Zacks new area

May 18, 2010

Family and friends

Well I am in my new area and it is really cool. Its in the middle of nowhere far south in the mission. The city really is like in the middle of like a desert in the middle of nowhere and is tiny and really old. But it’s really cool. My area is HUGE we walk for hours to get to a house. And it contains the edge of the city and beyond.... tons of campo. Walk on dirt roads for miles without seeing a person or a house. But we did really well this week for only teaching and being in the area for 4 days. We had the best numbers in the zone, and the district is tearing it up. We have a really nice chapel. It actually has benches to sit on!! And it is not a ward it’s a branch, but there are like 90 active members in it. For a while it had the most active members in the mission, but a few months ago it got out beat. And here it is freezing cold!!! I wear thermals, sweater, coat, gloves, it all and I still get cold cause it’s a humid cold and wind blowing is cold and goes straight through us. So maybe if you could, send those thermals and hand warmers for me. It’s really pretty though, lots of vineyards and green. But it’s dying cause of the cold.


My comp is Elder Leal. He is from Chile. In the northern part. He is cool. Really into comics and Nintendo but that’s fine he is a good kid. He just hit 9 months and I will hit 8 next week so we are close to the same in the mish. He understands everything in English but refuses to speak it, which is fine. I talk to him in Spanish anyway. He makes figures out of clay and they are way good!!! Like he made Moroni, and Nephi, and venom from Spiderman. Its cool, and yeah I like it. Not so much alike as me and Giminez but still I love him and love workin with him.


In my pensh I live with the zone leaders to. One of them is going to play linebacker at BYU and is HUGE!!! His brother played this season there and is my age. Craig Bills is his name. He won Mr. football my senior year and his senior year to. But he is such a nice guy and has BYU in his family 2 of his older brothers played there and now he will be too after the mission. He went to Timpview High School so we talk football a lot and he wants me to play again but I dunno... he is making me work out with him and run with him. Wow I am so out of shape. I can walk for miles and not feel anything, but running sprints.... wow it hurts. Super cool and nice elder though. And said he will hook me up with tickets to the BYU Texas game. So yeah.


The other elder is a convert and ex gang member. He is awesome!!! Had dread locks and just looked scary before the mission. And has some of the most crazy stories ever. And just really made me open my eyes and know that anyone truly can change, if they have the desire. And he is way good at basketball. He is planning on walking on to BYU after the mission and playing there. He is from Puerto Rico, but more so from Ohio. He is awesome!!! Such a strong testimony.


This week was a good week had a few really cool experiences. On my first day we went to get lunch it was a hour walk there then an hour walk back and I prayed in the house for the member and after she started crying and asked how I knew she was sick and needed help from god to feel better. And wow it was a special experience. And another lady her daughter passed away and I was able to talk to her about the plan of salvation. It was really good experience for me and we will see how things go with her.


Next week we are doing an activity in the ward to see who can pass out the most Books of Mormon. The missionaries or the members.... and who ever wins, the loser buys an asado for the winner. So it will be good and the members are way excited and I am really excited too cause we will hopefully be getting a ton of references for us to work with. The members want us to make them into a ward so we told them they need to help us find people to teach and to baptize. I am so excited for this area and for all the things that we will be able to do. It will be really good and lots of fun. Cold... but fun.


Well I love you and miss you all hope it is going well and you are keeping up with everything.

Con Amor
Elder Bigelow

ps next package if you are sending one... hot chocolate, hand warmers, maple syrup(or extract), chocolate chips, brown sugar, candy bars, and poptarts..


pps what was the Book of Mormon challenge again that you have? Three times in how long with what colors and stuff?