March 22, 2010
Hola
Well I guess I will start by letting you know I had a baptism on Saturday cause I don’t think I told you. It was Diego the smoker we finally got him to stop and he was prepared for baptism and we got him in the water. We thought it would be more special for one of his friends in the ward to baptize him rather then us so we had that so neither of us got in the water with him. But that is not important. It was a really good one it was spiritual, but a little funny to. It took the guy five tries to get him completely under the water. But it happened and he was confirmed yesterday in church. It was really good. And this coming Saturday we have another baptism this lady Anna. She was thought to be a member for the last thirteen years but does not have registration so she had to be re taught and baptized and all again. Which is cool like a second chance. And she was happy about it. Its kinda funny cause the first time I met her about 12 weeks ago before we knew this. She had a hard time praying and had not prayed in years. But we talked and bore testimony and helped her and I thought to myself she will be baptized but I had no idea she was a member at this point. And I told my comp that I had a spiritual feeling that she will be baptized soon. And he laughed and said she was a member already. Then i forgot about it and just went on my way treating her like an inactive like she was. But she prayed and is active now... and what do ya know she has to be baptized again. Crazy!!! But the spirit works in mysterious ways.
Also this week I went to talk to these two ladies at a bus stop and they told me they don’t understand... I felt so dumb. So I explained I had only been here for four months and my Spanish is bad. With a blank look on their faces they said no we don’t understand you... we are from Brazil and speak Portuguese and don’t understand Spanish. Somehow I had a little convo with them told them to talk to the missionaries and gave them a pamphlet with the church email on it. But that was crazy. I guess Portuguese and Spanish are not as close as I thought.
Still am yet to get any pictures of my new nephew but whatever I did see him in the background of pictures of Noah’s birthday but that’s it. So I dunno..... and I know I speak very incorrect but its still better then most everyone else with my same time.... and the people understand me so that’s good. But thank you for offering your help dad and I am looking forward to it. Its funny I came to the mtc and had to learn Spanish, then here castellano, then I got here and had to learn argentine.... its funny it really is like there own language. So many words are different and mean different things. For example everywhere in the world pineapple is piña, here piña means punch in the face... ha-ha and so many more like Como le va... how are you. ha-ha I dunno its funny they are an awesome people. i love them. But that’s about all I got for now. I love you and am so grateful to have such an amazing family that has so much love and support. I wish I would have taken more advantage of the time I had with you all. I love you and miss you. Happy six months tomorrow. Still a long ways to go
Con Amor
Elder Bigelow
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
hola familia y amigos
March 15, 2010
Fa noah feliz cumple año dos años que es bonisimo
Yo querro la torta esta noche con ustedes. la torta esta aqui es un poco feo, pero algun tortas es bueno. todos es hace con fruta o cosas como eso. extraño la torta alla en la casa con la familia. recuerda el año pasado con noah y su cumple...fa fue muy bueno y torta en mi cada. que bueno esta noche ustedes tienen. ahora tengo mas amor y abilidad a intender la familia y la importancia que es. aqui mucho familias tiene mucho problemas y no intiende la importancia de el evangelio y los bendiciones dios tiene por todos de nosotros. que suerte tenemos la estada vivimos en y evangelio tenemos y mas importante la familia yo tengo y el amor tenemos juntos. graciac por todos familia.
Well this week was a pretty good one. we put another fecha with a lady and her baptism is this saturday so we have two baptisms on saturday so that is good. and our zone has been having a little competition this transfer for open the mouths and first lessons taught and me and my comp are and have been tied for first place with the other two elders now living in our pensh, one of which is an ex zone leader and was the zone leader for 9 months and is one of the next assistances. but this saturday we are competing against each other and who wins should be the ones who wins it all. its been fun and we have been tearing it up. we had 14 first lessons taught and 5 news (two complete lessons taught) and 10 lessons taught with members present. we have been doing way well and working like mad. i only have two weeks left in this transfer and i cant believe it i have no idea where the time has gone this transfer i have been having so much fun. these past couple weeks i have felt such a sincere love for the people and there families that when we have had to leave there houses i have felt sad and not wanted to leave. its weird i will be sitting in the house talking to the family or listening trying to understand and i honestly feel like i am at home with them and they make me feel so welcome and are so loving to me. i feel like i am with my family. i love it so much and i love them so much. it will be a sad and difficult day when i have to leave them but i hope and dont think it will be for a while. this truelly has been a gift and i am so grateful for it.
