Spring Break Week for Ball State University - and kind of for us too.  No students meant no lessons to teach and no lunches to make and no refreshments to prepare.  It was catch-up week for us - lesson preparation, financial records, bill paying, card-sending, Institute cleaning & fixing, etc.  We did our tax return too.  We had the biggest snow storm of the winter on Tuesday evening.  Elder Mumford got in some good snow shoveling.  Unfortunately the storm prevented the planned visit from Kevin, Dacia and family. This was real snow - not the kind you can sweep with a broom.  It warmed up on the weekend and rained Sunday evening so the snow is gone.  Spring is just around the corner.  The tulips and daffodils (just green stuff) are 5 inches tall already. And guess what?  We have Box Elder bugs here!  Who knew?   Makes us feel right at home.

 

While there were no students on campus we decided to take our morning walks and look inside some of the campus buildings.  This is the David Letterman Communications Building (he is an Indiana boy, graduated from Ball State University, and donated money for this building). WBST - the IPR/NPR radio station is housed there as well as the Ball State campus radio station - and lots of other communication stuff. Below is The Atrium, a favorite hangout - at least for the LDS students. It is one of the places their meal cards work and is just light and nice. After those walks we got busy.  I spent most of 3 days working on my Institute lesson for next week.

After reading and studying I have to shorten those two lessons into one 75 minute lesson! We had district meeting. We continue to be amazed at how well these Elders do in their training. This week it was on teaching simply, and teaching people not lessons! (not the first time we've been taught that but we are still trying to apply it properly!).  Friday evening we went to visit another senior couple and enjoyed playing games together.  On Saturday we went to Ball State's last regular season basketball game.  A man gave us free tickets on the way in! They were great seats!  After being down by 16 points Ball State came back to win by one basket - pretty thrilling ending. We get lots of interesting looks at our missionary badges. 

 

Sacrament meeting on Sunday focused on visiting teaching and home teaching. After two YSA speakers, a counselor in the Branch Presidency spoke. In addition to all the Branch responsibilites he has (very time consuming) he has 7 families that he is the faithful home teacher for in his home ward - and these aren't Utah wards - they cover some distance!  Heard today that our Elders are getting double transferred out this week!  Waiting to see who we get. . . .