Temple Bound
God's children are searching in greater numbers for answers and hoping for miracles as they look to Jesus Christ for relief. On 'Temple Bound,' hosted by Will Humphreys, explore how temples offer not just solace but also powerful tools for navigating these turbulent times through faith in Jesus Christ.
Tune in every Monday to hear Will Humphreys engage with guests who bring inspiring stories, profound teachings, and insights into accessing divine guidance through temple service.
Each episode promises to enrich your understanding and strengthen your connection to the Savior in unique and transformative ways.
Whether you're seeking answers, yearning for peace, or in need of a miracle, 'Temple Bound' is your weekly spiritual refuge, helping you anchor your soul to the Savior. Join us on this sacred journey to deepen your faith and discover the blessings of temple worship.
Temple Bound
Grace Everywhere, Always: A Returned Missionary’s Journey with Morgan Bentley
In this episode of Temple Bound, Will sits down with Morgan Bentley, a recently returned missionary from Ghana, Africa. Together, they explore the profound power of grace, inspired by Brad Wilcox’s talk that became Morgan’s favorite during the final stretch of her mission.
Morgan shares her experiences adjusting to life after a mission, the trials of coming home, and the deep significance of temple worship especially after spending extended periods without temple access in Africa.
This episode is perfect for:
- Missionaries preparing to return home
- Those struggling with feelings of inadequacy
- Anyone seeking to understand the boundless grace of Christ
If you’ve ever wondered whether you are “enough,” this conversation will remind you that Christ’s grace is everywhere, always.
Welcome to Temple Bound. Today's guest is Morgan Bentley. She's a recently returned missionary from Ghana, africa, and today we're spending a lot of time talking about grace. This is a beautiful discussion based on a talk from Brad Wilcox. This talk is such a powerful representation of grace that this became Morgan's favorite talk in the last third of her mission, and she's going to be talking about the trials of adjusting home from a mission, what it's like to go to the temple, what it's like to not go to the temple in Africa for long periods of time.
Speaker 1:So pay close attention to these themes and this is a great episode to send to somebody who's going to be going home to a mission or has recently returned home from a mission, but it's also a great theme for anyone who struggles in feeling enough. We're going to be talking about these concepts of grace and how Christ's grace is everywhere. Always. Enjoy the show. Well, yeah, I am so grateful for you to be on the show, morgan. Thank you for being here. What is the talk that you chose and why did you choose it?
Speaker 2:Okay, so I chose His Grace is Sufficient by Brad Wilcox. It's a BYU speech and this talk I had heard about it, but then on my mission is when it became a strength. And it wasn't until like kind of the end of my mission that I found this talk and I listened to it, probably like once a week or once every other week, because it was such a strength Even if I didn't listen to the whole thing, I'd listen to little parts Because I relied on these truths and like sharing those truths and incorporating it in my testimony was super powerful. And since, after mission, it's been just as powerful.
Speaker 1:So yeah, why? So that's a great answer, and it kind of I didn't realize it was something that impacted you so much at the end of your mission. Why did? Why did it speak to you so much at the end of your mission? Because this is a talk that is a must read, right? It's one of those talks that talks about grace grace more than anything, and it's this wonderful idea of how we can really understand grace. And I would say that it speaks to someone who struggles with self-worth, that type of individual. You don't occur to me as that individual. At the end of your mission in particular, you came home shining a couple of weeks ago. How many weeks have you been home now? I'd say like maybe five. Oh, my gosh, you're, you're fresh home, you're fresh home. So why was it towards the end of your mission that this talk in particular spoke to you so much?
Speaker 2:Um, that's a really good question. I would say this talk well, I actually didn't even like know about it, or I didn't know how to find it on my mission, because it's not on like the gospel library right, you have to be why you devotionals, right?
Speaker 1:yeah?
Speaker 2:and so that was one way that, like through another missionary, they were like you have to go look at these speeches, like we have this like access, like just go and enjoy, and so that was one part that led into it at the end, cause I didn't reach it until at the end, but also I think this is just exactly what I needed at the end.
Speaker 2:Cause at the beginning I had what I needed. God gave me those talks, those strengths, and so this one was the end section that I needed. And it's funny that you say like it kind of applies to someone who seems like they don't have that great self-worth or like they have those challenges and like my mission was so perfect for me. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfect for me. And at the beginning of my mission, like I would say like six months in, I really struggled with like self-worth, like telling myself I was good enough to be a missionary that I cause. It's just like when you're growing up, you see missionaries, they're like perfect.
Speaker 1:They seem like superhumans.
Speaker 2:Exactly, angels. They don't sleep, they don't like, you know, it's just like they don't get angry yeah. Never. And so when I realized like, okay, I'm a very human person, like I have imperfections and I'm a missionary, and so it was hard for me to like truly understand that God was trusting me enough to be his missionary, but, um, I would say I kind of learned my self-worth before I reached this talk, but then this talk like just kind of solidified it and just I get it.
Speaker 2:It's just like a another like hug, another reminder from heavenly father. Like I got you, I trust you. You're doing great and keep going.
Speaker 1:Thank you for for explaining that, because that was exactly what was going through my mind, but I didn't want to say it Like. That feels like the talk you would want at the first of your mission. As a matter of fact, if anyone's listening, who has someone they love, who's at the earlier part of their submission, this is the talk to send them for courage.
