8 December 2025

Grandma Gang is back in town, Lock your hearts and flip your frowns. Better watch out for the Grandma Gang- They look kind but they got fangs. Welcome back to the 34th weekly email of Battraw: Weekly! "Where we put the W in BattraW." -Elder Fox The grandmas in Peru here are tough as nails and strong as oxen. Their bare hands can sand a table down, and polish it too. They carry around heavy sacks all day, walking up and down mountains and manhandling bulls. Truly they are a force to be reckoned with. Other news: today is my one third of my mission completed. Cool stats: 6-pack mantained (but at what cost?) 💪 ~35 pounds lost 😔 4+ containers preworkout used 🤙 6 transfers 😎 6.5 companions 😶❓️ 2 mission presidents, 2 languages, 2 countries 🇵🇪 🇺🇸 48 Google Docs started, 6 finished 🤷‍♂️ 3 books started, 0 finished 👀 0 regrets 🫡 Countless priceless hours in the service of God 😤🔥 And I also contracted something that I'll call "the Ebola Virus" two days ago. Fortunately I took unknown medicine with a witchy brew concoction, got flamed by mission president's wife for drinking witchy brew, passed out twitching for 4 hours, woke up drenched in sweat completely healed. Overall, 7/10 experience. A big thank you to Tania the witchy brewer. Fortunately from this experience, I learned we are not supposed to take unknown medicine from witchy brewers named Tania. Next time I'll get it from Georgina the witchy brewer to be safe. This past week has been awesome! We work a lot, walk a lot, and alot money for ice cream. We had some sad news, some good news, and some very hope filled news. A very cool poem that I read recently, that is SO cool I'm going to hand type all of it- "The Race" by Delbert L. Groberg. "Quit! Give up! You're beaten!" They shout at me and plead. There's just too much against you now. This time you can't succeed! And as I start to hang my head In front of failure's face My downward fall is broken by The memory of a race. And hope refills my weakened will As I recall that scene For just the thought of that short race Rejuvinates my being. A children's race; young boys, young men How I remember well. Excitement, sure! But also fear. It wasn't hard to tell. They all lined up so full of hope Each thought to win that race. Or tie for first, or if not that At least take second place. And fathers watched from off the side, Each cheering for his son. And each boy hoped to show his dad That he would be the one. The whistle blew and off they went Young hearts and hopes afire. To win and be the hero there Was each young boy's desire. And one boy in particular Whose dad was in the crowd Was running near the lead and thought, My dad will be so proud! But as they speeded down the field Across a shallow dip. That little boy, who thought to win, Lost his step and slipped. Trying hard to catch himself His hands flew out to brace, And, mid the laughter of the crowd, He fell flat on his face. So down he fell, and with him hope. He couldn't win it now. Embarrassed, sad, he only wished To disappear somehow. But as he fell, his dad stood up And showed his anxious face That to the boy so clearly said; Get up and win the race! He quickly rose, no damage done. Behind a bit, that's all And ran with all his mind and might To make up for his fall. So anxiois to restore himself To catch up and win, His mind went faster than his legs; He slipped and fell again. He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace I'm hopeless as a runner, now. I shouldn't try to race. But in the laughing crowd he searched And found his father's face, That steady look that said again, Get up and win the race. So up he jumped to try again Ten yards behind the last If I'm to gain those yards, he thought, I've got to move real fast. Exerting everything he had, He regained eight of ten But trying hard to catch the lead He slipped and fell again. Defeated! He lay there silently A tear dropped from his eye There's no sense running anymore. Three strikes; I'm out. Why try? The will to rise had disappeared. All hope had flone away. So far behind; so error prone- A loser all the way. I've lost, so what's the use, he thought. I'll live with my disgrace. But then he thought about his dad, whom soon he'd have to face. Get up, an echo sounded low, Get up and take your place. You were not meant for failure here, Get up and win the race. With borrowed will, get up, it said. You haven't lost at all. For winning is no more than this: To rise each time you fall. So up he rose to run once more And, with a new commit, He resolved that win or lose At least he wouldn't quit. So far behind the others now, The most he'd ever been, Still he gave it all he had; He ran as though to win. Three times he'd fallen, stumbling, Three times he rose again. Too far behind to hope to win, He still ran to the end. They cheered the winning runner As he crossed the line first place, Head high, and proud, and happy- No falling; no disgrace. But when the fallen youngster Crossed the line last place, The crowd gave him the greater cheer For finishing the race. And even though he came in last With head bowed low, unproud, You would have thought he won the race, To listen to the crowd. And to his dad he sadly said, I didn't do so well. To me, you won, the father said. You rose each time you fell. And now when things seem dark and hard And difficult to face, The memory of that little boy Helps me in my race. For all of life is like that race, With ups and downs and all, And all you have to do to win Is rise each time you fall. "Quit! Give up! You're beaten!" They still shout in my face. But another voice within me says Get up and win the race! -Elder BattraW, OUT

