Week 59 - October 17, 2016

Hey Mom!

Fall is showing up here too. The colors are starting to change. But the trees haven't caught the fire yet. But it is going well. It is cooling off and the weather is perfect. It has been low 70s lately. Today is kinda warm. It is 80. But it cools off in the nights and you can put on a jacket or long sleeve and you are set!

Dang that is so weird to think that Alex is almost 16! That is so weird. Sounds like it might be about time to bump the insurance up ;) That's cool that Jen's went in Grandpa’s naval uniform! That's a cool idea. And Catherine's dress looked cool too! It is so weird to think that she will be starting college at the same time as me! As much as I didn't want to think that I would maybe marry someone her age I am starting to realize that it would really be weird. Kinda a weird thought though!

That is fun that they played volleyball. It's sounds like they really liked that!

That's nice that you have a break this week! I really miss the deer hunt. And breaks. Just kidding. But that should be fun. And it should be fun for you to stay home and just relax! And hopefully cat does well on the ACT. Tell her I wish her luck!

That's cool that you had all the farewells. I am, glad that Max is going out on a mission. He will be a good missionary! So will TJ. They are both good guys! They will have a blast!

This week has been good! We have been working a lot with less actives this week! But it has been going well. Neil came to church again. That was pretty cool. I think he really likes it. Even though he doesn't really say it. He is almost too stubborn to admit it. But he is doing great!

Today for p day we are just playing basketball. It's pretty fun it like it! And then we have dodgeball night tonight for FHE. I am excited about that. And we should have a bunch of people coming to that!

Sister Hansen is doing good. She has a really cool comp. I think she had a hard transfer last transfer. It was the mark for when her mom died. So I think that whole month is always rough on her. But she is doing better now I think.

I love you. Miss you.
Love, Elder Bigelow

Week 58 - October 10, 2016

This week went well. Neil is doing great! He was at church a little early to church today! That was so great! He is a lot happier now. I haven't known him for super long. And he was never not happy. But you can really tell the difference! It was super funny. When we went to the temple visitors center he talked about how he had just had some coffee and his mouth hurt. And the he texted us one night and asked us if he could be Mormon if he drank coffee. And so we thought that he had a big problem with coffee. And so we were teaching him the Word of Wisdom. And had an emphasis on not drinking coffee. And then half way through the lessons he was like I don't drink coffee... I was so surprised. But then I was like cool. That makes this easier. And I called elder McCray and told him. And he was super surprised too! It was so funny! But it was kinda a relief. He is very smart and very philosophical too. So he doesn't really understand the why right now. But he doesn't do it so we don't really have to fret about it too much. He is on date for the 29th. It will be great!

Eders food got here. It was so good. I really miss that shin dig! Elder McCray liked it too. And he was craving the chocolate cake. And then when Eder brought it in I think he about died he was so excited. I got a picture of him with it! I am pretty sure that he wants an invitation next fall to it! I am glad that you liked those gifts. I bought a whole bunch of games at the beginning of my mission. But I haven't played most of them since falls church. So I decided to send some of them home.

That's super funny that you ran into Elder Sevier. He messaged me last night I was like dang! But that is funny. Yea it is a small would have thought! I ran into Daltons best friend. She used to be in the Richmond mission. But then she got transferred into our mission when they added Woodbridge. That was pretty funny. I got a picture with her. And I was like dang. Small world!

That's fun that the girls are enjoying volleyball. I think that would be cool to play. We play a lot out here. And I am not as bad as you would think... anymore...

The new comp is pretty good. I broke him in a little. When we told one of our members that Elder McCray was leaving and he is like let's prank then new guy. So we had a fake lesson with Ben. And we were teaching the law of chastity. And I told Elder Hamblin that he had a problem with this and that I don't know how well this would go over. And then Ben was kinda crazy in the lesson and then he got up and left... it was super funny. Elder Hamblin thought it was funny though. But it was great! He is fun! He is a good missionary too! We get a long well! It's funny. He is from Hooper, Utah. Never in my wildest dreams would I think I would have multiple companions from Hooper, Utah.... but it just happened. He has been out for like 16 months. He came out 2 transfers before me. He is smaller and different then Elder McCray. But he is a good guy. He really likes movie production and stuff. He is cool.

