General Conference this weekend was excellent! We loved the talks, the music, and the feelings. We are excited about the new lower ages for missionary service and expect that announcement to affect our Branch - as several YSA girls are already talking of putting in their papers. While Gary attended the ice cream social and General Priesthood meeting, Brenda went to watch one of our YSAs perform in a harp concert. Nine current and nine Ball State alumni harpists performed. The final two numbers had all 18 performing together.

It is autumn in Indiana! No mountains here - but the trees are turning colors and dropping their leaves. And it is getting cold - 39 degrees at 10 am today. We walked yesterday wearing an extra shirt, a sweatshirt and gloves. The additional grass seed we planted this week to fill in bare spots in the lawn may never germinate unless it warms up again! Brenda got back to Muncie late last Sunday night, slept for 8 hours and was good to go - starting with weeding the flower beds. She is SO glad she could go to Utah and help Kristin & family get through a couple of tough weeks. Baby Adria is now 6 lbs. 9 oz. and is on less oxygen. Mother and baby are doing well. A special bonus was a picnic with

all our Utah kids and grandkids while there. Gary is glad to have Brenda back. We fed lunch to 15 on Tuesday, including 2 investigators, and 9 on Friday. Brenda got the September registrations and attendance emailed to the office, got new roll sheets ready, compiled the family newsletter, taught the Friday lunch lesson and began preparing for next week. Gary taught the Tuesday lunch lesson, the evening Institute lesson and is nearly prepared for two weeks from now! One investigator came to the Thursday evening class. Our Wednesday trip to Marion was for naught - no students showed up! (1 called - she was ill, 1 was out of town for new job training and 1 just didn't show). We drove through the nice campus of Indiana Wesleyan University and also enjoyed the drive together - so it wasn't a total loss. Friday evening we helped clean the church and then the Branch had volleyball, basketball and games in the gym. Four investigators came. Two have scheduled baptismal dates. We are hopeful. We followed a counselor in the Branch Presidency home and watched the BYU/Utah State game with him and his wife. Good outcome - boring game.