Speaker 1:Because that's I mean, you were at the end of your mission, you were killing it. You know we were all cheering for you back here in Gilbert, going like she's coming home soon, and now it becomes. I see, now it's because you were able to relate. It's almost a gift to have those moments where we don't feel enough that we're intimidated, we're stretched, because it never leaves us if we stay humble.
Speaker 1:And so I think that's why this talk stayed with you is how it sounds to me is this idea of like. When you read it, you're like yeah, I, I'm right, I am, I am enough because he is, and and maybe it gave you that extra like energy towards the end of your mission to really go make a difference in Ghana, yeah, so yeah, I think people are listening right now, just realizing you just got back from Africa.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so say something about the Ghana experience, how that's been for you. What a horrible question, but let's ask it anyway.
Speaker 2:When I first got my mission call, to say I was shocked is not even the level of emotion. To say I was shocked is like not even the level of emotion. But it was like I had that moment of like, okay, where's Ghana? And what the what's going on? But then, immediately right after it was like that's my mission, like I just felt so much like love and excitement already for those people and I still hadn't figured out where it was on the map. I knew it was Africa, but I was like where in Africa am I going? And still I remember crying because I was like that's where I'm going. I had immediate confirmation that that's my mission. And then, being there, being in the MTC I went to the Ghana MTC and just being in Ghana every single day was a reminder of why I was called there. It was just like I said it was perfect for me, are?
Speaker 1:you scared at all.
Speaker 2:Going or being there.
Speaker 1:Going or being there.
Speaker 2:I think I was only scared to the point like every missionary has those fears Like I've never done this before and I'm the oldest in my family, so I didn't have like a sibling to like they did that Right, Um, and so it was like I don't know what a sibling to like lean on, they did that right, um.
Speaker 2:And so it was like I don't know what to expect. But I'm grateful that and I'm excited. But there's those fears like I'm leaving home, I'm leaving my country, I'm leaving anything I've ever known. But then there's also that comfort that everything I've ever needed is with me, which is Christ and his gospel and his church, and so it's like there's always that that second thought of like I can do this. But then there's that second doubt. But I feel like going. I was like, okay, I'm just gonna go with the first thought, I'm just gonna go with God, I'm gonna go with trust in him. There were fears, but it never overcame me.
Speaker 1:It was always triumphed by God and trust and faith yeah, I love that and it, as you said, your love for the Ghana people started so soon, so quick and then, when you came home and bore your testimony in sacrament, it was like this real powerful thing, that that I felt your love for the people of Ghana. What makes the people of Ghana so so amazing?
Speaker 2:I think the thing that I've been consistently like describing them as is childlike and pure and innocent, like the exact way that Jesus Christ taught in third Nephi that we should be childlike, not to the point where they're like ignorant, but there's like that level of just pureness that they're not so much aware of some things that we are right, like you never see a child, or even like a young teenager with a phone, you know, and like things that people care so much about here that seem to be not super worth caring about. They just don't even have. That seem to be not super worth caring about. They just don't even have that option to care about there, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:You know, like their status, with their clothing or their home or their social surrounding, like it's just they're there, they're loving everyone, they're in it together, they're kind of all at the same level and they incorporate God in everything. And that was my favorite thing to talk about in the talk you just mentioned, because it like changed my whole perspective and even my thought process and my vocabulary, like and I got to, it was super exciting learning their dialect with English. But learning their dialect, you really see how God is in their dialect, not just like what's an example.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So if you ask them like how are you doing, you'd say etzazen, but then their response would be namiadom, which means by God's grace, I'm fine. By God's grace, it's kind of shortened, but by God's grace I'm fine. By God's grace, it's kind of the shortened, but by God's grace I'm fine. And that, like every single person you ask how are you doing, that's their response. You know, and it's just. And anytime you say like how are you doing and you say like I'm doing fine, then they'll say like we thank God. And it's not like a to-use-the-Lord's-name-in-vain type situation, it's like a true like praise, like we are so thankful. Even I shared this with my family. Flying home was hard, but my flight from Ghana to New York, there were some Ghanaians on the flight and they were in the aisle over. It was a mother and younger children and I looked over as we landed and she was like we thank God that we landed safe, you know and she was like teaching her children and like that's just so normal to them.
Speaker 1:Their culture is so humble and driven to recognize God's hand in all things.
Speaker 2:And I even shared. Like God is like visibly there everywhere, Like his name is on every signboard.
Speaker 1:There was a, there was a store that you said, that cracked me up.
Speaker 2:It was like God is love electronics.
Speaker 1:That's truly how it is.
Speaker 2:God is love electronics or like you'll see, like a hair salon, like Jesus is King hair, like it's just. Like that's what it is. To be there for the first few weeks and see that for the first time, Sure, but then to get that to be normal, where you see Christ's name everywhere, not only am I wearing his name and teaching about him, but, like these people, they already know him, you know, and so it was super fun to point them in the right direction, to get to know him more.
Speaker 1:Cause they already in that mode. They're just looking for more light and knowledge and you were able to provide that, because they were already in that mode. They're just looking for more light and knowledge and you were able to provide that, and I'm guessing they just grabbed onto it when you were able to share it.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, and I will say from my experience, they're pretty quick to believe. They have faith, which can sometimes be problematic if it's the wrong information, quick, yeah. But it's so amazing when you're bringing the right information, because they're just like yeah, that makes sense. Like yeah, it's right, it's true, I have faith. You're like you're not even going to question anything, like of course they have questions, but it's just like.