this week one of the families we teach that is not progressing much and we only go by every once in a while when an appointment falls through or something cause they are like 75 plus years old and are always home. but the time before this last time we talked to the wife for a while and she told us that her husband is having a problem with the law of chasity and was just blown away by the things that i was told and stuff and she was in tears. so the next time we planned a lesson for him and stuff on the law. so when we started teaching it he said, alright yeah i like this and i like that and i do this and that but its normal...she doesnt understand she is a woman. you two are guys you get it, right? its normal? i could not believe it. satan has such a hold on people in this world that horrible things like that he makes them seem and people to thinks its normal because so many people do it. its horrible, i have fallen into that catagory i think all of us have where we have acted one way and thought that it was normal and were decieved by the devil.
in my studies this week i decided to study a little on a few things that i have been impressed about and have been on my mind. and the fact of the matter is that it all came down to faith. thats all everything is in this life is faith. we all have those struggles and hardships but we should be praying for more faith each and everyday. with more faith we have more hope and more understanding of things and with that we have more joy and happiness and with that we help others with it. even with a simple smile things in someones day are completely changed. i pray and hope to have the faith like moses to take his people and journey for 40 years or like abraham to have faith to sacrafice his son knowing that the lord had a way and a reason for him, or like adam who made sacrafices not knowing why simply cause he was told to. nephi is and all the prophets in the book of mormon are examples to me of faith to go and do what the father commanded or to take armies with less numbers against unlikely odds or to lay down weapons of war to make convenants with the lord. i pray to have faith and i know that the rest will follow. and it has....
In april we have conference i am so excited i cant even wait. It will be a good one i think i can feel it. and also in april we as a mission are having a challenge to try and read the book of mormon in the same amount of days that joseph smith translated it. in 66 days we are going to read it and we were all handed out new books to read it and markers for it. I am excited for this. it will bring blessings to us. just like what hinkley said when he challenged the church. i did not take that challenge i thought i was to busy. and i regret it to this day and work to make it up all the time. and this is my chance i think to redeem myself for that is a small way and will already be my third time reading it cover to cover in the mission. it truelly is a book with a great power a power of god.
Keep praying for me and the people here. and thank everyone in the ward for there concerns and thoughts and prayers i am very grateful for them. the language is coming but i still have a long ways to go. But it is coming and the work is continueing to go forth. i love you so much! dan un gran beso a noah por me. muchos gracias por todos te amo!
con amor del tu favorito misionero
Eder Bigelow
Fa noah feliz cumple año dos años que es bonisimo
Yo querro la torta esta noche con ustedes. la torta esta aqui es un poco feo, pero algun tortas es bueno. todos es hace con fruta o cosas como eso. extraño la torta alla en la casa con la familia. recuerda el año pasado con noah y su cumple...fa fue muy bueno y torta en mi cada. que bueno esta noche ustedes tienen. ahora tengo mas amor y abilidad a intender la familia y la importancia que es. aqui mucho familias tiene mucho problemas y no intiende la importancia de el evangelio y los bendiciones dios tiene por todos de nosotros. que suerte tenemos la estada vivimos en y evangelio tenemos y mas importante la familia yo tengo y el amor tenemos juntos. graciac por todos familia.
