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[Silence] [Music] My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom will I trust? [Music]

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God is our refuge and strength, very present help in time of trouble. Blessed are they that mourn, For they shall be comforted.

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Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you.

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I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. You may be seated. We have assembled here today to celebrate the life of Sister Berger

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May Carrington DeWitty. And by your presence here, there is an indication of the fact that you have shared in

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her life and that we will hold dear her memory in our hearts and in our minds. And in this Christian service, we give thanks to God for the gift of this life.

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We seek comfort in His Word as we remember Her deeds of love and mercy. And we are strengthened in the hope of the resurrection which is ours in Christ Jesus, our Lord. [ Applause ]

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[ Music ] O praise ye the Lord, O praise ye the Lord. Praise Him, praise Him, O praise His holy Name. ♪ And everything that I've heard ♪

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♪ Praise the name of the Lord ♪ ♪ Make a joyful noise ♪ ♪ Make a joyful noise ♪ ♪ Make a joyful noise ♪

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♪ All ye lads ♪ ♪ Of the Lord with gladness ♪ ♪ Come before Him with a song ♪ ♪ Oh, ye that know not He is God ♪

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♪ It is He that hath made us ♪ ♪ And not we ourselves ♪ ♪ We are His people ♪ ♪ His people ♪

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♪ And the shape ♪ ♪ Of his pasture ♪ ♪ Of the shape of his pasture ♪ ♪ Enter into his gates ♪

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♪ Enter into his gates ♪ ♪ Enter into his gates ♪ ♪ Enter into his gates ♪ ♪ With thanksgiving ♪

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♪ He's here ♪ ♪ Found into his courts ♪ ♪ Enter into his courts with praise ♪ ♪ With praise on thy skin ♪

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♪ With praise on thy skin ♪ ♪ With praise on thy skin ♪ ♪ Be thankful unto him ♪ (chanting)

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♪ In thy walk, in thy walk, in thy walk ♪ ♪ Glorious ♪ ♪ In their strength ♪ ♪ Amen, amen, amen, amen ♪

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[singing] The Old Testament scripture will be read by the Reverend H.S. Smith. May we find comfort in these words from the Old Testament that was given Moses when he was on the mountain, never to come back down anymore. anymore. These was the comforting word. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations,

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even before the mountain was brought forth. For ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. For thou turnest man to destruction, "Thy say return ye children of men, for a thousand years in thy sight is but as yesterday, and when it is past, it is just like a watch in the night.

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Thy carrieth them away as with a flood, and they are as asleep, they are like the grass which groweth up. For in the morning it flurrieth and groweth up, but in the evening it is cut down and withered.

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we are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath are we troubled for thy has set our iniquity before thee and our secret sins are in the light of thine countenance for all of our days are passed away

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in thy wrath and we spend our years as a tale that is told we read

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ten verses may the lord add a blessing to you and may these be comforted Saint John 14 would be the words of comfort for this bereaved family at this time.

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Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions, and if it were not so, I would have told you.

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I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I'll come again and receive you unto myself that where I am

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there you may be also and whether I go ye know and the way ye know and Thomas saith unto him Lord do we know not whether thou goest

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and how can we know the way Jesus saith unto him I am the way the truth

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and the life and no man cometh unto the father but by me If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

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And from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us. Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you,

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and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that has seen me has seen the Father. And how sayest thou, show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, the Father in me?

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The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, he dwelleth, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me,

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or else believe me for the very works sake. eleven verses say john fourteen the lord had his best and your comfort to in ages past

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all for years to come all shelter from the storm and blast and all the term home beneath the shadow of i_d_ wing saints of drought secure, sufficient is thine arm alone,

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and our defense is sure. In this hope, we come now, Lord, to commend this family to thy care, as thou hast already taken out this world, the soul of one who meant so much to so many. As thou hast already taken her

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to thyself, keep us in this moment of our grief, that we sorrow not as those who have no hope, but in the assurance that you're still alive, that you still run our world. May we be comforted in knowing that we too have a better home to which we can go. Give strength to this man of God who shall say words of comfort and may we all join him

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in the words he says. And may this family always remember that God runs his will and he runs it the way he chooses. Help us in this moment as in other moments of our crisis to say, "Thy will be done." We ask it all in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Amen. [ Music ] Magnify the Lord, magnify His holy name. ♪ For He is great ♪

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♪ On His mercy endureth forever ♪ ♪ He is great ♪ ♪ On His mercy endureth forever ♪ He is great, and His mercy endures forever and ever.

