Tag Archives: Sojourners

Sojourn: Mount Dora Christian Academy, Mount Dora FL

“He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.”          – 1 Samuel 17:40

We spent our last six weeks in Florida at the Sojourners workshop and then on a sojourn at Mount Dora Christian Academy.  The workshop featured a combination of good speakers, singing, a banquet, games, future mission planning/sign-ups, and all-around fellowshipping with a tremendous group of people.  Workshops are how Sojourners sharpen the saw, re-energize, and re-connect.

Lil Zip Liner
Lil Zip Liner

The first highlight of the workshop for me was a visit on my 50th birthday by our youngest son, Kyle, and his fiancé, Laci.  The visit was made possible by Dr. Bruce McLarty, the President of Harding University.  Bruce was a keynote speaker and banquet speaker at our workshop.  His parents were there with us, and he knew that we were there and were Kyle’s parents.  So he invited Kyle and Laci to fly in with him on the Harding jet and spend about 24 hours with us.  Kyle mentioned to me that he and Laci would have to miss a day of classes.  I told him that when you are flying around with the president of the university, that’s probably an excused absence!  I really appreciated Dr. McLarty’s thoughtful gesture and can’t imagine a better birthday present.  We took full advantage of Kyle and Laci’s visit to show them around the Central Florida Bible Camp campus, go zip-lining, eat German food in Mount Dora, and get updated on the various details of their upcoming wedding.  I’m biased, but I think this young Christian couple is going to have a really powerful impact on the world.  In many ways they already have.

MDCA Sojourners
MDCA Sojourners

The second highlight of the workshop involved my upcoming AT thru-hike attempt.  As previously blogged about (AT Thru-Hike #3: Julio and “Amber Alert”), I’m using my thru-hike as a way to help our friends, Julio and Amber Colon, adopt a child.  A dear sweet lady, who will remain unnamed, approached me at the workshop.  She said, “Steve, I read the blog on your friends and I want to help them adopt.”  She then handed me a $10 bill and wished me luck.  I thanked her and she walked away.  A short time later, I learned that she has had some difficult family challenges and is certainly not well-off financially.  Suddenly her $10 donation took on increasing significance to me.  Mark 12:41-44 came to mind…

“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

I’m not suggesting our sojourner friend lives in poverty.  I am suggesting her $10 was not an insignificant amount to her…she was not giving “out of abundance”.  It got me to thinking…I wonder if I should make a personal appeal to these fine people.  Asking for money is not something I enjoy doing.  I would fail working in a Development office.  When my sons were young, it even felt a little awkward watching them sell candles and cookies and things to raise funds for various causes.  Still, I felt like these folks should hear about the Colon’s adoption plan in order to decide for themselves whether they were in a position to give.  So I addressed the group and made a short appeal.  When we went on break, several sojourners made their way over to Janet to donate.  Long story short…within 10 minutes, they had pledged $1700 toward the cause!  News of their generosity spread, additional donations and pledges have come in, and our total is now at $3673.94… 68% of their $5375 balance!  I know of 3 additional pending pledges, and perhaps some others reading this will join in on this worthy cause (if so, contact Janet…703-403-8492).  Never underestimate what God can do with a couple of “small copper coins”.

Fence Removal Crew
Fence Removal Crew

Our sojourn at Mount Dora Christian Academy was a lot of fun.  The work included construction, demolition, repairs, painting, pressure washing and cleaning all over the campus and at the school’s thrift store.  Lil Jan primarily painted and pressure washed all over campus.  In fact, she may have found her sojourners calling with a pressure washer in her hand.  I helped remove a fence, replaced damaged patio tiles, painted, and helped Lil Jan with the pressure washing.  I may have also sprayed a lizard with a 2700 PSI pressure washer blast.  The MDCA team was gracious enough to provide our team breakfast and lunch every day, and we enjoyed getting the chance to interact with the students.  In fact, they were impressed with my tongue-twirling abilities and sought me out on campus so that I could show my trick to others who hadn’t seen it.

