Elder Gavin Batman

It's wild how fast life can change. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about my old life, and it's like trying to grasp a handful of sand - the more I think about it, the more it slips away. But that's okay. This new life as a missionary is all I've got now, and honestly, I'm not mad about it. In fact, I'm loving the crazy ride that is my daily routine. From scripture study to teaching lessons, every day is a new adventure. My daily personal study from 9-10 AM has become a highlight of my day. Initially, I struggled to get into the habit, but over the past week, I've been focusing on ways to make my studies more effective and retain more information. It's amazing how much of a difference it's made! I'm now excited to read and learn every day, and my companion has noticed the change in me too. He's loved seeing how fast I'm improving, and it's been great to share what I've learned with him. I've been studying the Bible, spec...

It's hard to believe that on thursday I hit the 1 month mark as a missionary (including mtc)! I've been having an amazing time meeting new people, learning about their lives, and sharing my own experiences with them. I love you all and miss you, but I'm so grateful for this opportunity to serve and grow. One of the highlights of my week was an exchange I went on with Elder Eldredge in Altoona. He's our district leader for the Altoona zone, and I was excited to learn from him. Despite his "brainless" personality, he's an amazing missionary, and I was blown away by his enthusiasm and dedication. During our exchange, he taught me a valuable lesson on how to teach the Book of Mormon using the illustrations at the front of the book. I have to admit, I was struggling with teaching the Book of Mormon, but Elder Eldredge's method made it so much easier. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I was excited to put this new skill to the tes...

Helloooo, I Made It!! It's crazy it to believe i'm actually in Pittsburgh, specifically in the Altoona Zone, Johnstown area. Johnstown is such a beautiful city and it's been such an incredible experience so far. As I reflect on my journey so far, I am filled with gratitude for the incredible experiences I've had. After leaving the MTC at 5:37 AM on Wednesday, I took a bus, Frontrunner, and Trax to get to the Salt Lake International Airport. My flight to Pittsburgh was only four hours, which wasn't bad at all. I had some really good elders going to my mission sitting next to me, and we just chatted the whole time. When we finally arrived, the mission president and the APs were there to greet us and help us with our luggage. They mentioned that they've been talking about me and anticipating my arrival for over three months now, which was quite amusing. The mission home is in a crazy rich house and neighborhood, but the mission presidents are super cool and nic...

I MADE IT!! I still can't believe I'm actually here, surrounded by fellow missionaries from all over the world, all united in our quest to spread the gospel. The Missionary Training Center (MTC) is a unique place, to say the least. It's like a mix of boot camp, prison, and FSY all rolled into one. I'm loving every minute of it, well sort of. We got to the MTC on Wednesday and our preparation day was the next day which was the reason why you're getting only one email from me in the mtc, since I had less than 24 hours in the MTC during my preparation day I had nothing to email about so here is my last 8 days of the MTC. One of the biggest adjustments has been the daily routine. Waking up at 6:20 AM to the sound of lights being turned on is a far cry from my high school days of sleeping in till noon. But I'm getting used to it, and the discipline is actually kind of awesome. The short-sleeve white shirts are a nice touch and are saving my life. My missionary tag ...