A Full Year, Full of Blessings
Although the Vanuatu (Torba) Project was
set in motion during mid 2004, it was not until one year ago today, on November
29, 2005 that Naomi, Kay and I set foot on Vanuatu soil together to launch the
project. We thank God for using so many to help us during this significant
period for this project, during the time when the foundations have
been laid for future ministry here. What we are doing here is actually very
simple. Nothing complicated. But God is helping us. We know that
it has surely been of God. He has provided & opened many,
many doors to service. He has impressed others to support, to help and to
bless, and we pray that the blessing will return to those who have
given. We are merely channels for what HE is doing. To Him be all
the honor, and all the glory, and all the praise! As we look behind us at the
year that has gone by, we now see opportunities for service expanding in almost
every direction. We KNOW that we are exactly where God wants us to be at this
time. We see God's hand at work, leading, blessing and
guiding. Our biggest challenge now is to be found faithful. Pray that we
will be 'accounted worthy' of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus!
"And He said, It is a
light thing that thou shouldest be My
servant...?
I will also give thee for a light
to the Gentiles,
that thou mayest be My salvation
unto the end of the earth."
Isaiah 49:6
Santo Visit Delayed by
Hurricane
Not long after we went down to Santo to receive
the shipment of clothing, a dangerous hurricane hit northern Vanuatu. Cyclone
Xavier created 7m waves and 100 knot winds and threatened to strike
Gaua while we were away. Fortunately, the cyclone caused little damage as
it remained mostly out at sea until its power eventually faded. At the time
we were at Aore school which was inundated with boats seeking refuge in Aore's
safe waters.
Banana Problems & Coconut
Solutions
While the cyclone was still threatening we
feared for our banana boat which is usually moored in a shallow lagoon in East
Gaua. But news spreads rapidly here, not on the "grapevine" as it does in other
places, but here it is called the "coconut news". Word of mouth messages
sometimes seem to travel even faster than email here (!) and very soon our
concern (while in Aore) was shared accross hundreds of miles of ocean with
some young men at the Gaua SDA church. Within hours they had the
banana boat safely out of the water, carrying it a long way up the hill towards
our homebase! We thank God for the extreme efficiency of the 'coconut news' in
Vanuatu!
No Choice But to Wait on the
Lord
The weather here can be very fierce. We often
feel that we are at the mercy of the elements. We also live beside a
significantly dangerous volcano. Like the local people here, our daily decisions
are affected by the tide times, by the direction and intensity prevailing winds
and waves, and the amount of rainfall that's bucketing out of the
sky. [Rainfall here can be astoundlingly heavy!] In
particular, the last few months have made boating and even shipping very
difficult due to strong winds. The last few months have consisted
of a continuous series of long delays in shipping, partly due to poor
travelling conditions. Weeks have been consumed, just waiting for the next step
to happen. But we rejoice now that the church building materials which were
ordered months ago for the new Matavanga SDA church building have at last
arrived, and the roof is soon to go on-just in time because the old church
building is literally bursting at the seams with new members and interests.
Fuel we purchased in mid July (4 months ago!) has finally found its way to
our island, and other urgently needed supplies have finally got here. Recently we have run out of cooking gas, making cooking for Naomi and Kay very difficult. Wet sticks and smoky open fires are our backup cooking system. If only gas supplies could be regular! Such
delays have been very difficult in some ways for the advancement of our
work, but has helped us to identify with these problems from the perspective of
those who live here. We thank God that He has seen us through some very
tough delays. The lives of those who live in Torba province generally
consists of a series of delayed hopes and disappointed shipping schedules.
Protracted patience must necessarily become a part of all of
our lives. There is no choice but to wait.
"Wait, I say, on the
LORD."
Psalm 27:14
Tracts, Bibles, Videos and
Clothes Preparing the Way for Baptisms
As tracts, Bibles and clothing are
already now going out to those in need, we sense that God's timing for this
distribution is perfect. Many contacts have been made, and interests
gained in the community by the health ministry, health education and
literature that have already been shared on this island. We are now
receiving some help with videos which are a powerful means of reaching
people here. In spite of heavy rains again, we have just entered upon a 3
week evangelistic program, and we sense that God is already doing something
special for these people, who have been so receptive to His call to follow
the light. Already decisions have been made for a significant baptism
which is expected to take place in a couple of weeks. We look forward
to the opportunities to visit other islands as we are able, as the doors
open in other places.
