Happy Father's Day

June 25, 2010

Well happy fathers day yesterday. Hope all is going well in Powell. All is well here. My prayers were answered this week and the parents of this family are not even married. We found out, so they cant get baptized till they are married. So we put a fecha with the kids and they will be getting baptized on the 10th four of them. And we have a couple more baptisms in July that we are preparing for and it will be good I am looking forward to it.

This week was good. Wednesday is transfers and I am getting a gringo companion that has one less transfer then I do. He is from Utah I am pretty sure and his name is elder Moncur. I am excited it will be awesome and he is coming into an explosion of good things going for us here.

Hope you all are doing good I love you all and miss you. Take care and thanks for everything. Your prayers are felt and answered.

Con Amor

Elder Bigelow

June 14, 2010

Hey family!!!

Well this week was a really good week and it went by really fast. Next week is transfers and I can’t believe it has already gotten here. This transfer just blew by. But this week we had some good success. We got 5 of the 6 from the familia Ditoto, to come to church. And next week we will get all of them to come. I think they really liked it. But keep them in your prayers and they will have a spiritual experience to bring the whole family together and all want to be baptized together. The dad needs to stop smoking to. And spends 20 pesos a day on cigarettes and the family barely has bread to eat or the week, and he is doing this. But he just has no desire to stop right now. Its kinda sad. So this week we taught them and it went amazing.

I made brownies and cookies three times this week for investigators. I am becoming quite the cook. I have not told you but I am cooking so much and doing well at it. I love it and everyone here is loving it. But I remembered from a question Lisa asked about food I eat and things. So I remembered, so I will tell you all about that in just a second. But yeah so we taught and did really well and put a couple of fechas for baptism for next week and in July. So we will see how that goes but the family we really are looking at is this one huge family and trying to work with them. Its either us or the evangelical church they tell us. So we are trying to get them to pray and to have spiritual experience to feel and learn that these things are true and the dad to want to change to better his life and the life of his family. They have 2 more kids under 8 and one that is just one year old and they can barely afford bread cause he has such a bad addiction. And he does not want to change right now but maybe this week he will feel more of a desire to change. He smoked a pack and a half right in front of us the other day. But he is so awesome I love the guy I just want him to feel the spirit and the rest of the family to recognize the spirit and realize the blessings that will come in there lives from this amazing, perfect gospel plan that god has created for us. I had a really amazing experience with them.

I said before to you all, that I know that this is one of the reasons I am on this mission is to find and teach this family. I know it is. And I know they are just one of the people I promised. And the first time I entered the house I recognized all of them and knew there faces it was really such a crazy feeling and very spiritual for me to have. But this last week when we were teaching them I had another really spiritual experience. I usually do most the talking in the houses, my comp is pretty quiet most the time. And at the end of our lesson, I bore testimony to them, and promised blessings and did not even feel like I was the one working my mouth. I said things I never even studied or even know what they mean. And still to this moment cannot remember what I said. And afterward Elder Leal told me that, that was the most perfect well accented speaking I have yet spoke and so spiritual, and that I said words he had no idea I knew and did everything correct. And he can’t even remember what I said. It was absolutely amazing and a true testament to me of the power of God and the gift of tongues. It really does exist and I know it does. In all my other speaking I have a ways of going till I am perfect but I am doing really well and communicate and understand just about everything and it is just like dad said last June that I would be in this position speaking another language and understanding. It is so amazing. But keep praying I will improve and the blessings will continue to come in.

So the world cup started. And we got permission to watch Argentina play. One, cause EVERYTHING was closed and no one was in the street. Every single person young and old was watching the game. Argentina won and it was a good game. And the US tied with England. Wow I miss sports. I was so entranced by the tv watching. It was so good for me. I really loved it and the people here are crazy for it. All stores closed and school gets cancelled for the games or the TV is on in the classes to watch the game. And everyone walks around with their flags or jerseys, faces painted, cars decked out, everything. Its really cool to see.

