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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

FOX: Author of Novel Cited by Georgia Militia Suspects Says His Work Was Misinterpreted.

More on the "blood soaked novel."

The author of an online novel cited by four Georgia men who allegedly sought to kill U.S. law enforcement officials and federal judges said his work has been misinterpreted.

Mike Vanderboegh, of Pinson, Ala., said his novel, "Absolved," which is set to be published in book form later this year, was "intended to communicate the fact that another Civil War is possible" in the United States.

"The federal government has been pushing the limits of liberty back in this country for many, many years, and my point was, at some undetermined moment in the future, someone is going to determine that they're not going to be pushed around anymore," Vanderboegh told "It is what it is … it's a terrible description of what might happen if people continue to be victimized in this country."

Federal authorities say members of the fringe militia group said they intended to model their actions on Vanderboegh's work, although the author's name is not listed in indictments charging the four men. The suspects, Frederick Thomas, 73, Dan Roberts, 67, Ray Adams, 65, and Samuel Crump, 68, all live in the north Georgia towns of Cleveland and Toccoa.

The men, according to court documents, had been discussing "covert" operations since at least March, considering murder, theft and the use of toxic agents like ricin to undermine state and federal government.

"What kind of moron uses the phrase 'save the Constitution' and then goes out to try and distribute ricin?" Vanderboegh said. "This has got to be the Alzheimer's gang. What political point is made there? I don't understand what was going on in the minds of these Georgia idiots."

Vanderboegh, who has closely followed the botched federal investigation known as "Fast and Furious," also runs a whistleblower website called Sipsey Street Irregulars. He said it appears that at least one of the men charged had visited his website and left comments, but he denied having any personal contact with the men.

"I am responsible for this as Tom Clancy is for 9/11, which is to say not at all," he said.

Vanderboegh said he has not been contacted by law enforcement authorities in connection to Tuesday's arrests, and he characterized the matter as a "misinterpretation of a piece of fiction."

Citing department policy, a Department of Justice source declined to indicate whether authorities had interviewed Vanderboegh or plan to do so.

"If we begin to treat fiction as grounds for legal action against the author because someone misinterprets it or uses a tactic from the book," Vanderboegh said, "then the First Amendment no longer exists."

Anonymous said...

Big Sis has been spouting off about spending more resources on tracking people (aka citizens) on the internet and social media.

It looks like she is well past the aspiration stage. You probably have more feds and mediamutters interns reading posts than any other demographic (now that the 75 year old ricin packing grandpa's are under control.)

Anonymous said...

crank it out, make it an Ebook

No need for a publisher.

I'd buy one of the readers just to read your book.

Anonymous said...

"hitch up your drawers"

The Spirit of 1776 said...

I read "De Bello Gallico" (in Latin, with side-by-side English translation).

I read "The Iliad" (in Greek, with side-by-side English translation).

Does the Stasi... I mean, DHS ... suspect *me* of plotting to overthrow a state and conquer the inhabitants?

I read a biography of Robert E Lee.

Does Janet Napolitano suspect me of plotting to attack the US?

I should burn all my books, while I still can.

Phuck the pheds. This has gone too far.

PT said...

lol. just made studio b.

Chuck Kuecker said...

I remember John Ross getting federal attention after "Unintended Consequences" came out.

When is Absolved supposed to be available? I have enjoyed the chapters posted, and I really want to get a hard copy or three!

Keep up the good work on Gunwalker. Thanks for your efforts.

Oakenheart said...

What's your hit counter on the blog now? over 9000? Any publicity is good publicity. So when can I buy the book? :)

cmblake6 said...

Haven't you heard? The Bureau of Pre-Crime has been approved and is in full operation.

I suppose thay figure if they can, we probably will too.

Anything they can do to stifle freedom, to include fiction, is well within their bounds they apparently believe.

cmblake6 said...

Anonymous said...

I put money on the Feds inducing these Grandpas into something arrestable with Dutchmans name on it in order to deflect attention away from F & F.

Anonymous said...

Well Mike maybe this will have an upside in the fact that more people will come to your site and start reading and learn how the alphabet agencies have harmed and killed Americans and Mexicans via gun-walker or whatever name the various operations occurred as...

Anonymous said...

Big Sis got grilled by Issa on Fast and Furious last week.

Grassley stuck it to Lanny Breuer yesterday.

The DOJ has started to take some real hits over Gunwalking. Alinsky tactics demanded it attempt a distraction.

So DOJ moved, busted an alleged geriatric militia, and invoked the name Vanberboegh first chance it got.

Is it just coincidence the "militia" was swept up the very same day Breuer was giving testimony?

Anonymous said...

"Mike Vanderboegh, of Pinson, Ala., said his novel, "Absolved," which is set to be published in book form later this year..."

You know, we're all going to hold you to this now.

Whizbanger said...

No offense intended, but why didn't the feds use a book already in print, say; John Ross's "unintended consequences" ?
It seems to me the most of the value of "absolved" in this case lies in it's connection to "Fast and Furious". These guys were pretty Internet literate to have read "Absolved", just sayin...

joe in reno said...

(AHEM) With all this free publicity it really is time to get the novel out. After the flacks all say any publicity is good publicity!

Da Curly Wolf said...

Sadly at this point I believe it's more likely than not.

Snaggle-Tooth Jones said...

Citing department policy, a Department of Justice source declined to indicate whether authorities had interviewed Vanderboegh or plan to do so.

That policy no doubt having to do with preventing yet another thing from blowing up in their face.

HammerHead said...

I expect to see more of this time of activity as the government continues to expand the "police state"! People that LOVE AMERICA are growing weary of a government that continues to wipe its ass with the constitution! People look at TSA, DHS, ATF and other agencies as the real terrorists and I have to say I agree more and more with that POV daily!

Cocked, locked and ready to rock!
Hammerhead out!

Mt Top Patriot said...

Watch the other hand that just coincidentally uncovered a plot to over throw the ones who are doing the real overthrow.
Like just when the noose is drawing over the heads of obama on down.

In obamastan Amerika, there are no coincidences.

Mr. Mike, one of the only two real American's, with the courage and conviction of their beliefs, to risk all, go up against the tyranny treason and murder breathing down our throats, and now, he suddenly after all this time, after exposing the most egregious dastardly, sinister plot in American history, finally receives mention in the state run media?
Somethings awfully fishy here!

Anonymous said...

Ummm.... About the "blood soaked novel" thing. Would it be too much trouble if I got a copy before you soaked it? My eyes aren't as good as they used to be and I would really like to have a copy I could read.

PT said...

"Citing department policy, a Department of Justice source declined to indicate whether authorities had interviewed Vanderboegh or plan to do so."

I would pay serious money to watch that one.


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Sunday, December 21, 2014

33 - Oh, the Weather Outside's... Delightful!

Before I say anything about this week, there is a story that I forgot to tell that's too good to leave out of my mission blog!
Black Friday Mall Crowd

Flashback to Black Friday amongst the hustle and bustle of the mall in the afternoon!

We were at the food court and had just gotten our lunch. Problem is, there was hardly any places to sit. Solution- sit on the rim of the indoor fountain, like everyone does when there's nowhere to sit. I was by a guy who was playing some game on his cell phone. Well, we're counseled to talk with everyone to give them an opportunity to accept the gospel, so I strike up a conversation. I'm only eating my fries as I talk. I don't want to be so undignified as to be workin' on my messy Whopper when fulfilling my calling as a representative of Jesus Christ. Somehow, I doubt that would invite the spirit. haha.

The conversation was going fine. He didn't seem too interested, but I brought up the Book of Mormon and was going to talk more about it when his phone rang. He did mention that he was waiting for his wife and kid to meet him. I reached for my Book of Mormon and discretely pulled it out and kept it by my side, but then the guy got up... darn it...

Sister Burt realized the situation. "Sorry," she sympathized. But then a few seconds later, "wait, isn't that him?" The guy had just put down his phone and was just standing there, looking around.

Woo! Here's my chance! So I walk up and say,

"Hi, sorry, we have to get going, but here," I say as I place the Book of Mormon in his hand.

"I know if you read and pray about the Book of Mormon that the Holy Ghost will tell you it is of God."

"Well... thank you, but I'm Luthran, so I don't want this."

"Well, that's ok, just give it to someone who needs Jesus in their life!" I said with a smile.

"Oh! Ok, I'll do that! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Grr... g..rraa....."

"What are you trying to say...?"

"I'm trying to remember your name."

"You don't know me."

"! ...Oh! hahaha.. well then! ok, well, anyway, you have a great holiday season!"

"You to, thanks."

Hahahahahaha! I totally gave it to a totally different guy! hahahahah! But it totally worked! I I think that I ended up putting it in good hands! hahaha.

So that's that story! haha. Back to the present.

"Frozen" Falls Park

After emailing last P-Day we went and took pictures at Falls Park!

It was cold that evening, but it was so fun and so beautiful!

Our Group at the Frozen Falls
We walked and climbed on the frozen falls and everything!

We had some great pictures taken!

And the place is soooo beautiful and Christmas time at night!

You know what's really rewarding?

To have your mission President mention your success story in his weekly email to all the missionaries. He said:

"Great success is being experienced through the He is the Gift initiative... One set of Sister Missionaries packed a lunch, asked a member to help them get their bikes to a neighboring town in their area and spent the day tracting then the member came back at night and picked them up. They passed out 29 He is the Gift Cards, five Books of Mormon and are returning to follow up on the appointments they made and to do more tracting."

