September 2, 2013

Well this week was a crazy one :) Happy 5 Months :)  Its been hot though.... Walang ulan (No rain) and our area is drying up again. But just around the corner is Mango season I can not wait. 

Anyway, we had exchanges with the AP's and they taught me and my companion a lot about stretching out in our area. Our mission does Preach By The Way or just talking to people on the street. We had not been doing that. Well from Friday hangang Sunday we have 11 new investigators that we would have never had if we didn't open our mouth.

The ward is really starting to trust us, especially the Bishop. He said he texted President and told him that he doesn't want Elder Bigelow to go. On Sunday, we had the most attendance at Sacrament overall with 7 investigators, within that 1 whole family. The attendance was 174. The average when I got to the area was 132.  It really makes a difference with missionaries in a ward. The area was closed  for 6 months up until March of this year and the attendance was just above 100 during that time. So it really is a blessing to have missionaries in a ward. 

We also had a Baptism on Saturday!!! Brother G, he is like 76 but still works selling Balut. He had to overcome a lot,  especially the WOW. We gave him a blessing and after that he quit right away. He showed up to the baptism 3 hours early because he was so excited!! He has really changed his life and wants to love the Savior. 

Me and my companion are doing work and staying obedient and its paying off. I have grown so much during this transfer. I have felt like I am really starting to love the people and just adjust to the culture. My language is coming along and I am even starting to pick up some Pangasinan. Dicet Labut. 

I love the Lord and I love the work!! I would not want to be in any other place right now!! It really is a blessing to be on a mission!! 

"Everyday I am taking steps towards becoming like my Heavenly Father and becoming who He wants me to be." Thats my motto and it is so true. Everyday I am bettering myself :) 

Love Elder Malaki na Mababa

Here is a picture of the ward members who helped to pass out our relief goods when the flood was in our area.

Here is me and the flood!

Wet Week - August 26, 2013

Well this week like always has been one of learning for me :) It still is hard but I have learned from my hardships! I have learned that the people here need lots of love and they can tell when your just there to teach or when you actually care. My companion made me realize that. I was trying to compare everything to America. So this week, we just did lots of service. Our Area got way flooded. Like up above your head in some parts and people's houses just got destroyed. The stake gave some relief goods to our ward so we helped them pack it and deliver it to the different members. We met a lot of less actives and got a few new investigators. Service really does help. I want to tell you about L. She lives in a place where it floods and they cant get out of their house. So, before the floods she had some problems about knowing the Church was true and wanting to get baptized. We had not been able to get to their house for a week. But we made the exodus over to their house after the flood waters receded a bit. It took us 11/2 hours trudging through the mud, waist deep water and through bukids (rice fields) to get to her. When we got there she said she had a dream sorta like Lehi's. Estig huh? Well we taught her and asked her to be baptized again. She accepted with no reservations. Come to find out she had been reading the Book of Mormon all week because she had nothing to do. She read Mosiah 3 about baptism and it touched her heart. She knew it was true because of the BOM. All because of the Book, we hadn't been able to reach or teach her. It was all the Book of Mormon and the Spirit. It really helped grow my testimony of the Book of Mormon and how much power it has to change lives!!! I am so happy she is getting baptized in 3 weeks. I can not wait. :) But we do a lot of walking through rivers that were not there a week ago. It really is a 2 year camp-out this time of year. I love the work and love the Area!!! I am having a blast here just teaching and helping people come unto Christ!! :) 

Long Week - August 19, 2013

Well here is how my week has went.. Its rained everyday. Our area is flooded. Its pretty much just a big mud pit. Grabee it stinks to just be soaked from head to toe for 8 hours of the day. Just teaching and sharing the gospel. On Thursday, we went to Degoopan for a Quad Zone Conference. President is pretty amazing. The thing I liked that he said is I am working for the greatest cause this world will ever know. The cause of Christ. We talked about just working with members.  It kind of just woke up my soul. If that makes any sense.

