8/21/2012

My awesome parents!

Well, my accent is really good they say, but considering the way I walk, and the sunshine hair, no one believes me when I tell them that I am a native. They believe Brazil, but they always think that I am from the states at first sight (hard not to blame them.) I gave up on the native thing and just keep improving my accent! I love speaking in Spanish. Mom, learn Spanish so we can talk when I get home because it is getting really hard to speak English. You might laugh, but I am serious! When you speak one language 24/7 it is difficult to switch quickly. I am slowly losing my English vocabulary. Oh well.

 

I love my companion.  He is so awesome! He has so much experience and I learn from him every day! I like having Latin companions. I get along with them very well.  We keep baptizing. NO complaints there! The work always progresses and we are trying to get this district made into a stake, so there is a lot of work to do in every branch. I learn patience and charity for these people. The faithful members have great hearts; they lack the learning and leadership that would turn them into a stake, so we are doing the best that we can to develop their leadership talents and to make them leaders, which is not the easiest task! However, it proves to be very satisfying and I love seeing the progress of some of these men of the priesthood. I feel deep gratitude for the priesthood in my life and for all of the powerful men that we have in our ward and stake back at home! There is a real power in the priesthood. The Lord blesses and protects His people. That is something that I never understood until I came here. We are so blessed to live where we do with our neighbors who are faithful members. I thank my Heavenly Father constantly and pray that we can develop the leadership here  so that they can receive the blessings that we have back at home.

And I am glad that everything went relatively smooth this week in Cali! A little scary to hear that the power steering went out, but at least you were able to steer it OK and that it was fixed quickly! Another blessing with the temple recommend! God is taking good care of my family :)

I, my sunshiny self, am doing very well :) you might say FANTASTIC (nacho libre voice) haha. I thoroughly enjoy myself and have a strong testimony of this work. The Lord is preparing people here every day and I have the privilege of finding, teaching, and baptizing them so that they can start to receive the blessings of the Restored Gospel. Never take those blessings for granted, especially the blessings of the temple. Take advantage of the opportunities to go as much as you can! I love you all! BIGGS hugs and kisses! 

your son,

Elder Biggs

6/25/2012

This week was fabulous! As a district, we had 4 baptisms this month and the goal was 3! I was really proud of the 4 of us for working so hard and turning this district around! We have already begun to focus on July and are looking at a very successful month to come! This past weekend my companion and I had 3 baptisms! We were really happy and excited! A mom with her two kids got baptized and were all smiles :) I feel very grateful for this area and for the Elders that I am working with! They work really hard and are super obedient and we get along very well!

A spiritually uplifting experience I had this week was a blessing and a lesson to me! I have been praying all month for help and guidance from God to help me magnify my calling as a district leader. I have especially been praying for the help to baptize and the faith to achieve my goals. I was thinking quite a bit about the different levels of faith that missionaries have. Some have faith to fulfill while others have faith to achieve! There is a huge difference! I feel like God has blessed me with more faith to achieve this last month and He gave me what I was asking! There really is truth in the promise ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE! I know that the Lord wants us to have success here, so if we do everything that we possibly can and ask for his help, he will give it to us if it is right! I really love the little testimony builders like that :)

My companion and I are doing fantastic and as of yet have not even had an argument haha. I attribute that to two facts. The first is that he is really relaxed and just chills. He is like an iceberg --  he hides all of the big emotions inside! Second is that I have become a much easier person to live with! I don't complain (as much) and I listen to everything that he has to say. The communication that we have is great and we are looking forward to this next transfer! There are transfers this Wednesday, but I don't think anything is going to happen. However, the Lord has a sense of humor so you never know! But, we have a lot of plans and are excited to work together for another 6 weeks!

I, myself, feel like a champ! I can't lie haha. My district achieved and even overshot the goal for June, which is the first time that it has happened in this district in over a year! I feel very grateful for the help of the Lord and the awesome work that my elders do here! I am very happy and know that the Lord will continue to bless us and make us prosper if we keep working hard and trusting in Him!