Lil Bridge Washer
Lil Bridge Washer

A final story once again showed God at work.  Tonya, one of the house parents at Mount Dora, made our team several delicious breakfasts while we were there.  Tonya has a love for God and a love for children that you might expect to find in a house parent at a children’s home.  On one occasion, we asked her what was on her wish list (because everyone has one of those).  She paused for a moment, because the thing she had in mind was, to quote her, “really big”.  I was thinking she might be thinking about a new car or perhaps a Hawaiian vacation.  Instead, she said they could really use a picnic table.  Yes, a picnic table was her big item.  I laughed, because in my mind it’s not that big of an item, quite doable, and well within the capabilities of our team.  But to her, it was a big deal, and she gets to decide that.  She didn’t have one simply because she hadn’t asked for one…perhaps because she thought it was “too big” of a request.  After initially planning to pool our resources and just buy her one, our team instead was made aware of one elsewhere on campus that wasn’t being used and just needed some TLC.  So we dried it out, planed it, sanded it, and stained it.  It looked as good as new.  In fact, it looked better and more solid than the one that was available for purchase.  So on our final day there, at our final breakfast with her, our team surprised her with the table and a new large coffee pot.  She was thrilled and touched by the gesture.  It wasn’t that big of a deal…really, it wasn’t…and yet to her it was.

After the sojourn ended and we were heading north toward South Carolina, Janet got a text from Tonya that I don’t think she’d mind me sharing:  “When Daniel (who is 10) came home yesterday and discovered the picnic table, he got all excited and shouted that his teacher had told them to go outside on a picnic table to pray and write in their journals.  He said, “Can I go sit at the picnic table and pray?”  He went out and I watched him sit down at the picnic table, fold his hands, and start praying!  He did it again today!  Already put to good use!!  Thank you all so much for blessing us!”

God works in mysterious ways.  He can turn a few fish into a feast for thousands.  He can use a small stone and a brave young man to slay a giant.  He can multiply a seemingly modest donation by touching the hearts of those who hear about it.  And he can use a simple picnic table to inspire a young man to journal and to pray.  Never under-estimated what God can do with the little and simple things in your life.  Give him a chance, and he can turn them into something big.

Big Steve

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Sojourn: Central Florida Bible Camp, Eustis FL

“They say the happiest place on earth is Disneyland. They’re wrong, it’s camp.”               – #campconfessions

Lil Jan and I had the opportunity to “winter” in Central Florida, doing two sojourns and a sojourn workshop while staying at Central Florida Bible Camp (CFBC) near Eustis, Florida. We had high hopes for our first sojourn and the experience did not disappoint. We’ll tell you about the CFBC sojourn first, and save the workshop and second sojourn for a future post.

Zip Line Descends Over Campus
Zip Line Descends Over Campus

Central Florida Bible Camp has a compelling mission. It “ministers to enhance spiritual growth in individuals and families, throughout their lives, in a setting that is experiential, close to nature, includes Biblically sound principles, and is enriched with Fun, Friends, and Faith.” It’s a beautiful 100-acre campus with outlets for fun in every direction. Campers take advantage of air-conditioned cabins, a massive zip line (at one time, the longest in the state of Florida), a giant swing, leap of faith, paintball, ropes course, swimming pool, disc golf, human foosball pit, and a giant covered pavilion with basketball court.

Sojourners on a Mission
Sojourners on a Mission
Zip Line Launch Pad
Zip Line Launch Pad

Our 50-person Sojourner team arrived in RVs from all over the country with a mission to do whatever we could to help CFBC accomplish its mission. Lil Jan’s assigned duties included pressure washing all over campus, cleaning boys and girls cabins, scrubbing down the chairs and tables in the kitchen, and a little painting in the office. I worked with a team laying wood and ceramic tile floors in the office (10 rooms) and also helped cut, haul, and stack firewood used for camp bonfires. Other team members constructed an equipment shed, repaired and installed electrical outlets, built a carport for a tractor and hay wagon, cleaned gutters and roofs, made curtains, trimmed and picked up limbs and hedges, cleaned A/C coils and ceiling fans, removed a tree, painted the office, removed and replaced several toilets and faucets, etc.

