On Sunday 21 September we watched "Music and the Spoken Word" on BYU-TV. Eileen enjoyed the Book of Mormon panel discussion that followed. I showed Eileen the video I had taken of the four hummingbirds flying around the feeders on our front porch.
We finished packing and loaded the car. We dropped off all our mail at the post office en route to church.
The opening hymn was #269, "Jehovah, Lord of Heaven and Earth," which was written by anonymous!
The sacrament hymn was #194, "There Is a Green Hill Far Away," written by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895), an Irish hymn-writer and poet. Some of her hymns such as "All Things Bright and Beautiful," "There Is a Green Hill Far Away," and "Once in Royal David's City" (#205) are known by Christians the world over.
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| Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895) |
President Boland spoke of visiting the Atlanta Ward several years ago and how strong the Spirit was during that fast meeting. Today's first speaker is from that ward.
Our first speaker was Sebastian Van Dyke. The first time he has spoken with his brother Rafael. They were baptized when they were 15 (twins) in a branch. From NC and had just moved to Florida. Big ACC fans and played basketball at church, later joining. Great youth group and grew in the gospel. Rafael served mission in Boston. He visited Rafael on his mission. The branch in Boston was special, too. Later returned to Atlanta area. Then to St. Augustine and back to Atlanta. The ward had a black bishopric. Spoke about his brother and how they share a lot, particularly their testimonies. Rafael picked up on the gospel quicker than Sebastian. Your progress is delayed if you do not serve a mission. The Lord is no respecter of persons. Acts 10:34-36. Peter commanded to take the gospel to the Gentiles. The Lord is no respecter of wards. The Lord needs all of us. He needs us the way we are to serve people in this area. We should be a ward soon. The Atlanta Ward covers a large area and is about to split. The Lord is no respecter of families, no different gospel-wise. Being African-American family, how do I fit into this church? In Boston his stake president was Mitt Romney. He had to have FHE on Sunday. Follow the guidelines but follow the spirit even moreso. The Lord is no respecter of youth. We struggle with our carnal natures, temptations, wants, and desires. Put the Lord first. Went to his first general conference, never having been to Utah before. Everyone stands when President Monson enters, but he doesn't like that. It's not about him! Sister Burton visited his ward last week. In hospitality suite she was giving a bottle to his 10-month-old son. All of our leaders are wonderful, humble people. Bore his testimony.
The intermediate hymn was #220, "Lord, I Would Follow Thee," text by Susan Evans McCloud and music by K. Newell Dayley. Brother Dayley and his wife were with us on our Fun for Less tour of the United Kingdom August 2013.
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| K. Newell Dayley |
Our concluding speaker was Rafael Van Dyke of the stake high council. So great to be here! Brings greetings of the stake presidency and how pleased they were about our participation in the food drive. A fight might break out in the stake high council if Brother Bassett is ever assigned to another ward or branch (he is currently our branch's high council adviser). Calls upon his brother for a lot of things. We get to learn the secret of making great fried chicken. He learned the secret about a year ago from his mother Mildred Van Dyke. He got the recipe from her and made it. Not like hers! Checked with her and he did everything right. In a couple of months his brother was remarrying. Rafael would do the rehearsal dinner. Sebastian wanted fried chicken. Chicken was perfect! The secret ingredient was love! (I would say TLC.) Love makes the difference in our families and in our callings. No love in Rafael's wife's cooking, but she puts love in her callings. Calling as Primary teachers. Loved the kids. Told the kids that she would buy them a gift worth up to $10 if they would bear their testimony. He said what?! The two greatest commandments. On these two hang all the law and the prophets. Put love in everything. He home taught the Greene's and they are in our branch now. Loves the Greene's. George doesn't like ties and Rafael didn't wear ties when he home taught them. The Lord is no respecter of persons and loves everyone. Do whatever we do with more love. All of Christ's examples were full of love. Bore his testimony.
Gospel Doctrine was in the chapel with Sister Claire Bowen teaching. The lesson was #35, “God Reveals His Secrets to His Prophets," using Amos 3; 7–9; Joel 2–3.
The purpose of the lesson was to teach class members that in the latter days, the Lord reveals his secrets to his prophets and pours out his Spirit on all people.
