From Brandon and Melissa, Denver - December 15th, 2016

1) What is your overall impression of this class?
Him: I really enjoyed becoming closer to Melissa through this process.  The practical skills that we learned in this class with the incorporation of Christ's teachings will only strengthen our marriage.  We look forward to our future together and are thankful for what we have taken away from these classes.
Her: I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the flexibility of these classes.  Because my schedule is constantly changing in my line of work this class allowed Brandon and I to complete our marriage prep classes at our own pace.  We particularly enjoyed the Green Sex lesson. It really helped us become firm believers in Natural Family Planning.

2) Did it meet your expectations?
Him: It met my expectations and refreshed my memory on some important teachings the Bible has to say about the beginnings of man and woman and how matrimony truly unites them.
Her: I far exceeded my expectations. I loved that the lessons were significant to the times we live in and it help me to relate all of these lessons to our relationship.

3) Did you take the time to read most of the links provided in the answer keys? We did read most of the links in the answer keys. We weren't able to read them all, but we were able to read most of them.  We really liked that we were referred to counselors in a few of the lessons.  I think that is incredible that we have access to something like that within this online course.  We fortunately have not had to use those services, but we like that we have the option even after the course concludes.

4) What did you appreciate most and why?
Him: I particularly liked the forgiveness card.  The forgiveness card allowed me to write down what and whom I wanted to forgive.  The prayer on the card helped to guide me in prayer to seek strength to forgive someone who I was struggling to forgive.
Her: My favorite part of this course was the love letters we wrote for each other.  These are moments that we shared with one another that we can always go back and reminisce on.  These are treasures that I will cherish for the rest of our lives together.  They truly deepened my love for him.

5) Did it ignite, revive, or renew your desire to get closer to God and his Church? Yes
How did it revive - or not - your faith?
Him: It revived my faith because it helped me to take charge in leading prayer with Melissa.  We would pray before we started our marriage prep sessions and before we would have meals together.  This is something that we lacked in our lives and this helped us to reconnect with prayer.
Her: It revived my faith in a way that made me more aware of what a precious vessel my body is.  It made me realize that we need to respect the act of abstinence prior to marriage so that when we are with each other on our marriage night we can truly give ourselves to one another as gifts.

6) In order to solidify your relationship with Christ, what are your plans for participating actively in parish life?
Him: We plan to volunteer in the near future.  We want to particularly become more actively involved in a specific parish.  Melissa's schedule makes it difficult for us to practice at one parish because she works every other weekend we tend to go to a few to make mass.
Her: I really want to become present in one parish and provide my professional skills in some way.  I want to be able to help the elderly organize there medications, and help them understand their purpose.  I feel that would be a useful way to contribute to a single or even multiple parishes.

7) Communication:
Did the process of the course allow you to communicate better and share in depth as a couple? Yes
How did it improve - or not - your communication?
This course tremendously improved our communication.  We were able to talk and work through some uncomfortable topics (Natural Family Planning), we discussed our answers we originally provided with Deacon Colin in our initial interview to begin our marriage folder (which were different from each other on quite a few questions).  We honestly communicate very well with one another this course only helped  point out certain topics for further discussion.

8) Let us know if you have any other comments. 
Thank you so much for all of your help and guidance in this course.  We wish you all the luck and we will keep your family in our prayers as well.