September 19, 2016

If I could give you any advice that I have learned so far it is that we really cannot stress about things that cannot be controlled. We can stress and try our best with all the things under our power but the moment that we stress because the weather stinks we are going to have a bad time. It is not and will never be under our control. Something that I have been doing if I am stressed or sad about things that I can't fix is to just conquer something that I can. Like if one of our investigators just stopped listening and I am sad, I will like clean the bathroom. It is something that I can control and I will make it how I want it. Helps me idk and then things are somehow clean jajaja. So it is an idea, stressed about work? Clean out the junk drawer. That has helped me a ton and keeps my mind busy on other things. I also look in the Book of Mormon when I just can't control things, it really has a calming spirit and in those moments is when God can really talk to us and give us "ideas" that help so yeah! 

I am seriously missing ALL of the marriages so like woo... next thing I know Nathan, Bryan, Alex, and JT will all be married before I get home!

If it is like me you just have to explain things really, really well. I just always refused to do anything that I did not get the point of or it did not benefit me in some way. I probably asked why to about everything and sometimes you really don't want to explain. However, take the time to explain step by step why you are going to do something and maybe I will see the need of it. You as the seller need to create the need for him to want to do something. That is the secret of getting anyone to do anything, including teaching the Gospel. If I do not create the need for someone to change their lives and listen to the Gospel they will never ever do it, because there is no need. 

I just had a pretty cool week so I will have to keep the descriptions short! 

1 Baptism on Saturday! It was super cool and she is named B and is the mom of a member that was resisting the church but finally gave in. She will be going to the temple in December (already signed up) and hopefully in a year can be sealed to her son and step daughter! Woo!

2 Mexican Independence Day! Super fun and I totally bought this super cool Mexican customized thing that I am so excited to show you. jajajaja It was fun and me and Herm Christensen totally got all super Mexicanized for the event!

3 Changes! I will be staying here for another change in the best weather in the mission! O thank goodness! I will be changing Hernandezes though because the Elder Hernandez that is my comp is leaving and I will be with the Elder Hernandez from Torrejon Mexico. He is actually the Assistant to the President right now so I am pretty excited to learn and have a lot of success together! Just kind of worried because it is starting to get really, really cold!

Alex is almost home and Bryan soon after that! I just have 5 changes left or 7 months! I have to get in gear because there is not enough time!

Elder Bigelow

September 12, 2016

This is the week that he was told about his Dad's car accident.

 

I am going to fast. That is kind of crazy. But don't worry I am ok, a bit surprised but ok :) I also have the best support system that there is because really to be honest Christ understands these kinds of things and can really support us. So I am going to focus on finding that comfort and peace for Dad. I love him so much please tell him that! <3 

Also tell him this: Que la verdad no estoy nada preocupado y que sanaré super rapido porque todavia tiene demasiadas viajes al Rio Negro para estar de nena ahorra jajaja.

I caught a rabbit jajaja

Elder Bigelow

 

 

September 5, 2016

Well this week was kind of hectic with so many things to try to do and divisions and craziness! But we got some fun work done to be honest. The only thing is that no one made it to church this week... this is the first time I have had this happen in like 7 months and it hurts. I honestly feel sometimes that I have wasted a whole week of work because they just don't get it to go to church... But other than that it was super cool!

Tomorrow we have consilio so that means another sweet bus ride. That will bring me to 168 hours in a bus during my mission D: I love it there because it really makes me better as a missionary and helps me focus because I just focus on my missionaries. We also eat like super good food from Hermana Greer yay!

Sad Story Time: On Saturday we went walking in our area and got to this members house that is super cool to us. Well her neighbor has a dog named LaLa that seriously looks exactly like Athena. She acts exactly like Athena too. She is super loving and still a little pup. So we always play around with her a lot. We did the same thing this Saturday as usual. Well LaLa is getting braver to go farther and farther away from her house and always follows us for a good while after we see her. Well on Saturday she followed us for like a super long way and it was fun to contact and preach with my dog jajaja. But then the worst thing ever happened and a mean dog scared her into the street and she got smacked by a car :( It just seemed to really damage her leg and put her into shock. Oh did I mention it was raining? Yeah, so I would not leave her there. I carried my little LaLa back to the member's house. It kind of sucked and I smelled like wet dog and was seriously filthy, but I felt good about it. Just the things you never expect to do as a missionary I guess. 

Still loving it here but the rain and cold are kind of killing my sleeping habits! I had to go buy foot warmer thingies to warm my feet jajajjaa

Love you! 

Elder Bigelow

August 29, 2016

Did we teach you how to work? You kind of gave me the option to learn to work. I just figured it out myself I guess. Yeah, I might find the easiest way to get something done, but I get it done. 

It is funny how that actually applies in the mission. Like we work in everything but we should always be looking for the easiest and most effective way to have success as a missionary. That is working with the members. I can contact about 2,000 people in the street, but maybe just one of them will get baptized. I do it because it is what we are supposed to do but I know the best way to work is to work closely with the members. So we are applying that in our area and seeing success! 

This week was cool because the assistants came with us and worked with the trainers in our zone. I think they really helped and did a lot. They also taught us a few things that we can do to help out and become better missionaries. So that was fun plus they are 2 crazy dudes that are my friends sooo yay!

We worked hard with our missionaries as well doing a few sweet divisions so that was fun.

Other than that we saw some cool miracles with our investigators and they are just progressing. It has been really hard because a lot of people that know that this is the true church just cannot trust God enough to change their lives to be baptized. They end up falling away from the church well before they even get baptized. I want to help them so much but at that point I am powerless but to teach them what is true repentance. It hurts me really bad sometimes...

I had the worst sickness of my mission this week. Just straight diarrhea for the week... it was terrible jajaja but getting better and Hna Greer gave me some pills to take to help out so yay! She also found me some pants! woo! Hna Greer is the best!

Being a leader is expensive though because I try to be the one that helps out other missionaries and basically when I am on divisions I kinda pay for everything... and all the divisions means a lot of costs in food and travel and things. So yeah I have been burning money I feel... but yeah I can't really do anything else about it because that's how I am.

Love you guys and miss you tons!

Elder Bigelow

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