Stay safe and enjoy the little moments of every day! Never underestimate the power of prayer, and don't be afraid to get down on your knees to ask for help and guidance so that you can achieve your goals! He wants us to be happy so he will help us! Simple :) I love you all and wish you a successful week! BIGGS hugs and kisses!

6/16/2012

I was reading this week about the fall of Adam. There is so much controversy and there are so many confused people in this world who don't understand the true doctrine behind the fall. Almost all of the people in the world think that it was a bad thing. As I was reading in Preach My Gospel and searching for scriptures, I found some very important things. Firstly, it was a part of God's plan! Without the fall, the plan would have failed. Second, before partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve were not able to have children. As they partook of the fruit, a few things happened. 1. Sin entered into the world. 2. Death became a part of life.(physical death) 3. Blood formed in the bodies of Adam and Eve. 4. They were cast out of the presence of God. (spiritual death) There are more facts, but I will leave it at that for now. As we understand the true doctrine, we realize how important Adam and Eve were (and are) in Gods plan! I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have and for the scriptures and everything that I have which aids me in my search for truth! I know that God really has a plan for us and that we all have our agency -- the freedom to choose for ourselves! Let us choose the right at all times and bless the lives of others! I love you all! Mom, thanks for being so amazing! BIGGS hugs and kisses!

5/28/2012

1 YEAR IN THE MISSION BABY! Yes! Sadly, I am now on the downward spiral in terms of time on the mission! I already crested the hill and am now going down. Everyone says that the time really starts to fly now, and I testify to that! This week passed by in the blink of an eye!

 

My favorite part of the mission so far is seeing the people progress, get baptized, confirmed, and stay faithful! Sadly, that does not happen very often, so when it does, I am a very happy camper! There are a lot of things that I love about the mission, but that would have to be the best part, the most sweet. Obviously the most bitter part would be seeing them progress and then completely deny everything when they know it is true! For the fears of the world and the people in it, they deny an answer from God. Sad, I know!

This week we had a zone conference, and we learned a lot about the Holy Ghost! Most of it was a good review for me, but I want to share what we spent a lot of time talking about. First, the power of the Holy Ghost is the influence that He has. He is about to influence people because of His power. The light of Christ, which is the influence of the Holy Ghost, is completely different from the gift of the Holy Ghost! Only baptized members of the true church have the gift of the Holy Ghost, which means that we have a right to his CONSTANT companionship if we are worthy and ready to listen! He is a personage of spirit, which means that he can only physically be in one place at a time! Just like Heavenly Father and Jesus, the Holy Ghost is a God. The reason that we can feel his influence is by his power.

Cool, right? I liked what I heard and we learned how to put into practice what we learned. I was also reading a little bit in Doctrine and Covenants 82 about those who have received a lot of knowledge. As members of the church, we have the great responsibility and opportunity to share the gospel to the world! It is our duty! We have been given much, and too must give. One of the best ways to share the gospel is through our actions (example) and through inviting our family members to hear what we have to say! We must not lose hope if they reject, because God has His own time frame for every person. We just need to open our mouths and He promises to fill them! I know that this promise is true because I have felt it many times in the mission! I had no idea what to say or do, and I just opened my mouth with faith and it was filled! I know that God is ready and willing to help us out when we are in His service!

I love you very much and hope that you have a great week! Remember to invite the Holy Ghost to be your constant companion! You have the right :) Biggs hugs and kisses!

5/7/2012

Spiritual thought this week is to think about our covenants that we have made in the temple! I want to share with you two quotes from Elder Jensen from the presidency of the seventy, and Elder Christofferson when they were here in November. I was reading through what they said and I want to share it with you. Elder Jensen said ¨I govern my life by the covenants I have made.¨ And Elder Christofferson said ¨commandments are for those who cannot make and keep temple covenants.¨ WOW. I would like to live my life like those two men! I have a long road ahead to develop that kind of obedience, but I can start now! God gave us commandments for the people who cannot keep and make the covenants in the temple. If we keep our covenants that we made as we took out our endowment, we have no need to focus on keeping the base commandments: we will live at such a higher level! It is hard to imagine how great spirits those two men have, but there is no reason that we cannot achieve the same self control and understanding that they have! As a family, we should start working on that! Chris will be taking out his endowment by the end of this year, and we will have great responsibilities as a family! I know that the Lord has great things in store for us and we have the wonderful privilege of helping others come unto Christ!