I am not sure what we are doing for p day yet. We might be playing basketball. We might play volleyball. I think we will hit up some thrift shops. It will be kinda chill... speaking of chill. It is getting cold here. It came out of nowhere. But it was pretty chilly and windy yesterday. And then it was cold on our way to the gym this morning. Fall is here. The leaves are starting to change a little. But it is good! I like it a little cooler.

I love you lots!
Love, Elder Bigelow

Week 57 - Conference Weekend

Hey mom!

Hey! How's Eder? How did this weekend go? Did he fit in alright? He is pretty funny. He was so excited to go to Utah! He is my favorite!

This week has been great! We put Neil on date! And that is so great! We had a really solid lesson with him in Friday. And it went great. And then on Saturday night he got into some anti stuff. He almost dropped us. But he hung on for a bit and he is doing better. So that is Great! And Danny is doing great too. He came to FHE and that was good. And then we went and played basketball with him too. He is kinda shy at first. But I think he is getting out of his shell a little bit and that helps! We are excited for both of those!

Conference was super great! It was kinda a bummer that we were not able to get any of our people to go to watch it! Every session would have been great for them. That kinda stinks. But we will go back and watch part of it with them! It will be good! I like how it talked about working with members a lot. That is super important and I like it. And it gave me some good motivation to keep working. It answered some of my questions too which is good. And how to find more answers.

Today we are headed into DC. I am not quite what we are doing yet but it will be cool. I am excited. It will be fun! I love going into DC. I think we might go to the National Archives and that will be cool. I like looking at the constitution and stuff!

That's cool you had the missionaries over. Something that's kinda funny is people always think I am from Canada. At every dinner I swear elder Evans would be like, "doesn't Elder Bigelow look like he is Canadian? Everyone was like yea I can see it. And I am like what does a Canadian look like? And then they would be like maybe it is the way you talk... and I was like this is a joke. But it was pretty funny. Now whenever someone says Canada I think of Elder Evans.

That's cool that you had Noah over for conference. And that you had the missionaries. I am sure they liked that! We went to a family in the McLean ward with some other elders on Saturday and then we went to a house in Falls Church that a bunch of our members went to on Sunday. But like 70% of our members went to Virginia Beach. They rented a beach house for the weekend. And everyone paid 50$ and then they watched it out there. I thought that was cool. They always do cool activities like that. Like beach trips and stuff! Is a cool singles ward.

I am glad you had a good week. Our week was good too! I love you! I feel like it is almost Christmas time. So that will be here soon! Love you lots!

Love, Elder Bigelow

Week 56

Hey mom,

This week was great! We took Neil to the temple visitors center. He is very smart and loves to learn. He loves what the church has to offer. And he loves how the church is modern. But original. Like he loves how we have an app where you can get everything. And how they even have audio versions of everything. And it makes me think how God has given us all this stuff for us to help spread the gospel. And how with him it really helps that the church is so modern. So that is great! He really like us too which is great. He is a part of a networking referral generator for his company. And he had a key note presentation and he invited us to it. It was super cool! He was introducing us to all of his business friends as the missionaries. It was cool, and at the beginning everyone went around in a circle and gave like a 30 second blurb about their business. And we stood up and told everyone that we were missionaries and what we do. And then they went around and talked about what a good referral for each of the companies was. And when it was our turn I stood up and said what a good referral for us was. It was cool! We didn't actually get any referrals from it. But it was a cool way to share the gospel. And it was cool that Neil trusts us and that he respects us and stuff. I liked it! He is super solid. While we were going out to the temple visitors center he asked us a bunch of questions and we got on the topic about how we knew about the truth of the Book of Mormon. Elder McCray was telling him about how he took the challenge to read it. And Neil was like challenge? What challenge. I want to do this challenge! And he was like I just want to take the next two days and read the whole Book of Mormon! And we are like yea. That would be sweet! I think we will be taking it one chapter at a time. But it will be great! He is super solid!