Under Pressure
Under Pressure
Laying Floor
Laying Floor

The work was tiring, fun, and rewarding. Even more rewarding were the experiences we had meeting new sojourners and spending time with them on evenings and weekends. Highlights included…

  • Hanging out with Denton and Beth Wiggains. Spend a few days with this fun-loving couple and you’ll feel like you’ve known them all your life. Together, we enjoyed several movies, meals, and worship services. Really terrific people…much like all the others on this sojourn.
Pigging out w/ the Wiggains and other Sojourners
Pigging out w/ the Wiggains and other Sojourners
  • Taking in two Mount Dora Christian Academy basketball games, including one with sojourners Jerry and Dorothy Escue and Dr. James Moore, the MDCA President. The team completed the school’s first-ever undefeated season, but then lost in the playoffs in a thrilling, exhausting 4-overtime slugfest.
Mark Gordon throwing it down for MDCA
Mark Gordon throwing it down for MDCA
  • Game nights featuring multiple rounds of Hand & Foot and a new game we learned called Pegs & Jokers. If you’ve wondered if competitive card-playing couples mellow as they get older, I can assure you they do not.
There's a Stirring Deep Within Me
There’s a Stirring Deep Within Me
Get a Longer Shirt...I Know
Get a Longer Shirt…I Know
  • The trash talking and banter between members of the floor-laying crew. For example, as I was on all fours “precision measuring” the wood flooring, Durley McLarty (father of Harding University President, Dr. Bruce McLarty) would lean over me and say things like, “If you had measured that correctly, we’d be done by now” and “If you don’t pull down the back of your shirt, we’re going to move you over to the plumbing team.” He kept our crew laughing the entire day and it didn’t feel like work.
Bringin' the Lumber
Bringin’ the Lumber
Checking on Lil Cleaner
Checking on Lil Cleaner
  • I had the opportunity to present two devotional talks about my upcoming attempt to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. My fellow sojourners were very supportive of my plans, and seemed fascinated that one of their own was going to try such a crazy under-taking. One of them (Maureen) even offered to let us stay at a friend’s cabin near Blue Ridge, GA for a couple of nights before I start my trek. We plan to take her up on her gracious offer.
Training Partner, Ocala National Forest
Training Partner, Ocala National Forest
St Francis Trail, Ocala National Forest
St Francis Trail, Ocala National Forest

As my date to begin hiking the Appalachian Trail drew near, I went on almost daily training hikes around the wooded and hilly campus. Janet and I also did a 7-mile hike on the muddy Saint Francis Trail in the beautiful Ocala National Forest. She was happy to join me on this training hike, but reminded me that she is also happy to not have to attempt the AT hike with me.

The Townsends...Nearly 30-year-long friends
The Townsends…Nearly 30-year-long friends
The Leasures...Still Crazy After All These Years
The Leasures…Still Crazy After All These Years

As luck would have it, two long-time friends happened to be visiting nearby Orlando during our sojourn. On one occasion, we headed to the Fort Wilderness Campground near Disney World and had dinner with Kevin and Dana Townsend and family. We became friends with Kevin and Dana while assigned to Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma in the late-80s. Janet and Dana both had their first children there, and even predicted our kids would marry some day. While our children grew up and left the nest, Kevin and Dana continued having children and are projected to be empty nesters around age 70. On another occasion we headed to Orlando to visit Chuck and Jana Leasure, friends from our time in Virginia. It was great catching up with them, and it’s always great when you see just really cool, fun, faithful people remain that way when you meet up with them years later.

Women of Faith!
Women of Faith!

During one of our weekends, we returned to our old stomping grounds of Brandon, Florida. From there, Lil Jan traveled with three of her friends to attend the Women of Faith conference in Atlanta, Georgia. For her 50th birthday, I surprised her with the tickets for her and her buddies. She said the conference was wonderful and uplifting with great singing, comedy and even a few tears. They enjoyed catching up with each other’s lives and having some good, quality “girl-bonding” time!