Well this week was a pretty good one. we put another fecha with a lady and her baptism is this saturday so we have two baptisms on saturday so that is good. and our zone has been having a little competition this transfer for open the mouths and first lessons taught and me and my comp are and have been tied for first place with the other two elders now living in our pensh, one of which is an ex zone leader and was the zone leader for 9 months and is one of the next assistances. but this saturday we are competing against each other and who wins should be the ones who wins it all. its been fun and we have been tearing it up. we had 14 first lessons taught and 5 news (two complete lessons taught) and 10 lessons taught with members present. we have been doing way well and working like mad. i only have two weeks left in this transfer and i cant believe it i have no idea where the time has gone this transfer i have been having so much fun. these past couple weeks i have felt such a sincere love for the people and there families that when we have had to leave there houses i have felt sad and not wanted to leave. its weird i will be sitting in the house talking to the family or listening trying to understand and i honestly feel like i am at home with them and they make me feel so welcome and are so loving to me. i feel like i am with my family. i love it so much and i love them so much. it will be a sad and difficult day when i have to leave them but i hope and dont think it will be for a while. this truelly has been a gift and i am so grateful for it.
this week one of the families we teach that is not progressing much and we only go by every once in a while when an appointment falls through or something cause they are like 75 plus years old and are always home. but the time before this last time we talked to the wife for a while and she told us that her husband is having a problem with the law of chasity and was just blown away by the things that i was told and stuff and she was in tears. so the next time we planned a lesson for him and stuff on the law. so when we started teaching it he said, alright yeah i like this and i like that and i do this and that but its normal...she doesnt understand she is a woman. you two are guys you get it, right? its normal? i could not believe it. satan has such a hold on people in this world that horrible things like that he makes them seem and people to thinks its normal because so many people do it. its horrible, i have fallen into that catagory i think all of us have where we have acted one way and thought that it was normal and were decieved by the devil.
in my studies this week i decided to study a little on a few things that i have been impressed about and have been on my mind. and the fact of the matter is that it all came down to faith. thats all everything is in this life is faith. we all have those struggles and hardships but we should be praying for more faith each and everyday. with more faith we have more hope and more understanding of things and with that we have more joy and happiness and with that we help others with it. even with a simple smile things in someones day are completely changed. i pray and hope to have the faith like moses to take his people and journey for 40 years or like abraham to have faith to sacrafice his son knowing that the lord had a way and a reason for him, or like adam who made sacrafices not knowing why simply cause he was told to. nephi is and all the prophets in the book of mormon are examples to me of faith to go and do what the father commanded or to take armies with less numbers against unlikely odds or to lay down weapons of war to make convenants with the lord. i pray to have faith and i know that the rest will follow. and it has....
In april we have conference i am so excited i cant even wait. It will be a good one i think i can feel it. and also in april we as a mission are having a challenge to try and read the book of mormon in the same amount of days that joseph smith translated it. in 66 days we are going to read it and we were all handed out new books to read it and markers for it. I am excited for this. it will bring blessings to us. just like what hinkley said when he challenged the church. i did not take that challenge i thought i was to busy. and i regret it to this day and work to make it up all the time. and this is my chance i think to redeem myself for that is a small way and will already be my third time reading it cover to cover in the mission. it truelly is a book with a great power a power of god.
Keep praying for me and the people here. and thank everyone in the ward for there concerns and thoughts and prayers i am very grateful for them. the language is coming but i still have a long ways to go. But it is coming and the work is continueing to go forth. i love you so much! dan un gran beso a noah por me. muchos gracias por todos te amo!
con amor del tu favorito misionero
Eder Bigelow
Thursday, March 11, 2010
A letter from Elder Bigelow
well nothin to big or exciting happened this week. we have a fecha for the 20th of this month and thats about it. my companion is doing really well and we are working well together and my spanish is really doing pretty well i think. atleast i am understanding a ton and able to speak pretty well. its weird sometimes a word that i never even studied or anything will just kinda pop out of my mouth when i am talking or teaching something. thats the el don de lenguas right there and it is literally amazing to look back and six months ago, 3 months ago i knew nothing at all and now i can handle myself talking to people getting help buying things everything alone. i cant believe it. the gift of tongues is real and i have first hand experience with it. the experiences and blessings that happen on the mission are amazing and priceless. it really is the hand of god in things. it is so hard for me to talk to people and hear that they dont believe in god or jesus christ. how could you not believe in them. LOOK AROUND!! god is there and look at all the books and people that testify of christ and of god. that is just stubborn and stupid if you dont believe. but they will be judged and have there chance in the spirit world to accept it again.
