8/29/16... I am in Winston-Salem!

HEYYYYYYYYYY

First week where do i begin?
The flight up was very good i loved talking to y'all!

SoOOO i AM IN Winston-Salem! So much history in this town it is crazy we drove by some of the old colonial houses from the 1700 it was pretty neat!

My companions name is Elder Leavitt, he is from colorado and he is pretty cool he likes star wars and stuff no sports or anything but he's great we get along well and hes a great missionary to learn from!

My companion is the short one next to me

We got our assignments and got out so quick i couldnt even think and we went to straght to Winston, there's people here that are from Kennewick and are related to the counselor in the stake presidency, can't remember his name right now. But they were in 1st ward 10 years ago. And then another guy served in Kennewick 4 years ago Spanish speaking though.... pretty cool

So the people here are awesome!!!
I have talked to more people without teeth this week than I have my entire life!
It is insane haha Tyler needs to come down to the south when he is done with school.

Monday we got to the mission home and met president Alexander and sister Alexander and they're so awesome they are the nicest people and really care about everyone. Tuesday we got to the church where we had some training and some other stuff, some more great food! Got to meet some of the other missionaries and then we got our assignments and we were out of there so fast I didn't even get to say bye to the other guys. 

The other days are kind  of a blur so I'll just tell you what happened.

We talked to a lot of cool people, there's a very large African American population here so I met of lot of people that lived in the hood growing up. Byron was one of them and he told us how last week there was a shooting across the street and he didn't even flinch haha crazy. We taught him about the book of Mormon and he thought the scripture we shared was beautiful and he is having us over for a cook out haha ...that's what they call having burgers here but we said as long as there's no alcohol so that would be fun. Then yesterday we talked to a guy named trinard who talked about getting shot and stabbed and was dead and then he came back to life and was kinda crazy but the people here are awesome and I swear everyday we've talked to someone who tells a crazy story.

There's a guy that we teach named David that is just the biggest redneck and you can barely understand him..... most of the people we can barely understand mostly because they mostly don't have teeth haha but David is super nice but he's a big smoker and has a hard time with that and is uncomfortable coming to church has with us. Pretty much everyone here is Baptist there are Baptist churches on every corner it's insane 

Our apartment is pretty good 2 bedroom and we stay with the zone leaders and they are super  cool Elder shultz is 6,6 and Eder mautz said he surfs at Newport everyday. They are both super awesome and have been a big help of me getting into the missionary life and mindset. 

The weather is very hot here.... the humidity makes it worse and you sweat like crazy but when it's a little cooler and it rains it makes me feel like I'm in Hawaii so I like it.
Training is don't do anything really special you just start working like everyone else but we do have an extra hour for study everyday. 

This week we have to bike, we are on a car-share so we bike every other week. So hopefully it cools off soon, when we bike this week. But everyone says bike week is miracle week so it shouldn't be too bad. 

We are currently going to ball at the church which will be much needed. Everybody has been talking trash. I guess there's some pretty good ballers in the zone. Elder Maseo is a lineman for USC he's Tongan and massive haha.....And I just ate at Chipotle because everyone else loves it and I had no choice haha but it wasn't too bad and I ended up liking it. But I'll probably be on the toilet for hours tonight haha

Oh and our address is:

200 Forest Park Circle
Apt 217
Winston Salem, NC 27127

..............I found the EJ burnouts shirt In my luggage hahaha-- my bad (The EJ Burnout shirt was custom made from a couple of his best firends.  He had asked me 3 times to please send him that shirt and I had been going CRAZY searching for it--I went thru every last Goodwill item.  I even called Jill to find out how to get a new one made without anyone knowing!  ...nd that stinker had it all along!!)

Hopefully the Mariners can step it up and hit the ball it sounds like

I can't think of anything right now that I can think of I'll let you know today if there's anything. 

Love you so much ...talking the other day was great!

Elder Morgan!

 the big part of Winston Salem and the tobacco factories  on the right side.

The whole state is so green. that was the view on the plane it was crazy 

8/22/16... I'm now in Charlotte.....I think

Plane pic with the new missionaries going to NC

Hey!
We're here!
Im now in Charlottte.....i think
We are at the mission home, we just had a great southern dinnner, pork sandwich, hush puppies, coleslaw ew, and mac n cheese it was really good.

Just writiing a short email saying I'm good and stuff good to talk to yall
i find out where im going and who I'm with tomorrow.
My p day is Monday so ill talk to you later

love y'all so much 

pres and sis alexander are the greatest love them.

8/17/16... 5 days until Char-LIT

This week has been great and it flew by!!

Thursday friday and saturday flew by i cant even remember what i did haha great memory i have.
I've been a little sick the last 3 days just a minor cold and tuesday i really wasn't feeling good in the mornning and so me and elder Z didnt go exercize at all i felt bad. But later in the day i was feeling better, i took some ibuprofen which as a baseball player is like your best friend. I knew the Lord was looking out for me that day becausee guess what we had for dinner? TACO BELL, i loved it, though they didnt have the typical deal D with a baja blast. i still loved it. 