And then Eder is doing great! He is so excited to come out to Utah! He said you were going out to lunch on Friday after he gets in. That will be great! He is excited to get to meet you! He calls us sometimes to ask us advice and stuff. It is funny. He was taking the sisters out to lunch this week. And he wanted to bring a sister from the ward so that it wasn't awkward. And so then he had an excuse to ask a girl from the ward out. So he called us and was like hey do you think that this girl would come with me to dinner. And we were like yea totally. And he was like ok great! What's her number? So went on LDS tools and got it. He said it went well. He said he got stuck in traffic with her for an hour and a half. So they just got to talk. It was super funny!

Then I got a call from him on Sunday and he was like hey, I got a tie. But I don't know how to tie it. Do you think you could help me? He never wears a tie. He always wears a suit. But not a tie. So I helped him with his tie. It was pretty funny! I will send out a package for you guys with him! So that will be fun for you!

Things are going better. It is nice to work with someone who is actually responsive! Elder McCray is good. He does joke, but he is my most serious companion yet. Our zone is doing well! Everyone is working hard, our numbers are picking up! So that is great!

I think we are playing volleyball today for p day! That should be fun!

Love you lots,
Love, Elder Bigelow

Week 55

Hey mom!

This week was good! Neil came to church. That was awesome. We weren't able to meet with him during the week but he came for church. And stayed for the whole thing! So that was pretty sweet! And he really liked it. We are taking him to the temple visitors center! That will be super fun! I am excited about that! Danny wasn't able to make it this week. So that kinda stinks. But we are going to try to get him out to play basketball with us this week! And maybe to FHE tonight. That would be great! We are having soccer night for FHE! I am super excited about that! That will be super fun!

Elder McCray is doing really well! We are getting along great. We have adventures every day. Today we are going to a trampoline park. That will be fun! I am excited about that. It is starting to cool off. That super nice! It is rainy today. But it is still fun. I am glad the girls like volleyball. That is fun. I like it a lot. We have been playing a bunch out here. And it is pretty fun.

That's cool we got a new bishopric. But I liked the old one. But new is fun!

Things are going well. I miss you. I am excited for conference too! Love you lots!

Love, Elder Bigelow

Week 54 - Princess cups and a Quran

Hey mom,

I am sorry you guys have had a rough week. That actually made me a little sad that Misty died. I really liked her. She was a super nice kitty. She would actually come up and snuggle with me. And sometimes she would sneak in my window at night and I would play with her for an hour or so and then throw her back out the window. It was fun! And I am sorry about Catherine's friend. That has got to be kinda rough in her. How is she really doing?

This week was kinda long. We have a couple solid people we are teaching. But we aren't really teaching them. We haven't meet with them for a little while. So it is kinda a pain. And it is warning on my a little. We have been doing a ton of finding and tracting. But haven't seen very much success. Until Friday night. We were kinda kicking ourselves trying to figure out what to do. And we decided to go on a blitz with some of the other missionaries. And so I was with Elder Strawn. And they were kinda struggling too. Just not having any success and just kinda grinding on. And I was with him. And we had knocked a bunch of doors. And didn't see much. But then we knocked on this one door. And a lady answered. And we started our door approach. And started talking to her about what we do. And she is like. Is 98 degrees out here. And we are like, “yea, we go out when it is hot or when it is cold.” And then she was like “I am Asian. They don't let Asians into the Mormon church”. And we were like “yea we do. We have a Chinese branch.” And then she was like, “But I am divorced. And I have two kids.” And we are like, “Perfect. Every family has problems. And yours is welcome!” And she was happy. And they she gave us water with those princess cups. And it was definitely a miracle. So we took a picture. And then we got a text from elder McCray that him and Elder Heart got let in to a family of 7 and they were interested. And they invited them back! It was a great night. And so that was awesome. And that's where those pictures came from.

