 |
| Scripture covers that someone made for Hunter!!! |
Monday, December 8, 2014
12/8/2014
well, this week my comp and i realized that things just weren't progressing well with our investigators.. so we decided to take our focus off them. which was super hard for me.. but we decided that was best. we asked the ward sec. Hno Felix for a list of less actives and have been visiting them all week with him. and we have seen a lot of success. a few of them came to church yesterday and the majority of them gave us references. we also have been sharing the "El Es La Dádiva" video with the members and helping them realize their part in sharing this with others, and we have been getting a lotta references from that too! miracles happen when you share the gospel.
well, this week my comp and i realized that things just weren't progressing well with our investigators.. so we decided to take our focus off them. which was super hard for me.. but we decided that was best. we asked the ward sec. Hno Felix for a list of less actives and have been visiting them all week with him. and we have seen a lot of success. a few of them came to church yesterday and the majority of them gave us references. we also have been sharing the "El Es La Dádiva" video with the members and helping them realize their part in sharing this with others, and we have been getting a lotta references from that too! miracles happen when you share the gospel.
we all have our agency obviously, but i realized today what it means when
people say "God has prepared people for you". God wants everyone to make the
right choice when the gospel is introduced into their lives. so he is setting it
up perfectly family by family and individual by individual (excuse my ingles)
and through the guidance of the spirit is leading the missionaries to them at
the perfect time.
i love being a missionary and taking part in this magnificent work. i am
super happy for this Christmas time even though its like 80 degrees out today
haha. we listen to a lotta Christmas music in the house now... trying to make it
feel as much like Christmas as possible. i am super excited to skype in a couple
weeks! and autumn, tenemos que eligir una hora para llamar. yo necesito hablar
con me líder de zona para saber cuando son las actividades pero creo que por la
mañana sería lo mejor. pero no lo sé todavía. próximo lunes. jaja. te qiero
hemanita. gracias por tu ejemplo y todas :) sea feliz! i will get you all a time
for the skyping this next week.. ojala!
i love you all! be happy! good luck Bishop Bigelow!!! so happy for you and
the blessings coming your way. KEEP SINGING CHRISTMAS SONGS :)
"Angels We Have Heard On High"
Elder Bigelow
12/2/2014
Buenas!!well, to answer questions, no i didn't get changed. and neither did my comp. i didn't think i would get changed so this was totally expected but awesome. and we didn't have the baptism because i really didn't feel like diana was ready, and she didn't show up to her interview, so i was right. just gotta keep praying for her. Hernan and Lina are doing awesome tho! just gotta set the date for their marriage. as far as finding news, that work is super slow in the city. i guess everyone you talk to in the coast becomes an investigator, but here people are stubborn. but all we can do is keep trying :)as far as this week goes tho, it was super awesome and super fast!!! i don't really remember Tuesday and Wednesday..... BUT THURSDAY! Elder Gibson came to the house (i invited all the other gringos but they didn't come) and i made a thanksgiving feast!!! you guys didn't know i could coo thanksgiving food did ya? haha and we don't have an oven so i made cobbler on the stove for desert!and then Friday, we went out to the area of the hermanas in guatape to a dog/pig farm to bathe all the perros and cerdos. it was awesome... but i have never heard pigs scream so loud... it was horrifying. i got videos but idk if they will send... but i got lots of pics too!and yesterday, i didn't write because we did the district meeting early for an activity in the night.... we took this bus called a "chiva" (which is basically an open bus without windows or doors that's painted all kinds of crazy colors) to go see the Christmas lights down town... it was awesome. we started singing all the Christmas hymns and giving out navidad.mormon.org cards for the Él es la dádiva thing. Él es la Dádiva, or He is the Gift, is a Christmas thing that only 5 countries in the world are doing as missionaries. USA, Mexico, Colombia, Brasil, Argentina, and Chile. idk why its just those 5.. but its a video on youtube we are using to share the Christmas message :)well, i cant believe its December and that I've been here over 4 months. i am so happy to be here. im so glad you guys are all doing well. remember, that even tho Christ isn't on the earth right now we must still all come unto Him through His gospel that IS here. and its TRUE. remember that the best way to turn towards Christ and come unto Him, is by turning out towards others in love. be Him by doing what He would do. i love my Savior and Brother, Jesus Christ. and muh uthuh bruthuh Kade! haha and all of you guys! Le amo mi hermanita Autumn y su ejemplo para mi y todos de nosotros. tu eres la mejor. gracias por todos! te amo!"Oh Come All Ye Faithful" (favorite Christmas hymn) :DElder Bigelow!