We have exercise super early everyday usually at 6:40 or 7:40. But basketball in the mornnings is a nice way to start the day. There are some straight up ballers here too. I know theres a kid committed to stanford that can windmill and stuff, but you can't dunk here which is a bummer because no one gets to see me windmill or mailman. But i usually play with some kids that are goin D2 or CC, theres this kid that reminds me of beo from richland, that just shoots pull up Js all the time but doesnt miss.... this kid is better than beo too 

Sunday we got to watch 17 miracles which is an awesome movie. And we listened to a guy speak earlier that said some pretty cool stuff. Then tuesday we were all super excited to listen to elder holland. we all were exciteed all day we were just going to pack snacks and skip dinner to listen to him with a good seat........we get to the place and its not him...we were super bummed but we got to hear from the young womans general president who was a great speaker. She shared some great stuff, a lot about ammon and the sons of mosiah who were great examples of missionaries. Which was awesome because i just got done reading about him in the book of mormon so it was good talking more about it. Alma 26:12 scripture of the week.

Me, Elder Zesiger and Elder Patrick... Elder Patrick's the funniest kid from Texas!

We have our flight plans and we leave monday morning at 3:30....A.M
ya its gonna be rough. the mtc is awesome but im excited to head to North Carolina!!
I love reading the dear elders and hearing about all y'alls week, I'm gonna start saying y'all so i don't sound like a cook in north carolina haha 

Thanks for the packages and everything, it was so funny i got like 10 amazon packages in the matter of a day.

I really don't even do much for being a zone leader, i interview all the district leaders every week and report to the branch pres. Then i take the new missionaries on an orientation every Wednesday night but its really not that hard --just make sure they kind of know what they're doing. We got here and had no idea what to do we just goofed off at the start because they just put us in a classroom for 3 hours and did't say anything. So i pretty much just make sure they don't do that haha. 

That is so funny with what happened to the blog haha i can just see you getting frustrated and dad telling you to calm down... and im sure he just had the time of his life in Disney World haha. Happy Birthday to Dad --so crazy he's already in his 60's...just messin, hope he has a great day... he deserves it. 

I have not seen Conner Olsen yet ill look out for him tonight at dinner and later. He's going to do awesome, the first couple days are kind of stressful but once you learn to enjoy it and take it slow it is just awesome and so fun.  He's gonna do great.

I see Connor Call all the time now! Ill send a picture of us and i usually take a picture of him just whenever i spot him in a crowd haha.

Spotted sheer khan a couple times.

How are all of your clothes working out for you?  Do you need anything?  Does everything fit ok?
Ya everything is great. the 15 1/2 inch colars might get a litte tight later but ill let you know... my neck get a little rashy from shaving everyday and the colar rubbing but its not bad anymore. 

Have you had any contact with your new Mission President? 
No i haven't heard at all from them but im super excited to meet them i guess they are just awesome people. 

Did you call that bike shop?  Should I call tomorrow?  or do you want to wait and see which is best?  
Mom do you think i have a phone to call them? haha yes could you please call them for me that would be awesome, i might be able to just buy one from someone there for a lot cheaper though i know dad would like that. 

Also is your whole district going to Char-Lit?

No we me and elder z are and the other 2 elders that are super fun are going so im exccited theyre all super cool, also there is one super good looking sister going haha not that i would even be thinking about that here though

Do you need anything before you leave? 
I can't think of anything maybe just is sarah could bring some sudafed that would be great my nose is just stuffed to the max. Kinda like lebron stuffing Iguadala in the Finals. 

Love you all so much Happy B Day DAD!

Love you mom, 

Elder Morgs

P.S everyone going to charlotte here knows that its called Char-LIT. haha  it's gonna be lit 

Shout out to Grandma and Grandpa Morgan for the donuts.  They were awesome!!!

The guys we hang out with in the dorms on free time and stuff.

the Kennewick boys in the MTC

This is an account of a very special miracle involving Brad and one of his best friends, Conner Olsen, as he reported to the MTC for his mission to Reno, NV...  

From Kristy's blog:  The past few days leading up to today have been hard for Conner.  He was feeling anxious and scared…all emotions normal I am sure.  But, as a mama, it was heart breaking for me to see and just prayed to Heavenly Father for him to feel peace and calm before leaving.  I have been specifically praying that Conner’s friend Elder Brad Morgan would be somehow able to find Conner and connect with him on his first day there.  I knew it would make him feel more comfortable having a friendly face and make leaving his family and friends a little less brutal.  As we were driving and waiting in the long line to get into the parking lot to the MTC, I said to the kids “Wouldn’t it be so great if we could see Brad.  It’s his P-day, maybe he is over there playing volleyball with those missionaries”.  Literally, not 1 minute later I saw some Elders in suits walking back from the temple.  ELDER BRAD MORGAN???  Yes!  It was Brad, Conner’s bud!  He got a big grin on his face and jogged over to the car.  Conner jumped out and they gave each other big hugs and we got to take some pictures right there on the road.  Talk about tender mercies and prayers being answered.  Our first mission miracle and a testimony builder that Heavenly Father knows Elder Conner Olsen and is aware of his specific needs. 

