, the Lord will help me do so. Sometimes I have a hard time taking control, but the Lord is helping me do what is necessary to work. 

I am looking forward to keep progressing!

Elder Bigelow

Peter dog before (and that's only one burger)

After

Family Picture with my mom, my brother and my kid lol

September 7, 2015

Do you have a primary program in Mexico? I don't think we have a primary program because we really just don't have the kids. Right now in Santiago, I am in a branch and it is really small, like 30 people. There are a ton of less actives but I guess they don't want to have anything to do with the church.

My week has been pretty good, a little stressful because suddenly I went from being the kid and just kinda following my comp around and cracking jokes, to being the one making all the decisions. Like we were in a lesson and I was like man we have been talking to them for a while about nothing lol, when are we going to leave. Then I remembered that it was my decision lol. But we have been doing good work here. One of our zone leaders was the old assistant to the pres and he kinda came and got mad at us because our zone is not baptizing like it used to. So we have a goal of 20 baptisms this month. I won't be able to add any to that number because my area was really dead. When I came we had no investigators. We found one youth my age that went to church named Eduardo, but if all goes well he can't be baptized until the 4th of October (investigators need to go to church 5 times to be baptized). But we have some great plans this next week to hit up a few families that seem really cool. Hopefully we will be able to teach a family because I have yet to teach a complete one. 

Everyone is always so surprised at my Spanish when I tell them how much time I have in the mission. They always ask if I spoke it before the mission! Makes me proud but most of all its just awesome that I have the support of the Lord and the gift of tongues, because I know that I can't be doing this without him. 

It is crazy how much I have learned about the gospel in such a short time. I finished Jesus the Christ and am currently (trying) to read the Book of Mormon completely in spanish. It is really hard and takes me at least 30 min to finish a chapter because I have to use all my spanish skills to understand. 

I am really loving the mission though so dont worry about me, just that it is weird to get used to a new area lol. Love you.

Elder Bigelow

August 31, 2015

My week was pretty great! Me and Elder Morillo had another awesome baptism of a cute old lady who always gave us the greatest water or juice lol. Her baptism was really an amazing experience because I could feel the change as she came out of the water. She just stood there for like a minute before she even dared move. I feel blessed to have gotten to teach her and then baptize her before I left Cerro. Cambios came in last night and I am a little freaked out about what the President has trusted me with. I am going to stay in the Zona Tuxpan (woo para calor) but I am going to a sweet little island area on the other side of this huge river. The biggest news though is that I am going to be a Momma! I am going to finish the training of an Elder named Elder Chiñas who literally just came the transfer after me. I am mayor and a trainer the transfer after my training ends. Pretty freaked out but also really, really excited to see how this goes and to prove that I can do these hard things through the help of the Lord. Together me and Elder Chiñas have 6 months in the mission lol. But my district is going to be so sweet. Elder Soto my comp in the CCM is coming to Tuxpan to be the comp of my district leader Elder Wadman, and my old Zone leader, Elder Mesa, is coming to be killed by another Elder Apaza. I will have a ton of support from my zone leaders and I hope from my district leader. Other than that is has just been pretty crazy running around and packing everything up. I left Cerro last night and am in Tuxpan with another Elder and his comp. We went and ate at a buffet this morning and it was super delicious and I am still full. We have just been kind of hanging out and doing small things. I had a lot of fun these past few transfers with Elder Bravo y Elder Morillo. Just have to conquer the next few trials. Love, Elder Bigelow This picture is from our primary lol. They sent me like a packet of drawings and that was my favorite because it was just so funny. Practically all of them sent me in a sombrero or something like that and all the Mexicans were laughing so hard.