Week 5 in the Pines :) - June 17, 2013

This week was a good, but long week. We taught a 16 year old girl named ML.  She has read all the way to Alma 32 in a week. We went there on Tuesday and she said she had a testimony and committed to baptism. On Thursday, we got a text from her saying that she didn't want to get baptized anymore. It made us sad, but we went to her to try and find out what happened. Turns out she had not asked if it was true or not. She said she would so I am excited to see what her experience will be.  So that is something that me and my companion are really going back and focusing on. Making sure they have a testimony of the Restoration because if they have that then that will build their faith and lead them to act upon it. We have been teaching an eternal investigator, M, she is 20 but she is not married and has a kid. She comes to church every week for the past 7 months. She just can't make up her mind if she should marry her boyfriend or not because she thinks he has been cheating on her. But they are starting to get along again and I know she is going to make a choice very soon!!! I have gotten lost a couple times in the middle of fields and in the jungle. We jumped off a 15 foot wall using bamboo shoots to catch our fall to find an referral and we got lost in the jungle and couldn't get back over the wall. It took us like 2 hours to find our way back. I wish I could send videos. Our area is cool because its big and it has the city and jungle!! It's sooo awesome. Finding the rich is hard because none of them want to talk to anybody. So we get people who open the door and close it, or just hide from us. However, they don't do a good job because we can see them. Sometimes we call them out on it. It's pretty funny. I haven't taken too many pictures of investigators though. :( I am going to start now. 

It's really hard, to love the people and see them as Jesus does. I always catch myself when I am not. But it's a lifestyle to have true Charity and I am taking it step by step towards it. I know I am becoming like my Heavenly Father!! It's hard when people slam doors but we just happily go on to the next one !! :) Oh, I love this work and I love seeing people change!! We might not have any baptisms yet but we are still being successful because we are helping them change!! I love it! A mission is just fun!! It is hard but its sooooo worth it because you can really see Heavenly Father's hand and how much he truly guides and how everything happens for a reason! :) 

I am where I need to be and the language is coming along just fine, even though at times it seems like it is not!! You can get really down on yourself on a mission but I know that Heavenly Father will pick me up wherever and whenever I fall!! I just have to have hope :) 

I love you all.

Elder Malaki na Mababa.

This was taken when he got lost in the jungle.  

Braden was correct to worry about him getting lost in the Philippines :)

Better Week than Last Week - June 9, 2013

Well I have to say that this week has been great!! I am not letting Satan get to me!! All because of what my district leader said: 

I am going to be Heavenly Father's Best Elder Bigelow. Not mine because I can only be so great but If I become Heavenly Father's Best Elder Bigelow, I will become a great Elder!! It's letting go of my will completely and letting him shape me. I have been keeping myself from gaining blessings because I have kept even a little part of my will from changing. 

Also, I have been complaining about how the members never come with us or the ward doesn't care about the missionaries. But I realized that back home the US there has been 180 years to get it right. Here in the Philippines they have had only 30. But it would be sad if 30 areas close in our mission because the wards are becoming missionary dependent. Which mean teaching all the classes, and some even passing the sacrament when there are priesthood holders in the congregation. So we have been trying to help our ward become self dependent. I am thankful that I even have a ward to work in too. So I have had a lot of things humble me this week. I love it. 

We had a lot of investigators come to church and lots of Less Actives which is a huge deal because they fall away so fast its sad to see. So we do a lot of rescue and retention. I love it. 

I love the Lord and I love the work!!! I am going to let him shape me however he wants!! 

 A mission is the best!!! 

Mahal Kital. 

Love Elder Bigelow!!!!

By a river/jungle in his area.

Wow, how time flies by!!! - June 2, 2013

Well, this week has been great!! It feels like yesterday that I had my last PDAY. I am sad because our investigator with a baptismal date told us she didn't want to anymore. We have to push back the baptism of our investigator, Sister A, because she hasn't been coming to church. Which is a big thing here. NONE of our investigators are coming to church so we are going to try something different. It's so hard because in the Philippines you have to walk everywhere. So, we can't go pick up all our investigators and members don't want to because its too far. Those with cars are willing but none are in our area. I don't know if I have said this but the 2 wards here have 4 elders each. So its hard to get members to our area. 

Finding the rich has been unsuccessful. They never want to hear our message. But I have hope that someday they will!!! Me and my companion started planning a missionary fireside in July. So hopefully the whole ward will get involved. It's kind of been a hard week.

I look forward in hope though. I love the lord and his work. I am trying to bend to his will and not mine and that is hard. 

It's times like these that your testimony is strengthened though. So I will just keep pressing forward!!! 

Mahal ko Kayo!!! 

The sign that I am making means guapo which means I am saying I am cute ;)

So, this is my first time trying Tanga ng Baboy (or ear of a pig)....It was just fat.

These are all the neighborhood kids that are always calling me and my companion by our first names because they found us on Facebook, but they are all really cool!!!

