Update

Happy New Year!
We are so impressed with the quality of teaching here.    Our young elders (23-26 years old) have such wisdom for their age.    Not only do they have a great knowledge of the gospel, but they understand people and building relationships.    They are so supportive and encouraging.    They force us to answer our own missionary questions (not gospel questions.....but how should I answer this or what should I do in this situation).   The last 2 days we have been doing HOURS of role playing!    No one likes to do it but it is the best teaching/learning experience of all.    We role play in our small groups a lot.     We actually have to teach in front of our group.     Our teacher does everything to make people feel comfortable.     They make you debrief after each experience .......I would rather the teacher critique me but it doesn't work that way.      After we critique ourselves, our teacher makes comments also.
Yesterday, today and tomorrow we go to the TRC (Torturing Retired Couples) rooms.    We don't know the real meaning but they call it Terrifying or Torturing Senior Couples!      The MTC has arranged for volunteers from the community to come in each day.    They are supposed to be investigators but they are members now.   They each have a true story and they become thAt character.     We have to find out their story, their concerns, their questions, their interest and discover what missionary lesson would be the best.........and then teach them the gospel.    We have 45 minutes for each of these teaching experiences.    We are evaluated in a very kind way after this.  Some of the couples are very stressed with this and some are resistant.    Larry and I don't like doing it but we don't worry about it.     We know they won't kick us out if we aren't perfect so we just do it.     We have really learned a lot.     Today we were teaching a lady and Larry kept talking and teaching.    I finally turned to him and said, "I want to tell her about this part!!! "   Poor Larry, he couldn't believe I said that.

Tuesday we went from 8 am until 8 pm.     Usually that is NOT a long day.    But sitting in classes for 12 hours seems long....we had 1 hour for lunch and 1 1/2 hour for dinner......so that was great.    During those breaks we have errands to get papers signed, pick up,prescriptions, etc.

Very bad news!!!!!!!!!!      We were supposed to leave Friday, then we were to fly out Monday.     But my visa hasn't come yet so we might not leave until Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.     Everyone else leaves Friday except those who need another week of specialized training.    So it will be lonely.   We are very disappointed and Larry has been so upset. But he finally said, I can't do anything about it.

I arranged for someone to drive us to the temple in Saturday.    The Provo Temple is closed so we had to go to Mt. Time which is a ways away and no one could find out if a bus went there.

We will keep you posted
We love each of you.   Thank you for your support and prayers.     It helps us a lot.

I have been living on ice cream, French fries and cookies......way too much.   I feel like a slug.   But I found the workout Area and I have been going each night.
Love, mom