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♪ Magnify Him, magnify Him ♪ ♪ Magnify His holy name ♪ ♪ Forever and ever ♪ ♪ Forever and evermore ♪ ♪ Magnify Him, magnify Him ♪ ♪ Magnify His holy name ♪ ♪ Make it mine, make it mine ♪

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♪ Holy name forever ♪ ♪ Forever and ever ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ How wondrous is thy name ♪

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♪ Heaven and earth ♪ ♪ Thy greatness proclaim ♪ ♪ Every knee ♪ ♪ Should bow ♪

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♪ And every tongue ♪ ♪ Confess that Christ is Lord of all ♪ ♪ If any should fall ♪ ♪ And every tongue confess ♪

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♪ That Christ is Lord of all ♪ ♪ Ready for Him, ready for Him ♪ Magnify His holy name forever and ever, forever and evermore. Magnify Him, magnify Him, magnify His holy name forever and ever,

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♪ Forever and ever ♪ ♪ Forever and ever ♪ ♪ My people, you are His holy name ♪ ♪ Forever and ever ♪

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♪ My people, you are His holy name ♪ ♪ And in my ♪ ♪ Be the Holy ♪ ♪ Lamb ♪

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- For thee, dear Lord, my cross I'll bear, and I'll go any time, anywhere. I'll not falter for the weight of woe. If you'll lead me, dear Lord, I'll go.

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Not for the flame or name that the world might see, but for the glory be all for thee. Lord, I'll be true. Give me work to do, and I'll run all the way for you.

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Use me, Lord, I pray. We are gathered here today to celebrate the life and homegoing of our beloved Sister Virgie Carrington DeWitty, one who spent her life in the Master's service, who gave freely of her time, talent, and counsel. She wrote her resolution each day she lived as she went cheerfully to and fro

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busy in the service of the Master, busy magnifying the Lord and exalting His Holy Name. For she made a commitment at a very tender age. Thus to this song she played, "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam and I'll be a sunbeam for him." This was the theme of her life. Never in this life did she forget it. For the last Sunday, she

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rendered music for the Children's Hour. She remembered her commitment and played, I'll be a sunbeam for him." As the children came down the aisles, she longed for a closer walk with God, that he would use her for his glory. Ebenezer Baptist Church is the only church Sister Dewey ever played for. She loved Ebenezer as a member. She gave a life of untiring

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service for the up-building of God's kingdom. Her life touched every department of the church, not for what she would get, but what she could give to promote the program of the church. We who were privileged to work with her know that ours was an opportunity to learn and to share. Her influence for good was far-reaching and what she meant to us is a feeling too

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weak for words to ever convey. She was a friend, mother, sister, teacher, counselor, and much, much more. Her talents extended not only throughout Ebenezer, but throughout the Austin community, the state, and nation. Her love and concern for people won for her respect, goodwill, and affection of those whom she touched or worked with. She was dedicated to the cause

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of Christ. By great courage and by remarkable patience, she established a record of achievement which should serve as a source of inspiration. And through a vast knowledge, experience, strong commitment to serve. She has provided a great and glorious heritage for all of us. We cherish the memory of her beautiful life and thank God for sharing her whole life of

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service with us at Ebenezer. She fought a good fight. Sister DeWitty was a warrior for the Lord and Savior. She stood by her commitment until the battle was won. And she did it all through music, we will miss her sorely. Because of her many years of unselfish service as a child of God, we, the officers and members of Ebenezer Baptist Church, in respect to

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and in remembrance of her offer the following resolutions. Whereas the Lord has called from mortality to immortality, our co-laborer in the vineyard of our master, and whereas the church has lost a devout member

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and the community a modest and concerned citizen, Resolve that we take pattern from such a life and strive to practice the principles she exemplified, and so live that we may join her in that heavenly home where parting will be no more. Resolve further that we note in the records of the church the passing of our sister,

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and that this resolution be given to the family to whom we express our sincere sympathy. In times of distress, friends offer a hand, but there are burdens they can't understand.

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'Tis then you need Jesus to carry you through. In every condition, he knows what to do. Humbly submitted, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Reverend Dr. Marvin C. Griffin, Pastor, Val Verdear C. Phillips, Clerk.

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The Reverend Dr. G.B. Clark, the moderator, is unable to be present and has requested that the St. John Regular Baptist Association would be represented by the First Vice Moderator, Reverend Ariel Perry. Thank you, Pastor Griffin, and to all of the ministers on the rostrum, and to this beautiful family.

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I speak for the St. John family, and I would like for all of the St. John regular family to stand. All of St. John, thank you very much. The funeral of Sister DeVriti is over. It ended just a few hours ago. And if we would stay here until night. We couldn't add, nor take from. What we fail to do today, it'll

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be too late tomorrow. She lived in the musical field. She served this church. She served the nation. And then, like David, she went to rest. She's known all over this nation

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as being a great soul in the field of music. Dr. Clark regret very much that he could not be here. He had to be out of town.

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And it's a little hard for me to say what he would have said. So I just have to tell you what R.L. Perry will say. This that we have gathered here to witness today has come to all of us one way or the other.

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And there comes a time in all of our lives when we must accept what we have often told others that God is able.

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And I believe it. Matter of fact, I know He's able to sustain us in any and all conditions.