Happy 2 Months!!! - May 26, 2013

Time flies by sooooooooo fast!! Today is my 2 month mark and my 3rd week in the Philippines. What the heck!! 

Me and my companion have been working hard. We invited the C family to be baptized in July. We still have a lot of work for them to be truly converted but I know that a miracle will happen in their life. We have a baptism coming up of Sister A on the 16th of June. I am soo excited. Of course, Sister M could be baptized in August but she is a special case so it might not happen then. She has been changing her life, its cool to see. She is bed ridden and can't give up. I asked it she wanted a blessing and I was able to give her one. So hopefully she will get out of bed and be able to walk for the first time in 3 months.  She hadn't accepted a blessing for 2 months. 

It's really cool when we are just walking and me and my companion feel like we need to pray to find out who to talk to, when we go around the next corner or around the next street there are always people waiting for us. This has happened multiple, multiple times and it just shows how powerful prayer is. We are doing a lot of work with Less Actives and Recent Converts and a few of them are starting to come back to Church and prepare for the temple. 

So on Friday, we had splits and I went with an elder who has only been here for 2 months. I have only been here for 2 or 3 weeks.  I have lost count. It's going by soooo fast. I didnt know how we were going to teach. The lord put words in my mouth during lessons that I had forgotten I knew. I was leading the lesson and gave a great lesson about faith. Through the lord I can do all things. It was amazing to see what me and this other new elder could do. 

But on Saturday, I figured out how close I was to the spirit and when I am not. We started talking about scary stories...( wrong thing to do). It drove away the spirit and we kept feeling like something was missing. All I wanted was the spirit back, I yearned for it. I would have done anything to get it back. I felt lost. We went back to our apartment and gave each other a blessing that we would get the spirit back. Such a cool experience it was like night and day. It felt good to be back. I will never do that again. But I felt like how it was to be an investigator and how if they feel the spirit what they wouldn't do to have that spirit always. I had not realized how close I was to the spirit before that. 

This week has been great !!!!  :) I love you all, Mahal kita!!

Can you find me ;) ? Yes I am in there.

Hardest Week of My Life - May 19, 2013

Well this had to of been the hardest week of my entire life.....but also the best. I miss home, I have to say, I have gotten home sick almost everyday especially during church because I have no idea what they are saying and I have 3 hours to just think and I think about home. I think also because I finally realized that I am actually in the Philippines and I got over the original culture shock. Whatever it is, its been hard. Pero, this week has brought me the most joy ever. I know I keep saying this but I have gone about this whole learning the language and scriptures all wrong. I thought that maybe I could have done it myself that I was going to learn the language and that I was going to get smart in Tagalog. Wrong, I went through the whole MTC thinking I was going to do it. Yes, I prayed for the gift of tongues but what was I doing to show it. Nothing. I went on splits with the District Leader, he changed the way my mission is going because he taught me that. In wrestling it was me that was bettering myself. Even in scouts it was me. Everything was about me and what I could do. I guess I just carried that attitude into my mission. But IT has nothing to do about how smart I am, or nothing about how fast I can learn. But about relying on the Lord for help, relying on him for every single little thing. When I applied that in my language study the last couple days I can tell that the Lord is helping me with it. I also found out that faith has to precede miracles. I just have to open my mouth and the Lord will put words in my mouth. I am nothing without God. 

I also learned something about the atonement. As I was sitting there praying for help, I realized that I was not alone that Christ would help me through all my storms or Baguios. Yep a baguio is a storm, but I also realized that Christ was alone when he performed that suffering in Gethsemene. How could he have done that?!?! It gave me a lot more realization of what he did for me and what he did for all of us. Christ gives us storms in our life to continually blow us in towards that promised land!! 

I have been prepared for this my whole life. When I am feeling homesick I just get to work and I forget everything, its the best solution.

Ok so some cool things.... First I played with a Philippino YoYo. I big beetle that got its legs ripped off that kids tie a rope to and it just flies around. Pretty awesome, I wish I got a picture. Secondly, I had dinuguan( the chicken blood soup ) it wasnt bad. I had my first whole fish just placed in front of me and I ate it so that was good. Lastly, I had my first Balut, it wasn't bad at all!! :) 

So we are doing a lot of work to rescue people which is fine with me. We are rescuing this family, The T Family, they got baptized right before I came and we are just wanting their family to come back to church! We are teaching a family named the Cs, they are an awesome family. We keep inviting them to be baptized and they don't say no but the spirit is sooo strong while we teach. That is the best feeling in the entire world. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't be here. I am here to have people become spiritually healed in Christ.

One last thing I promise I will include more about the families we are teaching next time.

My mom, you are the best example to me ever. You have taught me everything I know. 

Mom and Dad you taught me how to work and I am grateful for that. 

My brothers are amazing and I always want to be close to them. 

I am grateful for home cooked meals.

I miss scouts and campou's. 

I just want to be able to be held by my brothers and Mommy and Daddy again. 