And then on Sunday night. We were knocking some doors. And this lady let us in. And that is the second time on my mission that I have been let in. And we started teaching the restoration. And she said a couple things that were kinda off the wall and then after like the first two pages she was like, “I am Jewish. And I should waste any more of your time.” And then kicked us out. And looking back at us know she had some of the Jewish candle things that I should have noticed. But it was kinda funny. But also pretty frustrating. I thought she could be a member at first. Because she was nice. Then I was like ok probably not. And she was like notice how Jesus has brown hair. Not blonde and blue eyed. And I was like come on. We all know that blonde and blue eyes is the pure race. And we are best! But I didn't say that. And they liken 15 minutes later we got a Quran. That was cool. I have been waiting for that to happen. But it was cool! They were nice. Muslims over all are usually the nicest people to us out here.

I haven't been into DC yet this transfer. But we will in the nest couple weeks. I haven't meet either of them. Or been to either of their offices. But I will try to some point in the next year! Today we had a lot of fun at President’s. Played a lot of volley ball. I wish they had volleyball at AHS when I went there. It is super fun! And we had hamburgers and stuff. It was great. There was basketball. And we have a couple of country guys. Like deep country. And they were practicing their roping. It was super funny!

Who is they boy from McLean. And what ward is he in? I went to Silver Diner. It is pretty good. We can definitely go when you come out here!

I love you! Have fun at the fair. Take some pictures for me please! Love you lots!

Love, Elder Bigelow

Week 53 - Pink Washed and Chicken

Hey Mom...

This week was pretty good. Yea we did have transfers. But we both stayed the same. There were other elders that lived in our complex. But they got "pink washed" which means that they basically put sisters in the area instead. So now we have two sets of sisters in our complex and no elders. So that kinda stinks. But we are getting along pretty well. One of them is from PG so that pretty cool. She is older than me though. But funny story. So the elders had a ton of chicken they were giving to us. We forgot to grab it so Thursday night we called the newly moved in sisters and were like "hey we have a bunch of chicken in your freezer we forgot to grab. Is it cool if we stop by and pick it up?" And then both of them were like "oh then you guys so much for getting us chicken! You guys are the best! That means a lot to us! Thank you." And Elder McCray and I are sitting in the car and it is on speaker phone and we are like. Man we can't break their hearts. So we are just like you are welcome. It was super funny. And they told the other sisters about how we bought them a bunch of chicken and how nice we are. It was super funny. So we got some serious points for that. But we didn't get our chicken.

Hey there is they guy out here named Eder. We have been working with him a little. He is super nice. He got tickets for conference and he is so excited to go. But he doesn't really have a place to stay. Would it be cool if I gave him your number and he crashes at home for a couple nights? He would cook for you. He is a dang good cook! If it would be stressful or if you don't think it will work let me know. I haven't told him yet. It was just an idea.

This week was a little slower than we would like. But it is going alright. I think this coming week we should have some good success. We have a couple lessons that are pretty solid. So I am excited about that! Transfers were this past week. Elder McCray and I stayed the same. So that's pretty good. We are getting along just fine:).

That's super exciting that we have a bunch of sports. That is fun. Volleyball will be sweet. We play out here a bunch and I really like it! That is super nice that you are teaching a little less and that you have more prep time. That is super nice. It seems like you are settling in to your place which sounds nice.

I’m glad Mark’s team won! That is great for them. I miss that little guy!

Life is going well. I like it. We are things are moving along. I like the ward a lot. They are all pretty chill people!

I love you! Miss you lots. Send pictures:)

Love, Elder Bigelow