28 Comments
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Hege Kristoffersen's avatar

Love visiting places like this! Lovely post Alexander

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

Thanks, was so good

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Rolando Andrade's avatar

I love visiting places like this. I like to imagine the thoughts and prayers that people say in silence.

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

Yes, can feel it

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Rolando Andrade's avatar

Have you ever been on Fátima Sanctuary? (Portugal)

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

No, I wish!

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Sekar Langit's avatar

We got a similar business model from the Trappist monks and sisters in my home country, they make great dairy products, including yoghurt/kefir and cheese.

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

Amazing!

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Lorraine Evanoff's avatar

Where is this located?

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

Virginia, right by Shenandoah river and blue ridge mountains, you get the valley view, mountains and can see the river on the way too

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Lorraine Evanoff's avatar

Oh lovely. It reminded me of St. Andrew's By the Sea Episcopal Church in Hyannis Port, Maine.

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Susan Kuenzi's avatar

This article was delightful. Thanks. I love places like this too and agree some places are so peaceful and the spiritual investment is so evident.

The pictures were wonderful. I especially loved seeing your family with you, and the one of you and your son. That’s a very special picture.

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

Yes very special!

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Gina-Marie Cheeseman's avatar

I read Silence a few months ago. I fell in love with the book. I found myself journaling about faith after reading it. I need to read it again and again. Have you seen the movie? I haven't. I wonder if it does the book justice.

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

The movie is good, but no where near as good as the book, however actors do an amazing job

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Sandy Shaller's avatar

Your spiritual trip with your wife, son and mother sounds very special. I'm so happy for you, Alexander.

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

Thank you for the kind words, I highly recommend these types of places!

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Sandy Shaller's avatar

I'm not a formally religious man, but I am a spiritual person, so I love visiting special houses of worship and I love being in nature. Walden Pond is one of my favorite places. My wife and I brought our sons there as they were growing up and the boys and I would swim in Thoreaus favorite pond and hike the woods with a copy ofWalden in Dad's pocket.

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

Amazing!

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Ayesha A.'s avatar

Lovely post!

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

thank you!

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Paul McCutchen's avatar

My mom's church on the verge of closing. Not because of what you read in the news but because she is the only one left in the church. There is a lay preacher that comes around and he says he doesn't mind because his wife plays the piano and when they are finished, they go to a nearby town to eat lunch. He also does a sermon in a nearby town earlier so my mom's church isn't the only one he does.

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Alexander Semenyuk's avatar

Wow, that is an interesting story

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Susan Kuenzi's avatar

Wow, that’s sad but amazing.

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Paul McCutchen's avatar

I am 72 years old, and the church was there when I got there, and I was 6 months old

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Susan Kuenzi's avatar

Oh, that’s a long time. I’m curious where the church is. I pray that God would continue to bring people to Himself and make it possible to keep this church alive. But it reminds me of what we know, the Body of Christ lives on.

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Paul McCutchen's avatar

A small town in Arkansas. That is where my stories on substack come from. I was raised about 10 miles north on a farm.

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Susan Kuenzi's avatar

I grew ip on a farm in Oregon. I will check out your writing, Paul.

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