11/24/2014
its so weird that its p day again.... its also pretty weird that I'm on a mission.... i still get that weird feeling when i wake up some mornings like, "holy cow! I'm on my mission" or "oh my goodness, I'm in a different country" or "i don't really wanna have to wake up" haha but that ones just normal. Really though, Ive had a lot of time to think this week (and i will explain why later) about how much Dad talks about his mission, or how much my uncles talk about their missions, or my cousins, or people in my ward, or really anybody who has served a mission and loved their mission. And actually that's the key part, is to love the mission. and for those of you who haven't, its not that you don't know, its that you think you do. but for those of you who have served or are serving, know that the mission is hard. harder than was expected. and for lots of reasons. rules are one, and its not that its hard not to go break some big rule like going to the crazy Colombian parties every night, or anything stupid like that. its the exact obedience. like waking up on time or going to bed on time and things like that. i think as missionaries we put ourselves down so much when we don't do the little things. but that's where the love part comes in. in my many hours of thinking time i realized what made all those missions of my friends and family so great... it wasn't that they turned their lights off every night at 10:30, or that they taught 20 lessons in 1 week, it wasn't that they paid attention to every detail and played exactly by the rule books (don't get me wrong, i absolutely know the importance of obedience) and it definitely wasn't that they tried to be a better missionary than every other missionary that was with them in the field. it was love.just as in the everyday life of a member of the church, as a missionary, God wants YOU to be the best missionary YOU can be. because God loves us so much, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to this Earth to atone for our sins, so that while we are here, we just gotta do our best and try to do the things that Jesus would do, because if we do that, and repent, God will make up for the rest so we can return to live with Him. While in the mission, you gotta be your best self and do your part to be a good missionary it has to be realized that just as Jesus wasn't sent to earth only to be perfect and then return to live with God, you weren't sent on a mission to follow a bunch of rules and then go home (again not saying they aren't important). Just as Christ, us, as members and missionaries alike, need to not focus so much on all the little things we think are so important that we forget to stop and show the love of God that we have felt in our lives. that is a simple truth that when completely understood will without a doubt, bring you the most happiness you have ever felt. so in the mission, if you are too focused on rules and numbers that you forget to fall in love with the place you are in and the people you are with, sure you'll have success, but will you have those experiences that you will be able to share forever? i don't think so. guys, do your best, be your best, be obedient, be helpful, and be LOVING. Love is the essence of the gospel.well, this week, on Tuesday morning, we had lunch with Hermano Mario and his wife. they gave us normal Colombian food (rice, soup, pasta, salad, platanos, and meat) but the meat this time was chicken... we don't normally get chicken a lot so i was kind of excited. not excited like when she handed me the plate i was a chubby 5 year old at a birthday party with chocolate cake kind of excited.. but some kind of different food made me happy. and, when i ate the chicken, it just didn't taste right... but, like a good missionary, i finished my plate. almost immediately after lunch i didn't feel right. i asked my comp if we could go back home so i could lay down and take some advil , and when we got there i fell asleep.. for 6 hours. when i woke up, i felt like i needed to use the restroom, and was in there for at least an hour. when i left the bathroom i thought it was all over... but the next day we had to go to the mission office because my comp had an interview. i still wasn't feeling to good but i figured id be fine. as the day went on i started feeling worse and worse.. when we finally made it home, after stopping to buy medicine, i crashed. i slept from 9pm until around 1pm on Thursday. and (without going into the horrifying detail) for the rest of the day i spent 30 minute intervals between my bed and the bathroom. (THIS IS WHEN I GOT ALL THAT THINKING TIME) haha... but by Friday i was alright enough to leave the apartment. and yesterday i was finally well enough to eat again. today I'm doing good.. i still don't feel like eating a whole lot. but at least I'm not half dead anymore.i realized, through all the pain i had in my stomach, that Christ suffered for more than just our sins. i prayed and prayed and prayed just to be able to feel normal again. and was able to get over everything fairly quickly. ad despite all of that we did have success this week. our investigators came to church, hernan and lina decided to get married, and we received 7 references so we can start working with new investigators! :) we want to finish this last week of the transfer strong and as long as all goes well, we will finish with Dianas baptism this Saturday!!i love you guys. i am grateful for each and every one of you. i am grateful to be a missionary. i am grateful for the knowledge i have. i am grateful for the prophets who give us inspired words. i am grateful for the hymns that influence our thoughts and actions. i am thankful for my investigators and how they are strengthening my testimony. i am thankful for Joseph Smith and the amazing man and teacher he was. i am grateful for my savior, Jesus Christ, and the unfailing love He has shown me in my life. and how He has helped me through all my hardest times. i am grateful that He will always be there. and the we have Him and His atoning sacrifice to lean on at all times. i am grateful for my scriptures and the guidance they give me. and i am grateful for my sister missionary in Oaxaca. Te quiero mi hermanita. no tenemos que celebrar el día que damos gracias por estar agradecidos. tenemos muchas bendiciones, y muchas prometas cuando somos fieles. vos eres la mejor! te cuida! sea feliz!"Because I Have Been Given Much"Elder Bigelow
11/17/2014
