I think one of the hardest things I do every week is come up with a title for the week's current blog. You would think that I could be so much more creative than I am tonight. I will think a little harder as I finish this blog and see what I can come up with. It just dawned on me that you wouldn't know if I even change this week's title. Duhhhh! I"m the only one would know that. Well, for sure, now I'm going to keep you all guessing!!
Last Sunday, Elder and I drove to the Limerick train station to pick up Elder Petrovey and his new companion, Elder Jakko, (pronounced Yakka) after church. Elder Jakko will spend his last 6 weeks here in Limerick with us before he goes home. It is always amazing to me how the young missionaries here can immediately love their new companions like they do. These two zone leaders are already the best of friends and work very well together.
Elder Petrovey on the left and Elder Jakko on the right
On Monday of this week, we, again, had our weekly YSA FHE. After doing this for just over 6 months, it has been getting harder and harder to come up with ideas. I have asked several times for several of our YSAs if they would do a lesson, but no one has ever done one yet. I'm so hopeful that in the next couple of weeks that the branch will re-organize the YSAs with new leadership and that they will take over. We will always want to be a support to them. I love the YSAs! So, for this week, I came up with a fun idea. I decided to make a big bowl of homemade cookie dough and let each YSA decorate their own cookies. Boy, you should have seen them go. I certainly giggled as I watched some of them decorate their cookies with the finest details. While the cookies were baking, we all took turns talking about our mothers. It was sweet! And so was the milk and cookies finale!
Here I am cutting up a delicious peanut mixture. You can also see that I supplied them with chunky chocolate, chocolate chips, brownie M&Ms and other goodies!
Here is one plate of freshly baked cookies waiting for the cold milk to get passed around the table
On Tuesday, our district, minus the zone leaders, meet for our weekly missionary district training meeting. The Sligo sisters were available by a zoom chat. We had a wonderful spiritual thought given by Sister Blake and a good discussion of how we can help new friends come closer to Christ in their individual lessons from each of the missionaries. Elder Nelson, our district leader, also surprised us with his homemade peanut butter cookies, which were pretty good, I might add. Elder and I were also able to give the Galway sisters needed supplies for their flat that will make their daily lives better, including a new pillow to sleep on!! Later that evening, Elder and I met with our Limerick branch presidency correlation meeting. Our new branch president certainly has a defined path that he would like to see all of the branch's members incorporate.
Wednesday morning, Elder and I went back to the chapel to meet with our branch's family history expert, Sister Rose Elder. Though I know much about doing family history and genealogy, I barely know anything about Irish family documents and history, so I was so glad for her expertise and her good advice! In preparation for our meeting that morning, I opened both FamilySearch and Ancestry.com the night before to see where we might want to zero in on Elder Muirhead's John Hall family. I was pleasantly surprised to find to new addition to the Hall family line in documentation. The Hall line is the main line that lived in Northern Ireland and is also the ancestors that we plan to find in St. John's Church graveyard in Fivemiletown, Tyrone, Northern Ireland in another month or two.
As I was searching around on ancestry.com, one of John (1851) and Jane/Jennie Walker Hall's son, Robert (1889), had a principle documentation appear. Jane/Jennie Hall was John's Hall's second wife. His first wife died after giving birth to their fourth child. What I found on ancestry.com was a 1920 passport issued to Robert Hall loaded with important information and his photo! For you who may not know, the 1920 US passport became the first worldwide standardized passport ever. Little did they know that this edition was to become a huge blessing of recording genealogical information like never before. I certainly thought that this find was a great blessing to our family. Here is Robert Hall's photo and signature.
Robert Hall's photo and signature
Later that night, we also attended a gospel lesson for the Bolivian sisters and then participated in the weekly English connect class. The next day was a study day for me to prepare for the weekly Book of Mormon class that I teach. I like to study for one or two hours and then go for a walk. Well, that day I went for a super long walk.....why?, because I needed to teach two Isaiah chapters! Look at what my little feet accomplished!
Yeah, over 14,000 steps!
I also saw a rowing boat club preparing to practice their coordinated skills on that same walk. Here in Ireland, next to such a great river, many of the rowing clubs are training the youth to compete. Even on cold damp days, these determined youth will brave the weather to go out to practice again. Here are some pics.
A youth team carrying down a boat
Stepping into a boat and fastening the oars
and off they go!