A Double Fracture & The Song of
Abigail
One interesting recent patient was a small
albino boy who managed to severely fracture his left forearm-an
open midshaft fracture of both radius and ulna which left
the proximal part of his radius thrust out through his skin. When he
arrived at our home his forearm was so disfigured that he appeared to have an
extra joint in his forearm, leaving the distal part of his forearm almost at
right angles to the proximal part! After reducing the double fracture under
general anesthesia, our biggest challenge with him was dealing with the wound
infection which festered for several days after the event, which in this climate
put him at very serious risk of osteomyelitis with its drastic complications. We
prayed earnestly for 'Reginald' and did everything we could to deal with this
serious infection, dressing him daily through a window we cut in his specially
reinforced POP splint cast. We thank God that his infection eventually
subsided and his unsplinted forearm is now painless and is as straight as an
arrow again! I was particularly anxious for his outcome while
we were away in Santo and his father received a dream in which he
saw that I feared greatly for the well-being of his son. Efforts were
made to inform me that the infection was settling and by the time we got
back to Gaua we could see that God had answered our prayers for his full
recovery. Then recently we were invited to eat with
Abigail & Wellington, the parents of this little albino boy. The deep
concern we had for their son bore fruit in what turned out to be a feast
with over 30 relatives in attendance. A special song was sung-Abigail's voice
conveying her love for us-as only music can express; a song that moistened our
eyes. Then gifts of cane mats, baskets and a cane hat were given to us as a
gesture of their appreciation. So Reginald's painful experience turned into
a very special opportunity to share with these people and we now sense that
we have developed a very special bond with them through this
experience. Some of the members of this family have since kept the
Sabbath with us also. The harvest seems plentiful.
Hundreds Attend AIDS Awareness
Programs
The lifestyle of the people of Torba Province is
such that AIDS will surely spread like wildfire when it gets here. Having
worked in Lesotho, South Africa, where HIV has reached pandemic proportions, I
have a burden to try to prepare the people here in Vanuatu for the inevitable
disaster that HIV is destined to bring within the next few short years or
months. When opportunities to run AIDS awareness programs in two different
villages came, we took the opportunity to share and the Lord really blessed.
Hundreds came and heard about the realities of HIV and God's solution, which is
obedience to the seventh commandment. We were able to use a data
projector to assist in crossing the language barrier, together with an
excellent video on the topic. There is a massive need for health education
in these islands, particularly using visual aids (which God has already provided
us). Aside from the unlimited openings for health education, minor
surgery continues also. One common problem we have
encountered here is a high frequency of lipomas-we are not sure why they are so
common here. Usually they dont cause any significant problem, but lipomas in the
axilla or perineal area can make walking, sitting, or moving
around awkward or painful, so I am thankful that we have been able to do
excisions in such cases. I pull teeth almost daily here and I am most thankful
for the excellent set of dental forceps I have been donated for this
work. Teeth pulling is one of the most important contributions I can
make towards pain relief on this island.
Plant Products Now Being
Field-Tested for the Biggest Killer on Planet Earth
'Olives Australia' is a company based in
Queensland, Australia and is owned by a very missionary
minded Seventh-day Adventist, who recently provided a large donation
of Olive Leaf Extract which we are now field-testing for its well established
antibiotic properties. (In this climate where microbes thrive and infections
abound, antibiotics are completely indispensable. How I we could use only
plant-based antibiotics!) Together with two other plant products, Artemesia
Annua (the new World Health Organization recognized phytochemical
antimalarial), and Andrographis Paniculata (an immuno-boosting plant from
the Solomon Islands), we have just recently had excellent success in
treating malaria. (Our problem now is a shortage of the artemesia
product.) Although we struggle frequently with malaria (yes we
ourselves do get it from time to time) we thank God that He has these provided
products in nature which are currently proving to be very effective in
treating this terrible disease-which is the biggest killer on planet earth. The
people of Torba province consume large amounts of chloroquine every year due to
constant malaria infections which strike most members of every
household at least once a year. All this chloroquine
consumption is destined to have its effect on these people. There is
always a price to pay when using strong chemicals in the body. We hope
for a better approach to malaria control which we believe can &
should be overcome using a more natural approach. We are very thankful for
the donation of a microscope and some other diagnostic equipment which
we hope will enlarge our very small collection of available blood
tests. We certainly have excellent opportunities for field testing these
products and patients here are very willing to cooperate, so we are
now asking God to supply us with more artemesia. [If you can help, please
contact us before purchasing any. It needs to be the right
product.]