How awesome is that!? After reading that I really wish we had been able to report better news about going to Worthing again, but see, we tried our hardest to call everyone and get someone to come with us to the appointments we set up with people there, but because of various reasons, nobody was able to at all. Darn Christmas shopping and sickness and lack of answering phone. But, the Lord knows what he's doing because in the morning we contacted the people we had appointments with by phone and one of them was very sick and the other was out of town.

We ended up going to Lennox to find some innactive people on the ward list there. Lennox is a little tiny bit futher out than Worthing and it's also a little bit bigger and a lot bit more getto.

Also, you find odd things in small towns, like buses parked in driveways of houses. It gives Sister Burt the creeps Lennox does.

We were able to find at least one member who we could come back and see sometime, so that was good.

We also went to Tea and tracted a bit.

It was successful. We go to Tea a lot to teach a less active family once a week.

A 2-Track Crossing!
It's good because it's the closest to us and it's larger too, more options to choose from as far as where to tract.

Warm enough to RAIN!
Also, the weather... has been an absolute miracle. Saturday it was 55 degrees! And same with Sunday!

Like... what! NOT South Dakota winter weather at all! I went to church with no coat! It was amazing! Moss was growing on the trees and everything! It's so warm that it's 'raining' right now! Granted it's going to snow again today later... but still! I'll take a two whole day miracle!

Also, Sister Burt got her trunky papers. Poor Sister Burt... haha.

So that's about it! We are going to be working hard this Christmas season! Woo!

Gas prices have been awesome here lately.

Door @ a Gift Shop...Is that a...hmm?

This handle at the Sioux Falls gift shop totally looks like a video game controller.

32 -The Worthing Souls Are Great

It's been a productive week! And Sister Burt was even sick for the beginning of it, and we still got a super lot done, just, wow! And you know why? It's because we made awesome plans and followed through on them. This is how it went down.

We were doing weekly planning. Every week, it's the same people... And I knew there was more people that we still had yet to meet in the ward. So we finally sat down and figured out who all was in our area, active and less active alike and we highlighted all of the people we knew. There were a lot of un-highlighted names, so our goal is now to get as many names highlighted on that list as possible. Because we now had a definite list of people to visit, we met and taught two new less actives and have return appointments with both of them! We really should have done this sooner.

Beautiful Stained Glass.         An Uplifting Christmas Program
The day after that, we went to support one of our less actives who was in a Christmas program at a methodist church. She goes to a Methodist school.
The church was beautiful and the program was very cute and uplifting. They did a great job.

The mayor even passed by us while we were walking in the parking lot to the car and said, "Thanks for comin!" But we didn't know that was the mayor until the member who was with us notified us. Otherwise, we would have totally taken more advantage of that opportunity! But, still awesome that the mayor talked to us.

A map of the "city" of Worthing. :-)
The crowning event of this week though (as you can guess by the title), was the day in the City of Worthing.

This little thing is Worthing.

There's a little bit more to it on the outskirts that doesn't show here aparently, but still, it's tiny. It has about 1000 people who live there we've been told.

You see, we have a few little tiny cities south and west of us that don't get touched very often because we are of course limited on the amount of miles we can use.

But we decided that we NEEDED to get out to one of them and work there before weather became too severe. We found out that the best day would be Saturday, thanks to members who have smart phones and are willing to tell us the weather forcasts. We announced the previous Sunday that we needed a ride with our bikes to Worthing on Saturday and got things all orchestrated. (See how much preparation this took? Couldn't just do this on a whim.)

So, come Saturday we armed ourselves with supplies and a packed lunch because we didn't know if there were any places to eat there. We ate a big breakfast that Saturday (conveniantly served at the church because it was the holiday Christmas breakfast thing) and we hooked our bikes up and we were off on an adventure!

Worthing... honestly wasn't quite as far away as we thought. It took about fifteen minutes to get there, but it was still worth getting a ride. Before long there was a little sign.

There it is! Worthing! Haha.

We were dropped off at the east end of the city and we started knocking on doors!

The low was 26 or so and the high 42 and it was sunny and not very windy. It was still cold, but completely bearable, the perfect day to tract out that town.

Worthing, and just small towns or... cities... (it is a city. Has a school and a little City Hall and everything.) they remind me of what it would be like in the book "To Kill a Mockingbird." Just super small with dirt roads and the houses are more old and everything. It's a cool feel.

Cold Chicken Noodle Soup for Lunch
I am glad we brought a lunch though, because the only places to eat were two bars and the gas station. Soooo cold chicken noodle soup it was! A little bit colder than room temperature, but, hey, it was food!

We actually did not tract out the entire town. We tracted until Juniper, so we only covered like a third of what we have on our map.

In the five and a half hours we were there we passed out 29 He is the Gift cards, 5 Book of Mormons, and found many people who have been humbled by their life's circumstances and who are much more receptive to the gospel than most of the people in Sioux Falls.

We are going back to Worthing on Saturday for two return appointments and some drop-bys and more tracting!

One of the most powerful experiences was this:

It was later in the afternoon, one of the last doors we knocked on, and this lady opened the door. She was getting out her Christmas decorations, seeing what she already had and what she still needed. We gave her the He is the Gift card and she started telling us how this was a hard time for her and her family, that they were going through a lot. And she mentioned her sister who lived in town (so there are still little towns where people are related) and she was actually one of the first people we tracted into, so we already had that connection.

We bore testimony that us meeting her, AND her sister before her, was no coincidence and that the Book of Mormon, this gospel, is what they need in order to bring them peace. There were tears in her eyes from just referencing the hard time she was having. Sister Burt then said,
"Do you want a hug?"

"Yes, I actually would."

I watched with humble heart as they hugged. Then I hugged her and said,
"I know we just met you, but we love you already!"

She had tears streaming down her face. This is the first time I've ever seen someone cry on my mission right there at the doorstep. It was really, really quite something. We gave her sister before her a Book of Mormon and we gave her a Book of Mormon as well of course.

We will be sure to try them next Saturday.

Shortly after that experience, we went to the gas station and called for our ride because it was getting dark outside. (It gets dark at around 5:30 right now.)

It's a cute little gas station, as you can see, but the sad thing is, it's bigger than the Circle K I worked at. I swear, there's not a gas station that I've ever come across that is smaller than the one I worked at, or in other words, has only two islands of food stuff! This one had like, four. But, I guess it is the only gas station, so they should have more stuff I suppose.

Our ride came and we were happy to report the results of the day. It was a taxing day and we were sore the day after, but it was so worth it!

And for the hard work we put in, Heavenly Father poured out a blessing upon us the day after.

Travis and Jasmine and their four little boys came to church! We have lost contact with them because they just had a new baby and Travis is out of town a lot. Jasmine was baptised earlier in Mexico, but doesn't know anything about the church really. They all enjoyed church and we have a return appointment with them on Thursday!

We have more set appointments this upcoming week then I think we've ever had! It's been a productive week for sure!

Also, if you haven't seen the He is a Gift video, go to and watch it! It is a great video and gets better when you share it with people! The first time I watched it, I will confess, I had thoughts of "...her shorts are really short... ...that's a weird looking depiction of Jesus and Mary... ..the music is eeeh." But as I've watched it more and read the words, it is now a powerful video! So go and watch it, and think about how Jesus Christ is the greatest gift and more importantly, think of how you can show your appreciation for him.

Discover the Gift.
Embrace the Gift.
and, Share the Gift.

Remember what Christmas is truly about and I promise, you will have a merry Christmas.

Elder Ben Lopez - Letter 1 - Nebraska

Here's a letter from Elder Ben Lopez, for those of you who know him and aren't on the distribution list.
Heyyyyyy! Everyone! Family and friends! Wow! Well i have a lot to talk about!

I can accept Letters at my new address. I found out that packages can be sent to this address too!
Elder Ben R Lopez
155 E 8th St. Apt #1
Wahoo, NE 68066
The weather is ok here haha not snowing here yet. Maybe next week. The Families are amazing. Well, they remind me of friends and family from home. Its very weird. I'm thinking, whoa, you sound so much like me cousins! You act like this person and that person. The church isn't a ward. its a branch. So we just have a Branch President. :) My companion's Name is Elder Benjamin Painter...haha He's amazing. Well the first day of meeting him was Friday. My area is 30 min North of Lincoln City, in a place called Wahoo. I didn't get to meet my companion til about 1 pm on Friday. so i hung out with other missionaries waiting for my companion. Lets just say i wanted to fight some missionaries because of the way they were acting! Yes, some aren't as obedient to the rules and other type of things as other missionaries!. Well, Thankfully my companion is awesome! He reminds me of Luke Powell and a few other people put into one. haha
My first night in Wahoo, We teach this investigator...My first lesson that i get to teach in Nebraska is..........The Law of Chastity...Yay! haha but the investigator is about 76 years old and he is awesome! He has a baptismal date for this FridayDec 19th. Nothing big haha...I'm thankful that i get to participate and fulfill the or be here for the baptism and to be able to help with a couple lessons. The Branch is great at welcoming investigators and the area I'm in is great for church attendance with investigators, lots of baptisms, and just a great area out of the mission. I feel honored to be here for my first area! A couple more baptisms this next month.
My first times out here since i came on a plane...Well, (Wed-Friday) Spent a couple days in a hotel and the Mission President was training us new missionaries. On Thursday, tried to go on splits and knock from door to door to give a Book of Mormon away. It went well, Gave one away This took place in Omaha. Then Visited the Winter Quarters Temple and visiting center. It was amazing. Then a lesson and dinner at President Weston's house. Then Friday came and went to see our new companions for the transfer. Friday night gave lesson and had dinner at a members house.Saturday came and we had a slow day. So we were thinking of things on what to do. Well, got invited to lunch with the branch pres family. Met them and the Branch pres wife...Reminded me of my mom. haha So yeah pretty scary! After Elder Painter and I went to go street contacting later for about 3-4 hours. We went to a town full of Catholics..the town is called Weston. Lots of rejection especially from this older lady. so this is how it went...

