tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25043645158210714812024-02-19T04:42:20.983-08:00Jonathan's Mission Blog135051 elm tree dr
Apt #303
Herndon VA, 20171
jonathan.bigelow@myldsmail.netmarklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-4062663772306705622015-04-03T09:06:00.002-07:002015-04-03T09:06:40.846-07:00Last Letter<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
I had a wonderful week this past week. There were all sorts of highs and lows, but the prevalent feeling is of strength, peace, and excitement to be where I am when I am. I love the Gospel at a whole new level. I love my Heavenly Father. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I love the time I have been able to dedicate to all three. Yesterday I felt the spirit more frequently and stronger that I think I can remember.</div>
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See you in a few</div>
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Lots of Love!</div>
marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-63949138213026053172015-03-26T20:46:00.004-07:002015-03-26T20:46:45.578-07:00<br />
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We had a wonderful week in many ways.</div>
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My highlights/things on my mind:</div>
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-We had an awesome training <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_256527237" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">on Thursday</span></span>. The only downside was that it was seven hours long aaaaaahghrhrghgh, so long, kill me. But I learned so much and made all sorts of strides of improvement, so it was worth it. We learned a lot about the Book of Mormon, and we're reminded of its role and had a wonderful, enthralling talk about... Planning. It was wonderful, for real changed my life.</div>
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-One of these past days, I don't remember which, we stopped a women walking her dog and asked if we could just share with her a card and we were able to start a wonderful conversation about all sorts of things which ended in the first vision. Vivian is 28, black, with deep roots from Arlington. It was one of the most satisfying conversations I have had in a long time.</div>
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-I really want to continue to talk to many people like Vivian, and anyone else who God will put in our path. We have made a large effort to talk to everyone, Hispanic or not, everywhere we go over the past while in my mission and I don't think anything has been more rewarding. Reaching out! It always makes me feel good</div>
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Something I read recently in Alma hit me today that says something along the lines of "compassion moved them to act"(it was in Spanish so I am paraphrasing); compassion, charity, and love are the absolutely most enduring motivators and energizers. I love what I do and I continue to try and love who I am. I want love to motivate me to do most everything I do in my life.</div>
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I love you!</div>
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Elder Bigelow </div>
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With my Mission President:<br />
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<br />marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-53801966802520872302015-03-18T20:40:00.001-07:002015-03-18T20:40:28.382-07:00I love being a missionary!<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
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Highlights of missionary love this week.</div>
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-We had just finished making all the calls that had confirmed that all our hopes for appointments had fallen through (again, its okay, the story gets better). So we said a little prayer asking for some help from the Big Man as usual. We thought about it considered our options and then decided to go check on a guy who we had set up an appointment with for previous week which had fallen through. We had a great conversation about language and its interactions with our lives. We were going to have a lesson about the language of the spirit, but that fell through. We weren't sure about his address but we knew which row of buildings it was in so we started buzzing all the "b's" and "d's" because that is what we thought he had told us. As we were finishing buzzing the apartments and talking to a few people in the street who comes out? Luis. Lookin good and smelling better. He was on his way to a party but saw us and said, "Hey, que estan haciendo por aqui?" We told him, looking for You! We had a nice little chat and set up another appointment up for tonight. I will tell you how it goes next week.</div>
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<br clear="all" />-I am officially out of an ipad. It was taken away last Thursday and I am being a real missionary with paper scriptures until I depart. It is weird to go back after being so used to studying on the ipad. It makes things so much faster and more convenient. I will have a phone when I get home, so I only have to endure for a little w hile. The good news is that in reality I prefer the actually reading in a real book.</div>
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-We have been talking to a lot of english people and it is a wonderful new experience and challenge. There are a ton of americans in most of our area and very few hispanics so we have been trying to reach out to them a lot more while we are en route to find our Hispanic friends. It is something that in all honesty gave me fear at the beginning and throughout much of my mission but now it is something I love. Talking to your own people, even if they are often losers is extra gratifying in a way.</div>
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-We also had the opportunity to go to the sealing of Brandon and Daphnee. They are some of our best friends and we were pumped they finally went to the temple. Brandon was baptized right before I started my mission. He and Daphnee received their endowments last week and sealed <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_717913506" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">on saturday</span></span>. I have been buggin them about it since the day I met them! They are some of the best friends I have made.</div>
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I have been thinking a lot about Romans 8 this week. Specifically verse 16 but also the rest of the chapter. It has caused me to repent often. I more frequently evaluate where my standing is and how I can feel better about myself. Kick the carnals butt! Become something better</div>
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I have to roll. I love you lots!</div>
marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-10225958189229815012015-03-13T12:36:00.000-07:002015-03-13T12:36:14.742-07:00Week of March 9<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">These week was a great one, lots of little miracles, lots of tender</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">mercies and Tons of hard work (lots of doors and lots of talking).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I am trying to think of the things that I want to do and feel and see</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">over the last little time I have left to be a missionary. I think I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">have decided that what I want more than anything is to forget I am in</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Virginia, see every person for who they really are and try to speak,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">and help them. A phrase that my companion and I strive for sometimes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">is "forget you are in Virginia."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">That is what I want to do with the time I have left. I want to forget</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I am in Virginia. I don't want to wind down to the finishing days of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">my time here. I want to continue progressing and come home with the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">ability to come home running.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I don't have to many words today but I will tell you I am grateful for</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">my personal testimony, and I am glad I live what I live because of my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">own conviction.-- We met a lady the other day and had a tremendously</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">interesting discussion with her. I think she belonged to a Unitarian</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Universalist Congregation or something like that. (I finally</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">understand what dad said one time, saying, "They believe in God, sort</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">of...) She said she chose her view of God and religion totally based</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">on the social effects on humanity and the good it cause in her life.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Because of that and in part, how she was raised, she now identifies</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">with Christianity most closely. She doesn't however believe in the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">divinity of Jesus Christ or anything like that. Interesting.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I was confused, and obviously I have respect for everyone, their</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">beliefs and how they got there because everyone has had a different</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">life experience. Regardless, I am very grateful that I do what I do</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">because of my personal experience and my conviction in respect to Gods</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">relationship and communication with me. I love God, I love what the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Gospel has done for my life and I intend to use it to get the most out</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">of life that I can over the rest of my time on this here little</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">planet.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">See you!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Lots of Love!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Love//</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Elder Bigelow</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">ps. We went to cafe rio today and saw 9 Mormons under one hour. BUMPIN'</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Here is another photo of us before another day long excursion into the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">foot of snow that fell over a few hours. It was Heavy stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-30173424050931438792015-03-02T12:55:00.002-08:002015-03-02T12:55:54.102-08:00<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This week has been great; it has flown by like I can't believe. It</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">just gets faster and faster.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The biggest thing that has grown as of late is my faith, I think. By that</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I mean my willingness to do what I know I need to. It has happened</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">because of an increase of love for the people in our area and the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">wonderful experiences I have had as we reach out further and further</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">to try and help people grow themselves. Saturday </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">was particularly</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">interesting...