Speaker 1:Their faith is overriding to anything else. Oh for sure, man, what a wonderful, you know mention of grace, how everything is grace with God, and those types of items, and how things that are important to people in Africa I should say, the other way around, the things that are important to people in the United States it's not the same over there. I don't know if you know this, but my family was in Africa last summer. While you were there, we didn't get a chance to see you because we were a different part of the continent.
Speaker 1:People think of Africa as like a country, but it's a massive continent with, like you know, 30 countries, but that was a thing that I remember as well. Grace, using that word grace and that will be a good segue into this talk, because that's one of the major themes is the idea that we went to these really impoverished villages in Mozambique no-transcript all the children, all the people just are so open and loving. There's like this immediate acceptance and love, this grace. If you will, they just give it to you so freely. It's um and so what I, what I tell people, is that we understand financial poverty, but we are blind to our social poverty, and that's what they have in abundance in Africa. It's just this awareness of God, the acceptance of his presence in each other and how each other play into this thing called life.
Speaker 1:And Van, the very first day, you know my little Van he was. You know it was hot all day. You know something about the heat of Africa, you're. You know we're sitting there, we were digging the holes and stuff and I mean he was sweating through his shirt and he starts crying at the end, a little bit, not like sobbing, but just a little teary, and I'm like what's up, man, are you okay? I was like worried that he was getting too fatigued. He's like it's almost over, I don't want to go home today.
Speaker 1:This is the happiest I've ever been in my life and I mean that was such a shift for me. We were working that time and it was just this idea of, like, our generation of youth do not even know how socially impoverished they are culturally because of social media and these other items. So this thing called grace is such a big thing. Because what we're really talking about, morgan, in my opinion, in this talk, and why it hit so hard for me personally, was this idea that, like, the adversary is working so hard in overtime to making people feel less than, by comparison, everything that we do is never gonna be enough and, frankly, even if I did create something on social media that looks so great that I get lots of likes and followers to me, I even questioned the validity of it, because that's just one snapshot of my life compared to the misery, mistakes and other things that happen in my world. So I love that this talk talked to you so much. What were some of the initial points that stood out to you in this talk?
Speaker 2:What were some of the initial points that stood out to you in this talk? There's so many.
Speaker 2:I remember my first time I just listened to it and then I finished it and I sat down within five minutes and listened to it again and wrote down everything I learned, and so this is actually one of my journals from my mission, of when I first wrote down all of my insights, with all of the scriptures that came to my mind and scriptures that are in the talk and just notes, but before I get to like these ones, of when I first initially, um, listened to the talk, listening to the talk this week, just preparing for this, I had just one thought and I wrote it down just how it came to my mind, and so I'll say it how it comes, but then I'll explain it. Um, and it says Jesus Christ is never an. And then, and I just wrote it down, and then I had to think about that and to me, like I really learned just this one time listening to this talk grace is never like earned, like we don't have to earn god's love.
Speaker 2:That's not something that we're working towards, that we finally get a stamp on our paper or a trophy right that jesus christ is never in, and then where I like. I think sometimes we have the mentality of when I have this, then I will be happy. You know, when I achieve this, then I will feel accomplished. When I make this covenant, then I will feel close to God.
Speaker 2:When I perform this action, then something happens, and that's when you're saying Jesus Christ is not a, and then Jesus Christ is throughout, always like, throughout, always like when we're in that moment of like looking forward, but also in that moment of looking back. You know, and that was something that I hadn't learned until this week and it like kind of changed my whole thought just for this one time of listening to the talk like jesus christ is with us always and forever.
Speaker 1:And one of brad wilcox is amazing and he has some of the best like statements, like sentence, like he just knows how to like pack it into, like yeah, his phrasing is so unique and, as listeners are going back to read this talk afterwards, it is such a powerful way he does this in a lot of his talks where he has almost this poetic way of contrasting things like that whole. And you basically reminded me of Bradwell Cox the way that you just said that right, there is no. And then with Jesus, it's a. What was the thing that you said?
Speaker 2:Throughout and always.
Speaker 1:Yeah, throughout and always through. Yeah, throughout and always it's. It's like that kind of uh juxtaposition between phrasing that illustrates the polarity between those, so that we can get a real idea and feeling of what it is.
Speaker 2:So yeah, well and I think, like this statement spoke to me, like I needed. This statement, like this answered a lot of questions, challenges I've had in my life, including on my mission, and I was telling you how, at the beginning, like sometimes it's hard to like feel like you need to live up to that standard of a missionary and figure out what that looks like. And I told myself, like okay, when I feel confident teaching, then I will be a good teacher, then I will have the spirit with me, and so it's just so cool, like Christ is never gonna be the. If you do this, then I'll be with you. You know, he does promise us that when we do certain things that he will be with us. But he's with us start to finish. And that's kind of what Brad Wilcox said. He um, he was comparing like a light in a tunnel.
Speaker 1:He was like sometimes we see like there's a light at the end of the tunnel.
Speaker 2:He's like Jesus Christ is the light that gets us through the tunnel.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And that's so cool and so true.
Speaker 1:He's the light in the tunnel, like he's right there with us the whole way through.
Speaker 2:Exactly Like he gets us through the tunnel, and that was just a cool statement for me to learn and a cool truth for me to learn. Even if we feel like we're alone, never yeah, and it's such a powerful concept.
