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

July 4, 2016

I totally remembered that you guys (Saul and Kristi) were here in Mexico, so dont worry. Good thing that Dad speaks Spanish though :) Yeah I already got a message from the office that there is a package waiting for me in the offices. We are going to consejo tomorrow so I will be getting it tomorrow, if we are lucky hahaha. Thanks! Hope it was something special though..... jaja

Well this week for me was also really awesome! So like I said I am with Elder Hernandez from Mexico City! He is actually really fun, he likes everything that I like and we have lots of fun together working and just being funny. We actually had a really successful week. We found 2 new families to teach and one of the went to church and will be baptized the 17 of July! My first family of Mom and kids hahaha yes!

We also had 6 people go to chruch and that is great because we have a meta of baptizing 6 people this change! It is going to be awesome. I seriously just love this area, like it feels like sometimes we have too much to do and that is a great feeling. 

So yeah the zone celebrated the 4th of JULY by making hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch.  It was fun and I also wore my red, white and blue tie to celebrate hahaha. It is super weird that I am hitting my second of everything. It is officially my second 4th of July hahaha that is super weird. 

Time is flying by though! Going to Xalapa Tomorrow!

Loves Elder Bigelow

 

 

June 27, 2016

Well mostly we just have some news about changes.

I will be getting a new companion named Elder Hernandez. Not sure where he is from to be honest but he has been a Zone Leader for 2 changes already. They say he is pretty cool so I hope he can help me run the zone in the way the Lord wants. I tried my best though and everyone I have talked to have said that I did a great job and really apreciated the love and support that we were giving and how we really tried to help in the zone. 

The rest of the missionaries that are coming to the zone are some good friends though so it should be a really fun time hahaha. That also includes Hermana Christenson! The missionary from our stake, I think she is named Maddie. I have been with her in Papantla and everything but now we are both going to be leaders and it should be fun to have someone from home again ahahhaa. We just talk way to much about home hahahaha.

I am loving the mission so much right now though because time is flying and I really feel so affective as a missionary. It is hard and everything but we are having lots of success recently and it has been way fun to meet so many people as a zone leader. Like I get to know the missionaries in my zone and find out why they are here and everything. I also get to know a ton of investigators and it is really fun and awesome to get to meet them!

We have been going around and saying goodbye to our converts today and also a few families that are awesome. I kinda forgot my camera like half of the time soooo yeah....

BUT we went back to Huitzila the town that is about 3 hours away from my area and we went to a river that seriously is Black River with a little more green haha. I was like woah! So don't worry, I also went to Black River to take pictures with a really cool family haha. 

Loving the mission but I am starting to miss you guys alot, and my friends a ton! 

Elder Bigelow

June 20, 2016

I made dad a video for Father's Day because you got to talk to me on Mother's day. jaja. At least he should get to hear me speaking spanish like a boss on Father's day!

We had a pretty good week, nothing really special has been happening to be honest, like the miracles always happen and we have lots of people that I am really hoping progress well for July. The only thing is that our zone did not even come close to getting to our goal of 30.... It is super weird now that I am a leader the mission turns into just numbers and metas and the time flies so fast I cannot even handle it.... Like I really do not know what happened to June and it is already like over and I almost have 14 months. The changes are coming again and we just feel really weird because I swear it just started. 

We have baptized some really cool converts this change though! I really loved the process of teaching them and helping them overcome their doubts and how converted they are! They really understand the doctrine and the reason why they got baptized and why they needed to get baptized. Especially a joven named D. This kid did not believe in God when we started teaching him and suddenly he just broke the barrier and used the scriptures to understand God and believe enough in him to get baptized. He just recieved the Aaronic preisthood on Sunday! We are working on his really Catholic family but they have problems with time and their church meetings are at the same time as ours. They really like what they are learning but do not seem to be able to understand that this is the only true church and if they do not do the things God has told them to do they can never be saved as a family. 

That is something we have been really focusing on me and my companion is really understanding the value of our knowledge to make families forever. Something that I realized is that I have always grown up in the chruch and always knew that my family is forever and how exactly. I never realized how deprived the world is of this information. That is the reason why this is so important for us to be here as missionaries. I leave my family and my future family for 2 years to help others have future eternal families! I really want to baptize a complete family... I have baptized couples and everything but I want to find that awesome family of Dad, Mom and kids that all want to get baptized. It will take a ton of work I know but it will be worth it!

Miss you guys a ton!

Elder Bigelow