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">We planned out our day the night before as we always do, trying to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">confirm things, figuring out what to study etc etc. We felt good about</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">what we had planned and we were ready to get going the next morning.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">As we were going on with our day we visited a few people and talked to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">some people on the street. Everything was falling through and we both</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">felt a gentle inkling to go to Fairfax which is a little ways away, so</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">we baiedl on our plans in early afternoon, seeing as we had no</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">appointments later on.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">We went and checked around every corner for Hispanics in apartments in</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">our potentials list and we were having no luck. (IT WAS SO COLD). We</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">skipped dinner to keep going and we could not find anyone who was home</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">or even mildly interested</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">. After talking to everyone and running to and fro</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">trying to be productive and efficient we decided to try one last house</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">because it was about 30 mins to get home if you're lucky and we had</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">little time left.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">We pulled up to the home and it was pitch dark. We said a prayer</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">anyway and as we looked up Elder Rascon said, "I think I know why we</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">are here..." He had a light in his eye as he pointed literally over a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">river and through a small wood to a house about a hundred yards away.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The family was hustling to bring groceries back from their car. He</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">mentioned he had spoken with them before about a month and a half ago.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">They are friends of a neighbor who introduced them. I said, alright</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">let's go.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">On our way over, excitement was building and the possibility of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">teaching a beautiful family ran through my head. I have come to rely</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">on miracles for our success, while always searching for them. --We got</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">there and knocked, he answered, we went in and had a wonderful</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">conversation. It seemed but a moment but took about a half an hour. We</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">didn't have "a lesson" but we had a good talk. It seemed to influence</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">him a lot as well as all his daughters we were able to speak to for a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">minute. Then we left.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">It is interesting how simple and small things can create large change</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">in the future. It is like that one "a few degrees" talk by president</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ucthdorf. I am so happy we followed our feelings, nothing is more</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">gratifying.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Follow your gut! (aka probably, maybe the spirit if it is a good thing</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">you feel you should do)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Love//</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Elder Bigelow</span>marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-44814295792727219532015-02-25T14:08:00.001-08:002015-02-25T14:10:40.727-08:00Feb 23--Last Transfer<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Heyo!</div>
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This is my new second half. He is number one. I LOVE HIM TO DEATH. I am finishing training him, which means when I am ready to go home he will be ready to go off on his own. He has been here for 7 weeks. We are seriously both on such the same page it is unreal. We are both 83637489% committed and have seen some tremendous miracles.</div>
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Because of a lot of cleaning to be done and another really bad haircut I am running low on time so I will give you just one story.</div>
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<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961);"> --It was a hectic night and we had not had time to re-plan for the night because things had shifted around and fallen through. Visiting our "prospective elder" list was on the schedule but we had not had time earlier to select the people. We said a prayer and E.R. started to choose which ones he though looked good. We checked the info on five and they all lived outside our area, we found one finally that was in Reston and we went. We got there, said another prayer asking for guidance and a miracle. We went on knocked on the door a few times with no answer. we started to walk back and President Riggs' voice came into my head saying, "God sent you there for a reason, always knock around," so we turned around. We see a house that looked possibly Hispanic, so we knocked it. A guy opened up and said, "oh hey guys, come in, it's really cold." We were taken aback, but even more when he said he is a member, fell away a while ago but knows he needs to come back. His kid is 8 and wants to go to church and he is living with his new girlfriend. We really want to help him out and he says he is ready to come back.</span></div>
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<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961);">Elder Rascon and I have contemplated direction from the spirit a lot. When we live worthily and are working are tails off, and then are willing to follow our feelings magic happens every time. I am so glad I have recognized that.</span></div>
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<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254);">Have a great week! I love you all!</span></div>
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Love//<br />
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Elder Bigelow</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Here is our district-- both sides of us</span></div>
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marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-67532073925426063232015-02-16T14:27:00.001-08:002015-02-16T14:27:33.611-08:00Week of Feb 16--ColdI am on the metro riding into tysons to get picked up to go to the<br />
temple today. We are going to do baptisms for the dead with some<br />
recent converts of ours over the past little while. Hopefully we will<br />
be able to get some good pictures. It will be cool to go and do the<br />
baptisms for the dead, I have not done them for a loooong time. It<br />
will be even cooler to go there for the first time with some of our<br />
friends who have recently been baptized.<br />
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This week has been a good one. Most of my high moments were connected<br />
to the spirit being recognized in retrospect, seeing it work in others,<br />
or having directly touch me.<br />
<br />
First thing. I was on exchanges for the day with Elder Jared Oran,<br />
whom you know. He asked me to prepare and share with him a little<br />
about following the spirit all the time. I was finally able to<br />
recognize and understand all the times that I have been guided by the<br />
spirit in my mission and how often the spirit actually did guide me<br />
before my mission in various circumstances. It was cool to make that<br />
connection and be able to apply how I will be able use that same<br />
direction in my life when I will be home.<br />
<br />
I was able to go back to a previous Ward to participate in the baptism<br />
of two HOMIES: Sonia and Miguel. I baptized Miguel and that was cool,<br />
but the really great thing was that after he came out of the water and<br />
we were changing he said. "I felt something really different when I<br />
came out of the water. I felt really good and could only think about<br />
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I think it was the spirit." Elder<br />
Clark and I said, yeah it was! That was pretty cool.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Last thing. During sacrament meeting a family we have recently started<br />
visiting who has been totally inactive for a year or two came and was<br />
happy to be there. The whole family came, even the crazy kids. I sat<br />
with them and tried to help tame the kids so they could get through<br />
sacrament meeting. As I was talking with them another family who has<br />
been inactive for the past two years came and sat down on my other<br />
side. I was really excited for them. During the sacrament I felt<br />
something special. That was cool. It definitely was just as satisfying<br />
to help them get there back in the game as helping someone be<br />
baptized.<br />
<br />
<br />
Moral of the story--<br />
I am glad I can recognize the spirit.<br />
<br />
1 John 1:7<br />
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship<br />
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us<br />
from all sin.<br />
<br />
I like that, and I can feel it<br />
<br />
<br />
Love//<br />
<br />
<br />
Elder Bigelow<br />
<br />
Ps. Waiting in the metro today was COLD. It was 10 degrees and windy<br />
everyone was dying, especially that girl in the far right.<br />
<br />
<br />
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marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-76655103693358717112015-02-16T14:17:00.000-08:002015-02-16T14:17:32.900-08:00Week of Feb 9--FastThis week has been one of the fastest weeks I have lived I think. I<br />
hardly remember it. All I remember was working hard with little<br />
results. But then looking back, we have finally seen progress this<br />
week. We were able to find some really cool people, and make some<br />
great connections.<br />
<br />
I'll tell you one of the stories:<br />
<br />
First: osvaldo, nelly and joel<br />
<br />
We have been trying to diversify our finding techniques to try and<br />
find prepared people. We have in the past tried many things but one<br />
thing we had not done was focusing just on potential and former<br />
investigators. In this process we blocked off an entire night to<br />
check these types of people. After many failed attempts we found a guy<br />
who said his son was a member and a returned missionary. So we go and<br />
knock the door. A jolly looking Bolivian opens the door and we ask him<br />
if Osvaldo is there. We got in and started talking, we found out he is<br />
actually a member, it's just he hasn't gone to church in about 25<br />
years! He said he has become catholic again for his wife and his son<br />
isn't really baptized anywhere we think... The best news! He has SOOO<br />
many questions, and they are all sincere. His first question was,<br />
"where does God come from, like did he start somewhere?" He had so<br />
many other questions from things like how can I know how the spirit<br />
talks to me to what do I have to do to get baptized... He loved coming<br />
to church and mostly because he liked learning, not for the people,<br />
but I think he liked that too. He is thirsty for knowledge of God that<br />
his parents have neglected to give him over the years due to their<br />
grueling seven day a week work schedule. They all love us and all seem<br />
to have a hidden curiosity to find out more, or rediscover a buried<br />