1 December 2025

...welcome, to the unilateral, unequivocal, undeniable united union of the weekly Elder Battraw letters, where all are sent but none contain the contents of the past week. Speaking of which, this past week was no exception. We also didn't celebrate Thanksgiving because it doesn't exist here! I got to call family which is cool and also didn't have to see all of the horrifically long Instagram and Snapchat stories, yapping about what they're grateful for. And if anybody was grateful for me, my condolences. This past week I also got to give a thorough whooping to other missionaries in the game Settlers of Catan. Normally I don't like the game but I went bananas here. I don't believe it will ever happen again, so I might be retired. We also taught English! The schedules are very weird and irregular, so every class is more of whatever we come up with. We teach both 6th grade and 3rd. Beginning with 6th, they are very lame because they don't listen to us and think about how cool they are instead. So they end up sitting there for an hour. Womp womp. 3rd grade is amazing, however. They all listen attently and are extremely chaotic and disobedient but they will do ANYTHING to play and win a game. So we teach a lot of English to them and we have a great time doing so. Also the Swoley Bible and all connected documents have been privated! I'm compiling them into more of a cohesive work, potentially a book, and adding more to them, editing and fiddling about. Speaking of books, I'm writing a book! And I'm also writing two books! Maybe one of these massive projects that I have no time for will end up progressing in the future. For now, it's slow. Additional headline events: A mean dog bites my toe A mean dog is banished to Outer Darkness I get interviewed by my mission president Pizza 🍕 🤑🤑🤑 Fake news: People write me emails and I diligently respond to all of them Thanks for reading chat! Stay tuned for the next edition of Elder Battraw Doesn't Like Writing Boring Weekly Emails! -Battraw, Elder

6 July 2022

 Once again, my mom reminded me that I haven't been sending out enough "weekly" emails. So I guess this may cover the last little bit.

About a month or so back, we got to visit Arizona together and spend time with our cousins out there. It was a great time, we had a baking competition, a pool party, a belated birthday for our mom, and got to pet emus through a strange visit with a friend of the Brinkerhof's. I got a brief visit with grandma Battraw, where there was a nice talk of her recent family history trip and a tour of things through the house.

The Fourth of July around here was nice, we had a trip to Connor Prairie, a fun smores roaster, and a nice evening at home. We thought we would be able to see a fireworks show from a nearby park, but we couldn't see too much of it, so fireworks weren't the most exciting part of that.

In service, there have been some nice opportunities lately to serve outside of the normal scheduled assignments. Most of the district got to help a nonmember woman move things out of her house, helping an elderly lady with gardening, and one activity that looks like it may become a district activity. Things have been going really well with service and I think I've been able to find greater joy in the Work.

In less pleasant news, I found that the weird grinding noise coming from my car as I drove it, was in fact, not a good thing. Just yesterday I started driving, then noticed that my brakes hardly worked. I quickly tried to return home, then tried to fill the car's brake fluid to see if that was the problem, which it wasn't. After contacting a member of the ward, he helped me with the car, and it looks like one of the brake pads is just about gone. Also, the strange liquid dripping from my car wasn't water. It was brake fluid.