Student Community Improvement
Projects
One recent development with our health educator
course has been an emphasis on community improvement. Each student has been
required to make some improvement in the community with the approval of a local
village chief or elder. Most students have chosen to dig proper waste disposal
pits, or pit toilets, both of which are in great need in most villages on this
island. As students make these improvements, the communities they live in are
becoming aware of the improvements, and this is helping the students to make a
beginning in the work of educating their communities towards better lives and
lifestyles. The nucleus of students is coming together-closer to us, closer to
each other and closer to God. We ask that you pray for our precious
students, who hold so much potential for the future in serving God.
12 Wheels on Gaua
We are very physically active (and
therefore physically very fit) here in Gaua. Living here is extremely
demanding physically. We do a lot of walking and carrying. Getting in and out of
the boat requires us to swim out to the mooring. One of the biggest
blessings that came in the recent shipment from Australia was a 4 wheel
drive 4 wheeler motorcycle (or 'quad'). Although there is one 4X4 Toyota
Hilux on the island, and one other 4X4 truck, even these two
vehicles on our island (there are only two) experience difficulty on the
extremely muddy 10 mile track down the east coast (there is only one 'road' on
this island). But our recently provided 4 wheeler motorcycle has
already proven itself to be very capable of handling the 'road' [read:
'very muddy ditch'] on Gaua! That means there are now a total of
only 12 wheels (3 vehicles) on Gaua! This is such a blessing and
we want to thank our wonderful God for impressing friends in Queensland to
supply this highly usable machine for the work in Torba. This has
turned out to be an extremely practical gift that has
already transformed our transportability on this island. This is just one
example of the many ways people have helped us out. It has been a humbling and
heart-warming experience to be the recipients of such amazing love and kindness
from so many supporters. We just want to say:
"THANK-YOU JESUS!"
Safely Home Using Windsurfing Technique!
While in Santo the Lord blessed in many ways.
One of these was the kind donation of a small but very solidly built 22
foot catermeran. This is shorter than our banana boat but is of course more
stable due to the twin hulls. It is a motorizable yacht built of
timber and was designed to handle rougher waves than our banana boat. We
dont know yet how big a wave she can handle. Seeing potential in this boat,
which was built and donated by a very kind Aore missionary volunteer
friend, we had some exciting experiences field testing it by taking it out
in 25 knot winds, gusting to 35 knots in an area where there was a 6 knot
current against the wind. Under these extreme conditions, some of the rigging
broke, the mast came down and ended up under the boat in the
ocean, leaving Kay and I drifting out towards the open ocean with no
sail! After a nervous prayer, I said to Kay, "This calls for wisdom!"
...And the Lord gave wisdom. By God's grace, we were able to pull all the
broken rigging back onto the boat and sailed back to land with an improvised
(human) mast as I held up the jib (a windsurfing technique) while Kay held the rudders! With some
relief we 'sailed' back to Aore, using this amazing sailing technique,
and even sailed directly to our mooring spot. (Some onlookers thought
it must all have been planned in advance!) Through this
experience, we were able to eliminate some weaknesses in the rigging. Then
I flew up to Gaua to pick up our twin outboard engines and bring them back
down to Santo, as the cat has a transom on
the stern for outboard engines. We then took the boat up to Gaua
accross 100NM of open ocean which was an exciting trip to do (again) over that
very lonely patch of ocean. We motored all the way as there was little wind
at the time. (The hurricane had passed by then!) We now see potential in
this boat for close-range inter-island travel when banana boat travel is too risky-although
we have not tested it in very rough waves yet. We can see that God is
supplying our needs for transport, which is the most serious and formidable
physical obstacle we have to deal with in carrying forward this project for
God. If our dream for an aircraft also comes to fruition, (as we believe it
will) then this project will have wings, enable us to travel further,
more quickly and more safely to more places. With these basic
transportation needs supplied, then the way will seem open for us to reach
other islands, including the precious & needy people of the Torres
Islands in the north.