She was about in her 70's or 80's. We introduced ourselves..then she says. I want nothing to do with you. Then shuts door.
I thought to myself. There is so much we can give and well nothing you can do to force them to listen. So just went our ways and onto the next door.! The next town we go to is called Malmo. It is full of Lutherans...Hoping some of our convos don't end up in bible bashing. But they say no thank you or some just close the door. My companion and I are starving and we see this place. I was thinking to myself...ohhh we should preach in this place! He smiles and laughs a bit. Well, the place is a Bar and Grill. So we walked there and immediately I didn't feel good about so we just turn around. So maybe next time! :)
Church was Awesome! Met so many people but our church is under a eye care center. Our church isnt big. Not many Melchizedek Priesthood holders. But before church my companion and i give a blessing of healing and anointing of the oil. I blessed the Sacrament. Then I bore my testimony for a bit. Everyone seemed excited haha The Branch President enjoyed what i talked about when i talked about seminary. Me thinking nothing of it just talking about it helped out a lot of others as they listened. Later that night, taught another lesson at the Branch Presidents house. We also had dinner and did a little gift exchange thing and had some fun. The branch President talked to me about singing. He asked if i liked singing and i said yes. Then he gave a compliment that i had a great voice. I freaked out and thought to myself, not really. But said Thank you haha. He wondered if i would do a solo and i was freaked out again and said no. but dont worry, Creating a Boy Band for the church to sing Christmas Hymns! ;) and they had a guitar so i tuned it right quick and played a few songs and they love it! I'm so thankful for the talents and to be able to make them happy. So there is like 30 members. Not too many people in the branch, but almost half of them will be moving to different states. So, I'll be doing my best to help the branch and bring others unto Christ!
So good So far...! I love you all. Its great hearing all the things that have been happening at home! Writing letters will be effective for me. I'm going to be writing a lot. I hope Christmas break is fun and that you all enjoy family and friends and the holidays! Be safe out there! Stay warm! and I'm trying my best to be warm! haha and its not snowing here. So hopefully pretty soon like next week. And I'll let you know when I can Skype. Not too sure...Hmm, please let me know the times that the other missionaries are Skyping...Elder Shaeffer&Hermana Shaeffer...I can work around their time. Thank you for everything! I forgot my camera and I'll be sure to post pictures next time. I'm really slow on that. please forgive me. Everyone home keep having fun and enjoy the Christmas break! You all are working hard! Teaching, Studying for Finals, Working..Just getting through everyday. you all are amazing and continue to do what you all do! I love you All! You all keep me motivated everyday! To do my best! Until Next Monday! :)
-Elder Lopez

Monday, December 15, 2014

31 - The Week of Thanksgiving

...that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you. (Alma 34:38).

Lots happened this week, and I know I'm not going to be able to cover all I would like too. Darn. But I'll try to hit the important things.

Tuesday was great because we saw lots of progress with people we are working with! The native family is opening up to us a lot more now. It's been awesome. And what else is awesome is the deaf recent convert that we have been working with, Sunshine? Well, someone was apparently giving her a hard time and telling her to go to a different church, trying super hard to control her. But Sunshine stood up for herself, telling her friend that she was satisfied with her church right now. But her friend was just NOT leaving her alone! But she felt comfortable to call us for comfort and support after that happened! How awesome is that! She's been struggling with her testimony and that just shows how far she's come!

The day before Thanksgiving, we had Thanksgiving dinner with the Taylor family.

They did Thanksgiving a day early because Sister Taylor was going out of town on Thanksgiving. It was wonderful!

As you can see by my plate, it was a lot of good awesome Thanksgiving deliciousness.

And afterward we had a Thanksgiving activity where we made thankfulness turkeys.

So that was super fun and filling.

Thanksgiving day. I prayed that day to see miracles. In my mind, I reminded myself that this was the only Thanksgiving I would have as a missionary, as a representative of the Lord, and I wanted to tell people what I was thankful for and give them something more to be thankful for!

I expressed my desire to work hard today to Sister Burt, and I told her we 'would' see miracles today.

The miracle came almost immediately. We had tried knocking on this less active family's door multiple times with no avail, but this morning, the door was opened. We were able to share a Thanksgiving message and set up another time to meet and we have high hopes with meeting with these people more regularly in the future!

We then went back home and were picked up by Sister Thulin to spend Thanksgiving with their family of ten kids all under the age of sixteen! Crazy! I love their family!

And Sister Thulin is such a saint and even brought little treats to her person that she visit teaches after she picked us up.

Man, Thanksgiving at the Thulin house was so high energy and fun!

See, I told you it was COLD outside!
Never A Dull Moment At the Thulin's - 10 Kids!
We've been to their house for dinner before, but, and this is so typical of kids, they wanted to give us a tour of the house! Haha. So we walked down the stairs, following the barrage of excited little ones and were shown the big awesome room that is the basement and the playroom.

And they had a big bean bag that we were playing with, giving them rides on it one at a time, and then we played "Binky Ball" (dodgeball basically with one of those squishy stringy balls) which is totally a game which we in my family as little kids would have made up and played, and it was awesome.

So much running around!

And then one of the kids wanted to play outside in the like, 10 degree weather, and I was all for that!

There wasn't too much snow, and the snow wasn't sticky enough to make anything more than a simple snowball, but we had fun playing soccer as best we could while the little ones sledded down the soccer goal haha, and while one of the youngest sucked on a football.

Problem is, I got my camera slightly snowy, aka, slightly wet... and the picture was um, not doing so well... but! It took an awesome picture of pre-digging into Thanksgiving dinner where it made it look like a memory! haha

So that's awesome! But then I just put it in rice and my camera was all good to use again. Yay rice!!!

And we after that just had a good relaxing time.

It was so homey and nice.
But... we did end up staying longer than we probably should have. I prayed to see miracles and I saw one. I was satisfied with the one miracle and I shouldn't have been satisfied with just one. It was a great Thanksgiving still, but I regret not having set the expectation to leave the member's house earlier. And there's no other Thanksgiving for me to have a second chance. But, I suppose that's what the atonement is for, to make up for those things that you can't repay yourself. What a sacred gift. I will repent as I take advantage of the future holidays. Though, of course, everyday we can see miracles.

Also... guess what....

You'll never believe this, but our Mission President authorized us to go Black Friday shopping, just us sisters in Sioux Falls, (cuz we called and asked haha) and so we did! We switched most of our P-day hours to be on Friday instead of Tuesday so we could shop for a long time!

This was my first Black Friday experience actually haha. How ironic. We got up at 5 and were at Target by 6. It actually wasn't very busy, it was nice. After Target we went to Hobby Lobby.

And then we went to Style Encore which still opened at 10, and haha, there was a little line five minutes to opening that formed! So we totally stood in a little line on black Friday! How awesome is that!?

My crowning buy was from Style Encore though. I got this coat for just $15.90! Hopefully it will hold me through the negatives. If not, guess I'll just have to find something else haha, but it seems like it should do me good.

But yes, black Friday was very successful.

And guess what! A less active family who we have been working with, the native family, they came to sacrament meeting on Sunday!!! That's huge!!!

And I am out of time.
Just because: So cute...Link gnome leprechaun...hahaha

Looking forward to writing next week!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

30 - Workin' On My Bucket List

Last rain of the year?
First off, the weather this week.

It was cold for the first bit still, but hey!

It totally got warm enough to rain yesterday!

It was 40 degrees! Woo!
Thermometer on the Pole says 20 F.

And now it's 19 degrees again. With a wind gusting to thirty miles an hour, making it feel like 3 degrees.

That warm spell didn't last long!

But, it's been good.

We've been braving the cold still and we've seen results from it. We actually found two less actives this week, one because we were out in the cold knocking on doors. We had a good conversation with him out in the cold, 'cuz he didn't actually live at the house, he was just doing their yard work, shoveling snow and what-not. He told us that we might see him at church someday, that you never know.

Some of the Deaf Sisters (just because).
After that particular slew of tracting though, it was good to come back to the apartment and defrost. We were out in the cold for about two hours, and it was maybe 15-19 degrees outside plus a slight windchill. And knocking on doors doesn't get your blood flowing like say, building a snowman does, so you get pretty cold.

When I was defrosting, when even something slightly warm was super hot, when my fingers were red from the blood rushing to them, when my face felt funny from having feeling return to it, it completely reminded me of returning home from astronomy at NAU on those cold nights when my roommate Katelynne and I stood out in the snow to look at stars and got so cold while we did so. We had to thaw out then too.

Good times.

I love eating dinner with so many families. This particular family of mom and dad and two little boys just cracks me up. I told their mom that she needs to record their dinners and it would be a super funny show! haha.