Well, that's most of the news from this end. Mom has occasionally tried to remind me that my mission may be ending soon and that I may need to start thinking about my future, but... uhh... been out for about twenty months, so... I'd say that I'm almost halfway through. Plenty of time left!...right?

16 May 2022

 In the district, with our numbers down to four missionaries and two mission leaders, we've lost quite a few. Our mission leaders are supposed to be ending their missions within the month, too. But on our regular meetings, I did have some experiences that God really is aware of us and knows us during some of the lessons. A very strengthening experience.

As of service, I did get a funny experience with my Mission Leaders. We were talking about my schedule and they mentioned that I was supposed to be serving at the Temple on Thursdays, asking how it was going. I corrected them, letting them know it was just every other Thursday, only for them to turn it back on me, informing me that I alternated assignments, and did laundry every other Thursday. I looked at the clock after she said that.

"So... I'm supposed to be at the Temple... right now?!"

"Um... Oh, yes!... I'll end the meeting, get ready quick!"

Good thing it was a slow night and with a phone call, said they had the hands they need.

One last notable event that happened just a few hours ago, I was helping some nonmembers move donations and furniture from their house. I hated going into the basement. It smelled of campfire mingled with dead animals and death. I thought it was cigars, until I talked with one of the people helping us move stuff, and they clarified that the smell was weed.

Well, good thing that was my first confirmed scent of that.

18 April 2022

 We had two more missionaries finish their missions recently, leaving us with a district of four, and me as district leader. It is strange with a district over such a large geographic area, but so few missionaries among us. My mission leaders are finishing their missions soon, too.

Not much different with service, except that I think after replacing a Temple laundry shift, I went through a bit of "Temple withdrawal", noticing a tangible difference in my life, not having as much time in the Temple. Out of all the things to be addicted to, I'd say the Temple isn't bad, but I may need to be picking up some more shifts.

We had a mission activity recently, where the district went to some Native American mounds nearby. It was a nice park with interesting history bits in it. One I couldn't help but take notice to was that the guide said there were two civilizations, or just one with a cultural change. The change happened about 0 A.D. (give or take some), and I think they said the people fizzled out around 400 A.D., (give or take some), and I couldn't help but think "Hmm... I wonder what people would have a large cultural shift sometime after 0 A.D., something about some people experiencing several generations of peace after a very important visitation, then fizzling out..."

That's most of what's new with the mission. Easter was good, with Ben, Teresa, their kids, and Tom visiting. It was fun, with a nice Easter dinner and some time with family.

7 March 2022

 One thing a bit more exciting happened this week, when after a Sunday meeting, I was asked to be district leader. The previous district leader is about to be released, and I think in the service mission, since transfers don't happen the same as in a teaching mission, this may be a position I may hold until I am released. In addition to us losing more missionaries, I heard that my mission leaders were going to be released soon. They've been here since the beginning of my starting in the service mission and before, so it's going to be a much different experience to have them leave.

With some news on a different topic, we are having Stake Conference soon, and I heard that there is a Young Adult session where W. Christopher Waddell, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, will be presiding there, and we can submit questions to him. Sounds exciting to me! Other than that, things have been mostly going the same, but I have been seeing some really great missionary opportunities around as I serve!

28 February 2022

 Been a little bit since I last sent out an email. Over the last little bit, in the Temple, a YA session has been made once a month, and I have gotten to serve as an ordinance worker. Also, the district has lost a few missionaries at this point, with more on the way to be released. A lot of the missionaries I've gotten to being around are moving on now, but I've still got a fair amount of time left, so it just kind of reminds you to value the time you've got on the mission.

Things at the Bishop's Storehouse are interesting, too, because they are asking me to come in on Wednesday nights, which conflicts with the night I have at the Temple. But recently, I have noticed that really recognizing that the Lord's plans are greater than ours really brings a more enjoyable and successful mission.