Lil Pace Setter
Lil Pace Setter

And Finally…“The Talk”

When we arrived in Brandon so Janet could go on her ladies weekend in Atlanta, our friend, Jaye Trovillion, was kind enough to let us stay at her house for the night. Upon arrival, Sam, her really cool, 81-year-old father, offered to give me a tour of the 160-acre ranch. Sam is a really interesting fellow and entreprenurial type who has done all sorts of interesting things, like running golf courses, owning restaurants and telephone/telecommunications companies, and raising cattle. He’s the only guy I’ve known who has had 15 head of cattle killed in a lightning strike…a story you can read about here… http://www.tbo.com/brandon/lightning-kills–head-of-cattle-in-lithia-78182

Charlie...El Jeffe
Charlie…El Jeffe

We got in his pickup truck and he drove me all over the ranch, explaining the layout, facilities, farming equipment, and cattle operations in general. As a person who has spent 50 years in mostly suburban settings, I was taking it all in and learning a lot.

He had me open a gate and we drove onto a sprawling pasture and through a herd of cows. They seemed to recognize him and his truck and were unfazed. We came to a stop and he put the truck in neutral. That’s when, after nearly 50 years of living and fathering two children, I finally got “the talk”. Yes, THE talk…the one that would have been nice to hear when I was 13 or at least before my wedding night. It’s not how I imagined it happening…in the middle of a pasture, with an 81-year-old man I had just met, parked in a pickup truck surrounded by cows. The talk went something like this…

Sam: This farm is all about breeding.  Are you familiar with that?

Big Steve (hesitates):  Breeding?  No, not really. Well…yes and no. I’ve done some…myself.  But not with cows.

Sam:  I hope not.

{a few seconds of awkward silence}

Sam: Recognize the big one over there? That’s the bull.

Big Steve: So he’s in charge?

Sam: You could say that. He services all the rest of them.

Big Steve: The rest are the women?

Sam: We call them heifers…or cows when they get older.  We’ve got 55 of them split up into two pastures, each with a bull.

Big Steve: So that one bull services all 25 heifers?

Sam: That’s his job…to eat and to service heifers.

Big Steve: He’s like a fat Charlie Sheen.

Sam: I suppose.

Big Steve: That’s a lot of heifers for one bull. When does he service them?

Sam (looks me in the eye, and his voice starts to sound like the guy in the Dos Equis commercials): When they are ready…they’ll let him know.

Big Steve: Like with a wink and a nod?

Sam: Not exactly. When the heifers go into heat, they emit an odor.

Big Steve: Like the odor when you drive by a Five Guys? I love that smell.

Sam: Not exactly.

Sam : In addition to the odor, when the heifers are ready, they will start to mount each other.

Big Steve (breaks eye contact and looks out the window): We should probably be getting back now. I bet lunch is ready.

Sam: Okay.

As Sam put the truck in gear, I took a final picture of the Bull (who I secretly named “Charlie”), and we drove back across the pasture. It had been a wonderful ranch tour and a magically bonding moment. I had finally received The Talk, and I felt like a veil had been removed from my eyes. My world would never be the same again.

Big Steve

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Mission Possible: The Sojourners

“Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me Your eyes so I can see.”

– Brandon Heath, Give Me Your Eyes

About forty years ago Paul and Peggie Scott had a brilliant idea. Paul was a career Navy man who had travelled the globe. He and his wife frequently observed small struggling churches that needed help. They felt a calling to do mission work but weren’t exactly sure what form that would take.  They met another couple with an RV and together their dreams began to take shape. They decided they would travel the country by RV, ministering to small churches and others along the way.  In 1978 the two couples held their first planning workshop and a year later they named their mission the National Evangelism with Sojourners. They began to bring together other mostly retired Christians who owned RVs and had a desire to continue serving others. They were aware of many small churches, Christian schools, and Bible camps that needed help, but often don’t have the necessary resources. So this new churches of Christ-affiliated mission, the Sojourners, began to unite servant-hearted, RV-based Christians with churches, schools, camps, and children’s homes that needed a helping hand. Paul and Peggy’s dream had come to fruition, a new mission work had begun, and the Sojourners have been making a difference ever since.

Worship time!
Worship time!