The one in the dark shirt, he's four I believe and is just a chatter box and so funny! And then the one in the red shirt, his name might as well be Echo because he just copies everything his older brother does and it's so funny!

Now. Wednesday. That was an awesome day. Let me tell you, a mission allows you to cross things off your bucket list that you didn't even know were on it! I did three awesome things this particular day, that is:
1)Have a butterfly land on my face.

2)Eat swordfish

3)Dominate at dodgeball (sorry, no picture).

What a day, right!

The worker person who was showing us volunteers the butterfly house, she scissor-grabbed a struggling butterfly and threw it in the air and it landed on my face and stayed there! hahaha. It was crazy!

Then for dinner there is a very well off family in the ward who likes to treat the missionaries and they took us to Foley's, a very expensive restaurant with real quality food and wow... that swordfish is heavenly! It tasted like salmon, but not and it was just! AH! It was so good!

And then we were waiting at the church in order for the other sisters to meet us to switch out the car and the young men and young women just got done with mutual and were playing dodgeball. So we joined. I've decided that I like playing dodgeball with a softer ball about the size of a grapefruit, because, I can't catch, but those smaller balls are easier to dodge, so I just dodged and threw when the ball was open and I dominated! I even flaunted my nametag. Haha it was pretty boss.
And this week I got around to taking pictures of bingo! We go and volunteer at the assisted living place here and call bingo. All the old people are just so funny and we have a great time.

There's one old lady with a cute old southern accent named Eva who is 103! And still kickin'! She always picks fruitsnacks for her prize when she wins a round of bingo. She is so funny, sayin' "choo choooo!" when she's shuffling her little feet in her wheelchair to get around from place to place!

Also, it's official. Sister Burt is spending the last bit of her mission here. It has now entered into the next transfer and she is staying here for the last six weeks of her mission. I'm going to kill her off! How shall I do it??? haha.

She doesn't want to go home. She's also in denial about how little time she has left. But she has no more planners to make. She even made a case for all her planners.
Speaking of planners, I made my next one, Christmas! woo!

And it's super sweet!

I worked long and hard on writing those words... literally hours... hahaha.

But it looks beautiful, so the practicing paid off! haha.

I also neglected to mention something about last week. Short story time!

So! This was on the day that was very snowy, the Saturday. We called our one native american less active that we are teaching to see if we could set up a time to come over and teach her and her grandchildren. She said that we could come over today, so we did.

She lives in the elder's area, so a bit out of the way. But we had the car, so it was all good. We drove over there and then we got the text.... that she couldn't meet anymore.... Sigh... what were we going to do?
We are low on miles this month.
We couldn't afford to go back to our area and then all the way back here again for our dinner appointment....
I suggested we call someone else, a recent convert who we see on this side of town. She's always busy but, might as well try.
Well, she was able to meet with us!
Because it was an impromptu visit, she had her handy man friend over! And he listened to what we had to say and is totally open to the gospel!
And he came to church with the recent convert the next day!
He lives in the elders area, so the elders are teaching him now, but he's super solid and progressing well!
The Lord really paved the way on this one. Heavenly Father orchestrated it so that we found him, because he is ready to listen!
So yeah. That's my awesome story!
Marshall has spina bifida

And last but not least, videos!

So, many of you know my brother Marshall and how he has Spina Bifida. (What is spina bifida?).

Well, this is a video about a guy in Africa with Spina Bifida and he MAKES wheelchairs! How awesome!
Then there's also this awesome music video that is sung beautifully and I was watching it and it moved me to tears because I thought of the words darn it and it's something that's just so good! So, might as well share.

And then this is my favorite Thanskgiving Message video thing in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sunday, December 7, 2014

29 - Preachin' in a Winter Wonderland

Monday, Before the Snow Came
So if any of you have watched the news this week, I was notified by my dear mother that apparently South Dakota was on the news because of how cold it has been here.

Winter came on fast! Which honestly, I prefer because now you just know you have to put on your coat. There's no debating whether or not you need it, as there would be if we eased into winter.

So, it works out.

That Night...A 'cute' Dusting of Snow
Later last Monday afternoon it snowed a little bit. It was a cute little snowfall. It wasn't enough to cover the ground completely, but it was very windy. It was the strangest thing because the snow wasn't sticking to the ground at all. And it was so thin Monday afternoon that you could just occasionally see a gust of wind come by with a thin line of snow in it's grasp. It was so strange.

The snow blew around, almost looking like sand as it was swept elsewhere by the wind. (Of course I would relate it to sand being from Arizona.) I don't recall having seen anything like this before, because the snow didn't blow around this drastically in flagstaff even though it was windy there too. It's probably because the snow here is very powdery and less wet. It's unfortunately not something I can capture in a picture. Nonetheless, it was a cute little snowfall.
Tuesday Morning - Bundled UP

The next morning we looked out and it was snowing, but windy, so there was even less snow on the ground than the day before. And we called the Sioux Falls Weather Service and with windchill... it was like, four degrees. But. We had to tract still. We are to stop tracting completely and stay inside only when it hits -30 degrees.

So we were obedient missionaries and got suited up.

Wind and Snow Vs. Hat and Scarf!
That wind is a killer. See how my scarf is blowing in that picture? And it was snowing and sometimes the snow hits you in the eye and you're like "Dah! My eyeball" haha.

We had some success while tracting this street though. We found a less active that isn't on the ward list! So that was exciting. She let us come in and made us hot chocolate.

Thank you to my cousin Rachel though!

She made me this scarf, and psh, you don't need scarves in Arizona, but I was sure glad I had one this day!

This is how you fight the cold!

Also, Tuesday was 11/11/11/11/11 day. So we made an 11/11 challenge.

We didn't do all the things, but the other sisters did! haha. Sister Hawkes now hates water...(She drank 11 cups)

Wednesday we were fortunate enough to be able to stay indoors most of the day to plan for the week. And Thursday we were blessed because, though it was twelve degrees outside, there was basically no wind, even in Tea! (Tea is a smaller town just South West of Sioux Falls. Most of Tea is in our Proselyting area. We usually go out to Tea only once or twice a week because we missionaries are limited on miles, plus we only have the car on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.)

That Thursday night we found someone who let us into their doorway and we were able to teach her about the restoration and she read Moroni 10:3-5 and felt that it was true! It was only her though. Her husband might not be as receptive. We pray that they both will have a spiritual confirmation that this is the correct course to pursue, to learn more about and accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ into their lives.

My Reflection in the Car Window
A Closeup of the Frosty Car Window
Friday it was, guess what, still pretty cold haha. Cold enough to have cool ice flakey things form on the car window! It looks like Someone is just taking a picture of me in snow, but nope! That's the car window and me just in the reflection!

So cool.

There was no snow in Bismarck Friday, but there was snow up in Brookings, SD.
How do I know?
We went up to Brookings to watch Meet the Mormons!

(A news article about Meet The Mormons, the movie.)

Missionaries of the Brookings Zone.

Our Mission President, President Anderson, promised us that when it came out we would eventually get to see it, that he and Sister Anderson would go around the mission and show it to all the missionaries!

My goodness, it was awesome! And now I really want to go to Costa Rica and Napal. haha. But the strong theme of service was so refreshing. A great great GREAT film! And, it should be available on Netflix before you know it!

While all the missionaries were gathered in one place, President took the time to interview us all individually, just to see how we are doing and how he can help us. We are all interviewed four times a year, usually during zone conferences. So, while President was doing interviews we started playing "never have I ever." Now, I was a bit skeptical of starting this game because if you have played this game before, you know it can be a very intrusive? should I say, game? Yeah, but! We played it 'according to the admonition of Paul.' (See the thirteenth article of faith.) So, you could only ask questions that would invoke things that are 'lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy.' Yeah! That's totally the way I'm going to explain how I wanna play it from now on! So awesome and so fun! I wish I had taken a picture. haha. Oh well.

Tracks in the the Gym? No!
And then Saturday. We woke up and 'whoa, snow.' And we actually just got permission by president to use the gym room that our apartment complex has upon the condition that there are no males in there when we use it and that there are no TVs on. So we went out in the snow and to the gym and there was a dude watching the TV using the tredmill... so we ran back to the room. It was like, eighteen degrees outside with the windchill, darn it.
We had the car this first snowy day, and actually it was quite warm, at least, for snow weather. It was 23 degrees thoughout the day and barely any wind! Just a constant light snowfall! Yay!

It was so beautiful! And so nice to be in compared to Tuesday! My goodness!

Driving in snow is not fun though. And our little car is NOT built for snow. Not at all. We were parked uphill at one point and we were trying to go forward and were slipping and sliding and could not gain traction. I went out of the car and tried to push. It must have looked really silly. lol. We then decided it would be smart to go down the hill instead. haha. Problem solved!

Our Car Doors Froze Shut...INSIDE the garage!
Ah, I just love the snow. It's so beautiful! Especially when there's no wind! We decided it would be smart to park in the garage that night.

Sunday morning, we opened the garage and it was still all frozen! haha We had to pull hard to get the doors open because they were frozen shut!

ZERO Degrees?!?!...INSIDE the Garage!

Also, it was pretty cold, not to windy, but we looked at the temperature that the car so kindly tells us (so nice!) and...

No wonder it felt pretty cold! haha

Look, Mom! No Hands! Take THAT, Cold!