our mission has a goal that every companionship has to talk to at least 20 people everyday and get 140 a week. someone new never before talked to, and yeah. and so i talk to a TON of people everyday and it is so funny some peoples beliefs and actions and thoughts on things. especially when you ask if they know where christ was during the three days after his death and before the resurrection. some say with god, others have not a clue. always a good time to teach a little and explain a bit. and when he was on the earth after his resurrection. its funny cause that was exactly what president talked about in zone conference and after i got the letter from dad that had that same stuff in it. very insightful and i learned a ton. i loved it. i also got your package dad and lisa thankyou very much for it. and they do not have dry ice here. so its impossible to make it that way. you buy soda water and make it with that. it has the instructions on the box. the latins like it alright but prefer coke over it... haha its funny.
so lindsey finally had her baby malachi...wow!! that is awesome! i knew i felt good on friday for some reason. well i am very happy and think that is awesome. we have new emails now on the mission and this is them. they are better then what they were before and i have an hour and twenty minutes to email now. so don´t worry about it pops. this email is fine for now i think. and i dont think i can change i think prez would get mad about that one. as for skype or whatever... and that stuff. i dunno? i dont really know how that works or where i would have to go for it or anything. so i dunno i think it would be pretty cool to see and talk to you but its just whatever. if you figure it out and what i would have to do. at this current internet cafe i am at it has a web cam thing and a phone hooked to the computer but i dunno what it is for.... so yeah i have no idea. and it also depends if my companion would want to go to wherever we would have to go.... i will have a new comp by then. president told my comp in his interview that he is leaving and he even wrote it down in his notebook so it is a sure thing. so i will still be in this area i think and will have a new comp and it all depends on what he will want to do and stuff kinda. or some members even have computers and phones...maybe there i dunno how it all works.
so next transfer i think i will be a leader in the mission. either a district leader or senor comp. i dunno though but i am getting that vibe and my comp has said and hinted at little things like that and is having me teach the classes in church a little more now and stuff. so i dunno.
well all is well i got lots of letters last week a great one from grandma bonnie and the sylvester family. thankyou so much
i love you all and miss you. i have you in my prayers and i know i am in yours i can feel it everyday thankyou for everything.
con amor
elder bigelow
our mission has a goal that every companionship has to talk to at least 20 people everyday and get 140 a week. someone new never before talked to, and yeah. and so i talk to a TON of people everyday and it is so funny some peoples beliefs and actions and thoughts on things. especially when you ask if they know where christ was during the three days after his death and before the resurrection. some say with god, others have not a clue. always a good time to teach a little and explain a bit. and when he was on the earth after his resurrection. its funny cause that was exactly what president talked about in zone conference and after i got the letter from dad that had that same stuff in it. very insightful and i learned a ton. i loved it. i also got your package dad and lisa thankyou very much for it. and they do not have dry ice here. so its impossible to make it that way. you buy soda water and make it with that. it has the instructions on the box. the latins like it alright but prefer coke over it... haha its funny.
so lindsey finally had her baby malachi...wow!! that is awesome! i knew i felt good on friday for some reason. well i am very happy and think that is awesome. we have new emails now on the mission and this is them. they are better then what they were before and i have an hour and twenty minutes to email now. so don´t worry about it pops. this email is fine for now i think. and i dont think i can change i think prez would get mad about that one. as for skype or whatever... and that stuff. i dunno? i dont really know how that works or where i would have to go for it or anything. so i dunno i think it would be pretty cool to see and talk to you but its just whatever. if you figure it out and what i would have to do. at this current internet cafe i am at it has a web cam thing and a phone hooked to the computer but i dunno what it is for.... so yeah i have no idea. and it also depends if my companion would want to go to wherever we would have to go.... i will have a new comp by then. president told my comp in his interview that he is leaving and he even wrote it down in his notebook so it is a sure thing. so i will still be in this area i think and will have a new comp and it all depends on what he will want to do and stuff kinda. or some members even have computers and phones...maybe there i dunno how it all works.
