Well, not like last week, this week we found ourselves busy once again. I like busy!!! But before I tell you about our busier week, I want to start off with a Limerick weather report. I will never forget the first week of September here and how the weather went from summer temperatures to a very cool fall. Like immediately!!! Literally, one day I was wearing a t-shirt and the very next day I HAD to wear a sweatshirt....zipped all the way up! So beginning January 1st, winter has set in and not slowly either. It has been so much colder, damper and with lots of strong winds that even Elder would tell you that the other day, the wind about blew him over. The winds have also been blowing so much stronger during the night that the strong winds loudly whistle through the windows in our flat and casts a chill over every room. Today, the wind chill is eleven degrees colder that the actual temperature. Living on the Shannon River doesn't help either. Here is my evidence:
Here is our current 10 day forecast. Rain, rain, rain, SNOW, cloudy (but that will change to rain), rain, rain..... See what I mean?
This picture was taken on Saturday, 1/14 at noon! It's just as dark now as it is after the sun goes down later in the day (what sun??? I don't see one)
CRAZY!!!!!
You really can't prepared for weather like this. Even more impressive, the Irish people love their weather. I guess that proves that I'm not Irish!!! He, he! I do see light at the end of the tunnel as Daylight Savings comes early this year (Hallelujah). You can say what you want about Daylight Savings day, but to me, it's another of God's tender mercies to me.
Now about our busier week. It started off last Sunday. Because of the holidays, our Fast Sunday was moved to January 8th. I am certainly glad that the branch leaders did this, as there was over one hundred members present that Sunday after the holidays. It was a great meeting, too. The branch president had to go up to the podium just before time was up and announce that only the last few members who had already approached the stand would be able to bear their testimonies quickly and then the meeting would close. I promised our last branch president that I would always bear my testimony, so that it would encourage the other female members to also stand and bare theirs. I'm proud to say that I kept that promise another month while here! Later that afternoon, we drove ourselves and the young elders one hour away to the Potts home for a wonderful leg of lamb dinner. Yum, yum!!
On Monday, Elder and I went to the Hyundai car dealership tp get our car serviced, including a new oil change. Elder loved walking around the dealership, as a "car expert" would, and enjoyed all the new cars and all of the new special features that are currently available in most models. My experience was very different. It was 30 degrees (not really, but it sure felt like it) in the showroom. I was freezing for almost 2 hours. When it was all said and done, we passed with flying colors, though I also had blue lips from the almost event of frostbite! Later that evening, our YSAs all met us at the chapel to view a special presentation about the restoration of the gospel. We had 8 YSAs turn out. What a great way to start the new year off!
Me at the Hyundai care dealership
Elder Muirhead sitting in the cold waiting room writing a family letter
Tuesday morning we joined both our district missionaries and the Cork district missionaries for our weekly training session. Our district discussed ways to change our approach to the many friends we meet on the streets. One elder showed us how he would start his new approach by challenging the new friend to a rock, paper, scissors fight. We all could not stop laughing. The funny thing is that that new approach worked and he ending bearing a powerful testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Who would have ever known?? Later that night, our branch leaders all met over a zoom meeting to discuss the current needs of the branch as we correlate the teachings of the gospel. I love those meetings. They open many doors to success.
That Wednesday we again met with our young elders and supported them as they taught two new friends who were two sisters from Bolivia. The sisters were introduced to the Book of Mormon by us reading and explaining the introduction found on its opening pages. Though these two sisters still have a hard time understanding and speaking English, they said that they liked what they heard and would come to church again this Sunday.
Thursday was a very cold, damp and windy day. Elder and I stayed close to the flat most of the day. I prepared to teach the Book of Mormon for the branch's Friday night lesson and Elder spent time studying and writing more letters. I also got notification that a shipment had been sent to us, but could not be successfully delivered because we were not home when the driver came to drop the package off. Elder and I got in the car and drove the 20 minutes out to retrieve the package. Months ago, I had ordered a medication needed which amounted to 90 very small pills. The Christmas holidays delayed the shipment. When I walked into the center and asked for our package, the clerk brought out this huge box. I told the young man that he must have been mistaken and pulled the wrong box. He said that he hadn't. For a minute, I got excited and thought that maybe the box was a late Christmas gift from home. When I opened the box at home, this is what I found.
This is the oversized box. I put it on a chair so you could see the size
After opening the box, I found a large, lidded styrofoam container, with an ice pack inside, and the three tiny, tiny boxes of the medications. Wow! Talk about overkill!!! Wow!!! Talk about the sadness of not getting a late surprised Christmas gift from home!
Here is a photo taken one morning looking out of our patio sliding door showing how much rain we get here a lot.
The next day, we were asked to come over to Sister Smirnoff's flat to help her further prepare to attend the temple soon and help her with a school project. She was so kind to make us a lunch, which was a dish that she would have made in her home country, Lithuania. She certainly is a very good cook. After leaving her flat, we slowly made it over to the church where the Second Book of Nephi was introduced in our weekly branch Book of Mormon class. Seriously, we were able to take 12 weeks just to study the beginning of the book and its first 50 some pages. What a privilege! We actually took some time in the beginning of class that night to discuss and testify of our feelings for only the First Book of Nephi. We all agreed that that first book is most amazing!!
