December 10th, 1963

 Date: 12-10-63

The Mission President and his second counselor came down last week for a conference and to work with each pair of Elders. It was quite an experience to go tracting with the mission President when you barely know any Italian and he doesn't know any. But things went quite well. We got a couple of appointments together. I wasn't to impressed with the Conference. I think perhaps the President was a little rundown. He almost went to sleep on me in a cottage meeting. He also interviewed all the  missionaries about going through the temple at Christmas time. The Tessin District evidently has some bad habits because a number of the missionaries, my companion and I included, didn't get recommends. They want all of the missionaries to have a minimum of 60 hours and to be getting up at 6am. I know the getting up on time can be solved but the 60 hours? My companion just won't go. It takes all my pushing, pulling, and leading to get him out of the door at 10am when we should be out at 9am. Then he won't work over the noon hour. I've been relaxing myself. I'm going to have to get going. The work is great but my companion with his mother complex (always writing letters) is something else.

companion at the Bern Temple