Hola Famila y Amigos,

The MTC is starting to feel like a blur. It's all a routine. You do pretty much the same thing everyday. I'm starting to mix days together and it's weird. I'm enjoying it still though. I get my work done and have learned my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning the language and how to overcome the weaknesses.

We started TRC. TRC is teaching investigators that aren't teachers pretending to be investigators., but real people that volunteer or are paid to be an actor investigator. I feel that I learn the most through lessons. Elder McGrath taught 1 or 2 lessons a day this week. Some people don't like it or have a hard time. I LOVE IT. I love teaching investigators in lessons. We invited our investigator Diana to read the Book of Mormon and asked that she would pray with real intent if what she read was true. She said she would and on Lunes (Monday) we will invite her to be baptized. The spirit is so strong in the lessons despite it being staged. It's crazy to me. Eventhough it's not a real investigator, it's no cake walk. She asks difficult questions and we've studied, pondered, and prayed about them and we would have an answer for them. 

The language is really coming to me when it comes to teaching lessons. I feel like I really only know spanish in gospel words and terms. I've always sucked at memorization but I've figured out ways to help me.  I know El Invitacion Bautismo and Primero Vision in Espanol from memory. I'm learning Moroni 10:3-5 and Ether 12:27 right now to memorize in Espanol. It's really impactful. 

Sundays Devotional on Pioneer Day we had the Nashville Tribute Band come and have a Sunday Concert for us. They're all LDS and all served missions. If you have the time look them up, they're music is all church related and brings the spirit in a country fashion. The last song they played was called "Delta Napkin" and it's about serving a mission. Please listen to it when you have the chance. They sang it and it was very spiritual and they invited us to sing it one more time with them and I don't think there was anyone in the room that didn't shed a tear. It really hits hard about being a missionary and leaving your family. I heard the best quote the other day and it made me emotional thinking about it. 

"Missionaries leave their families for two years so they can help bring families together for eternity."

Some himnos just sound so much better in Espanol. Called to Serve and Jesus is My Light was made for spanish. There's one hymn in the spanish hymn book that isn't in the english hymn book that has became my favorite hymn. It's himno number 88. It's called Placentro nos es trabajar. It's sounds beautiful and it's very powerful. Speaking of music. Elder McGrath and I have been called as Branch Music Coordinators. We're in charge of picking the himnos each domingo, and giving special musical numbers.

It's a lot of hard work here. But it's so worth it. I make sure to get my work done but also try to have fun and still be myself. I'm growing more and more each day. And learning more and more in the scriptures. I love and miss you guys and appreciate all the support.

Hasta Luego,

Elder Batman

Oh by the way. I was teaching an investigator this week and I said El Libro de Mormón es verdadero con toda CERVEZA. What I meant to say was CERTEZA which means certainty. So I said the Book of Mormon is true with all BEER. The investigator was cracking up. I realized what I said and I was started cracking up as well. 

I'M LEARNING OKAY😂

Elder Batman

HOLA FAMILA YOU AMIGOS

This week has been crazy. On Sunday we had a devotional in the MTC conference hall and watched President Bednar's video on the Character of Christ (which is only shown in the MTC) it's about service, charity, and the natural man. It was great and the spirit was strong. When it concluded the MTC president look frazzled and people were telling us to all stand and the organ started playing and PRESIDENT BEDNAR CAME IN! It was crazy! My first MTC devotional and an apostle comes in. He did a Q & A and I didn't have any questions but I recieved answers. He talked about not comparing yourself to others just do your best and have faith. The spirit was so prevalent in that meeting. He is a true apostle of God.

Tuesday was another devotional from a Elder Parks, ameritus seventy. His talk was about obedience and I loved his talk. He said you will prosper and be blessed if you obey the rules of a missionary. He said an interesting point "How can you tell an investigator to repent and change their life if you're not obedient to the mission rules?" Learned a lot. He also talked about the importance of being in tune with the spirit. The spirit converts the investigator, not the missionary.

We've taught 4 lessons solely in espanol this week with staged investigators. You learn so much from that. My first lesson I wrote down what I was gonna say in espanol and I didn't do very well. The next day I prayed and asked for help with the language in my lesson and I felt prompted to not have any english written down or spanish prompts prewritten. I DID SO MUCH BETTER. I listened to the spirit and what I needed to say, what I studied, was there for me to say. (it came out slow and not conjugated the best but..) Elder McGrath and I are doing well in teaching lessons.

I'm having a hard time on being quizzed solely on the language. If it's just learning the language I'm having a hard time. But if you put me in an investigator setting I thrive. I seem to be the one bringing up the back when It comes to learning the language, but when it comes to teaching lessons I'm one of the best. It's been discourgaging and frustrating sometimes this week. Wednesday I was very frustrated cause I studied so hard on this mastery check and I didn't pass and I got more behind. Hermana Russell (our teacher) she only speaks in Espanol in the class. She could see my frustration and pulled Elder Told and I aside as Elder Told and I are having similar problems with learning the language. She spoked to us in english and could see our frustration and told us to read Ether 12 and ask heavenly father for help and have faith and the language will stick with you. I am very grateful for her help and kindness. It helped a lot and i've been doing better with the language. I get frustrated occasionally but I always remember why I'm here and I don't think for one second about leaving my mission. 