The food......well we have lunch everyday. And I have had noodles with tomato sauce or rice with tomato sauce everyday except twice in 5 weeks here. That is usually what we get in every area for lunch is noodles with tomato sauce and a piece of chicken or beef. It really gets old but its good. They cook it in water and oil or just oil. So it is really fatty. And at night in the pensh, if I have any energy from the day I will have a bowl of cereal, drink yogurt, eggs, beef strips, or left overs from something. But I usually don’t have much energy for anything except a drink and my bed. But I am healthy and doing well, exercising good and feeling good. My face is really clearing up to. So it is all going well I believe.

Well I hope you have fun in Powell and all goes well for ya. I am sitting right next to Ethan Roberts the kid from Alta I came with and all we have talked about today is lake Powell and Havasupai in Arizona. He is such I stud I love the kid. So we are jealous and hope you have a fun time. Tell everyone at the reunion I say hello and hope all is going well. Thanks for everything. And the prayers are felt. I love you all and miss you. Keep doin well.

Con Amor

Elder Bigelow

Catching up with Letters from Zack

July 7, 2010

Family

Well that is really sad to hear about Donna and Lois and them now being separated. But it will only be for a short time and the second coming and Resurrection is right around the corner as well so no need to be down or sad. Sounds like it was a really eventful week and that you had some good things happen. That sounds awesome to have the Shurtz and Kunz family for a dinner once a month that would be a way good idea I think. I love those families and they are pretty much my second and third family. They have done a lot for me and I am so very thankful for them and all that they did and continue to do for me.

Well this week was really cool. We got to go on a bus on Thursday morning at 3 to go to Mendoza for a zone conference with elder Zivic, from the seventy. He gave a really good talk about faith and obedience. It was really good and I got to see and talk to Elder Harvey my comp in the mtc and Elder Roberts that is my age from Alta. it was really good to be with those guys all day and be hanging out and catching up. Then we came back and got home really late and went to bed then the next day I did divisions as a district leader for the first time. And I went with a brand spankin new elder and we worked in my area. It was really good and that was the start of the giving me one of the best weeks I have had yet in the mission.

I have been praying to find and teach more people and stuff cause when I got here this area was just dead. But slowly and slowly it has been getting better and better. and after we taught this one kid for the first time we were in the middle of no where and walking back to the city and decided to start knocking doors on this street i have never been on before. And typical we were getting rejected like mad and sfuff cause there is an evangelical church on the corner of the street and everyone is of that church cause it is closest to them. But then, the last house of course we knock it, and no one answers. And as we were leaving we heard a little baby laugh. So we turned and looked back and around the corner of this house tucked in the back was another tiny little door with a light on. So we went and knocked it and Elder Hancock in his broken Spanish told the lady we were missionaries from Christ and we are here to share a message. And she let us in and we taught this family of 5 that was there and 4 were 8 and older. And the dad and oldest brother were not home yet. But they were very interested and it was amazing. Every single one of their faces I recognized and had seen before. And I taught and spoke better then I have thus far in my mission. And then we invited them to church and on Sunday all the kids came except the oldest brother and they loved it and are really excited one of them already told us he wants to get baptized. So that was really cool and special for me.

We had 5 in church on Sunday 4 from this family but only 3 counted cause the other is less then 8. And we taught the rest of the family and it all went really well and I am so excited. We were expecting to have 10 or 11 in church but only 5 made it. But still I had the most amazing experiences and week. My testimony really grew and was strengthened from this and shows me even more the special power of prayer and of fasting. I love it. I love this work and am so grateful to be here and be apart of this. The feeling and name I get to represent every day is so special and unforgettable. I love you all and hope all is going well. I miss you and have you in my prayers keep this family and all of our investigators in you prayers.