On Friday, I taught the weekly Book of Mormon class. We talked about the importance of Moses and Isaiah in the Old Testament and also the importance of using the Book of Mormon to study and better understand Isaiah. The class provided good participation and I feel like we all benefited from that lesson, especially me! Elder and I spent time on Friday night and Saturday morning/afternoon enjoying having contact with several family members. No one needs to convince me how amazingly great our children and grandchildren are. We feel more than super blessed to share our lives with them! I did take three additional photos as seen below.
This sweet pigeon was just waiting for me to take its picture as it posed on one of the narrow war windows of King John's castle.
We were also invited to the Murphy home for dinner this week. Sister Murphy is also from the same area of Finland as is Elder Jakko. They had a great time talking in Finnish with each other
Sister Murphy went all out to make us an amazing dessert. She saw it earlier this week on the Ireland version of the Today Show and thought that she would give it a try. Yeah...WOW!!!
For this week's blog, I thought that it would be fun to present a deeper photo study of Limerick's perpetual weekend Milk Market experience. Limerick's Milk Market has certainly evolved over time to what it is today. "The Milk Market is the oldest weekly market in the country. The quadrangle was built in 1792 as an extension to the old city walls and has served as the hub for the sale of local produce ever since. The site, while steeped in local history, has a completely modern ambiance bridging the oldest of traditions with modern elegance."
"In the heart of Limerick City every weekend for over 150 years the weekly cycle continues with the freshest of produce arriving from land and sea for the people of Limerick city, County Limerick. Over three days the Market changes faces with a Friday, Saturday and Sunday market." Some people would even argue that the Milk Market is one of the oldest markets in Europe. The market is certainly one of the big selling points for the city of Limerick. So what's so awesome about this market that makes it such a huge part of Limerick's weekend life and brings so many people from all over the countryside together? Let's take a look through my photographs.
Only one old street sign on the Main Street directs you to the Milk Market, but everyone here knows the way
This is a outside picture of the large tent that covers much of the market
Here is a picture of some of the many little tents with wares to sell and the musicians that provide outside entertainment
One of the main entrances to get inside the tented part of the market
When you see this sign, you know that you have arrived!
They have stuff for everybody...children...
Or for the child within us
Clothing both factory manufactured or handmade
Beautiful fresh flowers (and nice photograph too!)
Lots of tools of every kind for every project
Fresh fruits and vegetables. Really...some of those carrots are freshly picked...dirt and all!
Fresh fish right from the ocean
Local plants for any early bird gardeners that want to get a jump on planting
So I got a little hungry while walking around and tried out this pretty, but not so Mexican tasting street taco
Big crowds of people. Notice there are even more up on the balcony near the edge of the tent
More music. This group of lads are playing traditional Irish music. I loved to listen to them!
This sweet, older man can sure create some of his own beautiful Irish music
Let's keep going! There are more treasures to see!!
Yeah! European delight!!! Look at the Cannoli!!
Sweets, sweets and more sweets!
Homemade marmalade in every flavor possible
Irish honey. Notice the different colors with its different flavors and richness!
Say cheese please!!!!
Freshly home baked breads and scones
Amazing breadsticks!
Dried meats like salami and other dried meat delights
Right off the farm, fresh Irish meats-all organic!
Lots of eateries with fantastic snacks or meals for sell
Homemade soaps of every scent! I didn't include all the handmade jewelry, artwork, crafts and paintings done by some amazing local artist. I probably still missed many, many more items.
The Milk Market really is an incredible adventure every weekend!
Wow! That was a really fun blog to put together. I really like Limerick. I know without any doubt that Limerick was exactly where we needed to serve. I am so very grateful for God's blessings in our lives!
This week, as I end my blog, I want to testify of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Since I have been teaching weekly from this amazing book, I truly have come closer to my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I can't imagine what my life would even be like without the great Godly influence that this book has had on me. The more I deeply study and feast upon the words of this book, the more and more I love the Lord, the more I want to serve others and the more I want to keep my covenants. I absolutely love the plainness of its teachings. I love how simply I can get answers and revelation from Him who knows me the very best. It is truly amazing that if I will simply ask of God in prayer, knocking at His door (which is always open) and stand still to see His hand in my life, that I can become so much more than I could become by myself. The gospel is as easy as "Come follow me" and, oh, what blessings will be yours for doing so! I am so blessed both temporally and spiritually! Hallelujah!! See you next week.
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