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He's able, He can even make your enemy behave. He can make your enemy feed you. Amen. And that's why

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if we can just do what He said to do, pray for Him, pray for the enemy, do good

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unto them that do evil unto you. I think we'll make it all right. Lift up your head today

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and trust God for He is able. And I'm reminded as I go to my seat

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out in East Texas there was a young man that grew up in a community And he finished school in that community and then went from there to college.

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He went out in the Far East and after finishing his course there and being absent for many years, he said, I want to go back and see the old home community before I leave this world. And there was an old man, an old lady that he cherished so much, he loved them, and they partly raised him. He said, now when I get back, if it's God's will, before I see

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anybody. I'm going by to see Uncle John and Aunt Sue. But after 50 or more years, the little house where they lived was dilapidated. It got so bad until they had to move out. And when he drove into the community, he made that his first stop. But no one was there. So he stood wondering what has happened. So as he drove out to the road, a young man came by and said, "Where is Uncle John and Aunt Sue? Have they passed?" Said, "Oh, no." He said, "Well, isn't this the place where they lived?" He said, "Yes, but they aren't there anymore." He said,

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He said, "Well, where are they?" He said, "Just get in this road. This is a new road to you now. And go right on up the road on top of the hill and look to your right. You'll see a brick veneer."

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Said, "This old house was no longer livable. They had to get out of here." And when he drove up there and looked to the right, there was a brick home there. And I thought about the words of the Apostle Paul, "When this house, this earthly house of this tabernacle is all, I have another building, not made with hands."

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To Dr. Price, Pastor Griffins, and my fellow ministers of the gospel, and to this family, we'd like to say to you at this hour, raise your eyes now and look beyond the casket. For as long as you focus your eyes on the casket, your hearts will be saddened. But Virgie moved the other day, and she's no more in the casket.

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But she moved to a better home. And if you could only take the our faith and see her home now, it would make all of us rejoice. For the home that she moved in, there will be no more sickness, no pains, no worry, no more goodbyes. And I want to say briefly that it is just as natural to die as it is to be born.

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And all of us are on our way out. All of us are actors on the stage of time. Virgie was a good performer. She was a good actor.

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And she performed until the 11th, and at 10 o'clock the curtain fell. And I want to say to her as you get a chance to perform for the Lord, do the best you can while you can. That's the way you preach your own funeral.

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You could just see her home now. Now don't get me wrong. She's not going to get into that place till I get there. I'm on my way, and you're on your way. But one thing for true, we all are going in together

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when Christ and His church shall get married and all of His children will march in holding on to the wedding garment and when He perform the wedding we'll all march in together. And I want to say now, good night, Virgil.

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We're going to see you in the morning. >> Amen. Amen. >> To Pastor Griffin, to the members of this family, to all of you, my brothers, sisters, friends, I trust that we will do justice brother David has admonished and that is look up.

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My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. At this point, I'd like to ask all of the workers of the Missionary Baptist General Convention and those of the National Baptist Convention of America who are present to stand for a minute or a second or so. Now family members look around and you will see, thank

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you that you have the sympathy, the goodwill, and even the prayers of many, many brothers and sisters. The pastor makes known to me that even President Sams of our National Baptist Convention of America has authorized me, his first vice president, to express his sympathy to you and to pledge his sincere prayers. This has been a life of service and it was

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not service for show, but service for the glory of God. And that kind of service will produce results and bring forth fruit to the glory of my God. And as I admonish you to keep looking up, I'd like you to remember these last few words. This is out of actual life experience. Some years ago, right there in the city of Houston, our president of that

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Ministers Union of the city, who was at that time Dr. L.H. Simpson, who always wanted to involve that organization in some kind of business venture, appointed a committee to go out to have a talk with a man who had given them a business opportunity. This man's office was in the river, I mean in the Montrose section of the city of Houston.

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And whether fortunate or unfortunate, I was a member of that committee. And as we went out in that area on Autry Street to meet this man, we arrived at the nice brick building where his office was situated, and inside of his reception room there sat a plant on the table. The container looked a bit old, the vines themselves looked somewhat old,

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The leaves you could see that was scattered here and there were large leaves which would tell you that this was a large leaf running ivory. We observed that that vine had gone out the window

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that was nearby. And somebody in our party remarked, What a beautiful plant. What a beautiful plant.

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And the receptionist said to us, "You haven't seen it yet. You ought to see it upstairs." We rushed up the steps,

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and in the large room upstairs, that same vine that went out this window here had clung to the wall and come up to the window above and through that window into the room

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and that whole room was filled with that plant. And I'd like for you to think about that this morning and remember, don't think about everything down here But for Assistant that we'd be concerned, come upstairs.

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All right. All right. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] (dramatic music) [MUSIC PLAYING]

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [THUNDER] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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(rain pattering) [MUSIC PLAYING] (dramatic music) (dramatic music)

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] (dramatic music) (faint vocalizing)

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[MUSIC PLAYING] (dramatic music) ♪ ♪ ♪ (dramatic music)

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(dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music)

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(dramatic music) (audience cheering) (dramatic music) (dramatic music)

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(dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music) [Music]

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[ Silence ]