testimony. We are excited for them.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I love you. Time is FLYING<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Love//<br />
Love//<br />
<br />
Elder Bigelow<br />
<br />
<br />
Ps. I thought you'd enjoy one of my new "changing of behaviors." Or at<br />
least that is what I call them. Every time I am scared to do something<br />
or feel like I am prompted to do something I am tempted to rationalize<br />
away I say "scared" and my companion pushes me to go do whatever I am<br />
thinking about. It has made a few interesting situations. If a good<br />
story happens of it this week I will let you know!marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-48370959065826820742015-02-05T18:04:00.004-08:002015-02-16T14:14:17.570-08:00Week of Feb 2<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This week has been a good one. We have been working hard with on and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">off results, but wonderful things have been happening. It is</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">interesting how much work and perhaps testing of faith goes in to one</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">miracle. We sometimes will knock doors and talk to people in the</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">street for a whole day with no "results." Later something always</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">happens, but I have learned to enjoy the ride, love the work and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">appreciate my personal growth as I go through challenges.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Some of the highlights from this week-</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">-last night was nothing but good it was a build up of all our effort</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">throughout the week. Everything fell through so we decided to go and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">try previous investigators and potentials from previous missionaries.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Our records said that it was a man who's son was a member in Bolivia</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">and even went on a mission! We knocked and he opened, we asked for the</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">name we had written down. He said that person wasn't there anymore and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">has gone back to Bolivia.(he lied, it was actually him) after that he</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">decided to let us in and told us who he really was. We got down into</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">the nitty gritty with his relationship over the years and he said he</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">is actually a member, baptized more than 30 years ago but has "gone</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">back" to being catholic because of his current wife. So the story gets</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">longer and more complicated so I will just tell you that he invited us</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">back, his son who is not a member is down to learn, so is his wife.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">-</span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_458026924" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">on Saturday</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> we were finally able to get into contact with Anthony. He</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">was taught be missionaries pretty seriously like 6 months ago and even</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">had a day he was planning to be baptized on. When we talked to him at</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">first he wasn't really interested and said he hD no time. We were</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">finally able to get in and sit down and have a real discussion. As we</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">were able to really identify his needs and address them he opened up.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">He decided he does need Gods guidance stronger in his life. He also</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">decided that the best way to start that relationship up again was</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">1.reading the bible 2. Meeting with us 3. Reading the Book of Mormon.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">3 of our favorite things! We are excited to keep teaching him.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">We went to dc today. It was fun because we got to go to some of my</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">favorite museums. The hirshorn and the American history museums. They</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">were both cool but we BLASTED through them. Seriously so fast. I</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">decided that a cool museum might be a test for my girlfriends to check</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">their cool scale. Check out how they handle themselves in museums.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">They will have to meet the equilibrium. They might want to spend</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">WAAAAAAY too long or not even want to be there. We will see though.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The biggest lessons I learned this week were in patience, charity,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">hard work, diligence and finding fun in all of them.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Love//</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Elder Bigelow</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">It was a pretty, windy day</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-36407622473055318272015-01-26T19:27:00.002-08:002015-01-26T19:27:30.941-08:00Week Jan 26It will be weird to go home and not to my room and into our back yard,<br />
etc. etc. I will definitely have to ask the new owners for a walk<br />
through tour of the new place, and most certainly the back yard. It is<br />
weird how you get sentimentally attached to things. Just because you<br />
use something over and over or you are repetitively somewhere you<br />
begin to love that thing or place, and that is only quickened when<br />
accompanied by good company and positive atmosphere. The good news is<br />
that we already have that at the Maglebys house. Heck, we even lived<br />
there for a while. But I guess it will be home soon enough.<br />
<br />
I feel I have acquired much of the same love for this place and this<br />
time I have had on my mission. I think most importantly and most<br />
deeply I have created an attachment to the Gospel and the enabling<br />
power I feel as I put in effort to come closer to God (Their evil plan<br />
worked!). I will tell you one of the experiences that happened<br />
recently that has helped me develop that deeper connection.<br />
<br />
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_534445659" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Monday</span></span>--We are leaving the Gonzalez's house from a dinner and family<br />
home evening. As we are leaving a women says. "Hey, are you on your<br />
missions?" "Yes" we say. She said, "would you like to come in for<br />
something to drink? You'll never convert me but I have some questions.<br />
I have a friend who is a member and is such a good person. I didn't<br />
want to ask her questions because I didn't want her to think I think<br />
she is crazy." Her first question was about our view of Christ as the<br />
very Son of God. She heard we didn't believe that stuff. We explained<br />
that that was wrong and were actually able to help her build her<br />
understanding of his divine sonship and what that really means for all<br />
of us. She was a little surprised but pleased it seemed. She then<br />
started with all sorts of other questions and ideas she has developed<br />
over time swimming in open water Christianity tryiing to find answers<br />
her Childhood pastors could never answer. We were able to share so<br />
many scriptures from the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants<br />
and even Joseph Smith History that were able to either outright answer<br />
her questions or help her come to a conclusion that she has spent<br />
years of thought and study over which is really just in 2nd Nephi. We<br />
ended our lesson asking her if she would convert if she felt that God<br />
wanted her to. She said, "probably." I asked her what would impede her<br />
from being baptized, she said, "well I would have to read a lot more<br />
to find out if it was true!" We said we would love to help her through<br />
that process and she agreed to meet again.<br />
<br />
This all happened by the way to an educated white person who from<br />
direct outside appearance people might deem: already religious, not<br />
receptive, not interested, not prepared, too skeptical, not willing<br />
and a whole mountain of other things. What made it more amazing is it<br />
was a members neighbor. I am convinced there are people in every nook<br />
and cranny of the world who with a little love and a little touch of<br />
the spirit will open up and at least be willing to listen. Then, it is<br />
their choice to choose to act or not.<br />
<br />
I love my mission. I love my job. I love you and I will see you pretty soon!<br />
<br />
Love//<br />
<br />
Elder Bigelow<br />
marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-42464618587598496312015-01-26T19:25:00.001-08:002015-01-26T19:25:52.570-08:00Week of Jan 19We are driving on the George Washington memorial parkway in great<br />
falls VA. It is beautiful here. We are on our way back from the<br />
temple. It has been a long while since going so it was a great<br />
experience to go back. I will enjoy being able to go often after my<br />
mission. How is progress coming on the Provo city center temple? Do<br />
they have an estimated day of completion?<br />
<br />
This past week was a good one, every day offering something new. Being<br />
here again in spring lake has brought back a lot of great memories.<br />
<br />
I will focus my feelings of this week into one experience due to lack<br />
of time. Last night, right before heading in, we went and stopped at<br />
the Chiñas house. If I told you before they are part of the Muñoz<br />
clan. There is the grandparents, their four daughters and all of their<br />
families of all sorts and sizes, some married, some not etc etc.<br />
everyone is in a different walk and or phase of life. Regardless of<br />
all of this they have an immense love within their big family unit and<br />
we as missionaries get to feel all of it. We stopped by their house to<br />
see the newest missionary in the ward off. He will be going to Tucson<br />
Arizona, he will be leaving on Tuesday. He is excited, nervous,<br />
animated, sometimes teary and very very ready to go. I am excited for<br />
him and the experiences he is going to have. It was a simple night,<br />
nothing really special, but the love and care was immense. I want to<br />
have that spirit in my family. I am excited to feel that in real time<br />
at home with you guys too.<br />
<br />
Got to go---<br />
<br />
Love//<br />
<br />
Elder Bigelow<br />
<br />
Here is Hazi, future Elder Chiñas<br />
