McMurray Scotland-Ireland Mission Blog

Member & Leader Support  Alice Gernon - what a great friend we have made with Alice here in Dundalk. Alice is the first convert to the Church in Dundalk - 40+ years ago. We have had a few Monday Family Home Evenings with her - we'll take turns each week providing the spiritual thought, then have some nibbles, and a game - we taught her how to play SWOOP this week. Alice has a great sense of humor and we're constantly teasing each other. Alice is mindful of those around her, in her own family, or other single sisters in the Branch; always willing to provide whatever service is needed. Elder & Sister Kitchen (home for them is South Carolina) have become our missionary friends. They are assigned to the Belfast area which is just over an hour's drive away. There was an important item that they had tried to mail from up there to an address in ROI, but it didn't get through so they drove down to Dundalk (Republic of Ireland) and couriered it to some missionaries needi...

Friend: A person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. Chris is a special friend of Tina's. When Tina found the Church and was baptized in 1974 in Liverpool, England, Chris became a fast friend; in sports (netball, track), and Young Women's program developing their moral foundation, and their future hopes and dreams.  They both performed in ' road-show' competitions, as well as in a large-scale production (10 shows) of "The Sound of Music" , Chris being a Von Trapp family member, and Tina being a nun. Being pals all through those teen years was a great blessing for them. During those youthful years, another friend was Sonny Donaldson, and after Sonny served a mission to Scotland he and Chris married and raised a wonderful family in Prestatyn, Wales. Tina went off to Canada in 1981 and our story began shortly after that. There were many years in between until we met up with the Donaldson's again, in 2002, on our family's version of 'Europe...

Meeting With New Friends  Eric (on the left) is from Brazil and is attending the English Language Institute in Drogheda. Increased fluency in English will provide him greater job opportunities. Another Brazilian church member sat with him in church to help him feel welcome. Jonas, from Uruguay, came to Ireland to earn a better living for his family who remain in Uruguay. He arrived in late summer and plans to be here for 2 years. He has his own home renovation business - a worker's hands, and a smile that never stops. We met them for lunch in Drogheda, then went to visit another friend, Yuri, from El Salvador at Jonas' and Yuri's rented flat. These three have become fast friends and we love meeting with them and providing support any way we can. Things That Are Different..... In the Republic of Ireland, proof of vehicle registration (road tax), is required to be place in the vehicle front windscreen. It was a little nerve-wracking driving around for a week after ours had ex...