Mission Blog #36

Service Opportunities

As previous, The Tidy Towns volunteer organization in Dundalk is very active. Each Tuesday and Saturday they schedule a clean-up project of some kind.

On Tuesday evening we joined in on the project to clean up the Bird Blind area within the fence-line. The Bird Blind is a location at the end of Navvy Walk, at Soldier's Point, where birdwatch groups can get a vantage point for viewing the many waterfowl that come into where Dundalk Bay is fed from the Castletown River. In low tides like Tuesday evening, the birds prance around in the mud and get their fill of insect delights.

These Tidy Towns people, Ann, Trina, Helen, and the unidentified male taking the photo - are all wonderful, community-minded volunteers. For years they have seen different missionaries of our Church come and help out, and they were so kind and gracious to us. We had alot of fun serving with them in our beautiful community.

The Bird Blind is just a couple of storage containers stacked up, with a few windows installed, a couple of benches inside and some binoculars convenient for anyone to use.

Volunteer 'watchers' record species counts and report to wildlife officials.

Looking north across the river during low-tide. During higher tides, large barges and freighters can come in and out of this channel up river to the dock areas.

Elder Truman and Schneider were happy to pitch in.

We walked about 2 km's from the car-park up to the Bird Blind, and took time to watch the waterfowl along the way. Ann told us that a seal is regularly seen in these waters.

Along the Navvy Walk is a memorial honouring the (20) who were killed back in WWI when their commercial packet ship was torpedoed by a German u-boat during WWI.

The hands of the clock are permanently stopped at 11:10pm, recalling the time that the ship was hit on Oct 14, 1918, about a month before end of the war.

The Navvy Bank is an artificial embankment constructed between Soldiers' Point and the quays in Dundalk. The construction, total length 7,006 feet, along with the dredging works, provided significant employment during the Great Hunger (Irish Famine) of the 1840's. 

The name 'navvy' comes from the word, 'navigator', men who dug the canals and railway lines in the 1800's. The work was hard and often dangerous. Of the 250,000 navvies operating in Britain at the height of the railway expansion in Victorian times, roughly 1 in 3 was an Irishman.

The sun is shining in the Republic of Ireland. I headed out to do a couple of errands - took the Elders to get groceries and to the barber for their haircuts; and enjoyed the sun for a few minutes. I didn't realize at the time, until looking closer at the photo later, that I had worn 'Sister McMurray's name tag....., duh.

DA's... Dinner Appointments

The Branch President and his wife invited us to come out to their home in Duleek, for dinner on Thursday night. About a 30 minute drive south. They moved into their newly built home in a new estate, about 18 months ago. 

A real BBQ meal - pork chops, chicken roasted on skewers, peppers, onions, mushrooms; plus banana bread, brownies (that Sister McMurray made). 

L to R, Myself next to Elder Truman, Schneider, Jonas Amador (who lives in Drogheda), Ben, Sinead, Guillaume, Lucie, Annie (Poznanski), and Tina. We had a great time talking about the kids' school, Sinead's artistic skills, Ben's interest in animation, Jonas getting an 8 month visa extension so he can stay in Ireland.... and Elder Truman prepared and gave a wonderful spiritual message on one of Christ's attributes and invited us to develop - 'virtue'. It was a very inspiring message.

And, it was a wonderful evening.

Hi-Lite of the Week, And One of The Best Days of Our Mission

Throughout one's life, you will have opportunities to meet great people; coaches, teachers, business leaders, sports icons, authors, motivational speakers, entertainers, celebrities. For those of us in our Saviour's restored church, we are fortunate to have many men and women leaders who lead and inspire us and are wonderful models for us to follow. We respect them, we listen carefully to what they say, and we try to implement their teachings into our lives. Among those, we include our living prophet, Russell M. Nelson, and his two counselors in the Quorum of First Presidency, and members of The Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

Elder Quentin L. Cook - visits Ireland

A couple of months ago, we were advised that we would be fortunate in Ireland, to have a visit from Quentin L. Cook, of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. Well, yesterday, May 27, 2023 was the day we'd been waiting for in the Republic of Ireland. Elder Cook spoke to church members and friends in Belfast on Friday night but that was just the warm-up for his day in Dublin. 