The work is hard. You get depressed when you don't see the sunlight for 7 days and then there is no electricity in your apartment. Which means that you take a shower by candle light. Our apartment just finds different holes to leak water in everyday.  It takes you an hour and 1/2 to get out of your area because you have to take a muddy road by tryke because the regular road is underwater. But its all worth it! I am helping people become happy!! :) I am not really complaining, I love it here. I am just trying to help you realize that life is hard here. I just put a smile on my face and just get to work!! :) 

Our investigators are coming closer to Christ. Especially L. She was part of this "Religion H World" but now she is leaving it and coming to Christ. All she needs to do is get an answer from the spirit and she can get baptized. I know she will get an answer if she prays. 

I love everyone!! 

Keep me in your prayers!!

Love Elder Bigelow

An Amazing Week - August 12, 2013

Anyway this week has just been amazing. My new companion is great. Our lessons are fine and the ward is awesome. To begin with, I changed sacrament meeting for the better. Every week there are kids running up and down the isles, people not coming to church in white shirts and you just can not really feel the spirit. My zone leader said just change it. So I did. Before Sacrament meeting, I found all the YSA that weren't wearing a white shirt and made them go change.  When sacrament started me and my companion got up and stood at the doors so no one could come in during the ordinance. That made a huge difference. Lots of people come late. Then I sat and chased children around in the back and gave them to their parents. And guess what, I only had to do that for a few minutes and then parents got the message. They started holding their kids. The spirit was there. I wanted to make it the best sacrament because we had R come for the first time. What a miracle! He has changed in the past 2 weeks.  The C Family is now on track to be baptized as a family. That is why I am here. We had D come with his wife S too!! We had 10 investigators at church and it was the best ever. That was not even the best experience yesterday. The ward had a 1/2 day mission. Pretty much the whole ward showed up and they were missionaries for 4 hours. They visited all the less actives they could. Man it was cool to see on the right a group teaching and then on the left a group teaching a less active and then on the right again. Everywhere I looked there was just teaching, it made me proud to be a part of their ward!!!!!! We got 3 referrals and just a huge success. Yesterday was the best Sunday I have had here. Like I have said R has changed. He went from drinking in front of his house with his friends while we taught his wife and kids to now listening and just really interested. I have seen miracles on my mission. Now that I have shown the ward that it can be done, hopefully they will take initiative and make sacarement even better. There are still alot of things that the ward needs help with, but I will revel in the success of yesterday through Heavenly Fathers help and take 1 problem at a time. I am going to leave this ward better than I found it when I got here. 

It's hard leading an area to be honest. I am the one now that knows the investigators problems and what they need. But who the Lord calls he qualifies and I can testify to that. 

This week I have really grown closer to my Savior and to the ward here. I have seen miracles and just amazing things. I am still learning though. I still need to work on being myself with Tagalog. That's the hardest part. I kind of get into this robotic stage when I am teaching because that's all I know how to say. I know it will come overtime though. 

I love the Lord more than anything or anyone. 

I hope you know I am safe and staying obedient. 

Mahal Kita!!! 

Elder Bigelow

My new companion

Long and Interesting Week - August 5, 2013

Well Kamusta Sa Lahat!!! 

This week has been a long and interesting week!!! Shemps because its Transfer week!! Guess what?!?! I have my first of probably many Philipino Companions!! Elder R from Cebu! He is the district leader and I sure did get lucky he is great!! I will send a picture next week!!!! :) But even better than that I had another Baptism of C he is 12 years old and just a stud. He has some good examples to follow because his brothers are going on missions really soon!! :) This Sunday, we only had 2 investigators come to church :( We should have like 10! The biggest thing here is there is no rides. There is only 1 car in the whole entire ward and like 5 trikes. It's a sacrifice for these saints here to come to church!! It just breaks my heart when people do not follow through with their commitments. 

I ate aso (dog) for the first time this week. It was not bad. Really chewy. I am still not used to all the bones in all the different meats here. They use everything. Fat is nothing for me anymore. 