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marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-16094559885480891952015-01-14T15:07:00.003-08:002015-01-14T15:11:26.263-08:00week of Jan 12<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Today is a good day! And also a very sad one. I am, as we speak, packing</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">to move to a new area. We got a call late last night that due to an</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">emergency there needed to be a change and we are at the receiving end</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">of that change. So, I will be going back to springlake, my very first</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ward! But instead of being in Herndon I will be in Sterling, it is</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">like 15 minutes north of where I was previously.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Obviously there are a lot of mixed emotions when you get moved,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">especially when it was totally unexpected and effective immediately. I</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">have seen people get really mad or sad or distraught in situations</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">like this before so when president called I was waiting for some sort</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">of extreme reaction from myself, but nothin happened.. So, I guess I</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">am still a relaxed kind of guy!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">In speaking with some members and investigators and letting them I</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">won't be coming back it was interesting to see their different</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">reactions. I was most impressed with Sonia. She is a relatively new</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">investigator and us coming into her live has totally changed her</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">universe. since the first time we met with her she has felt the spirit</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">strongly and she says that "she feels" that she needs to follow</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">everything we share with her. She also has in a few weeks made an</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">enormous connection with us. She actually cried when I told her I was</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">leaving (I was a little surprised...) but then she said something</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">profound. She said then it is all okay because she knows there are</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">other souls God has prepared for me to touch. She made me promise to</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">go back for her baptism which I gladly did, and so I guess you'll get</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">a picture of that in a little while.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Anyway, I love you all, I am out of time due to the move, but I love you!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Always be grateful for what you have, it could be taken away from you</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">quicker than you think!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Love//</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Elder Bigelow </span><br />
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marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-24164214605742660742015-01-14T15:06:00.000-08:002015-01-14T15:11:14.030-08:00Week of Jan 5<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A great week again full of all sorts of wonderful things. I'll give</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">you some highlights</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Last night we had a great experience with our "new/returning member</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">fireside." We get together all of the recent converts in the mission</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">over the past month together and any returning from inactivity members</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">as well, and they share their testimonies and their stories. It is</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">always a wonderful experience but this one seemed even better. All</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">those who shared their testimonies were so strong and powerful. They</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">were all so genuine and excited to be a part of the gospel. Being</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">there helped me reflect and the wonderful blessing that it is to have</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">a personal testimony. The personal convictions that I have bring me</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">more happiness and peace when I act on them than anything else in the</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">world, especially God stuff. I have been studying again a lot about</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">the ways the spirit communicates with us, and trying to specifically</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">find more ways that it communicates with me. Last night I think I</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">finally specifically identified another experience where I was</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">elevated by the spirit. I did not however have any "burning in the</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">bosom" moments or any other feeling I personally relate to the spirit</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">but I was really happy, and I felt I could express my love and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">appreciation to all the people there in a way I usually by myself find</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">hard to do. I feel like that complied with the implications of a</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">scripture I have been lovin' on recently. Romans </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_21012931" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">15:13</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> says --Now the</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. In context, I</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">think the verses before this give the requirement of something along</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">the lines of, "Gentiles need to glorify God." When that happens verse</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">13 happens. So, in short: I am a gentile, I glorified God and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">appreciated all the things that he has revealed to me and so I felt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">great. Woo hoo! It worked</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">On that same vein of thought we had a lesson with our awesome Puerto</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Rican friend Alex. He is a funny guy who pretends to be too cool for</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">us but always invites us to come back and is trying to read all the</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">scriptures that we give him... So we think he likes us deep inside. He</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">is awesome and we are excited to help him keep going.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I hope you all love life and love when you feel great!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Love//</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Elder Bigelow</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">PS</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> I cut my hair again, but this time it is a little different. That</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">is my best friend. Elder miles. He is from alpine</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-55454024329108604302015-01-05T09:53:00.000-08:002015-01-05T10:46:38.995-08:00Week of Dec 29<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This week was great! It was great to talk to you and it was great to</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">have another Christmas on the mission.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The most interesting thing to me about my time as a missionary is that</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">all the days bleed together. I am hardly aware of what day it is and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">what that means. Every day is Sunday, but one Sunday a week we go to</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">church to make it an "extra Sunday-ey sunday." That is kind of cool but</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">super weird at the same time.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Saturday was great. One of the coolest people I have met on my mission</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">was baptized. Ever was so nervous to even think about this step a</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">month and a half ago, but Saturday he killed it. He had some</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">butterflies but put confidence in himself and kicked butt! He even</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">bore his testimony after he was baptized. That was extra special</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">because he told us he had never before stood up in front of a crowd of</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">people to speak even when he had to. He bore his simple powerful</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">testimony of the reality of God and his willingness to guide a</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">searching soul. That felt great.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Interestingly enough I was filled the same way that Saturday afternoon</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">as well. That happened while knocking on doors and not being given a</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">single return appointment or let in. People were more or less polite</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">but no one really wanted us there to begin. There was one father and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">son duo who were from Spain and particularly catholic. Just</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">traditionally though, so very stubborn and closed but not so sure</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">about the doctrine... Funny how that works. Anyway, they were nice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">enough to listen to us for a moment. After much persistence, a few</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">scriptures, testifying and offering to re-roof their house for free we</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">left each other in good spirits with warm hand shakes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The reason that particular experience and all of our other contacts</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">that afternoon were so great was I think because we helped everyone we</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">talked to truly come a little closer to the truth. Some perceptions</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">were changed, some people were invited to pray, some people were</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">invited to read and all were given testimony of the restored of Jesus</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Christ. That made me feel just as good as helping someone to baptism.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">It is all the same work, some are just ready, some aren't.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I will strive to give everyone a fair chance at it.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I love you and and hope you have a WONDERFUL week. I know I will have one</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Love//</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Elder Bigelow</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ps. Did you ever get more info about the possibility of me getting</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">some insoles from dr. Brady's offic?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Pps. