January 27, 2014 - Beira

January 27, 2014

    So since last week, a lot has happened! And sorry I didn't really even get to write last week either, but transfers were not really supposed to be until today haha. So Sunday after calling the zone leaders about our stats they told me I was leaving Maputo to be zone leader. So the next morning we go to look at transfers on the computer and I found out I was coming up to Beira but I thought I would leave like Tuesday night. Turns out my plane ticket was for Tuesday morning at 6:30 in the morning and so I had to go sleep in the office and the office elders were coming to get me that afternoon. So I spent the rest of the day packing and getting my suitcase down to 20 kilos. I didn't even get to say goodbye to anybody but I have called a lot them this week. It was pretty crazy leaving after 5 transfers.

    And I actually started my mission farther up North in Nampula which is where that little village of Luaha is so I will never get to go back up there.  But President Kretly baptized 3 families up there last transfer!

    So Tuesday I walked in a triple with Elder Peckham, my new companion, and Elder Martinez who is actually from Mesa and knows Lacy and Patrick! I guess Patrick was his teacher’s quorum adviser! Martinez was just waiting to go down to Matola - we pretty much just switched spots. We served two years together but never met until this week.

   Wednesday two Elders came to stay in our house who were going home, so we walked in another triple and had a busy day. Thursday we did divisions with one of the district leaders and I stayed in our area and showed it to him after just two days but it was a lot of fun. It has been pouring here in Beira all week! Our area is pretty flooded but we use irrigation boots and they make you feel invincible - you can literally walk through anything. 

    This week President Kretly and Elder Hamilton of the Seventy came up to Beira for district conference (or stake conference) for everybody in the Beira area. So I got to see a lot of people from Manga 1, Dondo, and Inhamizua!! it was really nice. I took a picture with 2Mac the rapper from Inhamizua. He got the Melchizedek priesthood on Sunday! Actually Sister Snelson took the and I asked her to send it to you as well. 

   Me and Elder Peckham were super busy this weekend getting everything set up for this district conference and during the whole meeting we just had to sit up on the stand and run errands for president. Tons of stuff went wrong with the energy and internet so we were super busy trying to keep everything working. They prepared a presentation on the computer that they actually didn't get to use because of all the problems so a lot of the conference was just improv. I felt pretty bad but it was still an awesome conference and he talked a lot about how members are actually the full time missionaries because here in a little bit the missionaries leave they go home but members always stay this is their home not ours. On Sunday the generator actually exploded during the conference! it was pretty crazy. We saw it from where we were sitting and it was super loud. I guess it just couldn't take going on and off so much.

   We have some really awesome investigators and a really nice area. We live just two minutes from the beach and we walk past it everyday. This week we actually had this super drunk guy follow us into our investigator’s house. He followed us and we went in and he came in but they acted like they knew him so I thought it was like a brother or something and then we asked them if they knew him and they started freaking out they thought he was a member we had brought to the lesson! It was pretty crazy. I am pumped to be here in Beira I love it here and I am excited to end here.

Tomorrow we are having a zone conference with the Kretlys and the Hamiltons and I am really excited. They actually came over to our house today and I got a picture with him. (he said he will send it tomorrow.) He was supposed to teach a lesson with us today but he decided not to, I think it's because of all the rain. But things are going great -staying super busy -and It is going to be  a great week!

   Love ya guys. Tell everybody hi for me, and tell David to be carefull haha! That is like the 3rd time since I have been here he has cut himself!

   I was actually thinking lately that majoring in humanitarian aid would be super cool. Isn't that what Uncle Jim did for the church?

       Elder Bigelow

At the airport when he arrived in Beira. From left: A member who was at the airport, Ryan, Elder Peckham (his new companion) two elders (don't know their names) and last, Elder Snelson (senior missionary couple serving in that area. Sister Snelson is taking the picture)

January 20, 2014 - last time from Matola

Hey this is going to be the shortest email of my mission. So - long story short - transfers are happening a week early and I am flying up to Beira tomorrow at 6:30 to be a zone leader until I finish my mission!! I love Beira so I will write more next week. I have to go pack because I am sleeping in Maputo tonight!