hola mi familia, y amigos, y primos, y abuela, y tias!this week wasnt really as fast as the other weeks have been lately, but it was a good one none the less.i have been using English less and less even with the other American missionaries so i have to translate in my head a little bit haha but that's COOL!this week was great! gotta do exchanges with Elder Kristensen AGAIN! hes an awesome guy and its been awesome to have him in my zone, but hes done with his mission! gets to go home at transfers in 2 weeks... CRAZY!! so does my zone leader, elder gallagher. i don't think i told you guys about my zone leader yet, but he s awesome. hes bee nothing but a help to me since i got here, especially when i had to deal with all the crazy stuff my trainer did (bytheway, i found out my trainer is going home early) but yeah, elder gallagher is sweet!!this week he told me he is going to write the president and tell him he thinks i am ready to be a district leader and trainer. i thought that was awesome that he thinks so much of me.. but i ain't ready for that yet!! hahawe had an awesome family home evening with hernan and lina and some members this week about temples and marriage and families. it was amazing. i shared the experience of being sealed to jeni when i was just 5, and how wonderful it is to have a knowledge of a never ending family and a never ending love. that lesson may have strengthened my testimony more than anyone else's.... it really wouldn't make sense for us to grow and learn and gain love knowledge and talents in this life and then for it too all end. this is forever you guys. that is absolutely amazing to know feel and have. there is no end. just stay close to God. do what you're supposed to. keep your covenants and keep the commandments. that's all we gotts do :) and it gets easier the more we do it.i love you all. i love hearing from you too! i got like 10 letters this week! thank you to everyone who wrote me :)my scripture this week is the hymn, If You Could Hie To Kolob(because hymns are scriptures) :)Elder Bigelow
11/10/2014
this is getting ridiculous! haha the weeks are like days out here!!this week went soooo great!!! until yesterday.....well, i don't remember what day it was cause i was all the same, but we committed Hernan and Lina to be baptized!!! 13th of December!! that's in the next transfer, but I'm pretty sure i will be here until January. we also committed a lady named diana to be baptized on the 29th and shes pretty much ready. she was so happy to receive us and loved the lessons, she always talks about how much she wants to change her life, and she know that this is what shes been looking for. we also had some awesome lessons for preparing Maribel for her baptism. she told me she knows the book of mormon is true, and she loves when we help her understand what it all means and read with her. i just felt so much like miracles were starting to happen.....then we got to church...... and not a single one of our investigators came. it was so frustrating. they all are progressing so well. and then this...so we and visited them after church. maribels boss made her work that morning... so we had to postpone her baptism a week. kinda stinks, but we just got more time to prepare her i guess. we aren't sure what happened to dianna..... but hernan got super sick i guess... so we went to there house with the other 2 missionaries and had a little party for elder bishops birthday.. so in the end all was okay i guess.... i just kinda was feeling bummed about maribel..but as we were walking home last night, this really old friendly man who reminds me of joe lentz came up behind us and starting quoting scriptures about sharing the gospel with all the world. so we stopped and talked with him for a while and set up an appointment with him for this week... i love when things like that happen. there are people out there who are prepared to hear the gospel guys. but like dad said in his email, we gotta do our part to find em and have those experiences.loving the mission guys. Spanish is coming along really well. my comp and i get along really well too so that's awesome. I've kinda lost track of time.. not sure how many weeks this is... but who cares :) haha... AUTUMN! i cant believe you have been in the coast for a whole transfer! jaja espero que todo este bien. y creo que tu eres la mejor. mantengas tu sonrisa :) no hay un razòn por a ser triste en la misiòn. te extraño mucho. oro para ti cada dia. sea feliz. te amo mi hermanita :)i miss an love you all like crazy. don't change too much peoples. haha i know it'll happen but still.just stay close to God. he always wants to hear from you, and help you. its the most amazing thing just to even have a knowledge that He is there :)ELDER BIGELOWps. mom, i did meet elder toronto a few weeks ago, i just kept forgetting to tell you haha
Thursday, November 6, 2014
11/3/14
Buenas noches mis amigos! este semana fue maravillosa!
alright! so this week was really fun! i did exchanges twice! the first time was with Elder Gordiano from Utah. and there was a tropical storm that day for hours so there wasn't really time to do anything... it rained and hailed and the wind sucked and the lightning was everywhere.... but we had fun and tried contacting when things calmed down.
but then, Friday, i did exchanges with one of the zone leaders ]Elder Roberts from Missouri. Elder Roberts is an awesome missionary. i learned a ton from him. he really tries his hardest to do ONLY what the spirit tells him to do. we kept all things we did in accordance with all the rules and promptings of the spirit. we planed to set a baptismal date for hernan and lina... but we both felt during the lesson that that was not the time.. we didn't even have to say anything to each other... we just knew.. and our lesson with them was amazing. me and cordova are going to set their date this week i hope. they came to church again just like they always do, even tho lina was sick.. so we gave her a blessing :) i love them. they are such good people. they wanna know the truth. honestly i think hernen was looking for some kind of vision or miracle to know that the church is true. so i explained to him something i had never really even thought of for myself before.. the words just flowed out of my mouth.. i said, " hernan, joseph smith had the first vision to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ. if that gospel wasn't on the earth right now, and you really wanted to find it, that's when you would see God too. i know the gospel is true through feeling given o me by my Heavenly Father. it was like ´here elder bigelow, the gospel has been restored´ . and with my faith, i didn't need more. i know this gospel is true. i know this book is the word of God. i know joseph was His prophet. and i know that only though prayer can you know the same." that got to him, and me too. i LOVE spiritual experiences. always live in a way where the spirit never leaves you. okay?
today was great too! we went to a forest up in the mountains that looked like Alaska but it was crazy hot haha. we all played capture the flag and did some hiking. so i am pretty tired..
i am glad you are all doing so well and i am jealous of the cold weather. cannot believe its already November.. and that i left in july. i am super happy t be here. i love what i am learning. i love these people. i love Spanish. i love my scriptures. i love the gospel. i love my savior. and i love his plan. ALWAYS SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW. its the truest thing on this earth.... and besides, the faster we share the sooner Jesus will come back :)
2Nefi 1:13... guys, time to wake up from that dream and hasten the work. EVERY MEMBER IS A MISSIONARY.
con todo mi amor
Elder Bigelow
Buenas noches mis amigos! este semana fue maravillosa!
alright! so this week was really fun! i did exchanges twice! the first time was with Elder Gordiano from Utah. and there was a tropical storm that day for hours so there wasn't really time to do anything... it rained and hailed and the wind sucked and the lightning was everywhere.... but we had fun and tried contacting when things calmed down.
