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)