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE GIFTS--I wore my socks last night-I wore my</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">robe this morning-I plan on eating my salsa this afternoon-I have my</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">present looking into the light-and I am itching to use my cute little</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">journals. I think I will start in them with my dope new Tetris</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">crayons. Aaaaand I am excited to see what Julia made! Did you by</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">chance get my little envelope yet?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">These are some live reactions!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-54527131238202013872015-01-05T09:49:00.002-08:002015-01-05T10:00:25.093-08:00Week of Dec 22<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I am really grateful today. I have so many resources at my disposal</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">for learning, just concerning the gospel. There are so many words in</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">books and talks and gathered teachings that so far, as far as I want</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">to go in nearly all of my questions and curiosities, I can find</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">answers. As I investigate for myself and for others, I receive clarity</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">of understanding. That is not to say it comes immediately or that it</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">is extremely easy. It takes of my time, effort, thought and faith. i</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">am grateful to have learned that here in Virginia. I am sure that I</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">will find many more questions along the way and if I soldier it out</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">with time, effort, thought and faith, I'll be able to make it through.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">My experience that brought this all about was just simple curiosities</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">and questions per usual and realizing the amazing resource of</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">knowledge and wisdom that books are. It helped that today we went to</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">the capital building as well as the library of congress again. It was</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">another good realization for me about the power of knowledge. With</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">that being said, I don't think I will study for 16 years of my life in</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">university like you did mom but I will be a lifetime reader and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">learner. Hooray for books! There is so much power in words. That was</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">one of the things that was impactful to me recently while reading in</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ether. All the hullabaloo at the beginning is so they don't become</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"confounded." There is power in confusion, and there is power in</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">clarity of thought. I intend to try and maintain myself well-informed</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">through the rest of my life.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Cool experiences in trying to bring "entendimiento" to people this week.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Best one. We had a cool lesson with Oscar who has been trying to</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">receive an answer about everything we have been teaching him. He has</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">been reading and praying for a few weeks a lot but still doesn't feel</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">like he has ever felt the spirit reading the Book of Mormon. We taught</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">him about fasting and did one together this past Sunday, his first</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">time at church. He was only able to stay for sacrament and we haven't</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">been able to get in contact with him since. But he left with a big</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">smile on his face. We hope that is a good sign.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Anyway. I am out of time due to going to the Capitol today. It was</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">amazing. The more I re-learn since high school about American history</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">and government/politics the more I think I wouldn't mind being</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">involved in some way, shape, or form.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">So, moral of the story, go read a book I am not allowed to read right now.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I love you all! Have a wonderful day and Happy Holidays!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Love//</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Elder Bigelow</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ps. I sent something for Christmas. You may or may not get before the</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">big day. I hope you do!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Pps. About the call on Christmas Day. I think we will be doing it</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">around </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_817552864" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">ten o'clock</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> our time, but I will call or text on Christmas Eve</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">to confirm. Sound good?</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">They have a big ole' Christmas tree in the library of congress now.</span><br />
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marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-34280186622921895252014-12-15T21:23:00.001-08:002014-12-15T21:23:50.223-08:00Dec 15<br />
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This week has been another great one. But first things first, you will<br />be impressed and or appalled at my frugality this week. My sheets, I<br />realized, are to the point where I can separate parts using only two<br />fingers. They have been washed a couple times I guess... I think I<br />have had them since I was 14? Not sure though. My slacks right now<br />are also wearing them and starting to split at the seams, so I am<br />going to by some new ones. So, moral of the story, even though I like<br />fancy things and often spend to much on them I will love them until<br />their last breath, and often even after. You learned that with my<br />Zuriks 😊 Dad, you will also be proud to know it hurts me in the<br />insides to throw away food, even if it's gross.<br /><br />Anyway, on to things that actually matter. This past <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1468839648" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Friday</span></span> we had a<br />"Christmas Conference" aka the whole mission gets together and we eat<br />and have a devotional. It was great. I learned a lot. Maybe better<br />said, I felt a lot. Particularly about a few scriptures and stories<br />that Steve Studdard shared. He is a two time stake president, mission<br />president and was THE mission representative on the preach my gospel<br />creation committee, which is cool.<br />😄 One of the scriptures he shared that impacted me the most was D&C<br />123:17, where it says--let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our<br />power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see<br />the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. I really loved<br />that. It helped me put in to perspective my work and my necessitates,<br />especially with relationship to the context of that scripture. I<br />recently had some reflection time on the word still, and what that<br />means, and how it feels. I think I had one of those moments last<br />night.<br /><br />Last night we went to the temple visitors center with Elizabeth and<br />Hector who were recently baptized. We planned a little in advance and<br />invited her whole family. She is the grandma/matriarch of a CLAN. We<br />have done MANY things over the past months to try and get her sons and<br />their families involved with the gospel with some successes and many<br />failures. We last night left to the temple just us four with hopes<br />that he others who "were coming late" (which usually means they don't<br />bother coming at all) would follow behind us soon. It turned out well.<br />We hoped and prayed and crossed our fingers before the end of the<br />night there was a group of sixteen people of the Barrillas clan<br />walking around the temple. They asked questions they felt great, they<br />loved the family time, and they were so happy they chose to come. Even<br />though there were many other things that fell through at the temple<br />that we had planned and the clan was missing one of the sons and a<br />daughter in law I felt "still." Which has come to mean to me: being in<br />peace, a sense of understanding, happiness and the recognition of<br />God's enormity in our lives. It was a good night.<br /><br />Get your "still" moment today! It only takes doing cheerfully in faith<br />all you can do for a very long time! But, it's worth it.<br /><br />Love//<br /><br />Elder Bigelow<br /><br />Ps. Today I cut my hair ALL by myself. It looks good on the front...I<br />hope it isn't too bad on back. Mirrors can only do so much.<br /><br />My sheets, I'm going to go buy some cool ones right now <div class="yj6qo">
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marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-74998092227311867962014-12-15T21:21:00.000-08:002014-12-15T21:21:15.834-08:00Week of Dec 8<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Good morning.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">So, just so you know we have this thing called weekly planning. We are</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">supposed to do it every week. It is supposed to last around 3 hours</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">and we are supposed to lay out all sorts of things for the coming</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">week: set goals!, possible appointments, what we might be teaching,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">how we might be finding this coming week etc. That is normally</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">supposed to happen on Friday. Being the wonderful missionaries that we</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">are, we totally didn't do it at all because we were so busy. We had a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">big leadership meeting all day on Friday and then appointments and</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">stuff so we never got to it. Moral of the story: it was a good thing</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">(just for the one time). I completely forgot about our "key</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">indicators"(numbers) and my goal of being a true disciple of christ in</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">charity and gratitude was really able to shine through. We had the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">best week we have had in months.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A lot of that. Think also had to do with our preparation for, and the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">actual fast we did this Sunday. I have learned a lot about the power</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">of fasting on my mission. One of the most powerful verses of scripture</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">that I have read concerning fasting recently are in Isaiah. I am sure</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">you have read them before. It took be about 10 times reading through</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">the chapter until I was really able to get it and begin to apply it to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">myself, but now I get it. In 58:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">free, and that ye break every yoke?7 Is it not to deal thy bread to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8 ¶Then shall thy light break</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">shall be thy rearward. 