4/24/12

I really like your thought on Christ, Dad! It is true!  Sometimes we think that we have to be ¨MACHO¨ and do everything on our own, even when we have the help of others! I was thinking along similar lines yesterday. As it happens every once in a while, the members who are assigned talks failed to show up (weird, right?) and immediately we, as missionaries, we get gobbled up and assigned talks as the meeting starts. I went to the scriptures in search of guidance, and found the scripture in Alma 7: 11 and 12. Christ suffered for so much more than just our sins!! If we go to Isaiah as well we read something similar! He suffered for our sicknesses, our infirmities, our temptations, etc! He PERFECTLY understands what a person with cancer feels like; he knows what is going on inside of a drug addict trying to overcome his addiction. It gives me comfort and joy to know that He understands me! In whatever I need, He can succor me! I challenged all of the ward members to think about that this week and focus more on the Savior!
I know that this work is the work of our Savior! I am His Representative here in Argentina! I love it! Thanks for being so awesome Dad! Enjoy this week with Grandma and Grandpa, and let Chris know that I love him and am proud of his hard work! Give my love to everyone!

4/24/12

This week I read a lot about Christ and his teachings in the Bible and the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi. I always feel the spirit when I read his teachings, and feel the desire to be a better person! He gave us a higher law, and as endowed members of the church, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to preach the gospel through our example and through our words! There are neighbors, family members, friends, and others who look to us as ¨Saviors on Mount Zion¨ to help them, guide them, and love them! Like you always say Mom, we need to let our lights shine! I challenge all of us to be a little better this week and to let our lights shine a little brighter!

4/17/2012

I am great! This week went by really quick! I had a great birthday and enjoyed it fully! For sure, it was different, but I didn´t even feel homesick and I loved it! I received 3 birthday cakes, which was crazy! They were all  so good!

I was so grateful!! I am so happy and grateful to have wonderful people here who love me and want me to be happy as well!  By the end of Saturday night, I didn´t want any more cake.

Things with my companion are good! We have a great relationship, and are working hard together! I only have a few more weeks in this area, so I am working double time to finish a few things up!

I learn more about myself every day and the Lord always reminds me that even though I have come a long way, I still have a long way to go when it comes to developing patience! But, I am very grateful for what God has given me and I know that there are no temptations that He gives us that we can´t escape if we look for His help and do all our part!

Ah, I remember watching the Testaments in the MTC! I always cry at that part when Christ heals the vision of the father! I always try to be MACHO and not cry, but I lose every time. I imagine that it was a special moment to hear Super Dave sing and be close to you! I always think about the Savior's teachings in the Americas when he blessed the children and taught us to be more like them. We are blessed to have such a great family, and two little examples of love :

Thank you for teaching me these things before leaving on the mission. I did not fully understand them, and I am still learning a lot. But I understand a lot better now than before that our thoughts are so important. We reap what we sow! D&C 6:33-36. The Law of the Harvest is very real. So thank you for sowing good seeds inside of me! I love you and am proud to be a member of the Biggs family! Be strong and know that I am doing fantastic!

One thing that really touched me this week was the scripture in Alma 7. I like what is says about Christ, and how he not only suffered for our sins, but also for our pains, sufferings, sicknesses, and weaknesses! He really understands how to succor us in our needs! He is the only one that can completely understand us! And, when we are ready, He will help heal our wounds and help us grow! I know that He lives, loves us, and desires the very, very best for every single one of us!

I love you all! Stay healthy, happy, work hard, and love life!

