Week 13 - "Let the deacons be the husbands"

Hey everyone,
 
This week has been great! We have been working with our ward mission leader on praying specifically. And to "weary the Lord". And to pray every day for at least one meaningful conversation about the gospel. And when you believe it can happen it does. It is a beautiful thing. It happened this week. Every day without fail. When you believe and ask for help from the Lord,He is there for you.  This week we have found a lot more people to teach. We were walking into the store to use the restroom and a man stopped us and told us that he needs religion in his life. And he was willing to listen. He is awesome. Then we just had a potential investigator call us back and is meeting with us this week. It's sweet!  We also had a couple members bring friends to church on Sunday. It was awesome.
    Ok so now kinda a funny story. So last night we went to this open house for a missionary who just got home from his mission. There were a bunch of non members there so it was a great missionary opportunity. The missionary's little brother was kinda joking around with us. He is 10 almost 11. And we were kinda teasing him about all his little girlfriends we see him running around with. I teasingly told him when he turns 12 and becomes a deacon he can get married.  And I told him about this scripture 1 Timothy 3:12 "Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well." And he was so confused. And so he took my iPad and show his mom and this returned elder's girlfriend who just barley got home from a mission too. His girlfriend was so unimpressed that I showed him that. She said, "We usually as missionaries try to share scriptures that uplift and bring the spirit." And I was dying laughing. It was so funny. The little guy was so embarrassed. And it was so funny. He is a Champ. He loves joking around with us.  And his mom was laughing too. She thought it was pretty funny. I guess some people don't get my excellent sense of humor. 

       Anyways this week has been great! I love the work out here. And
can't wait for Christmas. 

Until next week! 

Love,

Elder Bigelow

Still Week Twelve - Facial Masks to the rescue

Mom note: Elder Bigelow's little 16 year old sister, Catherine, sent him some Facial Masks as a joke in his last package.  Can you imagine our laughter when this is the video we got?  We are all still laughing and grateful for a young missionary that is still able to make us laugh even from across the country!

Week Twelve - McDonald's for the win!

"Mom, look at this cool trail we found!"

(Mom note: I have to remember these boys are 18 and really just little boys at heart!  It makes me giggle to think of them riding and jumping through all the leaves.  They are truly "enjoying the ride".)

Hey everyone,

This week has been pretty good. The work here in Falls Church is 
changing. It's weird. We have moved on from old investigators. And in 
the matter of one week I am pretty sure that we have a who new teaching 
pool. Dave, doesn't want to meet with us for the next couple weeks. 
So that kinda stinks. But we still text him, and it's actually going 
better then I thought I would. But it still kinda stinks.

We got a new investigator who is pretty dope. He is an older
man who is super humble. And he is prepared for the gospel. I know it
can help him. We had our first lesson with him on Tuesday at
McDonald's. So kinda weird. But it actually went better then I thought
it would! It was kinda funny saying a prayer before we went in. Like
bless McDonalds that it can be a place where the spirit will reside.
But it was. I know that the power of prayer is real. I think we might
be meeting with him at McDonald's for every lesson. Which kinda
stinks. But hey better then no lessons. And if it works it works!
We are picking up a couple of new investigators in the next
couple of weeks. That's pretty nice. I like that. And I hope they all
come through. We had some really good street contacting. And a couple
of referrals headed our way. So that will be good. It is easier to
stay busy when you have a bunch of work to do.

Something I learned this week is don't forget to have fun while
you are working. It makes it a lot better. We sometimes play this
game where we guess how many steps it will take for us to get from
where we are to like the next stop sign. Or to the next big tree.
Something like that. And it helps make it fun to walk around... Or we
try to guess what we will have for dinner at the members. That's
pretty fun. And after street contacting. The is always something funny
that happens. And we laugh about that. When you are out on the street
every day you meet some other people who are on the streets too. They
are there for a different reason, but most of them are cool. They are
funny. We will ride past the same guy like four times in one day. And
every time he asks how we are doing. And it's fun. They are our
friends. They are a lot nicer then the people we meet just walking on
the street. They see the missionaries all the time. And they know we
don't have any money. So they don't bother asking. They just want to
talk and have a down to earth judgement free conversation. It's kinda
fun. And we always end up laughing with them.
This week has been great. I love it. Time is flying by. And I love 
being here.
 
Talk to you all next week.

Love, Elder Bigelow

Elder Bigelow and Elder Timothy at one of the Smithsonian Museums in "the District"

 

"Mom, this might just be my new spirit animal."

We have been visiting this wonderful inactive man and he said he thought it might be time to go back to church. 

Week Ten - Get on your knees and pray, THEN get on your feet and work.

Elder Timothy and Elder Bigelow... two Utah boys taking on Falls Church, VA!

Mom note - I love that Elder Bigelow has a little smirk showing through his serious look.  I can only imagine the face he pulled after the picture.  I miss that smirk!

