Cliffs and Moher! (that's a play on words for Cliffs of Moher)

      Yeah, so I was trying to be funny with my blog title. Sometimes the hardest part of having a weekly blog is giving it a title, especially when you basically do the same thing every week. This week we were able to travel just a little, including returning to the famous Cliffs of Moher. I like the little traveling that we get to do at times to break up our week of service and meetings. We are working on a future trip to Northern Ireland to give a fireside and visit one of the Muirhead family homelands. We have also asked if we could travel out to Tralee to give a sacrament talk or two. They have less than 20 active members in their branch, so without additional help from other branches, they each have to give a sacrament talk every other month, if not more often! We would love to relieve them of that burden if possible.

A recent picture of King John's castle 

     We started this last week off with a wonderful sacrament meeting and a very engaged discussion in our gospel doctrine class. We also got word that our kind mission president gave our district, including 4 young elders and 2 young sisters and us, permission to take time out of our P day to travel as a district to the Cliffs of Moher. Several of the younger missionaries had never been there before. They were so excited. The 4 young elders drove in one car and the young sisters drove with us. 

     

     When we got to the cliffs, a huge posted bright yellow sign warned each of us that it was a very windy day and to be very careful as we walked the trails. And windy it was!!! We walked up the trail to the cliffs themselves first, taking lots of pictures. Then we walked over to the other side opposite the cliffs for a different view. It was so fun to spend good quality time with these totally amazing young and faithful missionaries. It was also great to take a day off to see the beauty of nature and to relax. We had a very successful 6 hours together and were able to travel, hike and enjoy each other safely and within mission rules. Here are some pictures.

These are the young missionaries in my district. From left to right: Elder Siebke from Sweden, Elder Hardy from Nevada, Sister Hayman from Texas, Sister Blanchard from Washington state, Elder Larubia from Spain and Elder Petrovey from England

Watch out!!!!

The Cliffs of Moher that beautiful afternoon

The mighty winds allowing the waves below to crash into the vertical walls of the cliffs

The walking trail up to the Cliffs

I love this picture. I love these awesome disciples of Jesus Christ.

     We got home in time to have FHE with our YSA group. Because we have several YSAs that are trying to learn English as a second language, we played Book of Mormon hangman. Each YSA had to pick a verse, then find a word in that verse and challenge us to see if we could figure out what the word was. After, they had to tell why they picked that verse and what it meant to them. It was so fun and, no kidding, quite hard! We ended the night by enjoying treats and saying our good-byes until we would meet again.

     Tuesday, the district met to be trained and counsel with each other. We have been making it a practice to write all of the names of either the new friends that have been found or the returning members that the missionaries are working with on a white board. Last week there were so many names! That it was very exciting to see. As we trained and counseled, we took each name and tried to plan around their needs. I'm telling you, this district is right on!!! We spent the next evening supporting the branch's English Connect course where we help others how to speak in English. 

     Thursday was a sunnier day, so Elder and I drove out to Coole Park in Galway. This large park was once owed by Lady Gregory of Coole. After her husband died, Lady Gregory invited many famous Irish authors and artists to her estate where they would enjoy time together talking about literary subjects or art. While many of these famous people where visiting, she had them carve their initials into what is now known as the "autograph tree". Authors like W. B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Sean O'Casey and artists like Theodore Simpson participated. The park is in pristine condition and presented many beautiful fall colors just about everywhere I looked. It was good to be there.

Stepping into the park proper, we were greeted by the famous red deer of Ireland

This is the autograph tree. It is a copper birch tree and when in full color, has copper colored leaves.

This is a small section of the autographs found on the tree. The initials near the number one were carved by Theodore S. Simpson, a famous sculptor. The number two is where George Bernard Shaw left his initials.

Beautiful fall colors contrasted by amazing hues of green

A walk along the Lady's woodland space

A stone almost hidden by ivory and fallen colored leaves

A massive tree trunk decorated by nature itself

So pretty, so comforting!

Colors in full explosion! Amazing!

     My Book of Mormon class occurs every Friday evening. This week we developed a zoom link to invite more gospel students to join our class. It looks like the zoom link will take time for faraway branch members to join, but I am so excited to provide that option for them. Class went great. We talked about 1 Nephi 5 and 6. One of my favorite verses in 1 Nephi 5 is verse 9. 

     In this verse, after Lehi and Sariah rejoiced after the safe return of their sons, who had been gone for just over a month with no communication, Lehi performs his priesthood duty to God in ordinance work. In this verse, Nephi writes that Lehi offered sacrifices and burnt offerings. Lehi's sacrifice would have been a peace offering, used for moments of thanksgiving. It is interesting that Lehi also performs burnt offerings, used only for atonement and never for thanksgiving. How did Joseph Smith, unlearned, know about ancient Hebrew sacrifices and which ones to use at the right time. Well, he didn't, but Lehi did! Lehi used the right offerings for the right situations.

     It was very proper for Lehi to used burnt offerings after his sons returned with the brass plates for two reasons. First, Lehi is told how the older brothers harmed their younger brothers because of their faith. A second reason he offered burnt offerings, maybe even more important, was because of the death of Laban. Lehi obviously did not want any chances that he and his family's relationship with God was in jeopardy. In that instance, the burnt offerings performed was exactly the right thing to do. It is for being atoned or reconciled. This evidence of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon gives me greater faith and greater love for God.

     I also spent time with my friend, Gitana, who we visit every Friday. She is the branch member that Elder and I are helping with renewing her temple commitments. We had a great discussion on what our favorite part of the temple experience is for each of us. It was so wonderful to hear her explain how special the temple was to her and how excited she is to go back again. I was also able to watch the new Book of Mormon 3 Nephi video that was released on Friday. I am really loving them!!! 

     On Saturday, branch members gathered at the church to watch an old, but a wonderful missionary movie made by the church called, "How Rare a Possession". This movie dates back to 1988. At the October 1988 general conference, President Benson gave his totally awesome  talk about flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon. In that talk, he stated that in the first weeks after this move was released, that the church got requests for tens of thousands of Books of Mormon to be distributed. That's amazing!!! One of our branch missionary goals before this year ends is to give out 250 books. That, too, would be amazing!!

     Now to tell you more about how the work to is going here in the Ireland Waterford District of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we met today with our district presidency. We have this type of presidency because we don't have any stakes here yet. Our district president gathered all the branch's executive leaders, including us, after church to update our progress in becoming a new Ireland ward and stake. He told us that we are very much on track to being moved up to a ward and stake status by the end of December or the first of January. We were all so excited to here that news. He has asked us to keeping doing what we are doing and to pray to become a ward. 

     My dear earthly angels, can I invite you to also pray for this area to meet the requirements needed and to graduate into a ward status? I know that God hears and answers prayers of his faithful, which each and every one of you are certainly consider to be in my heart. It would mean so very much to Elder and I to have had a small part in this future change, but it would mean even more to the many wonderful and faithful members here in Ireland, as they would then be closer to being considered for a temple also. Next week is Fast Sunday. If you can, please remember us here as you fast and ask our Great God in Heaven to bless this land and its people. I know that in God's time and in His own way, that they will be blessed to have their hearts desire to participate with greater availability in temple ordinance work on this island. May the Lord bless us all as we do His work! Love ya! See you next week!