So, it has been cold, but good, and we will stay as positive and
productive as possible this winter!

P.S. Here's a tip. Do you like a nice peppermint hot chocolate but don't have a peppermint candy cane?  Can't seem to get that SINGLE DROP of peppermint extract and end up with your eyes watering from the minty aroma?  Haha...been there!

If you want to make good peppermint hot chocolate, just stick a peppermint altoid in there! I'm a geinus!

P.P.S. Sister Gray, my previous companion, reminded me that the P stands for Post and the S stands for Script. I've been doing multiple S's instead of multiple P's. I will amend my wrongs. lol

P.P.P.S. I Plan to become buff this winter.

(I've been adding one a day so far.)

P.P.P.P.S. Sister Burt goes home January 8th. So, we are going to sing through all the songs in the hymn book that we feel confident sight reading before she goes home.

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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Members are the Full-time Missionaries

Slacking older sister speaking: Last week, Steph ran out of time to send a 'main' e-mail because she was swamped with so many private e-mail conversations. However, because of that, I was supposed to post some pictures that she sent me in the mail. I failed. I hope I'll get around to posting those later this week. Stay tuned...

It was kind of ironic that my last email to Betsy was all about member missionary work. So let me start off with what I told her (literally copied and pasted...sorry, laziness of a missionary!):
The biggest misconception everyone and their mother has about missionary work? That we are the full-time missionaries.

We are going to be transferred out eventually, we will not be there to help a person every step of the way. We can befriend somebody and get them to be baptized and come to church, but when we leave, what happens to them? They will have no friends and they will not come back. Period!

The members are the full-time missionaries.

Members should be finding so that the missionaries can be teaching. It's a 1000 times easier to teach someone who knows someone else in the church. They will have an automatic friend and fellowshipper in the ward. A friend who will be there a lot longer than we are.

I never realized how important members are in missionary work. BUT THEY ARE! Holy cow, they are. We may find the "lost sheep," but the ward is the barn, and they will shelter and nourish them.

I just made that analogy up so I know it's really bad.
But anyway, that's what I sent Betsy and sure enough, this happens:

We have been teaching a husband and wife in the ward about the temple, and how to go about getting sealed to each other for all eternity. We teach them every week, and in this last week that we came, the wife, Debbie, briefly mentioned how her friend Brenda all the way from Iowa on a "complete whim" to Oregon to look for work. This woman had no job lined-up or anything, zip, nilch, nada. All she knew about Oregon was that her friend, Debbie lived there. So she came here, and has been visiting Debbie often. Debbie told her friend Brenda about her goal to enter the temple, and Brenda was soooo incredibly interested, she begged to hear more. Debbie went on to tell her about the Book of Mormon, and has even read some stories with her and explained them. Debbie gave her a Book of Mormon, a Gospel Principles book, and several other Church books.

Debbie and Brenda came to the ward BBQ last friday, and Sister Reeder and I sat and talked with Brenda. I asked her, "Sooo. I heard you came here on a total whim!" And she confirmed that and laughed and began to tell us how she knew Debbie, what's she's been talking about with Debbie, yada yada. And then she said, "I've been reading the Book of Mormon, and... I can't explain it...but it filled a hole in my heart that I really didn't know that I was missing." So I asked her again, "Soooo, you say you did come here on a total whim?" And she smiled and said, "you know, I don't think so anymore."

We're teaching her this Wednesday.

I just want to tell you all, missionary work is SIMPLE. It's wonderfully simple and opportunites are all around us. Weekly church activites are not just there to entertain the members, but they are also there to be opportune event to invite a friend. They are the perfect first step to take for someone who is intimidated by going to or learning about the church. There was a story about a ward mission leader that instead of inviting nonmembers over to his house to have a formal sit-down with the missionaries, he'd pose the question: "How do you like your burgers?" This Ward Mission Leader would have BBQs frequently at his house, and he'd invite members and nonmembers and missionaries alike. It was simple. And it was successful.

Just remember, you are placed in the paths of other people purposefully. Heavenly Father knows what and WHO each of us needs. Sometimes, your personailty, no matter how weird/funny/awkward/goofy/quiet/loud/friendly/obnoxious/bold you are, is exactly the kind of personality that they will relate to. But there's only one way to find out: open your mouth!

Until next week!
Hermana Blanchard

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Friday, October 27, 2006

UAB Food and Culture Class Fall 2006

A pig on the earth oven, Lau Group, Fiji (Photo by S. Jones)

Food practices and beliefs are an integral part of every culture. This Fall I am teaching a Food and Culture class at UAB from a cross-cultural perspective. This course is designed to present a broad view of the role of food in human culture through time and in a variety of geographic settings. We meet twice a week to discuss classic and contemporary articles about food, watch films, take field trips, and enjoy wonderful food brought by the students.

Some of the wonderful foods that we have enjoyed include: casarole, brownies, pinwheel cookies, cherry turnovers, a dark fermented brewed beverage, and Dreamland Bar-b-q with all the fixings!

This week we had a guest speaker, Dr. Gregory Mumford who lectured on Ancient Egyptian Foodways.

Last week we took a fieldtrip to the Jones Valley Urban Farm, a non-profit farm in Birmingham, Alabama, which seeks to enhance the environmental, economic and social health of the Birmingham area by promoting locally grown organic food and community activism. Check out their website:

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Chats On The Farmhouse Porch

One of the blogs I read recently started following another blog, which of course, I immediately started following myself.

Every Tuesday, she has everyone over for a virtual chat on her virtual front porch.   She posts 5 questions, which we then answer and post a link back to her blog, so others can come and read our responses.

I'd tried doing the Ten on Tuesday thing for a while, but the topics never seemed that interesting to me.  This, however, seems like great fun.  So, I present to you our very first Chat On The Farmhouse Porch.

Everyday Ruralty

1. Do you eat eggs? What is your favorite way to serve them?

 Um, no.  Being allergic kinda puts the damper on that one.  Before, though, I loved eggs.  Loved, as in I could live on them.  My favorite way to serve them was sunny side up with the runny yoke, and biscuits to sop up the yellow with.  Oh, and egg sandwiches.  I loved egg sandwiches with mayonnaise.

2. Do you have a favorite item that you really like having around? (a pillow, a chair, a sweater, a teddy bear, etc.)

I think this would have to be my White & Nerdy Hoodie.  Each fall, I count down the days until it is cold enough to wear it, then I hardly take it off.  In fact, I'm wearing it now.  Look at me, I'm white and nerdy.

 3. Is most of the furniture in your home dark wood, light wood, painted, lacquered, or distressed?

 Distressed.  Definitely distressed.  And in the style of Early American Mix and Match.  That means it's old, worn, and nothing matches.  But it's still solid and comfortable, so I'll keep it a while longer.  We won't mention the fact that I couldn't afford new furniture anyway.

 4. Please fill in the rest of this sentence. "I could write a book about____________."

American history.  Real American history, not this watered down, politically correct, revisionist history that they teach these days.   Ours is such a bold and rich history, and it's so sad that most people know more about Lady Gaga than George Washington.

 5. If money and calendar/family obligations weren't an issue, would you prefer to spend next weekend at a Bed and Breakfast, a posh hotel, a cabin in the woods, or on a sailboat on a calm body of water?

A cabin in the woods, with a big stone fireplace and a large bay window with a seat.  I'd have my kindle, my knitting and my hot chocolate, with the snow falling gently outside.  I'd be content.  In real life, I'll be at work.  Sigh...

I hope you've enjoyed our little visit today, and I hope you come back next week for another Chat On The Farmhouse Porch.

Patrice said...

Welcome! I'm so glad you joined us on the porch. Too bad that you're allergic to eggs. We have lots of food allergies in our family. There are six of us and four have allergies(including me). Many are different allergies, so it makes cooking a challenge.

White and Nerdy Hoodie! I love the name.:)

I totally agree with #4. Your last answer was very popular, but you are the only one who mentioned a window seat. That's a great place to knit or read. Have a great week!

Ricki Jill Treleaven said...

Dear God in heaven make this girl write the book on American history and I will use it when I homeschool daughter #2!!!

great answers!

Linking from Everyday Ruralty,
Ricki Jill

Tonya Jastad said...

Totally agree with #4. We need more truth and less PC in this world!

Madonna said...

would love to read the history book

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Over the past 15 years, Sky Dayton has founded and built companies that have helped to propel the Internet into our everyday lives.

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An avid surfer, he resides in California, with his wife, novelist Arwen Elys Dayton, and their three children.


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Variables, Constants &Computation T o i n s e r t y o u r c o m p a n y l o g o o n t h i s s l i d e F r o m t h e I n s e r t M n u e l e c t P i c.