9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I mostly identify today in retrospect with the very beginning and the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">very end. People were freed and prayers were answered. I love that. I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">am happy that I was able to see some miracles in action.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A continuación hay algunos milagros:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">One of our investigators, Ever, has been really working hard to figure</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">things out and he received another answer to his prayers. In Sacrament</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">meeting in the last prayer I turned over to look at him and he was</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">wiping tears all of his face and just saying, "what the, I felt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">something, I felt something. It made me cry, what was that." He</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">recognized after thinking about it for a little while that it again</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">was the spirit letting him know what he is doing is right. He was</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">pumped, so were we.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">On a dreary Wednesday afternoon we had no set appointments but really</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">wanted to find some new people. We went to go check up on some members</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">of our Ward who we didn't know, aka, they probably don't live there.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">It turns out they don't, but we began teaching about the meaning of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Christmas and why we represent Jesus Christ, they let us in and asked</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">us to come back. Cute family from Honduras! We are excited to teach</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">them some more.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">In short, I am really feeling the mission love right ow and very</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">grateful for how I feel and what is happening right now. I hope to be</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">able to continue it. Love you lots!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Love//</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Elder Bigelow</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ps.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Also things you should know</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">- I just gave a great haircut-I accepted payment in chips and salsa.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">- last week I cut my own hair, and didn't do to bad</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">-I ran 2 miles this morning and am still pumped about my shoes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">-I will still be with elder Clark for Christmas and New Years. We are</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">excited to go to a soup kitchen on Christmas. We are trying to hunt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">one down.</span>marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-3190990100246332902014-12-15T21:18:00.001-08:002014-12-15T21:18:07.819-08:00Thanks to the Giving<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This week was great!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This week was also crazy, we had meetings ALL day on Tuesday which</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">kind of killed my buzz at around </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1468839642" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">3 o'clock</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> on that day but then we had</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">interviews with our Mission President, so that brought things back up</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">to speed. It was another different week but again so full of many</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">little miracles, sweet and simple.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">a few of them....</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">On thanksgiving day we had a lot of places to go and eat. That had</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">mixed emotions in itself because of how much food we had to eat. But</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">anyway, after trying to find some things to do ,because they asked us</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">not to proselyte as we normally would, we were going back to the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">apartment to grab something before going our first dinner. We saw two</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">people moving a bunch of things in to our very same apartment building</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">from a Uhaul. We insisted that we help even though they said no they</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">were fine and we moved all their couches for them. They in the end</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">were very grateful and it turns out they they are our new across the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">hall neighbors. It felt so good to serve a little bit to start the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">day. We have resolved to go to a soup kitchen on Christmas day or</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Christmas Eve. It will be the best.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Last night after our appointments had fallen through we were zooming</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">around an apartment complex talking to people and trying to find</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">someone willing to act on our message we knocked on the door of Alex.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">He didn't really at first want to talk to us and told us being in the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">military he had talked to missionaries all over the place. When we</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">asked him where he said, "well.. Connecticut, new jersey, north</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Carolina, Virginia, oh! and south Carolina, new York and yeah,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Massachusetts too." We insisted that we deserved another chance and</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">long story short he did! He has had a rough go of it in life but has</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">recognized God's hand throughout his time. We were able to connect</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">with him through that, and even though he wasn't screaming to have us</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">back he knew what we were about and said that it would be okay if we</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">came by next week to talk to him again. He is puerto rican (they might</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">be my favorites)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Last but not least another family who has been less active for YEARS</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">came to church again. The wild part about them is the Dad was a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Bishop, the son was a missionary etc. etc. We had a brilliant and</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">brief discussion about the atonement on saturday and the week before,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">and they came back. The truth is though that we are just lucky enough</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">to see them take the step. They have been prepared for years by God,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">and we just followed a prompting.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Something all these experiences have in common and something I have</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">been thinking about over the last few days is one of favorite</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">scriptures in Spanish. (it is also great in English)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Matthew 25:31-40 ending with the following...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">brethren, ye have done it unto me.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I am so grateful to serve and for all I have learned. I am grateful</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">for you and for God.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Be grateful always! life is better that way.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Love//</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Elder Bigelow</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Here are some photos of our first Thanksgiving. It was 100% Bolivian</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">and soooo good. Our second was American made by Guatemalans our third</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">was also made by Guatemalans but they made some of their own food. I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">seriously almost vomited at the end of the night, I was contemplating</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">forcing it I felt so full. Anyway, pictures</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-42349120055116484422014-12-15T21:13:00.000-08:002014-12-15T21:13:39.913-08:00Week of Nov 24<br />
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So, another transfer has come and gone. I am still in my area which I<br />love and I got this guy back as my companion! (ps. he is wearing the<br />tie you gave him for Christmas last year, he has mentioned like three<br />or four times how grateful he is for the gift and the thought. So good<br />work).<div class="yj6qo">
