Matthew became an Elder Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Sunday, September 15th, 2024 at 3:00pm by President Shane Holdaway, in the Richmond, Virginia Stake.
"Grandma and Grandpa" Dalton and "Aunt" Sharon were there in the room, when President Holdaway set him apart.
Matthew started Home MTC the next day on Monday, September 16th, 2024 and then he had his first "P-day" (preparation day) on Tuesday. He didn't have a whole lot to say, but this is what he said in his first email out to people:
"Hey everyone,
I've only had one day of class so far. My companion is named Elder Swartzlander and he is such a cool guy. We have a ton of the same interests and I can't wait to get to know him better. The classes were... interesting. I felt like I was in seminary for 8 hours. I was bored for a bit. I'm definitely going to have to build some endurance. My mom went way above and beyond, as she always does, for my Missionary Farewell party. It took hours to set up and she made so many good treats. Taste-wise of course. I'm sure they are absolutely abhorrent for me to be eating this many of them. My farewell talk the next day went fairly well. I was shaking a ton when at the podium although it wasn't because I was scared. Mostly. It was freezing up there. I got to enjoy my last few hours before I was set apart as a missionary by playing some games with my sister, Allison. Being set apart was about as emotional as I expected. The rest of the day was spent playing games with my sisters and watching church media. I'm sure I'll have much more to report next week. For now, this has been MCT from the MTC.
See you next week,
Elder Thomas"