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Presentation on theme: "Variables, Constants &Computation T o i n s e r t y o u r c o m p a n y l o g o o n t h i s s l i d e F r o m t h e I n s e r t M n u e l e c t P i c."— Presentation transcript:

2 Variables, Constants &Computation T o i n s e r t y o u r c o m p a n y l o g o o n t h i s s l i d e F r o m t h e I n s e r t M n u e l e c t P i c t u r e L o c a t e y o u r l o g o f i l e C l i c k O K T o r e s i z e t h e l o g o C l i c k a n y w h e r e i n s i d e t h e l o g o. T h e b o x e s t h a t a p p e a r o u t s i d e t h e l o g o a r e k n o w n a s r e s i z e h a n d l e s. U s e t h e s e t o r e s i z e t h e o b j e c t. I f y o u h o l d d o w n t h e s h i f t k e y b e f o r e u s i n g t h e r e s i z e h a n d l e s, y o u w i l l m a i n t a i n t h e p r o p o r t i o n s o f t h e o b j e c t y o u w i s h t o r e s i z e. ©Copyright 1997-2006 by Ronald P. Kessler, Ph.D. Introduction to VB.Net 2003

3 Why Use Variables? They allow us to use math computations They make our programs generic to many solutions

4 What Is a Variable? Just as in algebra, variables in VB are used to represent values of things that can change. I can use a variable to compute sales tax: TaxRate=.0775 SalesTax= Price * TaxRate SalesTax, Price, and TaxRate are variables

5 How Does VB Know What Each Variable Is? When we have been entering items & prices in our data entry screens without specifically telling VB what is text and what should be a number. Items that we type in (text) are Strings Prices are numbers and should be treated like Decimal.

6 PROBLEM: I want to compute the total cost of items purchased. Lets say I buy 3 dozen mouse traps at 16.95 per dozen. I can tell VB to compute the total: My Total will be ( $16.95 * 3) or $50.85 In code it is: Total = 16.95 * 3 I have defined the variable Total simply by typing it in my formula.

7 Data Types for.Net (See Page 99) Short (Integer)+ 32,768 2 bytes(i or int) Integer + 2,147,483,648 4 bytes(i or int) Long Integer+ 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 8 bytes(lng) Single Precision 6 digits of accuracy 4 bytes(sng) Double Precision 14 digits of accuracy 8 bytes(dbl) Decimal More $$ than we can count 16 bytes(dec) StringSize of Str.(s or str) BooleanTrue/False 2 bytes (bln) In VB 3,4,5,& 6 we used Currency instead of decimal & it was 8 bytes

8 Math Operators and Computations Price = 23.90 Tax =.0775 Total = Price * Tax lblTotal.Text=Total

9 Math Operators Use the +, -, *, and / for the basic math operations. Integer Division uses a \ (backslash) so that: 5\2 = 2 Use variables in your computations: Dim Sales as Decimal Dim SalesTax as Decimal Dim TotalSale as Decimal Sales= 765.90 SalesTax=.0775 TotalSale= Sales * SalesTax lblTotal.Text = TotalSale

10 Operation Hierarchy How to solve/setup formulas: 64 / 8 * 3 / ( 6 + 6 ) - 2 = 64 /8 * 3 / 12 -2 = 8 * 3 / 12 -2 = 24 / 12 -2 = 2 - 2 = 0 1.Always do stuff in () first 2.Exponentiation (raise things to powers) 3.* and / 4.+ and - Always go left to right and handle * and / or + and - as they come

11 Difference Between Assignment and Math In the formula: Income= HoursWorked * PayRate we are computing a math operation. In the formula: btnPrint.Text = Print this junk we are assigning data from the right side to the left. When we say : NumCustomers = NumCustomers + 1 we are assigning, not doing math. In mathematics, this statement cannot exist. In VB, the equal sign (=) doubles as an operator and an assignment character Assignments take the stuff on the right and assign it to the variable on the left and stores that value in memory.

12 Working with Data Entry... ----assign data from data entry screen and use conversion functions Procedure= txtProc.Text Charge= CDec(txtChrg.Text) Convert text to decimal type Paid= CDec(txtPaid.Text) Adjustment= CDec(txtAdj.Text) CurrentBal= Charge - Paid – Discount lblResult.Text = FormatNumber(CurrentBal, 2) 2 decimals OR…. lblResult.Text = FormatCurrency(CurrentBal, 2) shows $ FormatNumber & Val are built-in functions in VB

13 Formatting Your Numbers... To format Currency (Decimal data type) we can say: lblTax.Text = CDec(txtPrice.Text) * 0.08 'Make VB treat text as a number using the CDec (Convert to Decimal) function and we decide how to format it. lblTax.Text =FormatNumber(CDec(txtPrice.Text * 0.08), 2) lblBalDue.Text = Format(CDec(txtPrice.Text) + CDec(lblTax.Text), "###.00") If you want a $ to appear before the amount, use: lblBalDue.Text = FormatCurrency(CDec(txtPrice.Text) + CDec(lblTax.Text), 2") VB also has FormatPercent & FormatdateTime

14 Defining Variables the Correct Way...

15 Why Define Variables Ourselves? This makes much better use of memory (RAM) It makes our programs run faster It will catch our spelling errors

16 Where Do I Tell VB to Force Me to Define Variables? In the GENERAL section of the main form of your program use the term: Option Explicit On You can force VB to make you declare variables from every project automatically if you want. Or you can type in Option Explicit On each time. I want you to start using this from now on! Use Tools|Options|Projects to set it in Visual Studio.

17 How to Define Variables Ourselves We use the command Dim (dimension) to define the type of data we are wanting to use. If I want the total cost of an item, then I tell VB this before I start using the variable: You usually Dimension variables in the subroutines (event procedures) where you are going to use them...

18 Define Variables In Subs... Private Sub btnPrint_Click () ---Declare variables here Dim strItem as String Dim decPrice as Decimal Dim decTotal as Decimal Dim intQuantity as Integer strItem= txtItem.Text decPrice= CDec(txtPrice.Text) intQuantity= CInt(txtQuantity.Text) use CInt or CShort decTotal = decPrice * intQuantity lblReceipt.Text = "Total===>" & Format(CDec(txtPrice.Text) + CDec(lblTax.Text), "###.00") End Sub

19 Using Constants...

20 In the section of the form, just after Windows Form designer generated code, use this to define a constant : Const SALESTAX As Decimal = 0.08D The D makes it a decimal…I know it looks redundant! Get in the habit of typing constants all in capitals. Now we can use the value assigned to SALESTAXRATE any where in our program. This value never changes as long as the program is running.

21 Using Your Own Constants... ---Inside the form code Const SALESTAX As Decimal = 0.08D _________________________________________ Sub btnPrint_Click () Dim Tax as Decimal Dim Price as Decimal Price= CDec(txtPrice.Text) Tax= Price * SALESTAXRATE End Sub

22 All Done….for now at least.

Download ppt "Variables, Constants &Computation T o i n s e r t y o u r c o m p a n y l o g o o n t h i s s l i d e F r o m t h e I n s e r t M n u e l e c t P i c."

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Sunday, 12 August 2012

Request For Prayers and Healing Thoughts Please

My son in law Mike, collapsed yesterday whilst out cycling, he has a  brain aneurysm and we hope for an operation tomorrow for him.  May I ask for prayers and healing thoughts for this wonderful husband and father.

Thank you

Mevely317 said...

Holding Mike -- and those of you who love him - in my prayers, Sheilagh.
Please keep us updated?

Donna said...

Praying for Mike and family.


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The Third Annual from “Snout to Tail” Slow Meat Event – Week 2

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Date(s) - 03/25/2017
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

The Kesicke Farm

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Slow Food Hudson Valley

Third Annual Snout to Tail:
Butchering, Preserving and Sausage Making with a Pig and Lamb

When: Two Saturdays, March 18th and 25th
Where: Kesicke Farms, 229 Middle Road, Rhinebeck, New York
Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM each day

This Slow Food Hudson Valley two-day event at a 73-year-old family farm will feature three chefs—two of them authors and all three from the Culinary Institute of America—who will demonstrate the butchering, curing and cooking of a pig raised on the Kesicke Farm, as well as the butchering and cooking of a lamb from the farm.

Over the two Saturdays attendees will help cure the pork into bacon and other cured pork products, taste the pork in cooked dishes and receive take-home samplings of the pork products created during the event (both days). This year there will be some exciting new items to learn about and sample, and additional custom cut pieces of pork and lamb will be available for purchase, as well as prepared meats, leaf lard and sausages.

  • On March 18th the animals will be broken down, then the meat brined, cured or made into fresh sausages, including morcilla (blood sausage), breakfast sausage and Colombian chorizo. The featured lunch will be prepared pork stew with locally baked bread and winter vegetables. Attendees will take home a one-pound sampler of the butchered or prepared meats.
  • On March 25th, more meat will be cooked and items finalized, including the rolling of the hog’s head, the curing of the butt for tasso, and hot-smoking it, along with bacon, pork ribs, ham hocks and garlic sausage as well. The lunch will include lamb stew. Attendees will get one pound of the butchered or prepared meats to take home.

The ticket price of $125 includes both Saturdays. If you are unable to attend both days you may pay $70 for one day only. Discounts of 50% off are available for full time students with a college id. Those eligible students will need to contact Rich Vergili to purchase tickets for the event.

Tickets are limited. Please purchase your tickets early before this event is sold out.

For questions please contact Rich Vergili by phone at 845-417-1765 or by email at

Buy tickets for the Third Annual from “Snout to Tail” Slow Meat Event from Brown Paper Tickets.


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Thursday, June 23, 2011

waiting and praising you god

So here I am sitting by my phone, like a little school girl after her first date, waiting for that guy to call her. I keep checking, making sure it's working right, it's fully charged and ready to go. I can't even go to the bathroom without taking it with me. I am just waiting, trying to distract myself in any way possible but nothing is working.....

Friday afternoon I got a call for an interview at a school I had applied to well over a month ago. I had written it off because it had been so long. Yesterday morning I interviewed and it actually went well. It's the first time after an interview for an art teaching position that I think I might actually have a shot.