Con Amor

Elder Bigelow

ps. did dad or Ben or Austin ever train? I might be next transfer. And what leadership was Ben and Austin in. dad was DL but any more?

pss can I buy a couple things? p day shoes mine are wrecked, and a blender maybe?

buena semana

May 31,2010

Hola hola hola

Well this week was a good week. It started off a bit difficult but we were working hard and by the end of the week it really exploded for us and we were teaching a lot more. And it was really cool and a lot of fun. It is really interesting at times walking in the middle of the campo with no one around us and stuff at times. And this coming week we have zone conference and one of the area authorities is coming down. A 70, Elder Zivic is his name. So the whole mission is like on over load stress from the leaders and stuff to like impress him or something. So its kinda funny how that has been going this week. But it will be cool. We have to wake up at 3 on Thursday to go to Mendoza to get there on time and everything so that will be good. And this last Thursday we had to leave at 5 to go to San Rafeal to go to have interviews with president. Lots of waking up early and taking long bus rides.

This week a couple funny experiences. We were walking in the campo, Elder Leal and I and we were just talking about whatever stuff we wanted, and he goes over and sees this huge like 12 foot tree branch on the side of the road and picked it up and started swinging it around and stuff saying it was his ´flame sword´ haha it was hilarious, he had it with him about a mile and a half of walking or more. And he was telling me about swords and things while I was talking about letters that I got cause I had just got letters from the Shurtz and a couple friends and the young women in the ward. And we would trade off talking and asking questions. And he would tell me about swords and dragons and stuff, and I would tell him about girls I liked, my friends, and how like all the girls I liked before the mission don’t write me at all anymore and how like we all knew it would happen. All of my friends and I talked about it and me telling the girls I knew they wouldn’t write and now I am like a prophet, cause they don’t. Haha and then he would tell me about classes he took for this stuff and like show me moves and things in the streets it so funny the difference in conversation but somehow relate it all back.

Then the other night we were walking and just had the light of the stars and the moon and it was pitch black and freezing and a pack of like 10 dogs came at as! They were trying to bite us and things but they are so cowardly, once you bend over to pick up a rock and they turn and run away or kick at them and they run off. So nothing bad happened. But it was funny just randomly in the middle of nowhere ten dogs just went off on us.

We found an amazing investigator this week. He was listening to the missionaries like a year ago and stuff just never came to church cause he has work, but now he is planning on coming. He has read the Book of Mormon twice cover to cover and knows its true he feels so good when he reads it and understands everything so well and has prayed and knows its true. We just have to figure out a way to get him to come to church so he can be baptized, but it was so random and lucky we found him. We just talked to him in the street and said to come over and we did and we had an awesome lesson. And it was a testimony to me that with hard work and doing our part the Lord always does his. The same thing happened in Trapiche as you know, but I am starting to see the blessings a little bit from the work we are doing here. It’s hard but fun at the same time. Very Catholic and atheist but things are starting to go our way and I am excited to see what happens.

We started our Book of Mormon challenge yesterday in church, and this little 9 year old girl named Yasmin, comes every Sunday with her grandma but her mom is anti Mormon and wont let her get baptized. But on Sunday she came to me and asked if she could have a book to give to her mom to read and learn. It was so cute and cool for me. This girl is so amazing and smart I want to baptize her but her mom is so against it. It is tough. Then in that same day another little boy a convert of the last elders took three from us and said he was going to hand them out on his walk home that is an hour and a half walk cause he wants to be a missionary someday. So freaking cool, these kids are stronger and better then I was like 5 years ago or less. Haha, really is so special seeing it.

This all reminds me of a few weeks ago a blessing I gave to a new little baby that was sick. Really a cool experience I never told you about cause I forgot. But her name was Milagros.... haha which means miracles. And it truly was a miracle. I found out later she was born from a smoker mom and born early and got sick from the cold but now is totally fine. And better, one it is the coolest name and I think I want to name my daughter that. And two my first blessing I had actually given and it was in Trapiche. But it was really special for me. No like amazing spirit or experience, I have others of those but I just heard more about it the other day and made me really happy to know and I loved the name in the first place but now even more.

Things are good. My shoes are getting worn from walking so much and kicking rocks all day, but they should last, and I still have my other pair I have worn very little thus far in my mission.

I love you all and I miss you. I hope all is well and keep being so awesome

con amor y bueno besito
Elder Bigelow