 

4/4/2012

Conference was great! I loved it! It was fun to listen to the prophet, and apostles speak, and my testimony about their divine calling was strengthened! I noticed that the family was the biggest theme throughout the conference and how important it is! I am very grateful to have such a great family :D  Happy Easter! Please let Grandma and Grandpa Biggs know that the Sees candy was delicious! The elders from our district ate it all at conference.

We had interviews with President Heyman yesterday, and he says that one of us is leaving tomorrow, but we don´t know who! I don´t have the slightest inclination as to who is leaving. I have 4 transfers here, or basically 6 months, and my companion has 3 months here. Either one of us could go. So next week you will find out! Sadly, our wonderful companionship is coming to an end, but it is time to learn more from other people and to seek new adventures! I am excited to see what tomorrow brings!!

I want you all to know that I have a very strong testimony of the Book of Mormon! I know that is is the word of God and that if we APPLY the principles that it teaches to our lives, we will receive greater peace and comfort in our lives, and God will be able to extend all the blessings that he has in store to us! It is such an amazing book, and is the most correct of ANY book on the earth! I know that we can learn and grow so much by putting into practice its principles!

I love you all and hope that you are all healthy and happy! Kat, do as best as you can to stay healthy! I am glad that you don´t have TB - you scared me for a minute!! As for people trying to rip me off, it happens to me too. The difference is that I pretend to get a little upset and speak the language really well that I cut them off as they start. The worst is the taxis! They try to rip me off but I just ask them for their car number and the number of their boss, and immediately they change the price to normal.

I love you all and hope that you have a lot of success this week! Give Nathan my congratulations and tell Jacqueline that she can serve a mission very soon :)

3/28/2012

 Over the last week, we had a lot of success! And we had a baptism!!! Like always I will tell the whole story at home, but the woman who got baptized is amazing! It was a great experience to work with her, and after she got baptized she said something to me that I will never forget! She said, ¨Gracias por venir a mi casa.¨ That means ¨thank you for coming to my house.¨ There was so much sincerity and gratitude in her voice that it really touched me! That is the culmination of everything that I am doing here! I am helping the people participate in the gospel and I am helping them to enjoy life to the fullest!

 

 I love you, I´m healthy, and am loving life! Stay strong and shine the light :D

 

3/14/2012

Mom,

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 29 again!!!!! YAY!!! :D haha it will be weird in a few years when I turn 30 and am older than you! ;) Give all the cousins and aunts and uncles my love, and let them know that I´m doing FANTASTIC! It sounds to me like everyone is enjoying a break right now. As for your cruise, make sure Dad practices his Spanish because I want to speak with him in Spanish when I get home!!!! Enjoy your time with Nathan and Mindy, and tell them to send my best to Jared and tell him thanks for serving alongside :D

Anyway, that is great that Connor is tall now! It will be fun to have family reunions when we have all returned from the service! I´m excited to see how much has changed!

This week was a great week for me and my companion. We grew a foot or two, beat up more bad guys, taught more good guys, and are dominating the world!! (make sure David reads that ;)  I am enjoying myself thoroughly, more than I have all the mission. I think that the more time you have in the mission, the more the things of the world start to disappear and your focus becomes real, something that takes time and experience to gain.

There is a scripture that I read this week again that has really caught my attention, and that I am going to memorize and apply in my life every day. In D & C 6:33-36 we have some great scriptures and verses that have a lot of doctrine and advice. In 33 we find the LAW OF THE HARVEST! Obviously this caught my attention fast, seeing as we have talked about it a lot and I am harvesting as a missionary. Everything we think, say, do- it all brings blessings and there is always a consequence. For good thoughts, words, and acts, we receive blessings and happiness. With bad thoughts, words, and acts, we bring negative consequences to ourselves. I´ve slowly realized that there is real power behind this principle. One thing that I have learned to do is to THROW AWAY THE EXCUSES from our lives. We don´t have time for them! Excuses are for people who don´t understand the laws of God. The only real control is self-control. If we can accept the blame for the things we do wrong and LEARN from them, we will have a deeper satisfaction and peace in our lives. I have stopped blaming other people for what happens. Sure, there are things that are out of my control. However, I always have the control of myself, my attitude, and how I react when things don´t go MY way.

