"Fall Semester Has Begun...with a BANG!"

Meet our Stony Brook Institute students: (front l to r) Diana, Tate, JaNae, Jennefer and Diana; (back l to r) Ally, David, Melanie, Rob, Chris and Kristian. A few of our students were not able to attend on Tuesday night, but will join us next week, so we will get updated pictures:-)

We are so excited about our Institute classes filled with wonderful young people who make the time in their overwhelmingly busy schedules to come and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This school year, we study the Savior's life, His mission, His atoning sacrifice and His gospel as He organized it on earth. We look forward to discussing the New Testament with our students and how it applies to their lives in these, the last days.

Part of the Institute tradition is to socialize and eat as well as have a spiritual lesson. We have found it very valuable to do this. It is often the only real meal these young people have that day...and perhaps in a week. This night's meal was baked potatoes with ground beef and mushroom gravy, grated cheese and tomatoes and a cut fresh fruit bowl. Homemade food is always a hit!





At right, after class was over, students enjoyed just hanging around visiting, making new friendships and renewing old ones.

Above, Diana, a young woman we had never seen, arrived just as we were finishing. I could tell something was wrong, because as I was bearing my testimony, she closed her eyes and kept shaking her head. After the closing prayer I hurried over to her and introduced myself. She blurted out, "I couldn't find this place!" We chatted briefly and asked what I could do to make her feel better.

"I just need to be hugged!" was her reply, so I hugged her. She was near tears as she clung to me. When I offered her some dinner, she didn't even know what to say. I took her hand and led her to the food table. "I'm not hungry, I'm just mad I missed this," she exclaimed, "but the fruit looks great." Diana finished it off from the bowl with the serving spoon as others in the class came around to meet her. What a sweetheart!

I'm certain she'll be back next week:-)