Elder Malachi Morgan: A Great Home-MTC Experience

Hello everyone!

Well where do I even start? The online MTC has been amazing. We had 12 missionaries in our district, all of which originally got called foreign whether it be to Australia, London, Africa, Guam, etc. They all got reassigned to the US until COVID restrictions are lifted, but no one else got reassigned to Utah except for my companion and I. My companion's name is Elder Woods, and he is a stud. He is from Mountain View Arkansas. Saturday is my scheduled P-day and I have spent most of my P-days working in the yard with the family, cutting down trees and working on different projects. The schedule that I have been on here at the MTC has been pretty tiring, I wake up at 6:30,workout, have personal study and companion study. Then we either have trc's (where we teach a lesson to nonmembers or a member acting as a nonmemeber) or a workshop where we learn about a certain missionary topic. All of that before lunch. Classes go from 12:30-3:30 and then 4:15-7:15 all via Zoom. My companion, Elder Woods, and I have companion study everyday for an hour in the morning, and that has been a really good experience just talking through gospel topics with another elder. This week, I got to Zoom with my Mission President and his wife! They are so awesome. I already love them and am excited to serve with them. This past couple of weeks in the online MTC has been so good, I have felt the spirit so strongly and my testimony has definitely grown. We had a little testimony meeting last night in our district and the spirit was so strong.

When I first got called to go to Ghana, I would have never expected getting reassigned to Layton, Utah and having to attend the online MTC. I am not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed at first, and heard from many people that it was going to suck and that they felt bad for me because I was missing the "real MTC". I've come to the conclusion that the MTC is an experience not a place. I could not imagine my MTC experience being any better than this. I am so thankful for my MTC teachers Brother Christiansen and Sister Tolman, who have taught me so much more than I knew there was to learn and have just shown so much love and support for me. I am grateful for my district 36b, who were all committed to learning and growing in the gospel.

These past few weeks have flown by and there has never been a time in my life where I have been so tired and so happy at the same time, the reason being is because of the effort that I put in. My favorite quote from this week was from my teacher Brother Christiansen, he said "The Lord does not demand a perfect result, just a perfect effort." I can promise you that the more work you put into something the more you will get out of it. So the next time things get rough and you feel like you can't go on, just remember that the Lord loves effort, and He will bless you.

Well guys I would just like to end with my testimony, that I know this gospel is true. I know my Savior loves me and he loves each and every one of you. I wouldn't change my experience for anything. I know I was called at this specific time for a reason. I am grateful for the experiences that I have had, that have shown me of God's love for me. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Hope all is well with everyone,

Elder Morgan