Travel Issues

Anyone who has traveled across from North America knows that it is a long flight that results in some jet lag, and requires some adjustment time. Well, a few hours into the flight from Salt Lake City to London, a male passenger had a stroke. The man and his wife were members of the Church, and noticed that Elder Cook was on the plane so asked a flight attendant if he would come back and provide a blessing on the man; so Elder Cook did so. The flight was over Newfoundland at the time and it turned around and diverted to Detroit so proper medical aid could be given. It is unknown what the man's status is now. But, for Elder Cook and other leaders traveling with him, it meant that it took almost 48 hrs before they landed in London. All of the Stake Presidents, Temple Presidencies, and Mission Presidents in Europe North Area were assembled in London for training from Elder Cook and the delays meant that he got off the plane and went straight to the meeting venue rather than having any rest time.

That was mid-week, then Friday he spoke in Belfast for 45 minutes; then came to Dublin Saturday, with a meeting from 2-4pm just with all the Ireland missionaries, about 65 of us; and a meeting at 6pm for all church members and friends in the Republic. There are protocols and security measures and we all were briefed on those. It was such a beautiful day so a place for a group photo was set up outside. We were all in place when Elder Cook and his wife, Mary, Elder and Sister Boom (Area President), Elder Stewart (Area Seventy) - likely a cousin as he descends from the Stewart Kings of Scotland, as do I. In any case, they came over all smiles and waving, sat and then a couple of photos were taken. They then went in the chapel but stopped inside of one door. We each went in single file past them and were able to shake hands with each one (gently as instructed) - an apostle, his wife, the Booms, Elder Stewart, and President and Sister McCrudden our Mission Leaders. For many missionaries this was the first time they had ever met an apostle and it was definitely a life hi-lite.

I enjoyed meeting Elder Cook as well, but it was so nice to say hello to the Boom's again - rekindling our acquaintance first made 46 yrs ago when I was a new missionary in Breda, Netherlands, and where Hans Boom was a 14 year old young man trying to figure out if the Church was true. And here he is, the Area President, but still humble and warm and engaging, as is his wife.

We had plenty of time to mingle and welcome each other. 

We love them all.

Some of our all-time favorites; Elders Coffman, Schneider, Truman, Caswell, and Aina. Fast friends for life! These are dedicated, consecrated representatives of the Savior. Their message is true, and can offer the peace we all seek.

People from all over the Limerick District and Dublin Stake began arriving at about 4:15pm for the 6:00pm start. Missionaries waited until about 5:30pm before taking any seats as we already had our special meeting - this was the general meeting for all church members and friends. We met folks from Sligo, Galway, Cork, Tralee. About 600 in attendance.

It was a wonderful meeting - a youth choir sang, Elder Stewart spoke, the Booms, then Sister Cook and Elder Cook. His apostolic witness of the Savior, and his apostolic blessing, were wonderful hi-lites. 

Photos of the weekend meetings will come out via Church public relations - likely tomorrow. It was a remarkable day that we'll never forget. 

Goodbye to New Friends....

Elder Edwards and Sister Edwards are from Bow Island, Alberta, just a few hours from our home in Calgary. They return home after completing this, their third mission. Elder Edwards is a physician and was the Mission Medical missionary.

In Bow Island over the last 25 years or so, he became great friends with Lee and Lynne McClung. This is interesting in that Lee was a good friend of mine in Sherwood Park as youth and post-mission as we figured out what to do when we grew up. 

The Kitchens (middle) are leaving this coming week to return to North Carolina. We have really enjoyed getting to know them.  And the Edwards go home to Alberta in about 2 weeks after orienting their replacement in the Medical advisor role. Wonderful people who just love to serve others.

Mary and Alice have become great friends in Dundalk. When they arrived for the Devotional in Dublin, they thought they'd have time to go over to a nearby cemetary to lay some flowers for a loved one, but ran out of time - and decided to give them to Sister McMurray instead. Awwwww!

We hope that you can see how special this week has been. Upcoming week will include apartment inspections and hearing about transfers. Some of these friends, we may never see again. Tough to think about.

We continue to remember several dear friends and family who are having serious illnesses. They are in our prayers daily. As well as those doing their best to provide support. 

God bless,

  Elder Eric & Sister Tina McMurray