so next transfer i think i will be a leader in the mission. either a district leader or senor comp. i dunno though but i am getting that vibe and my comp has said and hinted at little things like that and is having me teach the classes in church a little more now and stuff. so i dunno.
well all is well i got lots of letters last week a great one from grandma bonnie and the sylvester family. thankyou so much
i love you all and miss you. i have you in my prayers and i know i am in yours i can feel it everyday thankyou for everything.
con amor
elder bigelow
Monday, March 1, 2010
si yo sento el terremoto
hola como le van
Well first off I guess I can start with the big news. The earthquake, and yes it was huge!!! And Conception Chile is completely leveled! It is really sad seeing the stuff on the news about it. And over 700 dead and the count is still going. But that is good Dallan is all right. I thought about him and the other elders I know in Chile especially in Conception. I guess the tsunami missed Hawaii and one is going to hit Chile now. You just know the second coming is close with all this going on in the world. But yes I did feel it. I was a little sick over the weekend I am not sure what was wrong but I felt like I had something in my stomach grabbing and yanking on my organs. It hurt so bad! And I was constantly on the toilet. But I still did work because we needed to. We found some people in the street and needed to pass by them and some things had to be done so I still worked. But on Friday night I got up and had to go to the bathroom again and was sitting on the toilet... haha and was just feeling miserable and with pain and then I felt the ground start moving and the toilet and stuff and I thought I was hallucinating or something. I just thought wow, I am really sick!!! And after I went in my room, and mine and my comps beds were moved and I just thought we pushed off the wall or something but in the morning we got a phone call about it and then I put two and two together and thought freak!! I was in an earthquake. But yeah Chile got totally leveled its sad. And then Salta got hit as well, but not as bad. Chile was 8.8 on the scale they say and here it was about 4.5 so yeah no real damage and if there was it’s hard to tell. Everything is naturally damaged here. And in Salta I think it was like a 6.7 so pretty strong. But I am ok and all is well.
So this week we helped a blind 25 year old get on the bus and talked a little bit with him and he is a pretty big deal I guess. He knows a lot of famous people and is a pretty big example to me. About three years ago something happened and he went blind and just accepted it and has not been upset or anything and still does what he did before as much as he can. He is really cool. We are trying to teach him and talk to him but his brother and uncle will not let us in the house so it is a little hard and frustrating but still I was and am very impressed with this person.
We gave a blessing to a lady who is the aunt of one of the ward missionaries. And she is not a member and we have been teaching her a bit because she has had some hard times in her life and she was really sick on Friday and we gave her a blessing and right after she stood up and was totally fine. Before she looked like she was going to die. Sweating bullets, totally yellow and couldn’t even move. But she stopped sweating and sat up after and got out of bed and was balling her eyes out. I about fainted and was so amazed the spirit was really with us in this. We have had a couple other experiences like that to but little stronger and it is amazing. These people will be baptized some day...
I got the letters from the Barnes family tell them thank you very much. another is on the way for them. I also got Becky’s package thank you so much. It is funny the license plate I love it. If the jazz win it all, I will be so mad But happy too. I will want a shirt. Ok. But thanks.
Our most recent convert, Mirna. She has a lot of problems and is kinda sad. But has a strong testimony so that is good. And the other day we were talking about conference and things with her and she said she wants to write President Monson a letter to let him know about her money situation and the lights in her house and all her problems with the family and stuff. It was funny but really cool at the same time I was impressed. I don’t think she will. For one we don’t know the address or anything, but still.