but then, Friday, i did exchanges with one of the zone leaders ]Elder Roberts from Missouri. Elder Roberts is an awesome missionary. i learned a ton from him. he really tries his hardest to do ONLY what the spirit tells him to do. we kept all things we did in accordance with all the rules and promptings of the spirit. we planed to set a baptismal date for hernan and lina... but we both felt during the lesson that that was not the time.. we didn't even have to say anything to each other... we just knew.. and our lesson with them was amazing. me and cordova are going to set their date this week i hope. they came to church again just like they always do, even tho lina was sick.. so we gave her a blessing :) i love them. they are such good people. they wanna know the truth. honestly i think hernen was looking for some kind of vision or miracle to know that the church is true. so i explained to him something i had never really even thought of for myself before.. the words just flowed out of my mouth.. i said, " hernan, joseph smith had the first vision to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ. if that gospel wasn't on the earth right now, and you really wanted to find it, that's when you would see God too. i know the gospel is true through feeling given o me by my Heavenly Father. it was like ´here elder bigelow, the gospel has been restored´ . and with my faith, i didn't need more. i know this gospel is true. i know this book is the word of God. i know joseph was His prophet. and i know that only though prayer can you know the same." that got to him, and me too. i LOVE spiritual experiences. always live in a way where the spirit never leaves you. okay?
today was great too! we went to a forest up in the mountains that looked like Alaska but it was crazy hot haha. we all played capture the flag and did some hiking. so i am pretty tired..
i am glad you are all doing so well and i am jealous of the cold weather. cannot believe its already November.. and that i left in july. i am super happy t be here. i love what i am learning. i love these people. i love Spanish. i love my scriptures. i love the gospel. i love my savior. and i love his plan. ALWAYS SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW. its the truest thing on this earth.... and besides, the faster we share the sooner Jesus will come back :)
2Nefi 1:13... guys, time to wake up from that dream and hasten the work. EVERY MEMBER IS A MISSIONARY.
con todo mi amor
Elder Bigelow
Monday, October 27, 2014
10/27/2014
MY PEOPLE!!!
Hello :) i miss you. hows the life? missing some things but loving this life.
so i got my new comp, Elder córdova. from Ecuador. he is really short.. he is a good hard worker. I'm happy about that. things are already going so much faster than my last transfer. remember how we had a couple baptismal dates but nothing ever happened.. that sucked... buuuuut, we have one of them back on date and things are going good with her. November 15!!!! mark it!!! haha so excited. its for real this time!!!
things are good in the area too. we found a new investigator yesterday. she just moved here to Medellin and was looking for a church to attend :) so that's pretty cool.
also! coolest news yet! elder Holland talked yesterday at stake conference! and herenan and lina went!!!! that was super cool and super powerful! hernan and lina are understanding a lot.. but hernan just doesn't want to be married.. i don't get why not.. they've been living together for 10 years and have a 7 year old girl.
i got the packages guys! thanks mom dad and kade and granny and whoever else tossed something in there :) that made me super happy. no letters came yet tho. but i am so happy that you guys got my letters from the ccm! haha that took so dang long!!
i love you guys! and i love to be a missionary. its a pretty cool way to live. i get to wake up, every morning, 6:30 am, and do some push ups, make some eggs and study for three hours, its the best. i get to sleep in a bed by myself for 2 whole years, its fantastic!! haha
guys, I'm not worried about a single one of you ad your faith. i know you and how strong you are. it gives me strength in my testimony. and then i getta share that with other... you guys are part of my mission!! ain't that cool? i think so.
keep being happy. keep writing me. keep sending pictures. keep reading your scriptures. always pray. always ask questions. and always seek more knowledge. never ever doubt. there's no reason too. its all true. it always will be. Gods gotta plan, so hold to the rod. we will all get there, i know it. i love you all so much. and miss ya like crazy.
Elder Bigelow
MY PEOPLE!!!
Hello :) i miss you. hows the life? missing some things but loving this life.
so i got my new comp, Elder córdova. from Ecuador. he is really short.. he is a good hard worker. I'm happy about that. things are already going so much faster than my last transfer. remember how we had a couple baptismal dates but nothing ever happened.. that sucked... buuuuut, we have one of them back on date and things are going good with her. November 15!!!! mark it!!! haha so excited. its for real this time!!!
things are good in the area too. we found a new investigator yesterday. she just moved here to Medellin and was looking for a church to attend :) so that's pretty cool.
also! coolest news yet! elder Holland talked yesterday at stake conference! and herenan and lina went!!!! that was super cool and super powerful! hernan and lina are understanding a lot.. but hernan just doesn't want to be married.. i don't get why not.. they've been living together for 10 years and have a 7 year old girl.
i got the packages guys! thanks mom dad and kade and granny and whoever else tossed something in there :) that made me super happy. no letters came yet tho. but i am so happy that you guys got my letters from the ccm! haha that took so dang long!!
i love you guys! and i love to be a missionary. its a pretty cool way to live. i get to wake up, every morning, 6:30 am, and do some push ups, make some eggs and study for three hours, its the best. i get to sleep in a bed by myself for 2 whole years, its fantastic!! haha
guys, I'm not worried about a single one of you ad your faith. i know you and how strong you are. it gives me strength in my testimony. and then i getta share that with other... you guys are part of my mission!! ain't that cool? i think so.
keep being happy. keep writing me. keep sending pictures. keep reading your scriptures. always pray. always ask questions. and always seek more knowledge. never ever doubt. there's no reason too. its all true. it always will be. Gods gotta plan, so hold to the rod. we will all get there, i know it. i love you all so much. and miss ya like crazy.
Elder Bigelow
10/20/1014
alright guys good news! this week was awesome!!! it was the final week for Elder sanchez and for whatever reason he wanted to spend most of it with me. we worked super hard but had so much dang fun doing it. we went to the futbol stadium last Monday and during this week gave out tons of books of Mormon, we threw a ward dance/going away party on Friday, taught some awesome lessons with Hernan and Lina. they started to have doubts, but i feel like now they are starting to get it. :) Saturday night we played futbol on the rooftops and could see the entire city. and then yesterday we got taken to subway and ice cream by a member in our ward who reminds me exactly of Heath Flake haha. and then we went to a family home evening and a couple girls that sanchez baptized were there and the spirit was super strong. sanchez is a great missionary and i am super happy i had the opportunity to know him these past 6 weeks. and it was good to get a little break from my comp :) my comps a good guy tho.. just lazy...