Speaker 1:I'm glad that you're illustrating that, because he starts off in the talk with a story about a young woman who's coming to him frustrated. And I related to this young woman. Yes, so much so because we do understand. In James it talks about you know, it is grace that we are saved. After all we can do right, it's the after all we can do part that confuses us. After all we can do, right, it's the after all we can do part that confuses us.
Speaker 1:It confused me, this idea that like, okay, I've got to go this far, and then he takes it from there, kind of thing, and so it almost puts this like skewed perspective of the power, of the atonement, of like I can only access it if, kind of thing. And it kind of bleeds into a lot of other elements because in this life there's actual, there's truth in the way the world works, of like you have to do this, then that the whole way things flow. But in the case where this young woman came, he shared, he had her draw on a piece of paper you know, two dots and then asked if God is on one end of the paper and you're on one end, what's your contribution versus their contribute? His contribution, right. Can you share a little bit more of that story? Do you remember it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember she like she drew like halfway up, I think, and like drew it all the way to the end. She's like okay, and he was like no, there is no line.
Speaker 1:There's no line.
Speaker 2:He is the entire space, the whole paper, you know, and she was like, oh, I knew, you know he was like making jokes, but it's so real Like we, we, we visualize that that worldly aspect of like tug of war, kind of like you make up this part, you know, and it's not like we're working against each other Like a partnership, almost that's right.
Speaker 1:It's like hey, I'm supposed to do my part, you do your part.
Speaker 2:Exactly he does all the parts. Exactly, and so when he was like the whole paper is filled, he fills all of it. I think I wrote down it says Jesus doesn't make up the difference, Jesus makes all the difference.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's so cool and it's so true.
Speaker 1:It's true, I think when I'm trying my best to do what I can, I think I forget that my best incorporates all the things that I know I can do, that I just sometimes choose not to. That's the part I think we forget. It's like, well, I didn't try my best so that I'm never going to be enough. It's like, no, no, no, there's grace in that too. There's no world, there's no element of our life where there's not grace. His grace is so powerful that I think what we're confusing is what he talks about later is the transformation that occurs when we accept his grace.
Speaker 1:Because when we are changed, then our actions change, and so we confuse those actions Again. We start paralleling it with perfectionism, and that's not the way the savior works. He's the only one that's perfect, and his grace is so perfect that it finds and fills all those gaps in our lives. So I love that you, you're able to love that, uh, that part of it. What else did you like about the talk?
Speaker 2:Um, I loved the comparison that he made of piano practice. Okay, I, I mean, I did piano growing up and I really, really related to this story because he was like talking about the atonement right and our, our work, after all that we can do, where does it meet up with Jesus Christ and how do we? How do we I'm not, I'm not going to say like repay him, but how do we become worthy of that?
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 2:And um, and he was like well, it's like when a mother pays for her child to take piano lessons, you know, and it's like how the child doesn't repay the mother by practicing and he doesn't even pay the piano teacher.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Right, and that's not what the mother's expecting. And he doesn't even pay the piano teacher Right, right, and that's not what the mother is expecting. She just expects that child to practice and to utilize and take advantage of her paying for the piano lessons, you know. And he makes all these comparisons throughout the whole talk that I just really loved of how sometimes we feel like we hit all the wrong notes, you know, and we're never going to be good enough. We're never going to do amazing at our piano. Relating to life, we all make mistakes. We're never going to be perfect, but it's our progress, it's the practice. If I'm making all the wrong notes, that doesn't mean I should just give up and throw the piano away. It means I need to practice more and work harder. The wrong notes that doesn't mean I should just give up and throw the piano away and get you know right it means I need to practice more, you know, and work harder with that.
Speaker 2:And so, like jesus christ, he's not expecting us to repay him in any way, because we can't it's impossible and no, never. But he's expecting us to utilize and take advantage of the greatest gift that's ever been given, and I think sometimes there's like that mentality that Jesus Christ has done it all so we can sit back and relax.
Speaker 1:Right, there's a polar opposite.
Speaker 2:Exactly Like there's two ends and neither of those are true. We need, like, the middle point, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we do the best we can because we love him. We're practicing, but practicing is not to be confused with repayment in any way, shape or form. I've got two boys in piano right now, cal and Van, and they're both crazy talented at it. And it's so funny for me, because I got this analogy so hard to Morgan like it hit me right in my heart, it feels, because it was like I know what it's like to pay for these lessons and the piano. Uh, just because I want them to have that, that skill, I want them to have the confidence that comes from being able to perform in front of people.
Speaker 1:There's so many things in this analogy that I could understand as a parent. And so when I hear them practicing and they mess up over and over and over again, oh my gosh, like I, it just it's not failure to me, it's like it's inspiring. And then when you see them perform they had a recital three days ago and it's really cute Cause Van gets really into it Van's really into it and he wears like a bow tie and like it looks like he's wearing a tuxedo and he stands up and he delivers like this professional, like this is what it is, and then he goes to tan on this piano and and that's great, you know the people who are listening to that recital are going to be like, wow, that's so good and yeah, whatever. Like I do love that he's gotten that proficiency. But that's, that's the end result.
