The couple who has been called to replace us called this week. Gary talked to them for 90 minutes. We spent hours this week fine tuning our "for the new couple" notes - separating out 5 pages of information to email them now (so they will know what to bring with them) and organizing and updating the information we will have waiting for them when they come at the end of April. We also sent them photos of the apartment & the Institute - outside and inside. They are very excited! It sounds like they will be great.
Tuesday night we went to see the Blue Man Group who came to the Ball State Campus on tour. They put on quite a show - unusual and creative with lots of drumming. It probably appealed more to the college students than it did to us, with the extremely loud background music, flashing 
neon lights and incessant base drum beat that vibrated your very bones. We had much difficulty falling asleep that night. We had no idea it would affect us like that. Gary taught Institute this week about the 10 years following the first pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley - more pioneers, handcart pioneers, building, settlements, perpetual emigrating fund, etc. We each taught a M&M lesson. Brenda taught about Peter being told he would deny Christ and about the Intercessory Prayer (John 17). She was able to use some things she learned in our group FHE a couple years ago about making that prayer personal to us (Thanks John Berven). Gary taught the lesson on Christ suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, being arrested, and then healing the ear that Peter cut. We had a busy cooking week: Had 12 students for lunch of Tuesday, made lunch to 10 missionaries after District Meeting on Wednesday, made brownies and Sprite floats for 29 on Thursday night, had 12 students for lunch on Friday and helped prepare dinner for 64 on Saturday evening.
It may have been Academy Awards week for everyone else - but here in Muncie it was (the third annual) Video Music Awards week. The YSA Branch groups have been working on their videos (each set to a different Disney love song) at FHE all month and whenever they could. They turned out well. Saturday night we all came in our finest clothes, enjoyed a turkey dinner (prepared by the Branch "Moms" and served with the help of the President Jacobson, whose wife was out of town) then watched the past years' and current year videos. Following was a dessert bar and the awards ceremony - complete with guests via Skype (former member of the Branch Pesidency and his family).
Elder Mumford had such great facial expressions in a cameo appearance in one group's video that he got replayed several times - always to a big laugh. Sister Jacobson did a great job editing our 