  Love ya guys

                 Elder Bigelow

January 13, 2014 - Matola

What's up??

     This week we were able to help get Stenho, Andre and Maria’s son, ready for baptism and he was baptized on Saturday by Andre!! It was awesome! I will have to send pics next week. We spent most of our p-day table shopping here in Maputo and we still have to get back to Matola. But also Elder Shumway and Abel, in my district, baptized and married a family and their neighbor that was contacted in the street in my area by Elder Ebmeyer, my last companion. Pretty cool! I got to do their baptismal interviews and they have super strong testimonies.

    Today we played ultimate frisbee with a bunch of elders here in Matola and Stenho and Jr.,  Andre and Maria's kids, were able to come. It was a lot of fun. We are really trying to work a lot more with the members and create more unity between the members and missionaries. We also found a super cool guy to teach named Joao this week. Married in the register with no church!!! But there always has to be catch right? - so he works Sundays right now and his wife doesn't like us …Yet... But he is super smart and read the restoration pamphlet and asked some of the smartest questions I have ever heard. Also Samuel (like in Samuel and Maria well anyways) he got the Melchizedek priesthood this week! Super nice.

   In other news: There is a wall in our house that has a huge hole and rats have been getting in this week, so our house has been a warzone lately! But it is being worked on as we speak. Good thing I practiced mouse stomping with David and Tyler on that old Saint Johns road! Also we are finally getting a new kitchen table - the last one is super gross.

   Also I am going on divisions to the zone leader’s house this week. The first time I will sleep in another house in over 6 months. Kinda pumped. But things are going great - working on helping an inactive family get married and come back strong

    Love all you guys and if you love me you won't judge my spelling! [Don’t worry, Ryan, Mom edits for you!]

                     Elder Bigelow

January 6, 2014 - Matola - Happy New Year

I totally thought I wrote about new years last week!!

    New years was good! Me and a few Elders went to sleep at 10:30 but woke up at 11:30 to sit out on the roof of our 2 story building and watch all the fireworks. Everyone just buys fireworks and at 12 there were thousands - it was super cool!! We could see all the way into Maputo! But then our neighbors starting setting them off and they were getting super close so we got down and went to bed.

   New Years is huge here and everyone goes to their families’ house on the 1st and they eat lunch and party all day again. Just today people are starting to go back to work. In America we have national hangover day but here they take a week, haha. It is super funny - everyone gets super excited and we still get people all the time asking how we entered into the new year.

    This week went well as far as the work too. 203 frequency!! If our frequency stays above 180 they are going to split Matola 1 and Matola 2 into a Matola 3 branch as well. We are really focusing on working with the members. Elder Jarvis and I are in charge of helping Primary and the young men. Our primary president is awesome though, and keeps all the little rascals under control. When I had to help with primary a lot in the beginning of my mission, high school wrestling experience came in handy, but I may have lost a few times when they ganged up on me. Primary women have a way with loving not fighting.

     This Saturday we are going to baptize Stenho and we are pumped! He is Andre and Maria’s son who is the same age as Jr.  The other elders are baptizing a family so we are just going to do it all together. Andre is going to baptize his son!! 

  We also are teaching a family from Manga and another family, Ditos and Ana who are way nice. We are still helping Carla and Abreu with documents but they are doing awesome and always have references for us.

     So crazy story: here in Matola they have huge lizards with bright blue heads called gala galas. So yesterday there was this crazy hard mystery fruit on the ground so I picked one up to throw it at this huge tree and then I saw this gala gala so I went to throw it at it but I had no hope of actually hitting it. But I nailed it out of this tree and it starting spinning circles! I thought I killed it and everyone that saw was super amazed with my skills (they probably wanted to eat it) but we went to catch it and it ran off.

     Our area is huge and so we are trying new places and we are trying to teach families that I or other missionaries had dropped the last couple of transfers and are having some success. 

   I seriously love this place and the people. Right now is the time of machambas so we are scoring all kinds of fruit and stuff.

   I made your fry bread like 5 times - super good! Don’t know why I never asked for the recipe till now! 

   Well love ya guys! Have a great week!

       Elder Bigelow