I'm praising God for that. I'm happy that at least things are going in the right direction. At least I'm getting better at this skill. I'm proud of myself for overcoming my fears and deciding what needed to change when I go interview. (My last interview before this one was horrible, totally bombed it.)

I'm praising God that there were 49 applicants for this position. 49!! I looked at the visitors log when I signed in, about 4 or 5 other people interviewed, I was the last. So that puts me in the top 5 or 6 out of 49. That's pretty good.

When I applied if I had known how many other people applied there is no way I would have thought I would even get selected for an interview. God is good, and I know it's because of him I got this far. So it makes me know, if God could make my resume stand out, out of that many others, than God can make me find favor with the principal. God can.

I also know he has a plan for my life, and this job may or may not be part of it. But, I really feel a ease about it all. Of course I want that call from HR offering me this job today. But I also want God's plan. If that means accepting the disappointment of not getting this job I'm okay with that. I will praise you God whatever your plan is. Whatever the outcome may be I know you are in control and I thank you for that. I want to look at the big picture, not just the here and now. So come what may God, I will praise you no matter what.

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. "
~Proverbs 19:21

1 comment:

Melissa said...

Praying that the job works out for you!


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Thursday, January 1, 2015

[Fusion Challenge] One Year Celebration Challenge

Hello there! Happy New Year to all of you. I hope 2015 brings each of you good health, big and small successes, happiness, lots of laughter, much time with family, friends and other loved ones, and a healthy dose of creative mojo.

Last year 2014 was a really busy with many high highs and many low lows. Somewhere between normal work and life balance, I switched roles in my job, undergone some massive home renovations, planned a baby shower (not mine :P), planned a wedding and had a wedding in another country (let alone another continent). I've been exhausted and all the commitments seemed to hit at one. I needed to take a step back, take a breather, and re-calibrate my scale. 2014 seemed like a year in constant over-drive, and "normal" load of commitments wasn't that normal anymore.

During my breather, I took a bunch of lazy days. Took some weekends to stay in my jammies, binge watched some shows, neglected cleaning, gained 5 lbs, and didn't touch anything in crafting room (but it didn't prevent me from shopping for more crafting supplies ;)

Well, that being said, I am so happy to be back in blog-land, starting the first day of this year with a guest designer post for Fusion Card Challenge. I have heard so much of this group, so I am honored to be asked to play along.

It is Fusion's First Birthday and their design team member Betty invited me along. So make sure to stop by the Fusion Card Challenge blog and wish them a very merry Birthday.

I'm so happy that Betty asked me along and we decided, since we were both home during the holidays to have a FaceTime craft date. With a six hour difference, I scrapped in the late morning and Betty in the early evening. And this is what it looks like...

Crafting over FaceTime

So after lots of catching up and brainstorming for the challenge, here is what I came up with...

Happy Birthday

A bit of pink, some gold glitter paper (which looks way too orange in this picture, and more lovely in person), chalkboard, and a bit of gray. Then I took the sketch and interpreted it, and made the oval my focal point, dropped the banner, because I couldn't find a good place for a sentiment, and then added the star part as paper clips.

And since this is a birthday, you need sequins, right?

Happy Birthday

Well make sure to hop over to the Fusion Card Challenge blog, and of course to my friend Betty's blog. Here is a sneaky peek of her card...

And here is us waving our cards to each other after we're done... :)

Crafting over FaceTime

Thank you for having me as a guest designer! And hopefully I will be back with some cards soon.

Stamps: (Birthday Blackboard) Hero Arts
Paper: (Smokey Shadow, Basic White Cardstock) Papertrey Ink
Pattern Paper: (True Love) Basic Grey; (Summer Stories) Teresa Collins
Ink: (Stamper's Select Vellum) Papertrey Ink; (Sequins - Cotton Candy, Raspberry Red) Neat and Tangled, (VÄLBEKANT - star clips, silver) IKEA

~amy~ said...

We're so happy to have you joining us Ren-Yi!
What an awesome card...LOVE it.
2014 was super busy for you guys!
Happy 2015!

Lesley Croghan said...

Awesome! I love how you two connected and were inspired. Thank you so much for joining us for our celebration, Ren-Yi!

Frances said...

Lovely card, Happy New Year Ren Yi!
Hugs, Frances

Betty J. said...

Mega mäßig :-) ... hat sehr viel Spaß gemacht mit dir zu basteln und deine Karte ist voll schön geworden :-). Ganz liebe Grüße

Katie Ann Brooks said...

Ren-Yi, YAY!!!!!!!!!! So glad you are here with us for this birthday celebration! Amazing card with all the details! The star clip is the perfect touch!

Deepti said...

Such a sweet card :) I so loved reading ur post and seeing those awesome pics :) So happy to have u guesting at Fusion!

Elisa said...

Happy New Year, Ren-Yi! Love your card!

Related Posts with Thumbnails


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You are here

McCorkle Nurseries

Stewardship of natural resources is a top priority for McCorkle Nurseries. The majority of water used for irrigation is reclaimed run-off from production areas from 17 ponds around the farm.

When C.S. and Avice McCorkle started McCorkle Nurseries in 1942, they offered a one-stop retail, landscape and growing operation to the developing community around Augusta, Georgia.

In 1977, the next generation of the McCorkle family focused the enterprise toward its current configuration. C.S. and Avice's sons, Don and Jack McCorkle, sold the retail operation and turned their attention to expanding the 5-acre landscape and growing operation.

In 1997, Don's son, Skeetter, assumed the position of CEO, while Jack's son, Chris, was named Vice President of Operations of the Luckey's Bridge and Neals Mill Farms. Skeetter's sister, Beverly, is also an active participant on the McCorkle team.


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“80% of what we perceive is visual information.”

A Web Site is Mandatory

Today, if you have a business, you need a web site to be taken seriously. Everyone realizes it and everyone wants a web site. But paying for a web site is expensive. It costs a lot because a skilled professional spends a lot of hours collating materials, creating a design, and programming the code behind it all.

Cutting Costs

There are less expensive alternatives to hiring someone to build you a custom web site. You could  write a blog, create a Facebook page, or use a template. This post investigates the pros and cons of using templates to create your web site. More »
On March 15, 2012 I attended the Web Site Demolition Derby panel at the South by Southwest Music Festival. On the panel were: The purpose of the panel was to critique musicians' web sites.  Following  are my notes.

Biggest Mistakes

  • Text is too small
  • Auto playing music or other sounds
  • Built in Flash animations – Flash never looks as good as the first time you see it, the novelty wears off, and it doesn’t work on mobile devices
  • Your name or what you do is not immediately clear
  • Audio or video players don’t work
  • People hate you for putting them through extra clicks

Best Advice

  • Keep it simple
  • Build your web site to change frequently – treat your web site as living and breathing
  • Implement a 30 day, or less, news cycle
  • Make it unique – branding and identity are important
  • Reflect who you are
  • If you’re a performer, always provide a date your fans can look forward to
  • Immediately give your visitors something to play or watch
  • Text is just as important as photos
More »
Internet users are more and more sophisticated these days and aren’t granting businesses any slack when the web site is less than professional. The Boston Globe article When Bad Web Sites Happen to Good Restaurants highlights common complaints people make about restaurant web sites. Those complaints apply to all web sites so I've made a checklist. More »


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• Shri-Mohanbhai-Kundariya
  • Slider-1
Confirmed Key Speakers @ Smart City 2015
Government of India has envisioned the concept of building 100 smart new cities in the country. The new government looks forward to the smart cities that will have better facilities, better connectivity and better environment.

In this context, Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd is pleased to announce “4th Annual Smart City” conference to be held in New Delhi on 31st July, 2015. This event will focus on the various aspects of a smart city including urban development, power, energy, transport, technology, green building, network & communication technology, etc. The conference is supported by eGov, India’s premiere magazines on ICT in governance. Apart from the Conference 4th Smart City will consist of Awards and Exhibitions.

Conference Session Key Focus
Safe Cities Using Smart Technology
International Experiences & Future Collaborations for Smart Cities
Making Urban Local Bodies Smart: Innovations in Governance
Smart Energy and Sustainable Environment for Smart Infrastructure
Sustainable Smart City through Smart Cloud
GIS for Smart Cities
Smart Transportation for Smart Cities
Surveying for Smart Cities
Smart City Poll

Sponsors At Our Past Smart City Events


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Did You Know?

It came to our attention that many of our artists would like to have a website but didn’t know how to go about setting one up.  Did you know you could build your own website through Fine Art Studio Online, aka FASO.  Many artists use this site as it’s easy to set up and show your paintings professionally.  Costs range from $8 to $30 per month. See sample websites here.

Another site used is FineArtAmerica.com.  This costs from $0 to $30 per year and also offers prints and giclees of your work.  The $30 charge is for an unlimited number of images.  The free version has a limit.


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What percentage of your investments should be in a taxable account?

This is a ratio that I struggle with. Obviously the greater amount that one has in a tax-advantaged investment account, the less tax drag you’re going to pay for. With the current options of investment vehicles, one can potentially squirrel away a relatively hefty amount in a tax-advantaged account. Small business owners know what I’m talking about. So do managing partners in their practices. If you have several high-income ventures, you can shove away a solid six-figures in tax-deferred accounts.

