Week 21
Quite an eventful week, so please bear with a long post. FHE was Human Pac Man--"Mario" had a long pole with a magnet end to eat up paper clips, the ghosts had to walk without bending their knees--everyone had to stay in the blue lines.

Elder Kerr contemplating his moves

While waiting for their turns this bunch had a group back massage--the girl at the back is a licensed massage
therapist, so maybe they hoped her skill would seep through the rest of them

Monday night at about 11:50 we heard a rumble and felt a magnitude 4.2 earthquake. We did miss the tornadoes that hit Tulsa on Wednesday, though!

Wednesday morning on our way to the institute, traffic by the elementary school was blocked and backed up, red lights were flashing, and children were going away from the school instead of toward it.   A woman with a wire sticking out of her purse had gone to the school and kept saying, "I'm going to take the kids to heaven."  The kids inside were locked down, the ones on their way were quickly evacuated to a safe place, and every home or business surrounding the school was evacuated.  The police very quickly removed the woman, who had nothing dangerous in her purse.  Mass texts informed the parents where to pick up their children and that they were all safe.  School was cancelled for the day.  Mental illness is very sad and can be very scary!

We taught our Wednesday class, then zipped right off to Zone Conference.  It had started at 9 am, but we taught until 10, so were a little late.  When we got to the stake center, the car inspections were underway, and seeing all the missionary cars with their trunks and hoods open was a funny sight.

Open wide and say, AHHH

The president's first message was about teaching investigators about repentance.  It was very powerful and meaningful for all of us as individuals as well as for teaching investigators.  He called that section Repentance, a Principle of Happiness.  After the assistants spoke and we had lunch, the president's second message was about teaching by and with the spirit--again a wonderful message. We were the 5th and final zone to have a conference in the last two weeks.  President Walkenhorst will be released at the end of June, and during lunch he gave us some bios and showed pictures of President Mansell and his family (whose oldest son recently returned from his mission in Taiwan, and whose second son just got his mission call and will be in the MTC at the same time as his parents are there for mission president training).  He handed out OK postcards and had each missionary write a little welcome to send to the new president.

The health report:  I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we joined the YMCA to improve our health, and went 3 times the first week.  The next week Kerby had a dreadful cold,  (he figures he got it from the handles on the elliptical!) then I got it.  Anyway, I went to the doctor on Monday because I was wheezing and coughing pretty badly, and he put me on antibiotics and steroids (Kerby had already started taking steroids for his lungs).   After having to sleep (or try to) in the recliner for two nights because of the wheezing, and Kerby wasn't sounding much better--in fact it's sort of been like the tuberculosis ward around here--we both went to the clinic on Friday.  Now he's on antibiotics and I'm on a short, stronger dose of steroids.  All to say that we have missed two weeks at the Y, but we figure we will both live and probably go back tomorrow.  In class we had recently discussed Mosiah 2: 21 where we learn that the Lord preserves us from day to day ". . .by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your will. . . . ," and a little episode like this makes you appreciate that gift.

Saturday was "Greek Discovery Day" on campus, where incoming freshman (and their parents) can visit the sorority and/or fraternity houses in preparation for the rush in the fall.  That's what all the building across the street was about.  Here's the finished project.

Since arriving in Stillwater, we've seen big butterfly statues (about 4' by 4') outside several businesses and some of the Greek Houses. We finally learned that they were part of a fund raising effort a couple of years ago for Wings of Hope, the Family Crisis Center.  Artists donated their talents to paint them and they were auctioned off.  Some are very beautiful, some are whimsical, and some are a little odd.  This one is at a sorority down the street from the institute.

General Conference was, as usual, a spiritual feast!  We watched it at the institute, and on Sunday, we had a Crock Pot Luck lunch between sessions.  There were a couple of investigators (both of whom have set baptismal dates) Saturday morning and both sessions on Sunday.  A bit overwhelming for them--imagine having so little context for so many of the messages!--but they seemed to enjoy much of what they experienced.  What a joy and a blessing it is to have prophets, seer, and revelators in our midst.  All we can say is Amen and Amen to the inspired and inspiring talks we heard over the the last two days.

PS:  I don't know what's up with the varying font sizes and spacing--it all looks normal on the draft, but doesn't come out that way when published.  May need magnifying glass to read some of it!