Speaker 1:For me as a parent, it's. It's the journey of the failure and watching them never giving up like to me, and that includes the time where it's like I don't want to play piano. This is horrible and forget it. Like it's all of those things I will say. The less that they complain and the more that they get into it, the more I can see that they're getting benefit from it. But that's all Heavenly Father loves and wants us to have. Is the benefit of us practicing and recognizing that like, yeah, like all we're doing is is taking advantage of this huge gift that he's paid for For sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, and that reminds me I think I I also wrote this down Um, like when we make all those wrong notes, instead of giving up, then we want to do better, and so practice is what makes us do better, and like this analogy kind of relates to everything that we could do in life. Right, if we want to pick up, like sports or a talent, we're not going to immediately. A person is never rarely I should say rarely, not never immediately good at it.
Speaker 2:You have those few exceptions, but for everyone it takes that practice to become better, regardless of where your starting point is.
Speaker 2:You know my starting point is different than yours or anybody else, but for either one of us to become better and it's a different type of better because we're at a different starting point we need that practice, and so that's exactly where the gospel of Jesus Christ comes in, and the temple, with faith and repentance, is what leads us to desire to change and we have that faith, it leads us to act right and repentance is what brings that true change in our, in ourselves. Relying on Jesus Christ, and then baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost and our covenants is the way that we change, and that's the temple and covenant path and Jesus Christ and everything. But then enduring to the end is the internalization of these changes over time, and so it's like when we Sorry, could you say that one more time?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:All of it, no just the internalization.
Speaker 2:Enduring to the end is the internalization of these changes over time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I shared this in my talk that enduring to the end is also enjoying to the end.
Speaker 1:That was my favorite part of your talk, so I'm going to pause you there and, as listeners, she said this over the pulpit of you know, we talk about the five elements of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the fifth being enduring to the end. But you're like, I like this other component of enjoying to the end, and it just changed my perspective of the gospel, cause it went from this like beautiful thing that we've got to like, go through difficulty and figure out it's like no, I don't think that's ever been. The Lord's intention is there's, there's opposition in all things. Right, like that's actually no, no way, that's not coming. But like, and two things can be true at the same time we can go through opposition in all things but also find joy in the journey somehow.
Speaker 1:And when you said that it just it rocked me. It's so cool. So what does that mean? Like, how do you, now that you're home from your mission, morgan, you're in a place where you're going through new opposition, how are you finding, how are you finding this joy in the journey? Or, I'm sorry, what's the wording? Again, Internalization.
Speaker 1:No, going back to the.
Speaker 2:Enduring and enjoying, yeah, enjoying to the end.
Speaker 1:How are you enjoying to the end at the beginning of this new transition for you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think and I can't take all the credit for making that phrase of enduring and enjoying to the end I heard like something that kind of pushed me in that direction, started at the MTC with one of my teachers, but then through my whole mission I really saw, like Adam fell, that men might be and men are, that they might have joy, and I think that's one of the most powerful scriptures and it's like two lines because we are all here by design. God has designed us to be here at this time, in this family, in this place of the world, all of these things. There's no such thing as coincidence. That's another thing that I really really learned on mission. There's literally no such thing as coincidence. But when we're here, we're having this mortal experience and it's hard. It's supposed to be difficult. You know, jesus Christ had it the hardest and we're trying to become like him. So how can we expect to become like him without the hard? That's not going to happen?
Speaker 1:It's never going to happen.
Speaker 2:Right, but we are also supposed to have joy and so like interlocking those, it only happens when you look to jesus christ. And even if you look at that verse um in second nephi, chapter two, um, the footnote on joy is, I think they I can't quote the wording, but the footnote is like the potential to become like God, and so that's the covenant path, that's the temple, that's the gospel of Jesus Christ, that's what brings us the joy. So when we're having challenges that, like you pointed out, I'm going through opposition and changes and decisions, I can still have that joy that comes from Jesus Christ, regardless of anything. And I think we make that mistake sometimes to have the mentality that if I'm going through something hard, then God has forgotten me.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:You know, and even I had a joke I spent nine months, half my mission, in one of my first area and that was not expected. I never thought.
Speaker 1:You spent nine months in your first area.
Speaker 2:Nine months I was trained there, and then I trained a sister there and spent a little extra time there even after that, and so it was like, okay, has my mission president forgotten me? Like you know? Like that was like kind of like, did he forget me at those transfer news? Did my name just get pushed under somebody else's, you know, but that never happened. Pushed under somebody else's, you know, but that never happened.
Speaker 2:Like I learned some of the most crucial lessons because I was there for nine months, you know. And so it's the same thing with god. He's never forgotten us. If we're going through something hard and it's been months or years or decades he's never forgotten us because the lessons that we are needing to learn are there, you know, we're learning them and we're trying, and he's showing us the joy through those trials, through Jesus Christ, you know. And yeah, so in enduring and enjoying can happen at the same time. I think sometimes I like to, when I, whenever I, whenever I hear the word endure, I think of a hike, like I feel like there's those first moments like okay, I've got this, this is fun, we get the fresh air.
Speaker 2:My body's moving, the adrenaline, the happy emotions and just excitement. And then you get to like the middle section. You're like, okay, it's fine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my muscles are starting to get sore. Time is it is the sun coming up. I need some water. How?
Speaker 2:much longer. You know what I said, what did I sign up for? And then there's like that last section where you're like, okay, I can see the end, I'm gonna endure that's how I picture it like I'm gonna push through, I'm, I'm not gonna stop until I get to the stopping point, at the top and where I can enjoy. You know, and I think it's not like that, I think we can have the joy from the beginning, middle and end and we are enduring from the beginning, middle and end, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. It's so interesting. As you were talking, I thought of a story I'll share just briefly, but it was my oldest son, ethan, when he was 12. We went fishing in Alaska and we are neither one of us are fishermen I don't know if you know this about me, but I'm not very uh, you know good with that stuff. And so I decided though hey, we're in Alaska, let's go fishing.