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marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-64421132179317780102014-11-19T07:51:00.000-08:002014-11-19T07:51:06.677-08:00<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Firstly thank you all so very much for the gifts! My birthday was</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">wonderful, due to your love and lots of great people here. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I have been thinking I know a thing or two about being a missionary</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">recently. I have even more recently realized the vast expanse of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">knowledge I haven't even touched yet. I have so many more reasons to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">be humble, rather than prideful in what I have learned and do do well.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I am extremely grateful for everything I have around me to help me learn.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I am sorry I am a little without words this week, for now at least. I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">have been doing a lot of thinking recently but I don't know really how</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">to convey anything useful home. For now anyway. We are on our way to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">the library of congress right now, so if I think of anything extra</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">good there I will write it up.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Love//</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Elder Bigelow</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">So excited to open them! Valene sent me a package too.-- you all would</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">be so proud. I even waited until my actual birthday.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZD8IEwlDv1TsXgGM8-QiC-HuJcTt29K1ys58aMtNQu-m5a1MCUBIyVFYk3i5Xjf275nFPGWkTwPzXVl-kwE2RkiU96q06fnOuNFAJBwLTIuwq_rPXDNHti3iY_OvcXNcgqX-10GA7Y8/s1600/image1+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZD8IEwlDv1TsXgGM8-QiC-HuJcTt29K1ys58aMtNQu-m5a1MCUBIyVFYk3i5Xjf275nFPGWkTwPzXVl-kwE2RkiU96q06fnOuNFAJBwLTIuwq_rPXDNHti3iY_OvcXNcgqX-10GA7Y8/s1600/image1+(6).JPG" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I am not quite sure how I forgot, but I remembered what I was going to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">write you about this week... The Salazar girls got baptized! Andy and</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Aury were baptized this past </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1871684751" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Saturday</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">. It was tremendously small and</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">pretty private. The two extremely reserved girls didn't want many</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">people to come. It was a really special experience. Mostly because of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">the preparation, work and care that it took the dad to baptize them.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">He had to wait a little. We were involved but really it was all up to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">him. He did an amazing job.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7w9gHa1NkK-ahIPKwUTWbD3-NxKT-wPCREgCX1DoEFAqUXhPCRDC0sQq0ByZzmPqT65UqE76qIosWwoJ_0SKS_7i2yr0in2U3yZMOFmZIfynTjVWqpD4ce4hDJxbgQnnDQaQlEbJcxXE/s1600/image2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7w9gHa1NkK-ahIPKwUTWbD3-NxKT-wPCREgCX1DoEFAqUXhPCRDC0sQq0ByZzmPqT65UqE76qIosWwoJ_0SKS_7i2yr0in2U3yZMOFmZIfynTjVWqpD4ce4hDJxbgQnnDQaQlEbJcxXE/s1600/image2+(1).JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">When they were baptized the simplicity of the process was so powerful</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">to me. All the the lead up was evident went they went down into the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">water. I don't think I have been at a more powerful or passionate</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">baptism. For me at least.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Also, we just went to the library of congress after we had gotten our</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">library cards. We went and read a first edition copy of the Book of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Mormon. It was owned by some guy neither my companion or I knew but</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Martin Harris and joseph smith had signed it. So that was pretty</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">interesting.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2S_KwLtyk9MYL1O0qNNEiCye4MSVNy6Q5wKEBnfWFDrQoOSmrbAaumaYixIma56AJnS10T0vFGwfFbXSTGGaxzl3uzXQhtDuYDQH1gVuRq0ouMYKDFsxDWNttnQ2Fh41nZslrvvfuBYU/s1600/image3+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2S_KwLtyk9MYL1O0qNNEiCye4MSVNy6Q5wKEBnfWFDrQoOSmrbAaumaYixIma56AJnS10T0vFGwfFbXSTGGaxzl3uzXQhtDuYDQH1gVuRq0ouMYKDFsxDWNttnQ2Fh41nZslrvvfuBYU/s1600/image3+(1).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">We are on our way home now so, I will talk to you next week!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Love//</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Elder Bigelow</span>marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-86061503835002504752014-11-10T14:44:00.001-08:002014-11-10T14:44:51.278-08:00<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">
We are helping a family through an interesting situation right now. They are a wonderful family who have been going to a local Lutheran church for the past 20 years. The interesting thing is that the parents and the oldest daughter are members. The girl was baptized when she was 8 and remembers hardly anything. The parents have deep running testimonies, that have been uncovered slowly by missionaries for the past while. In the middle of our teaching the mother jumped out of her sullen cage of a countenance and said, "I am coming back, we are coming <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1767636587" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">this Sunday</span></span>. When does it start? I am coming and I am bringing Sara." She finally made the decision to come back. She told us that she has actually stopped going to church over the past three months and is going to go to talk to her Lutheran pastor this week. She told us that she has finally promised God that she will raise her daughter Sara in the gospel even through her other kids have missed out. This all happened because because of Sara I think. She is this women's youngest daughter who finally got here from Bolivia. She is so smart and so inquisitive and has so many questions about the plan of salvation. That is what we taught her last night. She finally reached an understanding and her happiness has helped her mother change. They are nearly done with the excavating, and they are going to get to work on the bridge building. Their journey will be long and difficult, but they are going to make it, the mom dad and Sara at least. The other three children is still left to be seen. I really hope for them. We are going to work for them too.</div>
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I am grateful for the gospel in my life. I am grateful for the way that you have always encouraged me to love it and live it but never forced anything on me. Keep up the good work! Keep fostering those desires for good in everything you do especially in those that you would hope that the Gospel would grow again, or for the first time. Keep inviting others to enjoy some of what you feel. I have appreciated your invitations to me. </div>
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I have a sticker on my door telling me that Fedex came to the door but I haven't got the package yet. I think I will get it later today and I am sure I will love it! So thank you in advance. </div>
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Also, I loved the pictures, and expect a really cool quilt for my kid. REALLY COOL. But don't worry, you have quite a few years to brainstorm. </div>
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Send everyone my love. <3<3<3<3<br /><br />Love//<div>
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Elder Bigelow</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Here I am back with elder facer, my second companion. We are back to basketball</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21WrpExmAn0fGsdM5ODv0ZtFiBJx1br0u5qDvLEn8HWLB_Rt66FPk_fE4Yws-S1Or4CSSwk61ulvnEGjvF90gCjADxJfwOiNqlLFboPV9m-GfSedyTGNvx8694NFIrp2BOFXw8mBWJdo/s1600/image1+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21WrpExmAn0fGsdM5ODv0ZtFiBJx1br0u5qDvLEn8HWLB_Rt66FPk_fE4Yws-S1Or4CSSwk61ulvnEGjvF90gCjADxJfwOiNqlLFboPV9m-GfSedyTGNvx8694NFIrp2BOFXw8mBWJdo/s1600/image1+(4).JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-33822930490613847842014-11-06T08:40:00.000-08:002014-11-06T08:40:41.016-08:00Nov 3<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Today I am happy, again.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I love being happy. I love being peaceful and I love understanding.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Those are some of the main reasons I think I have come to love the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">gospel. As I continue to study I continue to find answers and develop</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">a stronger relationship with my Heavenly Father. Of course I continue</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">to have and unearth new questions and curiosities but I am confident</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">that in time all things will be brought to my understanding.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Many of these things I owe to how I have been raised and what I have</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">learned throughout my life. One of the people we have been teaching</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">for the past few weeks is finally starting to really understand how he</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">gain can the same sort of understanding. He came to church for the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">first time yesterday. We challenged him earlier this week to write</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">down a personal question to bring to church with him. We promised him</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">that if he did so and was attentive to the spirit during church he</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">would receive an answer. We asked him after the services how it went</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">and he told us they answered his question 4 times! We were pumped! He</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">is starting to have a lot of the same experiences while reading the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">book of mormon on his own. The thing that is so amazing about this is</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">that he is finally becoming spiritually self-relient. That is the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">process I have gone through and am still working on. It has been so</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">great to help him through that same thing, because he started at</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">basically 0. You really do learn a lot while teaching.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Watching him receive a testimony has turned me to think a little bit</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">more about the "daily bread" videos again from Elder Cristofferson.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Daily spiritual nourishment really does/can make all the difference.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Small revelatory experiences day after day can bring us to a higher</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">plane of understanding.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">This past week was packed with meetings, long ones too! We have three</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">more this week two of them really long. In my job in real life, I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">would prefer not to have so many six hour meetings. This whole foreign</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">service thing sounds more and more appealing ever day... I think I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">want to go to africa and learn french. :)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">You are all number one!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Love//</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Elder Bigelow</span>marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-73884871150367720062014-11-06T08:38:00.002-08:002014-11-06T08:38:23.048-08:00Oct 28<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Yesterday was a really, really good day.