1. Amos teaches that the Lord reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets.
2. Amos prophesies of ancient and latter-day Israel.
3. Joel prophesies that God will bless his people in the latter days and pour out his Spirit upon them.
President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “I maintain that had there been no restoration of the gospel, and no organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there would have been no radio; there would have been no airplane, and there would not have been the wonderful discoveries in medicine, chemistry, electricity, and the many other things wherein the world has been benefited by such discoveries. Under such conditions these blessings would have been withheld, for they belong to the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times of which the restoration of the gospel and the organization of the Church constitute the central point, from which radiates the Spirit of the Lord throughout the world. The inspiration of the Lord has gone out and takes hold of the minds of men, though they know it not, and they are directed by the Lord. In this manner he brings them into his service that his purposes and his righteousness, in due time, may be supreme on the earth.
“… I do not believe for one moment that these discoveries have come by chance, or that they have come because of superior intelligence possessed by men today over those who lived in ages that are past. They have come and are coming because the time is ripe, because the Lord has willed it, and because he has poured out his Spirit on all flesh” (in General Conference, Oct. 1926).
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| President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876-1972) |
The priesthood lesson today was from the "Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith" lesson 18 on "Living by Every Word That Proceeds from the Mouth of God."
“The supreme act of worship is to keep the commandments, to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God, to do ever those things that please him.”
1. God governs the universe by law, and we are subject to that law.
2. Keeping the commandments is an expression of our love for the Lord.
3. If we turn from the Lord’s commandments, we cannot expect to receive His blessings.
4. When we are keeping the commandments of the Lord, we are on the road to perfection.
5. As we keep the commandments, the Lord comforts and blesses us and strengthens us to become men and women worthy of exaltation.
After our meetings we headed for North Carolina. We stopped at White's Convenience in Andrews, NC, to use their restrooms and at Clyde's Restaurant in Waynesville, NC, for an early supper. I had seen the billboard for Clyde's for years and decided to stop when Eileen said she was getting hungry. We took Eileen's dessert with us when we left. Between Andrews and Waynesville we drove through the Nantahala Gorge in lovely weather, though we had to contend with three slowpokes. Passing is impossible in the gorge.
When we got onto the four-lane Great Smokey Mountain Expressway, our odometer reached 82828! We reached I-40 and on the way to Statesville our odometer reached 82928! Two palindromes.
We got to the Sleep Inn in Statesville at 6:45. We relaxed and shared the blackberry cobbler from Clyde's. I got several pictures from the Sleep Inn website. The guest room pictures match our room.
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| Sleep Inn hotel in Statesville NC |
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| Guest room with desk area |
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| Guest room with one bed |
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| Front desk |
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Free continental breakfast
(probably the worst we have had at a Sleep Inn) |
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| Enjoy breakfast in this seating area |
Eileen did two sudokus in Sue's book and I finished my 31 August blog! I read a lot to Eileen ere she fell asleep before 10 pm. I updated this entry and I finished reading "Johnny Nelson A Hopalong Cassidy Novel" by Clarence E. Mulford which I got from Eileen for my birthday, having begun that day, 13 September. I have also read "Hopalong Cassidy's Rustler Round-Up" and "Bar-20 Days" in iBooks as well as other paperbacks of Mulford’s, i.e., “The Coming of Cassidy,” “Bar-20,” and “Hopalong Cassidy.”
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| Clarence E. Mulford (1883-1956) |
We took the day off from our exercises.
On Monday 22 September we slept late and I had breakfast at the hotel while Eileen showered. The breakfast was poor, inferior to other Sleep Inns we've stayed at, let alone the Comfort Inns we normally visit.
We did our exercises and checked out about 10:10, heading east on I-40. We made one pit stop along the way and I observed some very pretty flowers by the gas pump.
We reached the Dowd's about 12:40. We had fun sitting on their screened-in deck in the fall temperatures enjoying Liam.
After hamburgers, hot dogs (with natural casings which we enjoy), and one of my favorite foods, elbow macaroni and tuna fish salad, Liam went to bed and we watched the New York Jets play the Chicago Bears. Our son-in-law Tom is a big Jets fan. Unfortunately the Jets were pretty bad and lost, 27-19.
We did our exercises and our usual reading.
On Tuesday 23 September we were up and out to visit the Habitat for Humanity ReStore where Heather got a brass fireplace door.
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| Eileen, Liam, and Heather |
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| Inside the ReStore |
Then it was on to Home Depot where I finished reading "The Story of the Treasure Seekers" by Edith Nesbit which I had started on 11 April.