BUT THAT'S OKAY! because! we got the call last night. i am staying here in Altamira, but my comp is going to the coast and will be comps with elder smith. i get a new comp! WHOO his names Elder Cordova and he is from Chili. hes been in the mission the same amount of time as alvarado, so that means i might kill him! sweet... that could go bad tho if he gets trunkie.. but ill pray for him :)
also, got a quick cool story, me and sanchez went to a members house who makes shoes cause sanchez anted some new ones for when he gets home, and i turned out that this member had just gotten back from fishing in the amazon so he gave us a PIRANHA!! haha i cooked it this morning for breakfast! ill send the pictures.
guys, remember in all that you do that EVERYONE has to have the opportunity to hear the gospel. DO NOT HAVE FEAR. remember that charity casteth out ALL fear, and if you truly love your neighbors, sharing the gospel will be easy and natural. it just makes sense. its Gods work, and His plan to. JUST OPEN YOUR MOUTH. there is ABSOLUTELY no reason not to. don't have fear guys. just love. i know you can do it.
Hermana Bigelow, tu tienes que mostrar me tus fotos de la costa!! jaja yo quiero ver les. como está tu compañera? y la comida in la costa? es extraño? aquí la comida es muy rico y me gustan mucho. OH! tambien, esta miercoles es HUMPDAY!! jajaja.... gracias por tu ejemplo Autumn. yo ore por mi compañero y todos bien ahora :) te quiero!
chao familia! i love you guys more than anything. always know that i am so happy to be here. don't worry about me too much! i pray for each one of you every day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK MAKENLI!! i miss you like crazy. keep being a good girl. cant wait to see you in 20 1/2 months or so :)
your missionary who lives far away speaking a language you cant understand,
Elder Bigelow
alright guys good news! this week was awesome!!! it was the final week for Elder sanchez and for whatever reason he wanted to spend most of it with me. we worked super hard but had so much dang fun doing it. we went to the futbol stadium last Monday and during this week gave out tons of books of Mormon, we threw a ward dance/going away party on Friday, taught some awesome lessons with Hernan and Lina. they started to have doubts, but i feel like now they are starting to get it. :) Saturday night we played futbol on the rooftops and could see the entire city. and then yesterday we got taken to subway and ice cream by a member in our ward who reminds me exactly of Heath Flake haha. and then we went to a family home evening and a couple girls that sanchez baptized were there and the spirit was super strong. sanchez is a great missionary and i am super happy i had the opportunity to know him these past 6 weeks. and it was good to get a little break from my comp :) my comps a good guy tho.. just lazy...
BUT THAT'S OKAY! because! we got the call last night. i am staying here in Altamira, but my comp is going to the coast and will be comps with elder smith. i get a new comp! WHOO his names Elder Cordova and he is from Chili. hes been in the mission the same amount of time as alvarado, so that means i might kill him! sweet... that could go bad tho if he gets trunkie.. but ill pray for him :)
also, got a quick cool story, me and sanchez went to a members house who makes shoes cause sanchez anted some new ones for when he gets home, and i turned out that this member had just gotten back from fishing in the amazon so he gave us a PIRANHA!! haha i cooked it this morning for breakfast! ill send the pictures.
guys, remember in all that you do that EVERYONE has to have the opportunity to hear the gospel. DO NOT HAVE FEAR. remember that charity casteth out ALL fear, and if you truly love your neighbors, sharing the gospel will be easy and natural. it just makes sense. its Gods work, and His plan to. JUST OPEN YOUR MOUTH. there is ABSOLUTELY no reason not to. don't have fear guys. just love. i know you can do it.
Hermana Bigelow, tu tienes que mostrar me tus fotos de la costa!! jaja yo quiero ver les. como está tu compañera? y la comida in la costa? es extraño? aquí la comida es muy rico y me gustan mucho. OH! tambien, esta miercoles es HUMPDAY!! jajaja.... gracias por tu ejemplo Autumn. yo ore por mi compañero y todos bien ahora :) te quiero!
chao familia! i love you guys more than anything. always know that i am so happy to be here. don't worry about me too much! i pray for each one of you every day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK MAKENLI!! i miss you like crazy. keep being a good girl. cant wait to see you in 20 1/2 months or so :)
your missionary who lives far away speaking a language you cant understand,
Elder Bigelow
10/13/2014
I'm guessing its too early for y'all back home cause no of ya wanna talk to me!!! haha just kidding!!
this week went by so dang fast that i don't even really remember what happened... we taught some good lessons though.. and at one point we hiked up the mountain to find the statue of Jesus... it was pretty cool because it was all foggy and rainy but i still don't think it was near as cool as the one our church has in temple square.
we´ve been working really hard with a couple in our area named Hernan and Lina... they aren't married but they are getting so close! they've gone to church every week since we started teaching them, including conference. i cant wait to challenge them for baptism! my comp says he is certain he will be transferred so he doesn't need to work so hard with them... its kinda sad that he is loosing steam.. but i seriously wanna go all Elder Calhoun up in here and hand out 68 book of Mormons in a week and challenge everybody for baptism. seriously, "I'm read ta go!" haha
i really hope my next comp just wants to kill it too! that would be super exciting! Spanish just gets easier every day too! admittedly i don't understand every word that the people are saying yet.. but i can figure it out from what i do know. also, yesterday i gave a talk in sacrament about the mission of the members in the church. it was basically about helping the missionaries and also giving service to not only investigators, but fellow members as well. perfecting the saints. everybody afterwards told me how surprised they were by my Spanish and that they understood every word!