To everyone,
    This week has been good. It is super nice to have two p days close
together. Is lot has happened since my last email.  But it's good. I
like the change. I am now training. Weird I know. Training after only
6 weeks. But it's happening. I was really afraid at the beginning. And
didn't think I could do it. But this has shown me that the Lord is
mindful of my strengths and weaknesses. And now I have been doing it
for just over a week and I am no longer afraid. This is something I
can do. And it is going really well!  Our investigator is progressing
a lot more now. We hope to get him on date tonight. For the 21st. The
work here is going great.
    My new comparing is Elder Timothy. And I love him. He likes to
work hard. Which is so nice. And we are able to make the work fun. He
isn't afraid to talk to people. And it is awesome.
    Something I have learned since my last email is "I believe in
faith and works, and that the Lord will bless more fully the man who
works for what he prays for than He will the man who only prays."
(President Benson). We don't generally find the answers to our prayers
on our knees. But rather on our feet. I feel like it is important to
kneel. But it is also important when we are done kneeling we need to
stand up and get to work. We ask every day to be lead to those ready
to accept the gospel. But we aren't going to find them in the
apartment. It's when we get out and go to work serving the people.
That's when we will find the people that want to listen. That's what I
learned this week. And just think about it. And I know it works. And
it has helped me.
 
Hope you all had a great week. Mine has been pretty good:). I love it here.
 
Love, Elder Bigelow

Week Nine - Thursday P-day, Elder Perkins came to visit, and I am a trainer now!!!

This week has been good. A lot of work. My body is so exhausted from not having a P-day for like two weeks. Every day feels like it has been a week. I swear. Tell grandma thanks for her capes and letters. Her letters go to the office. And the zone leaders bring them to me. And they are always like. "Baby Bigs. How do you always get so much mail." It's kinda funny. But I love it. 

     It was kinda bitter sweet to say goodby to Elder Richards. Elder Timothy is my new companion. I am training him. It is pretty stressful sometimes. But he is good and likes to work which is good.  We work hard every day and I am always ready for bed.  But it's a good feeling. And he likes to talk to people so it is awesome! We have placed a couple copies of the Book of Mormon already and it is nice. But it is hard. Because I don't know everything yet and so I am like ummm .... What next. But it's alright. I am working through it.  I was reading my patriarchal blessing the other day. And it was talking about my mission. And it says "it will be important that you will be patient with your companion and those that you serve with" so I am like oh dang. Should have seen this coming. But it is good. This new calling is really pushing me. 

      Thanks for all the packages. They bring back a little bit of home. I love it. I am not going to lie,  it is hard out here and I really miss you but when I get a little package or something it brings a little bit of home out here and I love it. Thanks for those sweaters. They are perfect. It got freezing like two weeks ago when we went to White House gardens and then it was like sunny and 75 yesterday. It's weird. I have already used my blue north face jacket. And now I am like wow I am sweating. It's kinda funny. But hey, Mother Nature is always funny and likes to play tricks on the missionaries. And I love how there are always those sees treats. The will always have a special spot in my heart. 

      Time here is starting to pick up. I can't believe that I am already one transfer into this. But I think it's because it is no longer like a vacation out here. It is my home. And so I am getting used to it. I know the area pretty well and can actually direct myself home and stuff. I know the ward here pretty well. They kinda are like my family. Every Tuesday we go to dinner at the Crams. If you come out to pick me up. We are headed to the Crams! They are like the Grandma Donna and Grandpa Bruce. And she is a dang good cook when she doesn't get Chick-fila. And there are two little kids that are so cute and kinda like little cousins. One of them only responds to Batman. It is so funny. 

       Our investigator Dave is progressing. We are hoping to put him on date for the 14th. That is pretty great. I am excited for him. I don't know if it will happen this week. But maybe next week. And he will be baptized on the 21. But I am excited for that. That will be great. 

     Elder Timothy is from West Jordan. And he is cool. He loves basketball. We have a mini hoop in our apartment. And we always play pig. It is funny. Yesterday during lunch we played. And I beat him in pig and he was like. "Honestly I am better at horse." So I beat him at horse. And he is like, "But I am the best at monkey." So I beat him at that. We might play anaconda today. But we will see. He is pretty funny. He is always joking around. I can't believe anything he says because it is often a joke. But it is nice to have someone with my same humor. 

     Elder Anthony Perkins from the Seventies came on Tuesday. It was awesome. But it was spiritually exhausting. I was pretty tired after he talked to us, but he taught us a lot about how to teach better and it was awesome. I love it. We used some of his tips in a lesson with Dave and it was awesome. It totally worked. It was probably our best lesson. And it was just a reading the scriptures and it was sweet. He is awesome. 

     Oh, funny story. This just shows some of the crazy people out here. So we are in church. And this middle eastern man walks in and says, "I am sent here by Jesus Christ and I have a message for everyone." So I just about poop my pants and am like what is going on. He tells me to go up and talk to our minister and tell him. So I walk up. Thank goodness it was testimony meeting so I didn't look like a nut. But it's an even better thing that he didn't know that it was testimony meeting or he might have walked up. So I ask the bishop what I should do. We decide that we should just tell him the meeting is almost over and the bishop will talk to him after. So I am like ok good. This will be ok. And so I walk back down and sit by him. And the meeting ends and everyone stands and he flips and says, "Where are they all going." You have to remember his Indian accent while he is speaking. "Where are they all going." And I am like don't worry they will come back. Anyways we got it figured out and he told me and the bishop what happened. And it was a crazy story. He told us he saw Jesus Christ twice and it was actually kinda cool. Still not quite sure what to think. But it was pretty crazy.   

Love you lots!

Love, 

Elder Bigelow

Happy Fall from Falls Church, VA

Elder Timothy and Elder Bigelow

Elder Bigelow's zone

Trader Joes, Mochi filled with Ice Cream... a trip down memory lane for Elder Bigelow

Super Elder Bigelow with his Halloween cape made by Grandma Ellis!