Fast forward to 2015 and the Sojourners mission has grown to 520+ active members all around the country. It is sponsored by the eldership at the Burleson Church of Christ in Burleson, Texas. Each year more than 120 requests come in and are vetted by the Sojourners’ leadership. There are usually enough Sojourners to fill about 90-100 of them.  Some of the projects, called sojourns, are physical in nature…building a cabin, painting a church building, fixing the plumbing or electricity at a school, remodeling classrooms, trimming weeds, landscaping, fixing what’s broken, etc. Other sojourns are more spiritually-oriented…conducting Gospel meetings, door knocking, leading parenting seminars, organizing Vacation Bible Schools, teaching, preaching, conducting family counseling, visiting the sick and shut-ins, etc. Some sojourns are a combination of meeting both physical and spiritual needs. Either way, the Sojourners are self-supporting, and even make a contribution at the conclusion of each sojourn to cover their utility expenses. Among the hundreds of places the Sojourners have made a difference is Pennsylvania’s Camp Manatawny, where I attended as a teen, and Florida Bible Camp, where Lil Jan and I counseled and taught Bible classes.

Making new friends...the McLartys
Making new friends…the McLartys

As a couple who loves to travel, but also wants to continue to serve others, the Sojourners seemed like a perfect match for us. So we joined them! (Special thanks to Rex Dutton, Todd Mikula, and Jonathan Smith for emphasizing the positive on their letters of recommendation on us!)  We are so excited to be Sojourners! They, or I suppose I should now say “we”, have a number of workshops around the country throughout the year. The biggest is in October at the Sojourners headquarters, Camp Bee, in Marshall, Texas. I’ve heard Camp Bee described as “sort of like an RV-based Bible camp for old people.” So we rolled into Camp Bee in October for two weeks of orientation, training, fellowship, mission planning, and edification. This was also the opportunity to sign-up for whatever sojourns we want to volunteer for in the coming year. As rookies on the team, we are known as “Green Dots” because on the various sojourn sign-up sheets, there are designated spots for rookies with green dots next to them. This helps ensure you don’t have a team consisting of all rookies.

More new friends...the Williams
More new friends…the Williams

Our fellow Sojourners are, in a word, awesome!   They could not have been kinder or more welcoming to us. With some exceptions, they (we) are mostly from working class backgrounds.  There are retired farmers, business men or women, teachers, policemen, engineers, chemists, hair dressers, college professors, military, electricians, secretaries and homemakers. Most are retired although some continue to work and do sojourns on their vacation time. Of the 267 or so in attendance at Camp Bee, we were the youngest. In fact, the average age is about 70, but that didn’t make a difference to them or us. They seemed excited to have some new, younger blood on the team and we were excited to join such a loving, giving group of people.

I’ve heard two descriptions of Sojourners that seem to fit. One guest speaker, who is not a Sojourner, said that in every congregation, you tend to have about 10% of the people who do most of the work. He said that among those 10%, you’ll find the Sojourners.  That was evident when it was time to clean up after a banquet or stack chairs or whatever, and everyone pitched in. Another guy privately told me, “Steve, we are past the stage of trying to achieve career goals, make rank, and impress people. You could say our testosterone levels are low. We just want to serve others, and travel while we’re at it.” After spending 23 years of my life trying (at least subconsciously) to impress some general to make rank, his words were like music to my ears. Just serve. Two thousand years ago, Jesus captured his mission, and ours, pretty succinctly: “But I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22:27b) I think the Sojourners may be on to something.

Sojourners hold hands during EVERY SINGLE prayer...something all churches should do
Sojourners hold hands during EVERY SINGLE prayer…something all churches should do

In addition to worshipping together and hearing some motivating keynote speakers and Bible class teachers, we attended several classes on topics ranging from RV maintenance to Electricity 101. I could have used that class prior to taking possession of our RV. We also attended a Green Dot Orientation session and a Green Dot banquet, complete with a 1960s theme. By the end of that night, Lil Jan had somehow managed to volunteer us to head up next year’s Green Dot banquet.