¡tenàs! that made me happy!
also the bishop of this ward is so awesome. he reminds me a lot of bishop player. I'm happy to have him as my first bishop in the field.
1st Corinthians 12:12-13. The Lord has need of every member in his church. so find what is your part. AND DO IT!
i love all of you guys! and i am so excited that the house is finished! it looks so awesome. cant wait to see it in person!
Elder Bigelow!
I'm guessing its too early for y'all back home cause no of ya wanna talk to me!!! haha just kidding!!
this week went by so dang fast that i don't even really remember what happened... we taught some good lessons though.. and at one point we hiked up the mountain to find the statue of Jesus... it was pretty cool because it was all foggy and rainy but i still don't think it was near as cool as the one our church has in temple square.
we´ve been working really hard with a couple in our area named Hernan and Lina... they aren't married but they are getting so close! they've gone to church every week since we started teaching them, including conference. i cant wait to challenge them for baptism! my comp says he is certain he will be transferred so he doesn't need to work so hard with them... its kinda sad that he is loosing steam.. but i seriously wanna go all Elder Calhoun up in here and hand out 68 book of Mormons in a week and challenge everybody for baptism. seriously, "I'm read ta go!" haha
i really hope my next comp just wants to kill it too! that would be super exciting! Spanish just gets easier every day too! admittedly i don't understand every word that the people are saying yet.. but i can figure it out from what i do know. also, yesterday i gave a talk in sacrament about the mission of the members in the church. it was basically about helping the missionaries and also giving service to not only investigators, but fellow members as well. perfecting the saints. everybody afterwards told me how surprised they were by my Spanish and that they understood every word!
¡tenàs! that made me happy!
also the bishop of this ward is so awesome. he reminds me a lot of bishop player. I'm happy to have him as my first bishop in the field.
1st Corinthians 12:12-13. The Lord has need of every member in his church. so find what is your part. AND DO IT!
i love all of you guys! and i am so excited that the house is finished! it looks so awesome. cant wait to see it in person!
Elder Bigelow!
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
10/6/2014
HELLO MY WONDERFUL PEOPLE :)
man i miss you! but i am loving this place more and more :)
this week was pretty tough for me on a couple occasions, but it was also one of the best!!! i got to go on exchanges twice! once in my area with elder sanchez from el salvador and once with elder kristensen in his area again! it was awesome! most of the time during those days we just went to investigators and inactives houses and gave out invites for conference. but when i was with elder kristensen he also taught me a lot as we went, he has 22 months in the mission so he goes home this December, but he is super smart and I'm glad he shared his methods with me.
and the conference!!! holy goodness that was wonderful!! i was able to watch in English, but i chose to watch the native Spanish speakers in Spanish and that was awesome!!!!! i LOVED how they spoke in different languages in conf. that was sweet!!!! but did you all here what pres packer said???? i don't have my notes, but basically he said, "our church is growing and will continue to grow, but it don't matter how big we are, or how many members we have or how many languages we speak, all is measure by spiritual strength." that was sooo cool to me!!! cause honestly, will it matter to have baptized 3000 people if none of them really understand or feel that its true? NO. as members and missionaries, we have the sacred responsibility of not only sharing what we know, but demonstrating what we know. that is the best way to teach. we HAVE to become like Jesus Christ. its a commandment. and most people say, "oh yeah its a commandment, but no one can really do it, basically it means try your best" you know what i would have to say about that? id say "excuse me but only Joseph smith translates scriptures, and it actually means what it says" GUYS! God has given us the capability to become EXACTLY as our brother Jesus. its called agency and the atonement. God does not give commandments to the children of men save he shall prepare a way. ITS TRUE. we can become perfect even as he is. you just gotta pray for strength and pray to obtain all the attributes of Christ. God and the Christ are one, God is in His Son. and i know that His Son can be within us, and we can share His love, with ALL the world. its a wonderful responsibility.
AND YESTERDAY!!! holy cow!!! sooo cool!!! guess what hno arroz!!! WE WENT TO GUATAPE! soooooooo sweeet! for those of you who don't know, remember that picture of the huge rock with the stairs in it that i posted on my facebook a few months back? THAT'S WHERE WE WENT!!! ill send the pictures.. but that place was AMAZING!
AUTUMN! te amo! yo oro cada dia, y yo se que es importante a incluir nuestro padre celestial en cada momento durante la dia. tengo mucho animo para tu y tu compañero porque sus area esta en la costa! quierro ir a la costa aqui en colombia! le extraño muchisimo! pero yo se estamos haciendo la obra de Dios, y esta maravillosa :)
I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS!!! remember kade (and everyone) to read in pme the chapter about the attributes of Christ. right now I'm working on knowledge and faith. read 1 nephi 11:17. and remember that a desire to have knowledge is wonderful, but it isn't necessary in order to have faith and trust in God.
Elder Bigelow
ps 1Nephi 11:8...... HOW IN THE WORLD DID NEPHI KNOW WHAT SNOW WAS?!?!?!