Translation Work Destined to
Expand
One of the secrets of success in our work in
Gaua has been a Sabbath tract which we translated into Bislama with the help of
a local resident of Gaua. This tract is getting everywhere, and people can see
clearly from it that the seventh-day Sabbath is the only day of
worship found in the Scriptures. This is leading to many inquiries on the topic,
and more people than can be followed up are showing interest in keeping the
Sabbath. (Four other Bislama tracts are now in the translation process.) The
fact that the Sabbath tract is in Bislama seems to carry the message home much
further than an English tract would. So we would like to expand our translation
and tract industry, based on the efficacy of the firstfruits. We
have many, many materials that urgently need to be translated into
Bislama. We have a printer in Queensland ready to print
them at very reasonable rates. We need funds for translator
support and printing. If you desire to assist in sponsoring a full-time
translator and/or tract printing, we already have a man who told me today that
he is willing to do the job for US$14/Australian$18 per week-the same man
who translated our first Sabbath tract. Are you looking for a worthy cause to sponsor? Why not invest in this very effective
and secure venture in winning souls for Jesus before He returns?
Church Building Projects Destined to
Expand
A quality donated chainsaw with a simple milling
attachment recently arrived with the shipment, to be used for church
building projects. Another tremendous opening for us has come through the
brother of our minister, Philip the Evangelist. His brother, who is a sawmiller
in Santo, has offered to provide us with timber needed for building churches. We
have already been offered roofing iron for churches by Volunteers in Action. (We
are considering purchasing a portable sawmill for Philip's brother, to increase
his ability to support church building projects.) With timber and
roofing now available on request, our greatest needs for new churches
(which are multiplying in Torba Province right now) will be cement for the
floors and for making blocks for the walls. We already have a list
of churches to build! If we can receive financial support for
cement, then we can be sure of one thing: we will be building lots of churches
in Torba Province! May the Lord supply all our needs (for His work) according to
His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!
No Time to Lose
As Jesus said, the harvest is already ripe.
But how much more so as we approach the very soon coming of Jesus in the clouds
of Heaven with great majesty and power to take us home! Question: What
excuse do you use to avoid being involved directly in
winning souls for Jesus? Reason it through: what is worth more to you than
a soul? How much will you give in exchange for your soul? How will you
escape the day of His appearing? The Lord will come, and is coming, ready or
not. One thing we know is that many, many will not be ready. But you and I
are free. We have the choice. Someone must be and will be ready. As for me
and my house, we feel that while the doors of opportunity remain open, we
must put all into the work of the Lord. And its turning out to be one
of the biggest blessings of our lives...Blessings in good measure, pressed
down, shaken together and running over...Because of His gracious love, we can truly say that our cup runneth over.
We must work the works of Him
that sent us, while it is day:
"the night cometh, when no man can
work."
John 9:4
Mark Turnbull
Laymen Ministries Volunteer
Vanuatu Mission of Seventh-day Adventists
A Container Load of Blessings! (By Naomi)
The past couple of months have been especially busy but also very rewarding.
When we first arrived in Santo on October 4th, we realised that we'd come
about 5 days earlier than necessary. But since it takes several days to do clear
customs and make sure all the paperwork is in order, plus there was yet another
public holiday (Vanuatu seems to have more holidays than any other country I
know of), then nothing happens over the weekend, so we just had to sit it out.
But it was all in God's plan, as we desperately needed a few days break before
the next mammoth job began.
We are noticing an interesting pattern developing here in Gaua with our
patients. As soon as word spreads on the "coconut news" that the doctor is about
to go away for a few weeks, we get more patients than ever, and it doesn't slow
down until we physically lock the doors and walk to the airport! We can see that
this culture is definately an "event-oriented" group as our kind friends at Aore
advised us when we first arrived in Vanuatu. It seems that when we want to leave
to go somewhere, it is considered an event, so everyone must come to talk to us
and ask if it is true that we really are going away!
Having such kind and hospitable friends at Aore was wonderful, both to relax
and be refreshed, and also saving money in accomodation costs. Thanks, Jill and
Alastair for such unselfish service in so many ways! We are privileged to have
friends like you to share our mission service with.