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">We had a half mission conference with a man named Elder Kopischke. He</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">taught me a lot and he invited the spirit in a way that taught me a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">whole lot more. The German, Elder Kopischke, taught me that. He taught</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">me, Jonny Bigelow, to relax, to loosen up and be okay with my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">shortcomings, and to STRIVE to become better. He invited the spirit to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">teach me that ME is what the Lord wants, and he wants me to be ME. I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">hope that makes sense. I feel liberated in a whole new way that I have</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">never perfectly felt before. He invited me more fully to use my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">freedom to choose to create a better life for the good person I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">already am. He taught me through his yielding to the spirit its</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">absolute power and authority in this work.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I have recently learned that more important that my recognizing of my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">weaknesses is my consistent striving to slowly but surely become a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">better me. One day at a time. This gospel is much more a thing of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">hope than that of condemnation. It is of light and peace not of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">overwhelming tasks. All the dark, heavy and worrisome things are true</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">but much more important is what we can gain if we choose Christ.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">It is all about choice. My life is all about choice.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;"> I will do my best to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">live my life within a given frame to be the best me I can be.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">That was one of the highlights of my past week, and of my mission. I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">don't have a whole ton of time to tell you about it right now but I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">wrote it down in my journal and will write even more down, so you can</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">ask me later.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Concerning the things you write about in the email, you are great. I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">love your emails and they do not make me homesick. They make me happy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Facebook, you don't really communicate with me on facebook so its not</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">a problem. Just don't start tagging me in stuff or making not gospel</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">centered comments on my stuff that I post (I don't think you will, so</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">you don't have to worry!)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">What do I need on my mission? AKA things I might receive on my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">birthday....:) ----Craisens and Roasted Almonds. Another cool journal,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I am almost done with the red one. And I still longingly miss my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">dear Arc'teryx Atom jacket, it was the bomb. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">But, really, I have everything I need other than that, and those</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">things are pretty wanty.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">You are great, keep being great.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Love//</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Elder Bigelow</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">ps. you can show this to the crew. I love this shirt. THANK YOU by the way, one of the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">dopest packages a missionary could ask for.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;"><br /></span>marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-19740417697200302122014-11-06T08:33:00.000-08:002014-11-06T08:33:10.091-08:00Oct 20<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">WAssup!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; text-align: start;">Highlights of the week:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">-someone at church thought I was from Puerto Rico after I bore my</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">testimony last week.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">-we started teaching the Dominican guy that came to church out of</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">nowhere and he feels a love and support that he has never felt in his</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">life before. He recognized the spirit and wants to change so he can</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">have more of it in his life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">-We went to the Masonic Memorial thing in Alexandria last pday. It was</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">crazy, and pretty cool. We went on a tour and learned all about their</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">clubs within their clubs and just all sorts of stuff. The coolest</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">thing was learning about the origins of the organization and why it</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">started.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnN6m4_fnQwg1CctxUH8UQ4KT01-0VxF7Sc-k_CAGF3UvbpJzuIjbEzxFfgzMd-wHFK3p5DRCY6n1Yixpf29GiKw5_MXSRqsov34ht5qF1E_ncf0qW08azSLTAaAqOKddkRcu2N8o4n8/s1600/image1+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnN6m4_fnQwg1CctxUH8UQ4KT01-0VxF7Sc-k_CAGF3UvbpJzuIjbEzxFfgzMd-wHFK3p5DRCY6n1Yixpf29GiKw5_MXSRqsov34ht5qF1E_ncf0qW08azSLTAaAqOKddkRcu2N8o4n8/s1600/image1+(2).JPG" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I realized the other day how much time I really have left in my</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">mission. It is nothing, it will be over so soon, so fast, so quickly.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I really want to give everything before it is over. I felt really</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">good at the end of this week, numerically it wasn't the greatest but I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">felt really accomplished. I think I finally totally know what feeling</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">satisfied with my work is like. We really worked hard in the ways that</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">we have been asked to. Or course there are so many things we messed up</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">in and so many ways we can improve but we really worked hard. It was a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">coinciding of my understanding and my willingness to give more of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">myself. I want to see miracles and I know they will come.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">One of my favorite talks this past conference was the skier guy. Elder</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Kacher talked about currents in our lives and how we can let them take</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">us to the highest heights or to the bottom of a deep dark ocean. I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">know that as I continue to try and let this good current take me where</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">I need to go I can be made whole in my service as a servant of God. I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">can be made into something that I cannot become on my own. That is</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">really what I want. I want to be powerful for Him.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Thanks for being great, and thank you for the pictures from Henry's</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">thing. If you see him at Harmony any day wish him my best.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Love you lots!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Love//</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">Elder Bigelow</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" />marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2504364515821071481.post-59748494449812130292014-11-06T08:25:00.001-08:002014-11-06T08:25:33.139-08:00Oct 14<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">
Good Day!</div>
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So, I am now in Annandale as I had previously commented. The move was fine, and I love the new area. The ward is bumpin' and I have another great new companion. His name is Elder Erickson, he is from Arizona, loves to sing and has one more transfer in the mission than I do. We are both experienced and driven missionaries so I really hope that lots of magic happens here. I know that we will be able to accomplish a lot.</div>
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-Some highlights of this week were first meeting this great little kid named Gabriel who was baptized on Saturday. He loves the church in its most basic form and more than anything can truly recognize his relationship with his Heavenly Father. The best part about that is that he got baptized to try and make his relationship better. Next is that is rather less active mother is on her way back because of her little sons example.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2BLJ9TjYQgY1g4RaglE1Rq3QUsOj3uvUUiCSQ3EBHwqZ4HxK7GALHs8yONfWEm9Fjx5ZU4m8h5s6zglLEvGs-xEe6cw4qYO_X3DODVwUuhyVrzDH4vFALVorNaRsi5WNj5tpNFPVEPw/s1600/IMG_1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2BLJ9TjYQgY1g4RaglE1Rq3QUsOj3uvUUiCSQ3EBHwqZ4HxK7GALHs8yONfWEm9Fjx5ZU4m8h5s6zglLEvGs-xEe6cw4qYO_X3DODVwUuhyVrzDH4vFALVorNaRsi5WNj5tpNFPVEPw/s1600/IMG_1108.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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-I have come into the ward where everyone seems pumped on missionary work. It is amazing and almost unbelievable. We have received references, members are so down to come out to lessons with us and we even get fed a ton. I am so motivated by their drive and want to serve them the best I can</div>
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<br clear="all" />-At church we just finished a little eventful but overall calm fast and testimony meeting where we meet this guy who had been sitting the couch during the whole sacrament meeting. A member came up and told us, "I have no idea who this is but he said his friend sent him here..." We met him and it turns out he is SWEET. His name is Eoris and he is from the Dominican Republic. He loved church and wants to meet with us on this coming Wednesday. He has a true desire to learn and has real questions. On top of that he has a relaxed sing songy droll of the Caribbean. Which I LOVE. I think I will probably go to the Caribbean to speak some Spanish for a while.</div>
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There are so many other great things going on in our area. I feel like I don't even deserve them. IT is crazy to come somewhere where all sorts of things are happening. That has never happened to me in my mission so far and it is so exciting! I think that might be the point though, as I have worked hard for a long time I have finally been blessed with the magic I have faithfully waited for.</div>
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I really do love this work. I love work. I love progression and I love seeing people figure out things for themselves.</div>
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I want to continue to change and give more and more of myself while I still have time. Can you imagine what could happen If I leave it all on the field while I am supported by God through all these members? I hope to see the results I dream about. That is what I will work for.</div>
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Love you lots.<span class="HOEnZb"><span style="color: #888888;"><br />--<br />-Elder Bigelow</span></span></div>
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marklbigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13160280862281208564noreply@blogger.com0