Touring Atlanta

We were taken on tour around Atlanta. 

At 8am we boarded a coach with 50 other delegates and were treated to all the key sights and landmarks of Atlanta. It was such a whirlwind tour, I cannot remeber everything we visited, but here are a few of the highlights...

First stop was the Georgia State Capital building.

We had a welcoming party to greet us...

Then we toured the outside and inside of the building.

Outside featured gorgeous architecture and well maintained gardens

And every corner of the block had a pair of State Trooper Vehicles. They have Dodges...

As well as a series of monuments and statues of important events and notable men in Georgian history, such as Jimmy Carter.

JC was Georgia's only President and is currently the oldest living Presidents of the US.

...also...the Statue of Liberty...

And on top of the gold dome (yes it is a dome actually covered in leaf gold) is Miss Freedom.

Miss Freedom holds a light (that is changed annually) and a sword and represents freedom from oppression. The photo below is a replica of her located on the third floor of the building.

The inside, is gorgeous...

Under the dome..

There are more statues and portraits of prominent men in Georgian history

As well as many cabinets featuring displays of Georgian culture, history and nature.

Next stop was the Georgia Penitentiary.

It was built in 1902, is still one of the three major prisons in the US and is noteable for being where the worst criminals in the US are sent. Some of its past residents have been Michael Vick (American footballer and dog fighter), Al Capone ( gangster and tax fraud) and Frank Abignail (catch me if you can). It is a significant stop for us, as it was where Brother Ritherford and his 7 associates were incarcerated for releasing the book called The Finished Mystery. A clear example of clergy opposition. Being in prison didn't stop these men from preaching. They ended up developing a bible study class in Prison which grew to over 90 people in attendance. This class had so much success that the program continues today and has produced many inspirational stories of criminals who changed their way of life.

Then they took us to a Drive Thru Krispy Kreme Doughnuts! Yes I said DRIVE THRU! lol. 

We had another welcoming party there to greet us

And we were all given hot Krispy Kreme Doughnuts while still sitting on the bus!

Next stop was Fernbank, a large museum and educational centre focusing on dinosaurs.

The floor tiles were made from fossilised limestone

Next was the Jimmy Carter a Centre and Library...

Then the Martin Luther King complex....

Then we stopped at Murphys Diner for a good American lunch! This we enjoyed with the local brothers. Truly an up building time was had and we will forever remember the love of the brothers.

We drove past a few more noteable land marks such as the house of the author of Gone With The Wind, and the Bank of America Building, which is the tallest building in Georgia.

Then, finally, we drove past the cemetery where all the famous Georgians have been laid to rest...

What an amazing tour!!! We got to see all the key points of interest in Atlanta in one tour!!!

Now back to the motel for a good rest :)

Fun in the Georgian sun with the Morrow Congregation

Monday morning after the convention we were put on the bus to go and visit, and spend the day with a local Goeorgian Congregation. We headed off to visit the Morrow Congregation.

We arrived at their Kingdom Hall to a large welcome mob waving the signature white towel.

We were then sent out into the field in twos by the Morrow Congregation Service Overseerer, Brother Curtis Coes. They had it very well organised and paired every delegate up with a Morrow Local.

My partner wa Shelia Morrow...what an absolutely gorgeous woman!!! She shared with me her experience of her family coming to know the truth from the 1950's and her wonderful experience of being a missionary in Palau.

Paul was out with two young energetic pioneers, Ashley and Jordan...

The houses over in the States are quite different from ours...

We stopped at Joy Lake and had a chat with the ducks...ducks are much larger in the US

Then we stopped at a local service station and the hot dog servery blew me away...every kind of hot dog was available for purchase...

Then we headed back to the Kingdom hall, and it had been transformed into a diner...

Where they served a large lunch full of amazingly tasty southern delicacies...Southern fried chicken, meatloaf, mash, beans, salad, corn bread, red velvet cake amoung many other wonderful foods.

Again...met many new friends and forged friendships that will last forever...

...and, again, many gifts were given out before we jumped back on the bus and headed back to our hotel. It was a tearful event for many of us because of the wonderful friendships we had forged, even though it was such a short time we spent together...

Another unforgettable experience!!!!!