When your earning velocity slows down, the tax-deferred amounts can be slowly withdrawn to fill up our lower tax brackets. For some physicians, this can mean shifting from a 50+% marginal tax (sometimes even effective tax) bracket down to something like a 10-15% effective bracket.

If you are able to do that, then you’re in an envious position. Some of us are just stuck in an employed position where we can only fill up the employee portion of our 401k space. Unfortunately  we all know that saving only this amount will never be enough to a safe retirement, especially if you decide to hang up your hat early. I am in this very situation, and I end up putting most of my stock/fund investments in a taxable account.

Over the years, I try to shove away as much as I can to catch up for the lost years of no income during schooling. I’d anticipate that eventually my tax-advantaged accounts will only amount to about 10% or less of my total investments. This is perhaps a much smaller percentage of what most people will have, but this also creates an interesting arrangement that I will have to consider later in life. There are considerations for putting your investments in a taxable account.

  • Tax drag during investing years. Investment vehicles will need to be tax efficient, as dividends and interest that gets kicked out is taxed. Funds with high loads or high levels of activity will kick out taxable events.
  • Liability. Unlike investments in your 401k, tax-sheltered accounts, or (shudder) cash-value investments, your debtors can access your investments in a taxable account. You need to protect it appropriately. Umbrella insurance is the key word.
  • You will likely have less of this to invest. You are investing your post-tax income in this vehicle. In some ways, this isn’t really a huge disadvantage, but it does seem that way because Uncle Sam has already taken away what you can put into this vehicle. He will also continue to take away from it through further taxes on growth.

  • During withdrawal years, income is treated only as capital gains taxes, which is lower than traditional income. You can really combine this with your tax-deferred account withdrawals to minimize your tax burden during retirement.
  • No maximum amount that you can invest. The sky is the limit.
  • No minimum that you have to withdraw either.
  • Tax loss harvesting. If you end up with a loss in a particular category, you can sell it, and purchase similar funds at the lower rate.
More savings means better food for me!

Whenever I do go through the pros and cons of taxable accounts, I do feel a little bit more at ease. It’s not bad that we have many options to grow our wealth. After all, the true secret to building wealth is saving more than you spend.

How much of your investments belong in taxable accounts?

Do you want to get the latest Smart Money MD posts in you inbox?
Get the FREE Smart Money MD Financial Cheatsheet for signing up!


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Smashpoint 1.5 Release Notes

Smashbook 1.5

What’s New in Version 1.5?

• Winners, Forced Errors, Unforced Errors stats for detailed match tracking
• Log practice sessions for other players
• Enhanced iOS notifications (player accepted your invite, another player logged a match for you)
• Usability improvements and bug fixes
Please visit to send us your ideas and feedback.
We love to get emails from you.

Get Smashbook for iOS


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Saturday, February 14, 2009

another sweater girl pillow for my Etsy shop. [sold]

Saturday !
made another girl pillow using ink and Inktense pencils .
I used willow and mustard ,
violet and sea blue.
I don't use any kind of final coat because the colors are heat set with my iron .
I will be putting this in my shop tonight
right now I have to go
do that dinner thing that we have to do .

Melissa and Emmitt said...

hi sandy!
oh emmitt and i missed you!
happy belated valentine's day!
i love your pillows

Theresa said...

I love her pretty face and that red hair is just beautiful!!! I hope your valentine's day was a good one. :)

PJ's talking2.... said...

she wants to live at my house... really she does.... PJ

suze said...

YAY! I got her!I just purchased your new sweater girl. Can't wait for her to arrive.
Thanks Sandy!

disa said...

I love it ! Very creative ! That's actually really cool Thanks.


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Sunday, May 24, 2015

Art doll , a new one for Etsy {{ SOLD }}, Sandy Mastroni

A new art doll in my Etsy shop
Her name is Clara
*** update ** ........ Clara just sold , she will be on her way to England soon . This doll was a lot of work but I really like her so the plan is ... to make another somewhat similar
thank you Cheryl for buying her

angelique said...

Clara is beautiful! Would you mind showing the back of one of your dolls sometime? I'm always curious as to how the hair looks from behind. Adorable, I'm sure!

Sandy Mastroni said...

Hi Angelique
The back is painted .... with a button and a loop { for hanging } ..... that's all , not much to look at ....... !

angelique said...


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Thursday, January 12, 2012

#MET Corruption At The Highest Level

I should say I never had the tiniest bit of doubt that the institutionally corrupt Metropolitan Police would let off the security services. Nobody ever is guilty in these things. It was nobody’s fault that an unarmed and unresisting electrician was shot six times in the head as he sat on a tube train.

It was nobody’s fault the police subsequently lied about him. It is nobody’s fault that MI5 and MI6 officers were interviewing detainees with freshly mutilated genitals.

It was nobody’s fault that, when I blew the whistle on active UK complicity in torture, I was immediately suspended from duty and charged with eighteen allegations of gross misconduct, every one of which was subsequently adjudged to be false.

 It was nobody’s fault that David Kelly died a horrible, lonely and mysterious death after letting slip the truth – that there were no Iraqi WMD. It was nobody’s fault that hundreds of thousands died and trillions were squandered due to the lies officially published – by nobody’s fault – about more


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Friday, December 16, 2011

Year by Year Customs: 1980

A lot of star power to this one. 2 former Yankees, 1 current Yankee, 1 once-rumored Yankee (that deal never went through). They're all good cards too.

One of my favorite customs of the year.

The Artist Formerly Known as the Mexicutioner. I know a blogger who'll enjoy this one.

Coming Tomorrow- My personal favorite design, and a few pretty good players.

1 comment:


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Monday, November 25th, 2013

It’s official: Corvac Composites to open San Marcos plant

The Greater San Marcos Partnership — the economic development arm of the city of San Marcos and Hays and Caldwell counties — this afternoon confirmed that a Michigan-based auto parts maker will establish a manufacturing center in San Marcos, a development first reported by the San Marcos Mercury on Friday.

Saturday, November 23rd, 2013

Updated: San Marcos council approves incentive for Toyota supplier

A Michigan-based auto parts maker appears to have settled on San Marcos as the location for a plant it intends to establish in Texas — if officials approve “inducements” the company wants from City Hall.

Monday, July 1st, 2013

Hays County new car sales up 22 percent over 2012

Sales of new vehicles in Hays County increased 22 percent through May compared to the same period a year ago, driven mostly by a 34 percent in local consumers who purchased new passenger cars. Sales of new...


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The armor of God (Eph 6:10-18) is to protect very specifically the conviction we have as Christians that God’s blessings are present and irrevocable.

This conviction comes under attack in many ways, but we see it clearly in the case of the persecution of Christians under Islam. While we pray, of course, to protect such Christians from physical harm and its consequences, that harm is transient and bearable — especially when they identify with the suffering of Christ. What is arguably more important is to pray that they not lose sight of the blessings of God. We are very vulnerable in our minds — through our thoughts and emotions — and this is an easy way for Satan to attack us. In other words, our prayers should be focused on them putting on and maintaining the armor of God so as not to suffer fear and despair (fiery darts) in the midst of their physical suffering.

What is the armor of God and how does it do this?

  • We gird ourselves with the belt of truth; we “hike up our tunics” and secure them so as to be ready for the battle by standing firm in what we know to be the truth of reality. We pray for those persecuted to stand firm in this same conviction, that reality is the unbreakable promises of God that rise far above the persecution they face — no matter how terrible that persecution is.

  • We remember we have the breastplate of righteousness, the protection for our hearts, that is nothing less than the righteousness of Christ that He gave us on the Cross. Persecuted Christians may feel they are being punished through their persecution, but we pray that they not forget that God considers them to be sinless and righteous in His eyes.

  • We prepare ourselves for life, for whatever may come, by putting on the footwear of peace that enables us to stand. This peace comes in the form of, a) peace that emerges from our understanding of truth, and b) our subsequent reflection and extension of that peace to others. We pray that persecuted Christians stand firm in this peace no matter the vileness of the persecution they face.

  • We raise the shield of faith to resist Satan’s fiery darts. That is, we trust God implicitly no matter what. God promises that trust will quench those fiery darts. Persecuted Christians are particularly susceptible to shakeable trust since their persecution often is a manifestation of the untrustworthiness of people. We pray their trust in God remains unshaken.

  • We put on the helmet of salvation to protect our minds from the delusions and resulting despair of Satan’s lies. We focus on the sure knowledge that God’s plan of salvation — His assurance that He will bring about a complete restoration of creation through Jesus Christ — will prevent us from deception. Persecuted Christians are not immune from delusion. How easy it is for God’s promise of the restoration of creation through Christ to fade when friends and family are treated mercilessly and killed! We pray that they retain the clarity of God’s plan of salvation.

  • We wield the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. We don’t rely on our own devices to repel untruth, we rely upon the eternal truth of God’s Word to do this as only truth can dispel untruth. We pray that persecuted Christians never abandon the Word of God — and don’t shirk from it — as they face unspeakable physical and mental torture. Persecution produces delusion, and God’s Word of truth pierces through the lies.

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The Teahouse | Camellia Gardens

Want a nice and relaxing day? Head to Camellia Gardens! Also, there's so many ducks in the garden it's adorable. The waitress' were ever so friendly (one of the reasons why I did not mind waiting 50 minutes for my food to come out). They apologized sincerely about the delay and offered us a free drink (the vanilla chai latte). It definitely gets busy!

The Teahouse on Urbanspoon