December 30, 2013 - Matola

Hey

    Well this week was awesome! I don't remember everything I talked about on the phone but we had zone conference Tuesday and had a training that seriously will help more for the rest of my life! It is super nice having the man over Franklin-Covey in Brazil as your mission president! I really want to take a ‘7 habits’ class in college. He always shows us videos and things from Franklin-Covey that I know businesses and other people pay bank to see!!

     So we had the training in the Matola chapel and ate a super nice lunch and afterwards we all went over to the mission office for a Christmas party where every district did skits. Some were way funny. We made a video that was super funny. I will have to bring it home with me. Our dinner was real Christmas dinner that the senior couples made.

     Well sorry I don’t have tons of time but I bought a nativity set today so I pulled out personal money, sorry, but I think you will like it a lot. Our area is going good. We have 2 families now working on documents and we found a sweet new family last night. They have 2 daughters: Chelsea and Psych! 
     Love ya guys! Thanks for the fry bread recipe.

Elder Bigelow

Zone Christmas Party

I took this from President Kretly's blog. It is the Maputo zone Christmas party. President and Sister Kretly are in the center. Ryan is toward the back on the left, the framed picture on the wall is touching his head. See him? We had a great talk on the phone with him this morning! He sounds great!   -Marian

December 23, 2013 - Matola

Merry Christmas!!!

     Well it really doesn’t feel much like Christmas when it is super hot, but Christmases on a mission are awesome! You are focused on your purpose and on Jesus Chrust all the time. I have never had a December go by so fast in my life and I probably never will again.

     This week was super nice. My new companion, Elder Jarvis, is awesome. We worked super hard and were able to find 3 new families to teach. We also helped Abreu get some of his other

documents for marriage. They want to get married and baptized February 8th. As a family they have already almost finished the entire Book of Mormon. They are already halfway through Mormon. And did I tell you one of their daughters is named Beyonce! Super nice. They are progressing super well. 

     Also this week we talked to Andre and Maria about baptizing their other son, Stenho. When we baptized them they wanted to wait for him to be baptized because he has to go out and live by himself at school in a super small town outside of Matola until he can transfer to a closer school. But he is only going to be gone for like a month in February so we are going to baptize him next week. This week we taught a law of chastity lesson to a couple who had a bunch of doubts and Andre and Maria came with us. One of the best lessons I have been in on my mission! Having members who have sacrificed, repented and changed bare their testimony invites the spirit so much into lessons and our recent converts love teaching so its a win win win situation.

   Yesterday we watched the first presidency Christmas devotional and after that all of us missionaries here in Matola and the Kretlys did a small Christmas presentation  with songs and narration for all the members. Tomorrow we have zone conference and I will call home Wednesday.

     Mom can you please send me the recipe for Navajo tacos? Thanks and also Saul and Kristi’s email address and can you guys forward me Holden’s letters. I still haven’t gotten any, 

    Thanks. Talk to you guys on Christmas!

 Elder Bigelow

December 16, 2013 - Matola

Hey guys !

   This week went well. We started teaching a guy with real dreads but he didn’t end up coming to church. But we will keep with him this week. Transfers went well: Elder Ebmeyer got transferred to Matola 2 and I got a new companion who is coming today from Magoanini, another area here in Maputo. He is in his 3rd transfer and is also from Provo. I am excited and really want to help our area take off. I am just staying as district leader again.

    This week we had a miracle happen! We have been working really hard trying to get Abreu's birth certificate but he needed a number on one of the documents he had lost to get it from the register in Maputo. So we went to like 4 places trying to look for this number or anywhere that would have some of his records and nobody was helping us. They all just kept sending us in circles it was always somebody else’s job. Finally we said a little prayer and were sent to an old guy in the criminal records department in Maputo. You have to know that all the files here are paper and by hand - no computers. Anyway, we paid him about 5 bucks and he went and found Abreu’s primary school records so we could find the number to get his birth certificate!!! It was super crazy. 

    As far as calling for Christmas goes, I can call on the 23rd or the 25th at whatever time is best for you guys. Just send me an email next week saying what time is best and I will call then.

   Elder Lake, my companion in the MTC, is the branch president now in Inhamizua and I talked to him this week. It sounds like inhamizua has changed so much. In January they are going to have 5 or 6 couples that are already members get married finally and become worthy. Most of them I knew when I was there. It made me super happy to hear about how well one of my old areas was growing!

   Thanks a ton for all the help with school stuff and don’t worry, I am staying focused! I get sad every time I think about how fast the mission is going by. This transfer seemed seriously like no time at all.

     Well tell everybody I love them and thank Gramma again for the eggnog she sent. Super good!

  Love ya all!

    Elder Bigelow

December 9, 2013 - Maputo

Hey well this week I have a little more time so I would send pics but my computer won't let me so It will have to wait till next week. The zoo was cool but the only things they had were crocodiles and monkeys. They used to have a hippo but I guess it died. But it only cost about 20 cents to get in so it was way worth it! We just bought live chickens on the side of the road and threw them in to the crocodiles. There aren’t really rules here like there are in the states.

    This week we found 2 new families that came to church and it was a good week! This week we are going to help Carla and Abreu get some marriage documents in Maputo. He got robbed and got all of his documents stolen.

      Andre is Uncle Donovan’s look-a-like here in Africa! Tell me if you think so. I will send pics of the wedding last weekend. 

    This weekend we are going to sing in a Christmas program the Kretlys are doing and next week is transfers! I have no idea what will happen. By the way, I think I am just going to call, not skype, on Christmas.

      That is awesome Dad doesn’t have to wear a cast.

        Tell everybody hi and thanks for looking into school for me. 

 Love ya guys!

 Elder Bigelow

December 2, 2013 - Matola

     Hey sorry this week is going to be super short. We are in Maputo and still have to run back to Matola. But the wedding and baptism of Andre and Maria and Jr. was awesome. Samuel and Maria were padrinhos (godparents) and Samuel baptized them !! How neat is that? Abreu and Carla are going good. We are going to help them with documents soon.

     We just got back from the Maputo zoo that only has monkeys and crocodiles but we fed them chickens and I got it all on film.

      Hey I super need your guy’s and Ransom’s help with UVU info. I do not want to go back to ASU and Elder Awbry just got done applying there so maybe we could room together. But I have no idea how to know prices or how to apply or transfer grades or anything and I don’t want to come home without at least an idea of my future life. Thanks love you guys tons

     Elder Bigelow