From Conner's first letter:  My first day in MTC was only a half day but felt like an eternity, I thought it would never end.  I had a million different emotions going through my head I could barely even function. As i said bye to my family at the curb for 2 years I was a mess and couldn’t believe this is the last time I could hug them for 2 years.  Especially my last hug from my mom for a long time. Luckily Elder Morgan was there to pick me up and help me out, without him I don’t know what I would do. I am so grateful that out of the 2,700 missionaries down here at the MTC that we just happened to spot him as he was leaving the temple.  Seeing him run down the street following our car was the greatest thing. 

 How awesome is it to know that Heavenly Father is aware of each of our individual needs?! 

8/10/16... First week downnnnnn

My companion, Elder Zesiger

Sooooo
a lot happened this week. ill start with wednesday, we were here only a half day on wednesday yet it felt like the longest day of my life. 

But we get to our class and we all get our companions and stuff and I was kind of worried about meeting my companion, but it turns out my companion is sick!! not ill sick-- awesome sick!   His name is Elder Zesiger he's from bountiful, he's super chill and we get along really good. I stay in a room with 5 other guys, some are on the weirder side, but its fun.  I usually  have to tell them to stop talking at night so i can sleep... haha but they're cool, we have a good time. Then Thursday came and it seemed even longer than Wednesday, but after Sunday everyone says the days go by so much quicker and it did. Also my district is super cool and theres 5 other that we hang with a lot that are super cool, 2 play basketball, 2 play soccer, and the other is a redneck. 

My district... Found out i went to byu basketball camp
with the tall kid next to me a long time ago haha

SUNDAY came and guess what? me and elder Zez got assigned to be Zone Leaders haha. I honestly am still lost here and have no idea where things are and we have to give an orientation to new missionaries, and at first I was so pumped I thought Connor would for sure be in my zone, but he's not. And i get a phone haha ...a sick little flip phone that cant make calls-- just get calls from President Adolphson, ya it sounds like Adolphs son haha 

Pres Adolphson 
Just realized Elder Z looks like Paige's husband, Kyle. 

We have a teacher that is pretty tough.  We practice teaching to him and he just makes it super hard to be able to progress with him because he doesn't want to listen but everyday is better and I can really tell a difference from just a week ago and not knowing a thing. We taught our first 2 TRC investigators this week and they went really well, we taught them about prayer and the restoration. 

Yesterday we had a devotional and it was awesome, guess who guest spoke, Elder Neil L Anderson!  He was awesome he gave great advice, he shared one of my favorite scriptures D.C 33:7-10 Look it up its great. And guess who is rumored to be coming next week Elder Holland!!! Everyone is so siked to hear him.  We listened to his son talk on sunday about Joseph Smith history.  It was really good but not going to lie I snoozed a bit during his talk haha. 

THE FOOD
Some days are good some days I want to just die in a hole looking at the food. We had Papa Johns last week and yesterday we had Chic-Fil-A.  I was so pumped... I love Chic-Fil-A. They also have the best chocolate milk ever!!

But i've only had diarrhea once haha, and the meatloaf yesterday got a bunch of people sick.  I guess haha I was definitely not going to eat it after I took one look. But they usually have a lot of other good food and its all you can eat all the time which is awesome. 

We usually go play basketball for exercise, spikeball, or go lift, they only have machines, but it's not bad. 

I saw Dalton a bunch and when they were getting ready to leave they let us eat all their food haha, I also saw Nick V Sloot a lot too he was in my building and ill send a picture with both, i didnt get a good one with Dalton but its alright. 

Dalton, or Elder Stevens, the day before he left to his mission in St. George, Ut

Nick V Sloot, my cousin, who will be serving in Taiwan

Thanks for the dearelders.  I love reading about you guys and what you're doing!!!! 

Shout out to grandma and grandpa morgan for the doughnuts.  They were awesome!!!

Love you all!!

Love you mom!!

My roomates. 

My favorite picture I forgot to send!  

These tablets are so nice!! i can take pictures and email you on them 
so I don't need even need the camera really. 

8/3/16... Day 1 of My Mission

HEYYYYY 

so crazy ive been out one half dayyyy haha

its great here. love you guys. im having fun im just supposed to send a short email to say im well and stuff. dont worry the longer one will come mom. 

love you!

brad 

Jake, Connor, Jashaun, Ethan, Coach Tim and Breana showed up at 5am to say goodbye

Sarah and Parker picked me up at the airport and before I checked in to the MTC, we all went to lunch at Tucano's
with Grandma and Grandpa Morgan, Grandma and Grandpa Van Slooten, Joanna, and Nate 

Grandpa Floyd and Grandma Phyllis

See you in 2, Nate!

We saw Dalton as we drove up and yelled... "Dalton!"  "I mean... Elder Stevens!"
He saw us and came running to be my host and show me around. 

And he's off!!!