Hmm what else. Me and my new companion met a 114 year old that still is sweeping and cleaning her house. She can't stand up straight though. She even came to church yesterday!! I love it here and I love my new companion!! :) I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me!!! I know that the Lord is helping me along, I can feel his love everyday!!! I look back on yesterday and I am not the same person I was. Especially this last 6 weeks. I look back and the good times are so worth all the hardships of the first 3 months of a mission :) It was cool to see how my testimony went from being on a mission for myself and now for others. :) I can't wait to see how the next 6 weeks will change my life. I love the Lord and I can never repay him for what he has given me. But I am trying by bringing souls back unto him!! :) 

Over and Out!! 

Elder Malaki na Mababa!!

Hangang ang susunod. 

Mahal Kita!! (You are loved by me!)

Wow 4 months! - July 29, 2013

This week I have witnessed miracles. We have been teaching a family the Cs. Tatay or the father has not wanted to listen. We really wanted to teach them as a family because the wife and their 2 daughters were really progressing. They are Eggplant farmers and they have to pack the Talong (Eggplant) (which is really good by the way we eat it at least once a week) on Sundays to bring it to the downtown area. They haven't came to church so we prayed and fasted for Tatay to listen and when we got there he was reading the Book of Mormon. We taught them Sabbethday and Tatay said that they would change their schedule so they could come to church. He could not come this week, but his wife would for the first time. Well Sister B (Wife) came to church not only an hour early but they were the ones who opened the church which I am not really sure how they got keys yet. But it was great. 

We had another Baptism Sister W :) She really has changed and she is really smart with the gospel. She gave us a scare because she showed up late to sacrament so she almost did not get confirmed on Sunday. 

All I can say is that I really believe in the power of prayer. I can tell the difference of when I give good thoughtful prayers and when I don't. It's so hard to give it at 1030 at night when you were walking all day. But I just think of the Savior who did not stop even though he was crucifed he went into the spirit world to teach. Man he is the best example. I love him with all my heart.  

This next week we have a baptism of C a 12 year old whose 2 older brothers are going on missions pretty soon. Transfers are this week, but I will probably stay here in Malimpec. I love it here even though its out in the middle of nowhere. 

Over and Out for this week!!! 

Next week na lang!!! 

Elder Malaki na Mababa

Keep reading and praying everyday it will change your life truly and thats a promise from me, but more importantly a promise from God!!

First Baptism

Church House in his area

Missionaries

Another Week Again - July 22, 2013

Well Everyone, 

This week went by soooo fast and was one of partying and just having fun and yes still working!! There is always work to do, but like my aunt Rachel said "I need to stop and smell the roses every once in a while!" So, I gotta say Phillipino Parties are awesome! Friday night we went to the reception of JR (just for the food)!! We got there at 8pm and it was just starting, it was legit. Saturday morning we had the wedding, it was the first actual wedding I have ever been to. It was different because it wasn't in the temple. We got a few new (hopefully) investigators from it. People here see a reception and they just flock because of the food. The reception only lasted 30 min, when they run out of food they are done!!  Then we had a baptismal Interview, for WDLC!! Her Baptism is on Tuesday!! I am so excited! Anyway, after that we had the baptism of JR. Lots of people showed up!! Which I am so happy about! His face after he came up out of the water was the best thing I have ever seen!! Sunday was his conformation and he said it was the best feeling ever. I can't wait to experience it again on Tuesday!! Then we have C next Thursday, August 1st. He is 12 years old and his brother who is leaving on a mission is going to baptize him. It will remind me of me being able to baptize Braden right before I left on my mission!! I wish I could put a lot more details in here but I am limited to an hour.....

These are the best days of my life!! I am happy to serve my Lord. Its been way different than I expected but way better than I would have ever Imagined. I can't wait to see what the Lord has instore for me next!! 

Love Elder Malaki na Mababa !!