McMurray Scotland-Ireland Mission Blog

Merry Christmas Everyone! We Pause To Mourn With Those Who Mourn This week has been another busy week; twice to Belfast, and once to Dublin. In a previous blog I had indicated that Christmas can be a difficult time - where there is loneliness, mourning the loss of someone close who wouldn't be with us at Christmas, and there are other reasons such as poor health, or unemployment, or other.  Our week began with a trip to Belfast to be with Tina's family, and mourn with them at the loss of a dear family member; Ina Brotherston. Ina is mother-in-law to Tina's brother, James, mother to Lorraine. She would have been 94 on Christmas Day. We felt very blessed to have been assigned in Ireland and have ability to be with the family at a tender time. Our sincerest condolences are with Lorraine, James and the family - and any others who are being missed from your Christmas festivities. Lorraine is an inspiration and example to us on how to stay calm and strong in difficult times such ...

 Unity.......  Sister Gardiner and Sister Judd are along way from home, as are we. We absolutely love them. They are talented, humble, generous, and a ton of fun. They live about 4km's away from us but we see them virtually every day - running errands together, dropping them off at an appointment to teach the gospel, taking them to District Council or to Church, or teaching a lesson together. After District Council in Dublin we stopped in Drogheda on the way back - taught Ose a lesson about the Commandments, then stopped by some other folks to drop off a small Christmas gift from the Branch. We can do things together most of the time - but when it comes to going into a shopping center they know that they may have to go it alone. So later after one of those shopping excursions where I waited in the car, they surprised us with our own pair of fuzzy warm socks with a winter/Christmas theme, and we all put them on. Whether it's the same Christmas pyjamas, or sweaters, or socks, th...

 Time to Celebrate the Birth of Our Savior Zone Conference (All-Ireland) In Dublin, With Elder Hans T. Boom Europe North Area President Belfast, Dublin, and Limerick Zones occasionally come together for a multi-Zone Conference, typically in Dublin. This one was extra-special since we'd be having a General Authority Seventy, Elder Hans T Boom, and his wife, visiting.  The Senior Missionary couples were responsible for the lunch - menu, preparation, serving, clean-up. There were about 55 hungry missionaries in total at the Stake Centre at 11 Willows, Dublin. Missionaries from Belfast, Dundalk, Mullingar, Limerick, Tralee, Cork, Dublin, and other towns and cities drove, bused, or took trains to arrive in time for the 9:30 study time and leadership training, and 10:00am for the beginning of the Conference. Senior couples were buzzing around getting everything ready to serve up the best Zone Conference lunch ever....Tina made the best Caesar salad! Now, for the fun part of this Con...