When the shipping container was finally on the grounds at the Santo Mission
office, it was all hands on deck. Praise God the truck was able to off-load the
container right beside the transit flat, so we only had a few meters to walk to
the container. This was also a wonderful blessing of God, as the origional
location where we thought it should be placed would have made a lot more work in
hauling stuff further to the flat for sorting and packing. But God is so good,
that He could forsee the difficulties that such a move would make, and worked it
out that it was situated in the very best location.
Just at this time, our friend, Nola Cook, from Australia, felt impressed to
come and do a couple of months mission service here in Vanuatu. So she arrived
just in time to help us with the mammoth task of unloading, unpacking, sorting
and repacking etc. Thanks, Nola for being sensitive to the leading of the Holy
Spirit in your life, so that you came just at the time when we needed help the
most. I can't imagine what we would have done without your assistance and a bit
of your humor to break the monotony of sorting clothes! During those few weeks
of packing, it felt like we were living in a second-hand clothing store, and we
often had to move piles of clothes off our beds before we could fall into an
exhausted sleep.
As we were unpacking and sorting, we found many pleasant and unexpected
surprises. I wish I knew who to thank for all these wonderful gifts, but I can
only hope that if you were one of the kind donors, that you will read this
update and be assured how thankful we are. The clothes donated by Tumbulgum SDA
church in NSW were really amazing. So much of that stuff was brand new, and
still in the plastic packets. How nice it will be for the recipients to open up
a new shirt - perhaps for the first time in their life to have something that
hasn't been worn by someone else first! Thanks to all of you who contributed to
this blessing.
Someone kindly donated newly made Sabbath-school aids, musical instruments,
stuffed toys, felts, cork boards, craft materials etc. These are all very
precious, and will be put to use in a short time. I am planning to run a small
Sabbath-school workshop next week at the church to educate the parents in how to
use these tools in various ways to make spiritual things more meaningful for the
children in their homes and at Sabbath school. Praise God we have a box full of
picture rolls and several sets of Bible story books, which can be distributed to
other fledgling groups on various islands.
We are also very grateful for all the toothbrushes, soap, new underwear etc.
that was donated. These inexpensive items will make a big difference in the
lives of the people who live in very remote areas and don't have access to these
things. Underwear is one of the items that people give the least of, and yet it
is the very thing that is most in need here. So in future, if you are tempted to
think that no-one would want underwear, think again! [Stay tuned before
donating: we are not yet ready for another shipment!-Mark.]
Also, sheets, pillow cases, towels, tea-towels, face cloths are all in great
demand. I am very grateful that we ended up with a couple of suitcases of linen,
even though it was not on my priority list. Since arriving back I have people
coming and asking if I have any bed sheets, as they don't have any.
Tables, bookshelves, folding chairs and stools are all being put to use and
have made life a lot more comfortable for us here in Gaua. We just feel a bit
too wealthy now, compared to all our neighbours who have not even a hundredth of
what we call 'necessities of life'. But we expect to be sharing lots in the near
future.
Now we don't have to worry about rainy days preventing us from printing out
lessons for our students, thanks to the wonderful gift of a generator by a very
self-sacrificing individual. It has already been a wonderful blessing, as we
just had some problems with the solar panels, and the battery couldn't be
charged without the use of the generator. Also it is a wonderful aid to power
our data projector, PA system, and DVD player, so that we can now do public
presentations which can be seen and heard by a large crowd of people. We
have already done our first public presentation at a village about 2 hrs
walk from here. Some men helped to carry the PA system, the generator and other
necessary gear all the way there and back!
If we have forgotten to mention something that has been donated, it is not
because we don't appreciate it. We lack time and space here to mention
everything, but we are truly thankful to God for the marvelous way He has
brought all this about, and used so many others to make this a reality.
Thank-you for being a part with us in this mission. As one supported
mentioned:
"There is no sense in always telegraphing to
heaven for God to send a cargo of blessing unless we are at the wharf to unload
the vessel when it comes in." (R&H 1899.)
Thank-you Lord for helping us to be at the wharf when the blessings came in!
Now we look forward to the next few months of sharing these blessings with
others!