Zone conference is this week I am excited. Always a good time. Everything is going good, and as far as the picture goes I dunno I have lost 16 pounds since arriving here in Argentina so I dunno about the boobs it just could be my huge pecks are starting to sag because I don’t have good enough equipment here to keep up my amazing physique. But don’t worry Austin, it still is better then your fat old married body. Haha, but yes I have lost 16 pounds so I don’t think its cause I am getting fat.
I love you all and keep up the prayers they are felt!!!
Con Amor
Elder Bigelow
Well first off I guess I can start with the big news. The earthquake, and yes it was huge!!! And Conception Chile is completely leveled! It is really sad seeing the stuff on the news about it. And over 700 dead and the count is still going. But that is good Dallan is all right. I thought about him and the other elders I know in Chile especially in Conception. I guess the tsunami missed Hawaii and one is going to hit Chile now. You just know the second coming is close with all this going on in the world. But yes I did feel it. I was a little sick over the weekend I am not sure what was wrong but I felt like I had something in my stomach grabbing and yanking on my organs. It hurt so bad! And I was constantly on the toilet. But I still did work because we needed to. We found some people in the street and needed to pass by them and some things had to be done so I still worked. But on Friday night I got up and had to go to the bathroom again and was sitting on the toilet... haha and was just feeling miserable and with pain and then I felt the ground start moving and the toilet and stuff and I thought I was hallucinating or something. I just thought wow, I am really sick!!! And after I went in my room, and mine and my comps beds were moved and I just thought we pushed off the wall or something but in the morning we got a phone call about it and then I put two and two together and thought freak!! I was in an earthquake. But yeah Chile got totally leveled its sad. And then Salta got hit as well, but not as bad. Chile was 8.8 on the scale they say and here it was about 4.5 so yeah no real damage and if there was it’s hard to tell. Everything is naturally damaged here. And in Salta I think it was like a 6.7 so pretty strong. But I am ok and all is well.
So this week we helped a blind 25 year old get on the bus and talked a little bit with him and he is a pretty big deal I guess. He knows a lot of famous people and is a pretty big example to me. About three years ago something happened and he went blind and just accepted it and has not been upset or anything and still does what he did before as much as he can. He is really cool. We are trying to teach him and talk to him but his brother and uncle will not let us in the house so it is a little hard and frustrating but still I was and am very impressed with this person.
We gave a blessing to a lady who is the aunt of one of the ward missionaries. And she is not a member and we have been teaching her a bit because she has had some hard times in her life and she was really sick on Friday and we gave her a blessing and right after she stood up and was totally fine. Before she looked like she was going to die. Sweating bullets, totally yellow and couldn’t even move. But she stopped sweating and sat up after and got out of bed and was balling her eyes out. I about fainted and was so amazed the spirit was really with us in this. We have had a couple other experiences like that to but little stronger and it is amazing. These people will be baptized some day...
I got the letters from the Barnes family tell them thank you very much. another is on the way for them. I also got Becky’s package thank you so much. It is funny the license plate I love it. If the jazz win it all, I will be so mad But happy too. I will want a shirt. Ok. But thanks.
Our most recent convert, Mirna. She has a lot of problems and is kinda sad. But has a strong testimony so that is good. And the other day we were talking about conference and things with her and she said she wants to write President Monson a letter to let him know about her money situation and the lights in her house and all her problems with the family and stuff. It was funny but really cool at the same time I was impressed. I don’t think she will. For one we don’t know the address or anything, but still.
Zone conference is this week I am excited. Always a good time. Everything is going good, and as far as the picture goes I dunno I have lost 16 pounds since arriving here in Argentina so I dunno about the boobs it just could be my huge pecks are starting to sag because I don’t have good enough equipment here to keep up my amazing physique. But don’t worry Austin, it still is better then your fat old married body. Haha, but yes I have lost 16 pounds so I don’t think its cause I am getting fat.
I love you all and keep up the prayers they are felt!!!
Con Amor
Elder Bigelow
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