Speaker 1:So we went on a charter boat out to the middle of the Gulf of Alaska, and the Gulf of Alaska has huge waves You're either looking at the sky or you're looking at the seafloor and it was three hours out like that, and everyone was getting violently ill. And everyone was getting violently ill and Ethan was 12. He was the youngest, skinniest, smallest guy on the boat and, um, it was. It was honestly one of the worst things I'd ever gone through. I'm not exaggerating. I've gone through some trials in my life and this was one of the most, even though it was only three hours. I just didn't know. I thought we were gonna have to call 911 at some point. Um, ethan would go out and throw up and cold waves would splash on him. He was shivering and the ear wasn't working. I thought he was going to get hypothermia. It was this whole thing. So we get out into the ocean and we're fishing for halibut. They're 50, 100-pound fish and anyway there's about 30 adults. And then there's Ethan and we're all in the boat and, sure enough, as soon as the boat hit the spot, the waves calmed. And, and as the boat hit the spot, the waves calmed and the sun kind of came out and warmed him up to the point where at least wasn't worried about calling 911, if you could even do that from the middle of the Gulf of Alaska. So he goes out there and he throws out his line and he catches a bite. It's a halibut, it's a 50 to 70 pound halibut and legally they can't help him pull it up.
Speaker 1:So, talking about your analogy of the hike and trials and grace, he was a skinny little guy. He'd been shivering, you know, he'd been sick and he just started cranking on this thing and it took him. None of us could help. We watched him for about an hour and all these adults stopped fishing. They all paid big money to be on this boat and they all put their lines down to watch this boy in the last 15 minutes of this and none of us knew if he was going to do it, but everyone was cheering him on. You know, everyone was just like you can do this, buddy, come on, hang in there. And every single turn I didn't know if he was going to just give up and have it come back, but he kept going and he kept going. And finally, when it hits the water surface, they can help. And when that fish hit the water surface, the cheers on that boat it was. It was more important for them than any other fish that they had caught themselves that day.
Speaker 1:And the ship as a side note, something kind of cool the captain of the ship jumps over with his revolver and shoots it in the head four times. I wasn't expecting that. He's like coo, coo, coo, coo. And then they pull it on ship because then you can legally do that. And so it was a long day. We had three hours home and all this stuff.
Speaker 1:And the next day I'm just like hey, buddy, how are you feeling? He's like I feel really good. I'm like it's not like we're ever going to do that again. He's like oh no, can we please go do that again? Wow, and I think about life like that sometimes.
Speaker 1:I think sometimes it's like this thing where there's no way we'd ever want to do this again or go through some of these trials, the way that we do. But the Lord is with us, he is cheering us on and in this analogy that's not true is that he's helping us pull up that line. He is pulling up that line, but there's an element of effort that he wants us to go to fatigue and get to that burnout because we can't grow otherwise. So when you share that example of enduring and enjoying to the end, sometimes I think we think it's only at the end that we can find the joy. But through that whole process of pain there was definitely elements for Ethan and myself to where, yeah, we would want to go back, just because there's joy in the journey. I love that. So what?
Speaker 2:else about the talk spoke to you or did anything come to mind when I was saying that, um, I was actually thinking kind of the enduring in your story reminded me um of experience I had on my mission.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, we the the ghana mtc is very close to the temple and so when I was there, I was there for like three, four weeks and I got to go twice to the temple wow and that was so cool and being in the temple, just like with missionaries, and when I was going, a lot of my fellow missionaries they were getting their own endowment and so it was just like so cool, spirit, so strong.
Speaker 2:And then I went after that. I went like 14 months without going to the temple and that was so hard for me and I totally had that and then mentality of like when I reach the temple I'll be happy. Only then, you know I'll, I'll feel God's peace, I'll feel God's grace and I will never I mean I will remember this anytime I'm ever starting to take the temple for granted, because I like had that ache that I've never had in my entire life before the temple. And the temple is so close to us now that I'm like okay, I can never let myself even go along without you know cause it's just like the ache is so real.
Speaker 2:Um. So then, when I got to go to the temple, I had been praying before I went and I just was asking God that I would have those experiences that I'm needing, but I would also be reminded that I can have them outside the temple, you know, because I was like, hey, I'm going to have this like super big, big day, this big moment that I've been praying for, looking forward to fasting for, but I was like I want to, I want to also be learning and reminded that it's not just today that I can have these experiences. And so it was so cool to see like God did answer me. I had those huge spiritual experiences in the temple. Even we got to go do baptisms and like just being at the font and like seeing what I've been teaching people for you know 14, 15 months, what I've been teaching people for you know 14, 15 months. And now I'm seeing it and I get to do a baptism for somebody else where that was just such a cool experience Wow.
Speaker 2:But then I had that kind of spiritual like nourishment and momentum and those answers to prayers that helped me get through the rest of my mission, but get through in a way that I was like, okay, the temple is still part of me, like my covenants are part of me. I don't have to just be in the temple actively participating in, you know, an ordinance in order to have those spiritual experiences, in order to feel God's love. And so it's like that, like I felt like I was stretching out and like enduring, but really it was reminding me and teaching me that we can have temple experiences outside the temple.