Naomi Turnbull
Volunteer, Vanuatu
Battles & Victories (By Kay)
During the last month we have been away from home and in the
process of receving a shipping container of clothes and Bibles etc from
Australia. We had busy days of unpacking and sorting and getting things ready to
put on the next ship going to our island home, Gaua. Then we had a small yacht
given to us which we had to paint. Then we prepared it to leave Santo (main
island where the town is) to motor our small boat across twelve hours of open
ocean to Gaua. This last week we have been busy with getting the shipment from
the north part of the island where the ship dropped our goods off, down to our
home which is less than ten kilometers in distance. It sounds like a short
distance but it has taken several days of boat trips to get the goods to our
house! We are very thankful for all the help we have received both in Australia
and here in Vanuatu. We are have been very amazed at how helpful some of the
kids here have been. Small children have been working hard carrying boxes during
the day and even late into the evening. After dark they were still helping us
even when the adults had quit! We had to carry boxes down from a church member's
house to the water's edge, then into the boat. That wasn't a real easy job! The
tide was a bit higher than usual and the ocean was very rough outside the reef
which had an effect on the water in the lagoon. So it was quite a big job to
hold the boat as it was getting heavier and heavier with each box and the waves
were trying to push it against the rocks. Two young men, some kids and I were
holding the boat while Dad and others packed stuff in. After we left I could see
the kids and those young men that held the boat were weary because it was an
exhausting job!
As we set out to go home all seemed to go well. When we
reached home it was dark and it was starting to rain and we were all very tired
also. We took the passengers (our helpers) to shore and then we decided to tie a
big tarpaulin over the boxes, leave them in the boat and anchor the boat
overnight. This we did, planning to come and unload all the boxes in the
morning. In the middle of the night Dad awoke up with a strong impression on his
mind that the anchor would not handle the weight of a full boat plus the rough
waters. So Dad got up and went out to check on the boat. (We have been having
many problems with anchorages.) Thankfully when he went down it was low tide so
he could see clearly what the anchors were doing. As he was down fighting the
rain, wind, and darkness (and being wet for two hours,) he realized that the all
the ropes had come off the main anchor and that the there was no way that the
two small back-up anchors would have held the boat in place when the tide came
back in, due to the rough weather. We also have another bigger
anchorage which the yacht is tied to. The banana boat was also connected to this
anchorage. Dad said that this anchorage also wouldn't have been strong enough to
hold the banana boat and the catermeran in place with that full load. We were so
thankful that Jesus sent an angel to wake Dad up so that he could go and fix the
anchors. If Dad hadn't gone to check them when he did, we believe that both
boats would have ended up on the rocks severely damaged - maybe totally
destroyed with all the boxes of goods that we had left on the boat. While down
there he also discovered that the wind had blown the tarpaulin partially into
the water and it was raining heavily on the goods in the boat. So he had to tie
it back on again. Satan seemed determined to get those boxes wet some way or
another! The next morning we went to take the goods off the boat. We were so
thankful that two of our non Adventist female students came just then to study
and work. We asked them if they would be willing to help carry boxes from the
shore to the house as part of their work assignment. To our delight they helped
us a lot by carrying heavy boxes through the rain. We were very
appreciative of their help, but told them not to work in the rain. They insisted
that it wasn't a problem and they continued helping us to carry all of the boxes
until the job was done. Thank You Lord for all the help we received and also for
sending an angel to wake Dad up to save the boats from damage or complete
destruction!
We have a lot of action going on at the moment. Unpacking,
classes with students, patients, and a revival program just started. Some young
people have come from Port Vila to sing at the meetings. A Pastor is will soon
come to baptize. Interested contacts from different parts of the island have
come to stay near the church to attend the meetings. John Fox (one of our
keenest students) and some of his family and several others plan to get
baptized. Please pray for them.
Kay Turnbull
Volunteer, Vanuatu
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Would you like to help...?
God
has entrusted to us so many advantages and
opportunities! We feel the time has come to use all of
them to push His work forward!
If, after prayerful consideration, you
also feel impressed to help out in some
way with this project,
then for your own benefit, we encourage you
to decide now
to run the risk of being richly
blessed!
We have found that the spirit of generosity
brings about a 'reflex blessing' on the giver,
and we want you to experience this, just as
we have-so we can all become part of the channel of God's grace &
blessing together!
Why not claim Luke 6:38, take the
risk, and see what might happen to you?
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