We played lots of cards at night and learned several new variations on how to play “hand ‘n foot”. Jabs and trash talking by 70-year-old winning teams can be quite hilarious. So can the stories of exploding toilets and other “RV fails” on the road. In my spare time, I caught (and released) 14 catfish at the Camp Bee pond and went on some nice runs out in the east Texas countryside. We also went out to eat with and got to know several couples who have been Sojourners and full-time RVers for a number of years. We even ran into Cliff and Sharan David, who we worshipped with years ago back in San Antonio (had no idea they were Sojourners). It’s funny how when we first told people we were planning to unload most of our possessions and go RVing around the country, many looked at us like we had a third eyeball. Well amongst the Sojourners, that is considered a quite normal thing to do. In fact, some of them have been full-time RVing and Sojourning for more than a decade. We fit right in here.

Our "Host Mom & Dad", the Northens
Our “Host Mom & Dad”, the Northens…full-timers for 9 years!  I call him “Dad” now.
Green Dots Live Here
Green Dots Big Steve & Lil Jan Live Here

We, along with the other couple of dozen Green Dots, got first dibs to sign up for 2016 sojourns. This is a privilege you only get your first year as a Green Dot. In subsequent years, we’ll have to stand in line and “battle it out” (in a loving, Christian way, of course) to sign up for desired sojourns. 2016 will be a highly unusual year for us in that I will spend about six months of it attempting to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Thus, our Sojourning windows of opportunity are in the winter and fall. After looking at all the opportunities out there, we settled on two workshops and three sojourns. We’ll spend most of January and February back in Florida, doing sojourns at Mount Dora Christian Home and Bible School (where we brought our former Youth Group for 7 consecutive years) and Central Florida Bible Camp. We’ll also attend the Sojourners winter workshop at that same camp. Then, after I get off the trail, we’ll head to Paragould, Arkansas in late September to do a sojourn at Paragould Children’s Home. We’ll then head back to Camp Bee in October for the annual workshop. We are thrilled to have these opportunities to serve while still fulfilling a desire to travel and live like gypsies. Lord willing, at the next Camp Bee workshop, we will be able to sign up for some 2017 sojourns in the southwest and/or northwest parts of the country.

RV Storage? You betcha!
RV Storage? You betcha!
Groovy, baby!
Groovy, baby!

As for the Sojourners, we couldn’t be happier serving alongside these wonderful Christian people. As a guy who played lots of sports growing up, I never had the honor to be on a “travel team”. I was a “good” and occasionally a “very good” athlete…but never an all-star that was selected for a travel team. So now, at age 49, I finally made my first travel team!  Lil Jan did too! We love these folks. They are great examples to us of not “throttling down” as you get older, but actually shifting into high gear and continuing to serve with abandon. We learned of one Sojourner who, at 89 years of age, was still climbing ladders, hauling bricks, and basically out-working all the “young 70 year olds” on the team. What a stud! I’m adding him to my short list of role models.

Why? So Steve doesn't fry the planet
Why? So Steve doesn’t fry the planet

If you are affiliated with a Christian school, Bible camp, children’s home or small congregation (less than 150 members) that could use a sojourn, please let me know and I’ll get you the request form. If you are potentially interested in joining the Sojourners, let me know and I’ll get you an application. You can also get these forms by contacting the Sojourner’s Camp Bee office at  office@sojourning.org or check out the web page at www.sojourning.org  for more information.

We ask that you keep this mission in your prayers, and that God will help us to plug into these sojourns and make a difference in the churches, camps, schools, and children’s homes where we’ll be serving. In some ways the various ministries we’ve been involved in throughout our lives have prepared us for this new opportunity. The mission we’re undertaking is exciting, challenging and most certainly a “mission possible”. If it’s anything like our experiences in Honduras and Costa Rica, I suspect we will be changed and blessed by these upcoming sojourns. You are never too old to take on a new challenge and a new mission. Really it’s not a new mission but an old one, going back to the challenge given to us by Jesus. Just serve. We thank God for this opportunity, and give him all the glory, honor, and praise! May he open our eyes, and your eyes, to the needs of those around us.

Big Steve

Not Just Fishers of Men
Not Just Fishers of Men
Hunter Gatherer
Fisher Gatherer
Our first sign-up as Green Dots!
Our first sign-up as Green Dots!

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