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