My companion and district is awesome. We're all very close and we all mesh very well. My companion is funny everyone in our district all have different personalities that makes it intresting. We find ourself laughing most of the day. I really like our zone too. The dorms are always a good time. Elders still try to beat me in arm wrestling every couple of days. (Still reigning champ) My zone is all spanish speakers. Going to Nicaragua, Argentina, New York, and Yakima or Everett Washington. We play futbol during excercise time and it's alway Espanol vs Germans. We gert really competitive in it. The Germans tend to take it too far as we've beat them every day except yesterday and they acted like they won the world cup... 

I'm having an amazing time here. The spirit is strong here. I'm becoming spiritually stronger and more independent every day. The language is coming. I know so much more spanish than I did last week.

Hasta Luego,

Elder Batman

P.S. If a scripture could accurately describe what the MTC food does to you it would be Jeremiah 4:19-21. (please read it is hilarious)

Hola famila!

Well, it's day 4. It felt like I got here today. The days are meshing together. The mornings and afternoons feel like different days. Time is flying by. I'm loving it here. It's hard work but Iove my district. We all get along quite well. Very laid back, but work hard. We stay obedient despite most of our dorm floor isnt obedient. Most stay up past curfew in the halls. We don't. We wake up at 6 and shower and workout while everyone else is a wake at 6:45 and moping around.

People look to me for leadership quite a bit. I'm one of the guys that call the shots but I listen to Told as he is my DL.

My companion is a great guy. We get along quite well and our close and he's the right companion for me. Elder McGrath is twenty years old and we come from a similar path. We are both very ADD but we know work together to stay on track. He's quite funny. Not that it's important but I'm the Senior Companion until three weeks from now.

Elder Murphy is half argentine but from Cali. He's funny nerdy sense of humor. Knows quite a bit of spanish. Hard worker and a good guy.

Elder Colson is very reserved but says some funny things every now and then we're getting him out of his shell.

Elder Harris is a guy from Logan Utah and is hilarious with his dry humor. There is something about his witty dry humor that is hilarious.

Elder Told and I talk quite a bit and have gotten close. He is our district leader and he is definitely the right elder for the job.

Elder Allred is the tallest of our group 6'6 beanpole ginger kid from Utah. He's very reserved but nice and chill.

Elder Shaw is a short half mexcian kid from Box Elder who was student body president and knows a fair amount of spanish. Very kind, and very spiritual and a natural leader.

Elder Acevado is funny and a little immature but I really like him and is a sports guy.

Elder Hill took two years at BYU nice personable hard working guy.

 Elder McGrath and I taught our first discussion with an "investigator" (its staged). Oh but in ESPANOL for Viente minutos. We were allowed to use our Spanish Preach, El Libro De Mormon, and Spanish phrases book. We did well except we didn't plan on what we would say to get into the door and ask if we can come in so we were standing at the door asking her questions until she would let us in. We spoke in spanish and taught about El Oracion (prayer) We struggled as must did. It's the first discussion! So I didn't let  it bother me took the good points and looked to improve on the bad points. We listened to the spirit as we taught. We spoke mostly spanish as she wouldnt let us speak english. It's really full immersion in the classroom. Sink or swim mentality. I'm learning more and more each day.

On my first night I didn't get much sleep because Elder Told has a alarm clock that tells the time en espanol. He set it up before we went to bed, it went off at 11 o clock and said *BEEP BOOP* ONCE DE HORA. Told said "Oh must of bumped it". IT WENT OFF EVERY HOUR TELLING US THE TIME IN SPANISH TIME. I  WOKE UP EVERYTIME. We're still giving him a hard time about it. 

I'm making friends left and right. Everyone seems to try to befriend me. I've gotten three pictures with Elderes due to my tag saying Elder Batman. My whole zone and district say I'm huge and muscular and ask me for tips and stuff which I find hilarious cause I don't think of myself as that muscular. There's a pullup bar in each hall. I'm making sure to get my pullups crunches and pushups.

I'm feeling the spirit constantly and growing spiritually as a missionary. My prayers have gotten so much more meaningful and personal.I work hard and do what I can to grow and study. I'm not the best but I'm learning and the MTC is the place to make mistakes with teaching and spanish.

 (Yo soy puede el oran en espanol) Might have totally butchered that spanish but I can pray in spanish ( somewhat ) ....

Love you Email you soon,

Elder Batman

                                                Isaac's companion Elder McGrath

Here's a look back at Isaac getting his mission call.

Day 1

First Day

https://youtu.be/e9fLPjtkQMU

July 14, 2016

Hola familia,

I'm alive and well. I'm loving it here so far. My companion is Elder McGrath and he's a great guy from Arkansas, he's 6'5 a bean pole and makes me feel really short. He's 20, and we're the oldest of our district. He's funny and sarcastic but knows when to be serious and we're getting a long well. Elder Told bunks above me and rooms with me, I really like him. He's a good guy. I know a lot more spanish than I thought I did. I'm learning very quickly. Yesterday we had a session where we needed to listen to an "investigatior" I asked him if he feels like his prayers are being answered and I shared an experience where I prayed and got an answer cause I was sincerely wanting one and he got offended by how I said it. It was discouraging, but I feel better about it after praying in the morning. It was a good learning experience. I miss you guys, I see Jon at lunch at every now and then. We were in the same district and same zone but they swapped us out due to us being brothers to cause seperation. I'm quite the popular guy here due to my last name and everyone thinks I'm jacked and wants to arm wrestle me and many have tried to befriend me. There's a lot of Elders that don't obey here. Our room and district is very obedient and I'm glad.

I gotta go I only had 10 minutes to write you guys. I love you guys and miss you. My P-Day is gonna be on Saturday in the MTC.

Elder Batman