In verse 36 it says Look unto me in every thought. Doubt not. Fear not. If we read in the bible dictionary, fear was the first consequence of the eating of the fruit by Adam and Eve. It says that fear is a feeling that doesn´t belong in a child of God. We have NO reason to fear IF we do what is right! Fear is the consequence of disobedience and the breaking of the laws of God! I want to develop myself to the point where I no longer have fear in anything. I hope you all can read this piece of scripture and if you want, let me know your thoughts and feelings! I´d love to see how you interpret what you read :)

 

Katherine, GO BARBIE!!!!!! heheheh. Show all those people that Barbie is a member of the true church! ;) You are an example to all of us and everyone notices your happiness and energy! Always represent yourself how you know you should and you will have an inner happiness that very few people find!

Chris, stay sexy. Hahhahah. Keep building those muscles, and start building your spiritual ones right NOW. The earlier you start, the better prepared you will be and you´ll feel more comfortable with yourself in the teaching of the gospel.

David, go play sports with your friends! Make sure to share and to smile a lot. Give mommy a kiss!

Jacqueline, help mommy with the chores in the house and then you can serve a mission in Disneyland!

 

Mom, you are the best :D I love you and hope that you and Dad enjoy your trip/getaway this week to come! Try to get tan to keep up with me ;) muah! BIIIIIIIIIIIGS hug! chau

 

your super duper son

Elder Biggs

2/20/2012

My dear Family,

 

How are we?!?!? Life is so great, isn´t it? Yes, sometimes it is hard, and there are days when I feel super beat up and just want to crawl into bed and sleep. But I know that it is all for my good and that I am growing a lot!

Chris, CONGRATS on getting accepted to BYU! I am super proud of you for continuing the family tradition :D And you are actually going to give blood? Nice. Saving lives baby.

I got a letter from Elder Gish. He sounds like he is doing great and is growing so much. He sounds awesome! I am super proud of him!

 

So we had a zone conference this week! I got named the ELDER MAS ANIMADO!!!! (Mom, that means the elder most energetic and enthusiastic.) YEAH BABY!!!!!!! Hahaha it was a great zone conference and I was very proud and happy to accept the certificate. When I saw it, I started to think about how many changes have taken place in me over the last 9 months! I feel a lot more confident in myself in so many different ways, and I have an energy in my life that I have never experienced before! I feel more capable and strong in so many ways, and hadn´t noticed how much I had grown up until this past week.

 

I have really come to love the scripture in D. & C. 6:36. Look to the Lord in every thought. Doubt not. Fear not. There is a lot to say about how simple yet profound this is to me. Fear in the mission field is something normal. Talking to people who you´ve never met, knocking doors, and a whole load of other things are reasons to cause fear. However, as a representative of Jesus Christ, I have no reason to fear! So what if a door gets slammed in my face? Others will open! So what if I get rocks thrown at me from the kids on the corner? At least I´m healthy! Fear is not a Christlike attribute. Fear is not worthy of a child of God. In the bible dictionary we learn that the first cause of Adam's transgression was that he was AFRAID. Sin brings fear. Righteousness brings positive thoughts and an inner strength that only the pure in heart and repentant can have. I´m really putting in practice this scripture as I do my best to bless the lives of the people here and spread the gospel.

 

I am so proud of my family! Kat, keep working hard out there Barbie!! ;) You´re amazing and a great example for all of us. Chris, try not to flex your muscles TOO much for the ladies ;) Stay happy and stay strong. Mom and Dad, thanks for all that you do. You have blessed me in so many ways and words cannot express my gratitude for all that you have done for me. Just know that I am proud to call you my parents and that I love you SOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!! :D Dave and Jac, keep working hard and go buy some ties so you can serve your missions!

 

Elder Michael Biggs