Mission Blog #73

 What Else?

We looked out to the Hammil Falls and saw a kayaker who had just come down the Cart River and had picked garbage from the banks. The green bags indicate he was doing it as part of the local community clean up group; he had about 10 sacks of garbage which he then moved down the falls edge along with his kayak. That is one great citizen right there!
Elder Eyre and Elder Klintworth are a couple of our favorite young missionaries; they serve in Dublin now but we are able to see them occasionally online, such as in this case of a baptism.
We are experiencing a number of 'lasts' at the moment. on Friday we completed our last flat and vehicle inspections. The five in Ireland (Northern Ireland as well as Republic of Ireland) were 'virtual' and two in-person here in Paisley. For the virtual ones, a missionary uses the camera on WhatsApp and focuses on areas we ask to see. And we complete the on-line inspection form as we go. Our last inspection was that of Elder Eyre and Klintworth's flat and car in Dublin. As Elder Klintworth showed us a storage closet I noticed a set of golf clubs and as some envy filled my heart I asked Klintworth about how often he's golfed while on his mission. We further talked about golf, our handicaps (mine suffering a great deal due to not playing for 17 months), etc., he explained that he grew up as a neighbor of golf legend, Gary Player, in South Africa. Gary was not a church member but his late wife was - a strong member of Elder Klintworth's home Ward congregation. He golfed several times with Gary or other family members. He said that Gary was a wonderful man and great influence on him in his love of golf.

We don't know how many fish 'n chip dinners we've had in the last 17 months, or how many more we'll have, but we've found our favorite 'chippy' here in Paisley and it was great for a Friday night meal. As we stood in the very tiny 'takeout' waiting area we introduced ourselves to a woman - we talked about where we're from. She reciprocated in saying she is originally from Inverness but married a Paisley man. We mentioned that we're going up Inverness way this coming week when my sister comes for a visit; that my MacKenzie family roots (dad's mom's ancestry) are from up there. She then said that she has MacKenzie in her ancestry. It was a great moment. So I met a cousin. She also thought it was pretty great.

A couple of nights this week we were invited for meals in homes of Ward members, which we love; also attended Family History Coordination Meeting to plan our upcoming Family History Workshop on Feb 22nd. 
It was a very special blessing, that Saturday evening we were here in Paisley, Scotland and were able to view the baptismal service of my dear friend, David Hawthorne. Of the many baptisms that we have seen, or participated in, during our mission in the Republic of Ireland and Scotland, and at any other time - this was among the most special. I can't begin to explain how awesome it was. Thank you David for your determination, your faith, your example - to make a turn back toward your Saviour. We know He loves you. And we love you, and look forward to seeing you soon and giving you the biggest bearhug. Congratulations! As a bonus we had a few brief moments to wave hello to Blair & Jane Bennett, and David & Jan Henderson who were attending David's baptism - wonderful people who have had huge impacts on our lives for many many years. It was an unexpected bonus to an amazing event.

Transfer calls went out on Saturday and two of our young missionaries leave Paisley on Wednesday. They both spoke in Church today and truly gave inspiring testimonies and invitations. The Elders joined us for dinner tonight prior to our all-Mission Come Follow Me discussion. 

Another last was my teaching the Priesthood lesson today - on the gathering of Israel, but specifically Temple and Family History work. I thoroughly enjoyed preparing and leading the discussion, especially with the new church members present. It was pretty wonderful. We'll miss them so much.

We will look forward to Tamara and Grant (Palsky) arriving Wednesday, one of my sisters and her husband, for a barnstorm through Scotland. We're pretty sure it will be something we'll always remember.

Thanks for your curiosity about our mission. It means alot to us.

God bless,

Elder Eric & Sister Tina McMurray
Member & Leader Support Missionaries
Scotland-Ireland Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
www.churchofjesuschrist.org

















Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2024 at 6:29 PM

    Hi Tina & Eric, Keep it up, were sure your going to be in the History books Ha ha ha Bye Bye now.

    ReplyDelete

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