HELLO MY WONDERFUL PEOPLE :)
man i miss you! but i am loving this place more and more :)
this week was pretty tough for me on a couple occasions, but it was also one of the best!!! i got to go on exchanges twice! once in my area with elder sanchez from el salvador and once with elder kristensen in his area again! it was awesome! most of the time during those days we just went to investigators and inactives houses and gave out invites for conference. but when i was with elder kristensen he also taught me a lot as we went, he has 22 months in the mission so he goes home this December, but he is super smart and I'm glad he shared his methods with me.
and the conference!!! holy goodness that was wonderful!! i was able to watch in English, but i chose to watch the native Spanish speakers in Spanish and that was awesome!!!!! i LOVED how they spoke in different languages in conf. that was sweet!!!! but did you all here what pres packer said???? i don't have my notes, but basically he said, "our church is growing and will continue to grow, but it don't matter how big we are, or how many members we have or how many languages we speak, all is measure by spiritual strength." that was sooo cool to me!!! cause honestly, will it matter to have baptized 3000 people if none of them really understand or feel that its true? NO. as members and missionaries, we have the sacred responsibility of not only sharing what we know, but demonstrating what we know. that is the best way to teach. we HAVE to become like Jesus Christ. its a commandment. and most people say, "oh yeah its a commandment, but no one can really do it, basically it means try your best" you know what i would have to say about that? id say "excuse me but only Joseph smith translates scriptures, and it actually means what it says" GUYS! God has given us the capability to become EXACTLY as our brother Jesus. its called agency and the atonement. God does not give commandments to the children of men save he shall prepare a way. ITS TRUE. we can become perfect even as he is. you just gotta pray for strength and pray to obtain all the attributes of Christ. God and the Christ are one, God is in His Son. and i know that His Son can be within us, and we can share His love, with ALL the world. its a wonderful responsibility.
AND YESTERDAY!!! holy cow!!! sooo cool!!! guess what hno arroz!!! WE WENT TO GUATAPE! soooooooo sweeet! for those of you who don't know, remember that picture of the huge rock with the stairs in it that i posted on my facebook a few months back? THAT'S WHERE WE WENT!!! ill send the pictures.. but that place was AMAZING!
AUTUMN! te amo! yo oro cada dia, y yo se que es importante a incluir nuestro padre celestial en cada momento durante la dia. tengo mucho animo para tu y tu compañero porque sus area esta en la costa! quierro ir a la costa aqui en colombia! le extraño muchisimo! pero yo se estamos haciendo la obra de Dios, y esta maravillosa :)
I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS!!! remember kade (and everyone) to read in pme the chapter about the attributes of Christ. right now I'm working on knowledge and faith. read 1 nephi 11:17. and remember that a desire to have knowledge is wonderful, but it isn't necessary in order to have faith and trust in God.
Elder Bigelow
ps 1Nephi 11:8...... HOW IN THE WORLD DID NEPHI KNOW WHAT SNOW WAS?!?!?!
Monday, October 6, 2014
9/29/2014
Alright guys, here it is. sit down. and before i begin just keep in mind that i am alright, and safe. i was advised by a couple missionaries not to share this with you until i return home in 21ish months. but there's no point. don't let it worry you too much. it is now part of my testimony. so smile Mom :)
about 4 hours after i emailed you last Tuesday i was with Elder Condori and my comp was with elder sanchez. we all had a district meeting at a chapel that is about 30 mins away which is super expensive in a taxi. so me and condori decided to walk down to the _Metro instead (the metro is kind of like a subway). well, we were making our way down to the main road between all the buildings and houses. and as we turned out of an ally into another these three girls ran out of a door screaming. and there was shouting from a man inside and a shot was fired out the door. i heard it go past me. my heart was in my stomach and my thoughts were everywhere. the ladies started screaming at US. "run. run. mormons, return to you house. go"..... my legs went completely numb but i could tell i was running. i never saw his face, but as we ran back up the narrow ally 10 more shots were fired. and not a single one hit us.
i have a testimony of Gods hand in my life. i know that only through divine intervention were we not hit once. i know God has a plan for me on this earth way beyond my mission here in Colombia. i am so grateful for the opportunity i have to be here. and to study an to grow and to seek out the gifts of the spirit.
one hing i discovered this week is that Charity, the pure love of Christ, is a gift from God. and just like all other gifts of the spirit cannot be obtained without earnestly praying for it. so do it. god wants us to feel this never ending love, and then share it with others. it is amazing to think that through my obedience, i can be guided by the spirit to find the people god has prepared for ME to teach and bring them to Him. i can be their link to the savior who can bring them their salvation. this work is beautiful.
well, we committed 2 of our investigators to be baptized on the 18th of October :) Maribel and Angela. and the coolest part is, they are girls that WE found since i have been here. i have been able to see the spirit work in them so quickly in the last 3 weeks. i am so happy.
the members here are wonderful and LOVE to help me with my spanish. its funny when they try to speak english. they all have the weirdest accent when they do it. but their accent when they speak spanish is WONDERFUL. it seriously is like they are singing. i wanna sound just like them. im lovin the Paisa People :)
well, today we got a lotta cleaning done and after we email we are gonna go ride bikes down the mountain!!! woooo! :)
i love you all, stay close to you savior. and study about and pray for those gifts he can give you. and LOVE everybody. theres no reason not to. somos hijos de dios, por tanto, somos hermanos :)
JOHN 15:13
I love you all. sooo much.
