McMurray Scotland-Ireland Mission Blog

Last Week Before Transfers Missionaries serve 18 or 24 months typically, and when some leave to return home, it creates the domino effect of changes throughout the mission. Ireland has a higher concentration of European missionaries since Republic of Ireland is an EU country and no special visas or permits are required for them to serve in Ireland. In the below photo of our Zone, there are 19 missionaries - from 9 different countries; U.S., France, Germany, Norway, Canada, Sweden, England, Czechia, Spain. Sister Cruz, front row far left, is on her way home to Spain via Switzerland this weekend after serving honorably for 18 months. She was an outstanding representative of Jesus Christ, and is a terrific young woman.  We're excited for what her future will bring. Thank you Sister Cruz for your service. Elder Gibbs and Elder Siebke, our Zone Leaders. 2 solid young leaders - Elder Gibbs is transferred to Aberdeen, Scotland. These are two amazing young men. In the past, when a North Am...

 Winter Arrived - for a minute! Yes, it snowed! Kids are yearning for snow so much that we saw a couple of young girls doing snow angels on the sidewalk, on frost the other evening. There was no snow anywhere but they improvised to have their winter fun. Sister missionaries in Scotland slid on some frosty, snowy road and cracked up their vehicle. No injuries resulted. The Mission President and Sister McCrudden however, were a bit shook up. Next morning, all missionaries who drive cars in the mission (which isn't many), received a memo from Pres McCrudden to install 4 new tyres immediately. I would have recommended All-weather tires which will provide decent traction in virtually all conditions. What we were instructed to have installed are just all-season, which should be labelled ‘All-seasons except winter’ tyres. Anyway, we have 4 new Michelin Cross-Climate 2 tyres. We visited Graciellie and Tommy in Drogheda and had a wonderful meal, of her homeland, Brazil. Grace is a returned ...

Daniel is a friend who we've made here in our little Branch of the church. He recently moved to Castleblayney, a small town near the Northern Ireland border.  I drove out to visit him in his new home, talk about his preparations for receiving the Melchizidek Priesthood, and go for a brisk walk in the drizzle through the park around the Blayney Castle Lake. Daniel tells me there are fish in those waters.... Bellingham Castle....we'd call it more of a manor home, built in 1660, burnt down by King James II at one time, then rebuilt and occupied by the Bellingham family until 1950; and then converted into a luxury wedding/special events hotel. We approached the locked gate, pressed the buzzer and explained our curiosity - the manager let us in and we were able to get an idea of what living on this property of 17 acres must have been like. It only seems like there is a castle in every town in Ireland.....but it's only every other town. When the roses and other flowers are in ful...

Castle Roche lies in the hilly countryside northwest of the city of Dundalk, County Louth. It was built in 1236 by Lady Rohesia de Verdun. Lady de Verdun reputedly threw the builder of the castle out of a window after its completion to preserve the castle's secrets. The blocked up window is still known as the 'Murder Window '.  The castle has a triangular layout, determined by the rock it stands on. It stood on the border of the province of Ulster and the Anglo-Norman territory know as The Pale. It controlled a pass into Armagh. In 1561 all English forces in Ireland were hosted here. In 1641 the Castle Roche was laid to ruin during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. When we arrived at the castle location, a heavy fog lingered which created quite a setting for a place that had seen its share of death and conquest. Each Sunday in Dundalk Branch, one of the kind and faithful members provides our young Sister Missionaries with a heaping bag of groceries. The Sisters regularly...