Speaker 1:What a powerful concept. I'm hoping as people are listening, especially those who are out of country. We have a handful of people in remote countries listening to the show. I have no idea how they got ahold of this, but the it's really interesting how, like there is such a blessing to go and like all the general authority talks, go. They don't say go once a week or go once a month. What they say is go as your circumstances allow. But that doesn't mean that they have less of those people who don't have access to the temple, don't have the same blessings. We can access those blessings and take the temple with us. Our homes can be a temple if we allow it to be. Our bodies can and are a temple, you know, but if we treat it that way, we can actually house the spirit in a similar way. And, of course, if we have a temple, you know, but if we treat it that way, we can actually house the spirit in a similar way. And, of course, if we have a temple down the street, like we do in Gilbert, like yeah, we should go as much as we possibly can. But it's cool that you're talking about that Again. That's where grace comes in this idea of like. There's no situation where the Lord can't reach us and help us find joy in the journey, no matter how horrible the circumstances may be.
Speaker 1:I had a patient who was dying of cancer back years ago as a therapist a physical therapist and she just would wear this big scarf around her neck because underneath it was all the tissue that had been excised from all the cancer surgeries. And she was. Her name was Marilyn. Marilyn would always just be so upbeat and positive about life and things, and she was. You know, she had six to eight months or something like that, and I would work with her through some very painful physical therapy because she had to in order to stay functional. And I finally said what is it about you that stays so positive here? I am a member of the church who's gone through the temple wondering just what is it about you, right? And she wasn't a member of our faith. She just goes.
Speaker 1:You know well, there's two elements of life. There's always a positive, there's always a negative. They're always running concurrently. Our joy is greatly determined upon which focus we have. She goes. I choose to focus on the good things. I still have days where I cry and I'm overwhelmed. That is, to me one of the greatest parts of the temple. I've always said this, that the temple to me is a physical manifestation of the grace of God, because it's a reminder of second chances and all the things that we don't have that the atonement makes up for, either makes up for or in some way accounts for, so that we are made whole. And as you were talking about your stage of life, I just remember that, that phase. You know how's it been going to the temple since you've been home?
Speaker 2:Well, actually Wednesday was my first shift.
Speaker 1:Oh, wait a minute, you're a temple worker.
Speaker 2:I didn't know that I know and I well okay. So I got set apart, I think like a week before, and that was so cool to like be set apart again, you know, not as a missionary, but to be set apart in a way as a temple worker. And then when I went for my first shift, they handed me my name tag and we sat down and we sang um Gethsemane as our opening hymn and that's not a coincidence, because there's no such thing. That was one of my favorite hymns at the end of my mission.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness and I just sat there and kind of wept and like there were like sisters like do you need a tissue? I was like, yes, like I, just I was wearing a name tag, you know, and I was in god's house singing about j Christ. One of my favorite songs and it was just a huge. It was just what I needed, you know, and like everybody's asking me, how are you doing, how are you adjusting? That's like the most common thing I'm hearing right now which is reasonable, you know.
Speaker 1:Repetitive, but reasonable.
Speaker 2:Right and it's always like it's good. It's weird but good. But that moment in the temple I was, like I just felt so seen and so loved and you need like I've been learning since leaving Ghana, being released as a missionary you need that consistent reminder but also that consistent effort, looking for God's love as a missionary you have the structure.
Speaker 2:You're studying every day, you're praying 20 to 30 times a day. You're teaching about Christ in everything that you do. You wear his name visibly every day. But here now, even as a released missionary, as a returned missionary, you can still study every day. You wear him on you every day through your covenants.
Speaker 1:And your temple garments Exactly.
Speaker 2:And that was something my dad reminded me before I was released, because he was like okay, that moment's going to be painful. He was like, when they ask you to remove your tag, just be prepared. He's like but also remember, you will always have him on you physically, like a literal physical. You are wearing christ and those covenants and that protection and the spirit and I needed that before my release because it helped me. It was still painful, like don't, don't make me take it off, but it was still what I needed.
Speaker 2:And so I've been learning more and more each day. If you don't put in that effort, you know, if you don't try to look for God, if you don't pray, if you don't read and study, then you're not gonna have as much as that of that joy. You know, and like my mission, I always told people like that was like the happiest I've ever been, that was like the most joyful I've ever been. And so, leaving mission, I was so scared like, oh my gosh, am I going to come home and just be sad? Be like a person?
Speaker 1:What's wrong with Morgan? She came home from her mission Exactly Like a diagnosis wrong with Morgan.
Speaker 2:Uh, she came home from her mission Exactly Exactly Good diagnosis. But it's like that was a fear, like I just had the best 18 months of my life and it changed me and shaped me. But there's a reminder that the best is yet to come and everything that I've learned and had throughout mission is still here. You know, jesus Christ is not different for me because I was a missionary versus a return missionary in RM. You know, it's the same Jesus, it's the same me, and Jesus Christ is helping me through every stage of life. He's helping everyone through every stage of life, you know his grace is everywhere, always.
Speaker 2:His grace is sufficient.
Speaker 1:You know I'll share this as we're wrapping up. I can feel just the spirit kind of letting me know that the message has been delivered and I feel, as you're talking, it's so true. I was reminding myself of what that felt like to put up my name tag, as my second son recently got called to serve as a missionary in.