Elder Bigelow
Alright guys, here it is. sit down. and before i begin just keep in mind that i am alright, and safe. i was advised by a couple missionaries not to share this with you until i return home in 21ish months. but there's no point. don't let it worry you too much. it is now part of my testimony. so smile Mom :)
about 4 hours after i emailed you last Tuesday i was with Elder Condori and my comp was with elder sanchez. we all had a district meeting at a chapel that is about 30 mins away which is super expensive in a taxi. so me and condori decided to walk down to the _Metro instead (the metro is kind of like a subway). well, we were making our way down to the main road between all the buildings and houses. and as we turned out of an ally into another these three girls ran out of a door screaming. and there was shouting from a man inside and a shot was fired out the door. i heard it go past me. my heart was in my stomach and my thoughts were everywhere. the ladies started screaming at US. "run. run. mormons, return to you house. go"..... my legs went completely numb but i could tell i was running. i never saw his face, but as we ran back up the narrow ally 10 more shots were fired. and not a single one hit us.
i have a testimony of Gods hand in my life. i know that only through divine intervention were we not hit once. i know God has a plan for me on this earth way beyond my mission here in Colombia. i am so grateful for the opportunity i have to be here. and to study an to grow and to seek out the gifts of the spirit.
one hing i discovered this week is that Charity, the pure love of Christ, is a gift from God. and just like all other gifts of the spirit cannot be obtained without earnestly praying for it. so do it. god wants us to feel this never ending love, and then share it with others. it is amazing to think that through my obedience, i can be guided by the spirit to find the people god has prepared for ME to teach and bring them to Him. i can be their link to the savior who can bring them their salvation. this work is beautiful.
well, we committed 2 of our investigators to be baptized on the 18th of October :) Maribel and Angela. and the coolest part is, they are girls that WE found since i have been here. i have been able to see the spirit work in them so quickly in the last 3 weeks. i am so happy.
the members here are wonderful and LOVE to help me with my spanish. its funny when they try to speak english. they all have the weirdest accent when they do it. but their accent when they speak spanish is WONDERFUL. it seriously is like they are singing. i wanna sound just like them. im lovin the Paisa People :)
well, today we got a lotta cleaning done and after we email we are gonna go ride bikes down the mountain!!! woooo! :)
i love you all, stay close to you savior. and study about and pray for those gifts he can give you. and LOVE everybody. theres no reason not to. somos hijos de dios, por tanto, somos hermanos :)
JOHN 15:13
I love you all. sooo much.
Elder Bigelow
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
9/22/2014
WEEEEELLL....so this week went by super fast. we got a bunch of new investigators. one of them i swear is the Latino version of Scott he looks and talk just like him but in Spanish... its crazy ha we also started teaching this girl named Angela and she loves absolutely every word we say haha its exciting to teach her... also, i wish you all could have seen her face when we gave her a book of Mormon. make sure you all read it, mark it, and apply it!
also! i got sick this week!! whoooo! only for a day tho... and i guess it wasn't really sickness... the freaking lady just gave us 3 plates of food each... it was worse than thanksgiving..... so i threw up after cause my stomach couldn't hold that much... anyways...
its crazy that i left 8 weeks ago, and that today is autumns 8 months! AUTUMN! YOU OPENED YOUR CALL A YEAR AGO!! whaaaaaaaaaaaaa? haha it doesnt seem like I've been here that long, but then again, I've learned so much its as if I've been here for 8 months too... my comps English is progressing just as fast as my Spanish. we are teaching each other a lot. he wants me to start teaching him guitar too.... we will see how that goes......
so this week i went on exchanges with Elder Kristensen and he told me a lot about how to better my Spanish... I've started using his methods and its working. really well. it got me thinking a lot about language.... and how its such a boundary in the world today.. i know there are translators.... but, there are billions of people in the world who cant communicate.. some in the same country! so, why should i stop after learning Spanish? i don't think the Lord wants me too :)
well i love you all. and want you all to memorize a scripture about love and continually think about how we are all Gods children :)
Keep Alaska wonderful for me! and send me pictures :)
Elder Bigelow
WEEEEELLL....so this week went by super fast. we got a bunch of new investigators. one of them i swear is the Latino version of Scott he looks and talk just like him but in Spanish... its crazy ha we also started teaching this girl named Angela and she loves absolutely every word we say haha its exciting to teach her... also, i wish you all could have seen her face when we gave her a book of Mormon. make sure you all read it, mark it, and apply it!
also! i got sick this week!! whoooo! only for a day tho... and i guess it wasn't really sickness... the freaking lady just gave us 3 plates of food each... it was worse than thanksgiving..... so i threw up after cause my stomach couldn't hold that much... anyways...
its crazy that i left 8 weeks ago, and that today is autumns 8 months! AUTUMN! YOU OPENED YOUR CALL A YEAR AGO!! whaaaaaaaaaaaaa? haha it doesnt seem like I've been here that long, but then again, I've learned so much its as if I've been here for 8 months too... my comps English is progressing just as fast as my Spanish. we are teaching each other a lot. he wants me to start teaching him guitar too.... we will see how that goes......
so this week i went on exchanges with Elder Kristensen and he told me a lot about how to better my Spanish... I've started using his methods and its working. really well. it got me thinking a lot about language.... and how its such a boundary in the world today.. i know there are translators.... but, there are billions of people in the world who cant communicate.. some in the same country! so, why should i stop after learning Spanish? i don't think the Lord wants me too :)
well i love you all. and want you all to memorize a scripture about love and continually think about how we are all Gods children :)
Keep Alaska wonderful for me! and send me pictures :)
Elder Bigelow
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
 |
| Elder Bigelow in Altameda Medellin Colombia.... his first area!!!! |
 |
| Apartment view??? Looks a little questionable :) |
 |
| Yes he found a guitar.... did you ever doubt he would!!! |
 |
| LOVE IT!!! |
 |
| Beautiful night view!!! |
 |
| Hunter's first companion Elder Alvarado from Honduras!! |
 |
| I think I need a giant Pepsi!!! |
 |
| His desk!! |
 |
| Autumn is with him always :) |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)