On Saturday, we joined the young elders again to teach a lesson to their friend, David. We all read together 3 Nephi Chapter 11. I love that chapter. I have the hardest time holding back the tears of joy every time I read it. In my opinion, Jesus Christ saids everything in that chapter that I would want to hear from His own lips. The chapter is so powerful with the greatest message of hope that only He would give to those that believe. I so want one day to actually be worthy to see and feel the prints of the nails that He so willingly bore for me. At that day, I, too, will bath His feet with my tears.
What Elder Muirhead and I didn't expect at that moment, was that after we finished reading that chapter, David had some questions and Elder Muirhead and I took over the lesson and successfully proved through both testimony and scripture references the answers to his questions. The young elders just sat there and often shook their heads in agreement. Elder Muirhead would teach one portion of a principle and then I would teach another. It was so incredible! We both felt the spirit so strong and really did have all things brought to our remembrance. Powerful!
After David left, we drove the young elders to our flat. They walked over to the city center while I prepared a "breakfast for dinner" meal for them. I you will remember, I have been put in charge to develop and print the monthly branch's opportunity to feed these young missionaries. When all members have had the opportunity to sign up for a meal, I collect the sheet and allow the elders to snap a photo of their meal appointments. Sometimes the calendar doesn't get filled in as much as I would like to see, so I always feed those young men at least once a month. Well, they were thrilled to have homemade waffles, with all the trimmings! We also had brownies and ice cream for dessert. We then drove them back to their flat and came home to a sink full of dishes and happy memories!
Our Saturday night with "breakfast for dinner"
Elder Hardy, Elder Petrovey and us enjoying our meal together
With just a little more space left on this blog page, I thought that this week I would show you in-store modern European furnishings. Before I do that, I would like to describe generally two of the Irish homes that I have seen while here. Most of the homes that I have seen have only been seen while driving by, but there is definitely is a difference. Irish homes are either small, older (some really old) homes with a range from one to several floors high or homes that are much newer and much more modern. As we drive through any Irish town/city, you will be able to immediately distinguish these two separate general categories of Irish homes, typically with the older homes being near the city center and the newer homes out in the country. There is though, a lot to say about living in the same home that your great, great grandfather was born in, if not someone even older than that.
Elder and I have been watching a new home construction being built here near the Limerick outskirts. It has been interesting to see the physical shape of the home and the building materials that the builders have used. This new small home is very, very simple. A large percentage of the homes here are built 100% of cider blocks. We also noticed that none of the block walls in this newer home has any steel rod bracing to keep the walls from caving in. We think that Ireland must not be in any high risk earthquake regions, so building only with cider blocks must be considered safe. We also saw that very little insulation is used. With very humid, yet temperate temperatures, packed insulation must not make a big difference here. They cover the cider block on the inside with a type of wall board and then add a covering of plaster over it to give the appearance of smooth walls. The roof on this new home is a slate roof. The outside of the home will be covered with a sand based stucco when nearer to finishing.
Many Irish citizens have inherited a home (and most likely a nice piece of land) from a relative. There still are many small towns, where for generations, families members have lived on the same block or at least within walking distance as was done hundred(s) of years ago. Also, if you ever come to a small Irish town that has a church with a graveyard nearby, if you find one older family tombstone there, you will find them all. Many of the tombstones are in great decay and can not be read any longer. It is the new upper class of Irish people that have built away from family heritages and have the bigger, fancier homes in the country. By the way, some of those homes could easily be on the front of any famous magazine that displays modern home and decoration ideas, which is surprising to me as Irish land is not cheap!
Just so you all know, I had a great time browsing and snapping photos!!!
All different size living rooms depending on the size of your Irish house
Some very pretty and....
some very cozy!
Dining room sets
We see a lot of dining room sets with benches here. I like it!
Another set (notice that all the chairs are a different color)
Of golly!!!! I almost forgot what time it is! (just kidding!)
Nice bedroom sets. BTW, the most common mattress in Ireland is a double mattress. You will shop long and hard to find a queen or king size mattress and sheet sets to fit!
A bedroom for the princess!
I love sleigh beds! I love these colors too
Is this not awesome for a young boy???
These bunk beds are very common here, once again due to room size.
Well, I think I have said all that happened this week to us, about the weather here, European home furnishings and even talked about the almost Christmas gift that I collected on Thursday. As I look at our calendar on the wall, more busiest is in our near future, including another trip to Dublin!
As always, I can't end my blog without testifying again that I absolutely know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know that I have a Heavenly Father, who loves me so much, even when I goof up again as I travel through this earthly life. I'm so very, very grateful for the Holy Ghost that guides my thoughts and my heart and comforts me when I am in need (like daily!!!). I am also so very grateful for my family, all my sons and daughters and my children's children. I could not do this without their abounding love and encouragement. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ! I stand all amazed as I read and ponder the Book of Mormon. I love the principles that the book proclaims and of the great hope I receive as the book so plainly testifies of Jesus. I truly am so very blessed every day, every hour!
May each of you be blessed as well in all that each of you stand in need of. Pray....He IS listening! I promise again that Elder and I will remain true and faithful to the good values that lie in our hearts as we love and serve the way that Jesus would. Until next week....
Great message! Sure love you both!
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