Speaker 1:Texas. I pulled my old name tag out and it's all dusty and whatever, and I was just kind of looking at that and seeing him put that name tag on made up for it, Like the best is absolutely yet to come. It's so great to serve a mission and it's so powerful to come home. All. For me, one of the great lessons of grace has been somehow, somehow, through my parenting Well, it's not through my parenting and I've learned that actually, but somehow, as I've become a parent and put that name tag on, which is unseen, and I seen my son put that same name tag on Elder Humphreys and put that on. That to me was was, uh, another example of how, how the grace of Christ is in all things and how all these things are just precursors of better and better and better, and none of it's easy. Your family is the one that taught me that it's all going to be hard. Just be prepared. It's all going to be hard, but yet you know there's going to be a day where you're going to have a child. You know there's going to be a day where you're all you're. You're going to have a child. You know, if they choose to go on a mission, uh, that will put on a name tag. It'll definitely will probably be a different last name. I'm still pulling for a Humphrey's name tag for for your kids. I've got four boys listeners, so like, so that you never know. But it's, but it won't be a Bentley name tag, but it will mean just that much and then some as you go through that. Because what I didn't know, Morgan, is that sending a kid on a mission is a total trial as well. I remember you know those elements of that. But, yeah, the joy, it's worth it. It's worth it.
Speaker 1:Real quick last story, it just came to mind. I feel like I have to share it. There was a story that my wife heard in one of her study groups that your mother I may have heard as well. That there was this story of of a woman who didn't get the work done for her and she lived this really rough life. She suffered greatly, Like, like I don't know what, all the details of it, but it was one of those tragic life stories of someone riddled with disease, death and famine her whole life and then she died young kind of thing.
Speaker 1:And when the work was being done for her, the person initiating that work received revelation in the, in the form of a vision of this woman showing her a field of flowers and beauty, and just this clear message. It was all worth it. Christ's grace makes everything worth it. So I really can't thank you enough, Morgan, for being on the show, Remembering that we're not just trying to promote temples, but we're also promoting what temples represent, is that eternal connection to family. One thing that I ask at the end to everybody is knowing that this is not just going to serve our audience, but your generation of kids coming one day. They're going to hear you and see you at this stage in your life talking about this.
Speaker 1:What would you want them to know about the temple and the grace of Christ?
Speaker 2:Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a very light question at the end of the interview.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wow, yeah, it's a very light question. At the end of the interview, yeah, um, I think one of the things cause this came to my mind as you were wrapping up and so I was like, okay, maybe this is a good chance to share this, and I don't know if I'll be able to find it in my notes exactly, so I can't quote it, but in the talk it explains how heaven is heaven for those who choose it. Um, and that was another thing that was a common theme through my whole mission was choosing christ. We all have agency as an active choice. You know it's an active choice to see god, to see joy, to rely on Christ, and it's an active choice to go to the temple. It's an active choice to remember your covenants. It's an active choice to pray.
Speaker 2:You know we're always making choices. We will always have agency and we are promised that we'll never be removed of our agency. That's one of the things that Jesus Christ fought for for us was our agency and and so when we like on mission it was so hard for me Sometimes I would just kneel down and be like God. Why do we have agency? Cause we would be teaching someone and they'd be progressing. You'd feel the spirit with them and then they would choose to not progress, they would choose to stop and would choose to stop and you just like ache, you just hurt, like it's a physical, like it's a physical illness, like you just feel that like. But I know this is so. You're so close, just choose it you know, but you can't choose for them.
Speaker 2:You know, jesus christ has chosen to love us, to die for atone, for us, but now it's our turn to choose him. And that was my favorite thing that I learned at the beginning of my mission Jesus Christ chooses us, continues to choose us every single day, every moment of every day, so we can choose him. You know, and that's just kind of I feel like that kind of relates to everything, that's the gospel of jesus christ. You know, the covenant path, the temple, where we are putting ourselves on the covenant path, is it's our choice, it's our testimony and even if we feel like we don't have faith or we don't even have that testimony, it's the choice you, you know it's like, it's like, uh, alma, right, he explains that if you don't even have the faith but you have the desire to have faith, I think I'm right in saying that. But, um, when we have that choice, then that's when Christ can just come in and make everything, even when we don't have that choice. He will always be there.
Speaker 2:But just with your last question, if I could share anything, it would be choose Christ actively, choose, choose and then act upon it. Have that faith, but the temple will always be a reminder, a visible reminder and a spiritual reminder of who we are. We're sons and daughters of God, and he will always love us Again. We don't earn that, we don't earn his grace. And so, just for us to take advantage of the atonement, take advantage of the um what's the word I'm looking for? Take advantage of the advantages, take advantage of the advantages that God has given us. Our covenants, the sacrament, right His kingdom on earth, jesus Christ, a living prophet, the priesthood, the book of Mormon all of these were for there, are for us, you know, and so we just bring them in and act upon it. So that would in a long explanation. It would just be the short one is just choose Christ.
Speaker 1:I love that, morgan, the way I think of it is. I will always think about the temple. Now, because of today's discussion, I will look at it and I will remember that Christ and his grace isn't, and then it is everywhere, always. Morgan, thank you so much for being on the show. You've been such a wonderful guest.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to today's episode of Temple Bound. If you enjoyed today's content, please leave a review and share the episode with others so that people who are looking for this information can find it. Thank you again for listening. Until next time.