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| Liam driving his cart |
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| In front of Home Depot |
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| Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) |
I made reservations for us and the White's at the Sleep Inn in College Park near the Atlanta airport for 9 October.
Later in the afternoon I published the week of 7 September on my blog!
We had fun playing with and watching Liam before and after his nap.
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| Liam and Grandmom |
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| Liam and Grandmom |
I finished reading "The Further Adventures of Doctor Syn" by Russell Thorndike which I began on 17 July. I have also read "Doctor Syn: A Smuggler Tale of the Romney Marsh," "Doctor Syn On The High Seas," "Doctor Syn Returns," and "The Amazing Quest of Doctor Syn."
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| Russell Thorndike (1885-1972) |
We watched "Finding Your Roots" with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on PBS.
We did our exercises (only once today) and our usual reading.
On Wednesday 24 September we were up and went to the Wake County public library for Liam to look at the board books.
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| Eileen, Heather, and Liam in front of library |
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| Liam and Heather |
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| Liam and Heather |
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| Eileen, Liam, and Heather |
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| Eileen, Liam, and Heather |
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| Heather and Liam |
There I finished reading "Cleek, the Master Detective" by Thomas W. Hanshew (1857-1914) which I began on 3 March. I have enjoyed the Cleek stories very much! Another was "Cleek of Scotland Yard Detective Stories."
When we got back home I researched a lot of the places we might visit with the White’s and e-mailed it to them.
Later I published the week of 14 September on my blog. I am all caught up with my weekly entries. Now I will have to work on the entries that will show our sightseeing in Florida.
We left at 5 pm for the Seoul Garden Restaurant for supper and Tom met us there.
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Lots of appetizers at the Seoul Garden Restaurant
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| Inside the Seoul Garden Restaurant |
Later back at Heather and Tom's the subject of genealogy came up. Tom wants to get a subscription to Ancestry.com for his dad to work on his family history. His interest was piqued by watching "Finding Your Roots" on Tuesday as well as the interest of his father. Heather brought up Family Tree on her iMac and Eileen helped Tom find some ancestors on Ancestry.com on her laptop.
I finished reading "The Wrecker" by Robert Louis Stevenson (in collaboration with his stepson Lloyd Osbourne) which I had begun on 14 April. Others I have enjoyed by Stevenson were "The Black Arrow," "Master of Ballantrae," "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," "Across the Plains," "Kidnapped," and "Treasure Island."
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| Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) |
On Thursday 25 September we took Liam to Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh for a couple of hours. Heather had stopped at a nearby Cookout for a bite of breakfast.
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| Marbles Kids Museum |
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| Heather, Eileen, and Liam |
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| Liam |
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| Liam and bovine friend |
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| Liam and Heather |
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| Liam and waterfall |
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| I like lighthouses! |
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| Liam and ladybug |
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| Liam and layout |
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| Liam and Eileen |
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| Liam and layout |
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| Liam and layout |
Afterwards we went by Jerry's Artarama that Tom manages.
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| Jerry's Artarama |
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| Inside Jerry's |
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| Cute sign |
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| Cute sign |
We returned home and I went shopping at Walmart and Harris-Teeter. Among other things I replenished our supply of Russell Stover sugar-free chocolates. I was disappointed that neither store carries Blue Plate mayonnaise. "America's Test Kitchen" rated it the best mayonnaise and said that it was only carried in the South. We have it in Ellijay!
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| Russell Stover sugar-free chocolates |
I complimented a fellow entering Harris-Teeter as I was leaving on his Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland tee shirt which we visited in August 2013.
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| Giant's Causeway |
I finished reading "Daniel Boone The Pioneer of Kentucky" by John Stevens Cabot Abbott which I began on 14 April. I also read his "Napoleon Bonaparte," "David Crockett His Life and Adventures," and "Benjamin Franklin. A Picture of the Struggles of Our Infant Nation, One Hundred Years Ago."
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| John Stevens Cabot Abbott (1805-1877) |
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Eileen and I went for a walk with Liam, pushing him in his little car.
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| Eileen and Liam |
Later I finished the 4 May issue of the Church News.
In the evening I finished reading "Troilus and Cressida" by William Shakespeare which I began on 14 April. I have also read "Titus Andronicus" and "Romeo and Juliet."