I have the bestest family ever. :) 

I love the Lord he is my everything, 

Love Elder Malaki na mababa ;) 

That is my Philippino Name.

Mahal ko Kayo.

May 13, 2013

Philippines Mail #1

I just want to say this place is amazing!!! I love it. So this week has been packed full of adventure. On Monday, we left for the Philippines. We had a flight from Salt lake to LA which was an hour and then at LA we had a 6 hour layover. So, me and my companion were teaching to everyone and we met a lot of Philippinos. We then went from LA to Hong Kong which was a 15 hour flight. It was a pretty long flight because I could not watch movies!!! In Hong Kong we had a six hour layover and so I got to have Authentic Chinese food which was really, really cool!! Next we had a 2 hour flight to Manilla! We arrived late so our mission president wanted us to stay the night in Quezon City which was like a 4 hour car ride! We got there and there was all the Philippinos from the Philippine's MTC and I thought they were just random Philipinos but they all were so cool!!!! They helped us with our Tagalog and other things and we helped them with English!! We woke up the next day at 3 in the morning and all got on a bus for another 6 hours. The scenery is soooooo cool!! There are rice fields everywhere and Caribou which is like an ox. The mission home is really, really cool and so we had pictures and we had games and a feast! We stayed the night at a house that the APs stay at and then the next day was Transfer day such a cool time. I am with an American companion who has only been here 5 months and he says my Tagalog is way good for just getting here. I am in the Rosales Zone, Rosales Stake so I will probably be in the Urdaneta Mission. If I wanted to descibe to you the Philippines, I couldn't. This place is sooo amazing!!!! It's super humid and I sweat all the time, all the time 24/7. The houses are concrete and usually have dirt floors and most of them have TV's. There are children here running around naked and its just really, really different. I LOVE IT here though :) I love the people already.

I am sooo lucky though because I have a laundry lady!! So, I don't have to wash my clothes, which is nice! Our apartment is a pretty nice one! I live with 8 elders in 2 apartments. 

I want to tell you about an experience we had yesterday with the M family. She had not been taking the lessons until she got hit by a motorcycle. So, she is bedridden and it changed her attitude. We went to go teach her about repentence, but when we got there here mom B was there so we invited her to join and we taught them about how families can be together forever! In the middle of the lesson one of the members mission presidency came to bring food to them and he brought the other sisters. So, it was their whole family, 3 sisters and the mom. We all bore our testimonies and then Sister M gave the best prayer ever and started crying, then I invited them all to be baptised and they all said yes they wanted to be a family forever!!!! The spirit was super, super strong. The joy that brought me, I have never ever ever been so happy as I was yesterday, The gospel has brought such a great joy in my life. 

The E Family is a less active family and we helped them set a date to go to the temple to be sealed as a family!  We do a lot of work with less actives, helping them come back to church and receive Jesus again! 

Even though I have just been here 3 days, my heart is full to the Lord for his help in all things. The real teacher is the spirit, and I have to be karapat dapat sa espiritu santo!

The Lord's mission that he allowed me to go on means everything to me!! I can tell its going to be an amazing, amazing 2 years! I can not wait to see people come unto the savior and change their lives. It's all about them! He is helping me when I am tired and when my feet are tired and I just want to be in dry socks. He is with me always!! There are not just 2 members of our companionship there are 3, me, my companion, and Jesus! 

May 4, 2013

Last email from the States!

So these past couple days have been really really important to me. I figured out that I have been going about my mission completely wrong. I have been kind of selfish these past couple weeks. I have been worried about what I am going to get out of my mission and what I can become. That is the worst way you can look at it.  Even though I was looking at a mission as a way to come closer to Christ and to become a better Father, which are good things, but its not what a mission is about. It is for bringing people to Christ.  It has nothing, absolutely nothing about me. Nothing. I need to focus on the investigators solely.  Its truly shaped the way I have looked at my mission. Also, if I can be honest, I am scared out of my mind to go to the Philippines.  But I am not going to let that stop me because I can do HARD things. I look back on experiences in my life like HellsGate, West Clear Creek, Wrestling Practices, and all the camp outs I went on to Black River.  Just everything has prepared me for this. That's how ang Ama Salingit answered my prayers.  It was by those thoughts and they brought me great, great comfort. Heavenly Father put me here for a reason and I know there are people going about their everyday business not knowing how much happier the gospel can make their lives. I am the one, through the Lord, that is going to bring it to them. There is a lot of weight on my shoulders, but Jesus knows and is helping me everyday as I pray to him for help. I am not going to let him or myself down. I know that I can NOT do this on my own. Kalinging natin ang Ama Salangit at JesuCristo.  I love everyone in the zone (all of them.) I love my companion and I love the Lord. Through Jesus Crist I am ready to go share the Gospel. I love him. This is my testimony sa pangalan ni JesuCristo, Amen.

Mahal ko Tayo.

Love Elder Bigelow