u/BlacksmithWeary450

I went with my TBM spouse to the Yorba Linda open house this week. I agreed to go because she wanted to, and I wanted to be supportive. Here are a few things that stood out to me from the experience:

• The Logistics Hype: My wife was worried about missing our Monday afternoon appointment, fearing we’d have to reschedule due to crowds. She expected to park in an off-site lot 1/3 of a mile away. When we arrived, the main lot was not busy and only 1/3 full.
• The Atmosphere: There were about 10–15 people directing parking, mostly looking at their phones. A large tent was set up for 100+ people, but only about 15 of us were there to start the tour (six of those were female missionaries).
• The Building: It’s a nice-looking building that fits the affluent neighborhood, but it is surprisingly small. The footprint of the building and lot felt no larger than a medium-sized chapel. I suspect it used to be a 'normal' chapel that the church converted to a temple.
• The Presentation: There were more "support staff" than visitors. The youth were handing out white booties and speaking in the Baptistry. Inside, the tour felt quite canned, memorized and not authentic. Some people read their parts directly from a sheet of paper.
• The Sealing Room: On a personal note, being in the sealing room was very uncomfortable. It’s hard to hear them describe the "beauty" of the wedding ceremony when I was excluded from our own daughter’s wedding just four months ago.

The whole attitude was...this is so great everyone wants to be there.