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| William Shakespeare (1564-1616) |
Eileen had discovered that a six-month subscription to Ancestry.com was on sale and she told Tom who bought it. She helped him use it and when we hit the hay he was researching ancestors. Eileen warned him that it was addictive and he was up late!
We did our exercises and we have just been doing them at night. When we get back home we'll return to morning and evening.
On Friday 26 September we were up bright and early with Liam at about 6:15 am. We kept an eye on and played with him while Heather went to her chiropractor appointment at 9.
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| Liam loves berries! |
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| Liam enjoying berries again! |
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| Liam and the Georgia bulldog |
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| Liam and the jeep |
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| Liam and the noisy device |
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| Liam heads for the fireplace |
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| Liam lifts the device |
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| Liam on the fireplace |
I had read about Otto the Great (913-973) in "The Great Events by Famous Historians, Vol. 5." So I researched him and read a lot about him. One could easily say that he was the most influential person of the 10th century.
I published the pictures on my blog from our visit to the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida.
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Eileen and Ben in front of the Mote Aquarium
with the Times-Courier
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I sent the picture of our two sister missionaries at the Gilmer Community Food Pantry along with a caption to the Times-Courier.
We went to a Shepherd's Way Farm setup under a large tent where lots of pumpkins and gourds were being sold. An amazing variety!
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| Shepherd's Way Farm sign |
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| Liam and Heather |
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| Heather and Liam |
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| Heather, Liam, and Eileen |
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| Heather, Liam, and Eileen |
We visited Tom at Jerry's Artarama and then took Liam to Eastgate Park for some play time.
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| Liam and the black fireplace door |
About 6:45 she and Tom went out as Eileen and I babysat. Eileen read to Liam before they left and he was asleep before 7 pm. We ordered a large pizza on Papa John's app and I went to pick it up. As I entered the store door I saw the sign for 25% off for AARP members, so I saved $5.50! Half the pizza was five meats and half was four veggies and extra cheese. Delicious as always with two garlic sauces and lots of pepperoncinis.
I published the pictures on my blog from our visit to the original Ringling Circus Museum in Sarasota, Florida.
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| Ben and circus wagon |
We did our exercises and I read to Eileen.
On Saturday 27 September we were up early to allow Heather to get more sleep. Liam was up at 3:30 and went back to sleep at 4:30.
We enjoyed leftover pizza for breakfast and Liam enjoyed some, too. He also enjoyed more raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. He went down for a nap about 10 but not for long. Then we went to the J. C. Raulston Arboretum. There was a big plant sale going on. We also had to contend with a lot of congestion due to the N. C. State football game but we were fortunate to find an excellent parking space by the arboretum entrance.
First come the plant sale photos.
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| Water cascade and Liam |
Then our stroll through the arboretum.
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| Liam |
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| Liam and Eileen |
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| Heather and Liam |
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| Heather and Liam |
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| Eileen and stroller |
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| Ben and chimes in Lath House |
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| Liam and Ben in Lath House |
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| Liam, Ben, and chime in Lath House |
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| Chime, Liam, and Eileen in Lath House |
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| Liam in Lath House |
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| Eileen, Liam, and Heather |
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| Eileen and beautiful roses |
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| Eileen, Heather, and beautiful roses |
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| Heather, Eileen, and Liam on the Rooftop Garden |
All the rest of the arboretum pictures will be in a separate blog entry.
Afterwards we went to the nearby Neomonde Bakery & Deli for lunch. Leaving the eatery in the car Heather stopped at Harris-Teeter and Liam fell asleep, so Heather then drove through numerous neighborhoods with many gorgeous homes rather than wake Liam. It was especially nice as Dr. Brown's Diet Cream soda was available and that is a big favorite for Eileen, which we rarely see in stores.
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| Eileen and Liam |
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| Liam and Heather |
I published the pictures on my blog from our visit to the new Ringling Circus Museum and the Ringling Ca'd'Zan Mansion in Sarasota and the South Florida Museum in Bradenton.
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| Entrance to the New Circus Museum |
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Ca'd'Zan mansion
(House of John in Venetian dialect) |
During the week we prepared for our priesthood and Relief Society lessons by reading the April general conference talk "Where Your Treasure Is" by Elder Michael John U. Teh of the Seventy. We met him and his wife when he visited one of our sacrament meetings on our mission in Salt Lake City.
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| Elder Michael John U. Teh of the Seventy |
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