This week has been another busy week for us. The week that we have a scheduled zone conference to attend in Dublin takes a day away from us and, like this week, sometimes we need an extra day to recover! We absolutely LOVE our zone conferences!!! To gather with our wonderful mission president, his wife and with all sixty plus missionaries is the best way to teach, uplift and bond in love with each other. Though the day can be long as we sit through many meetings, the day also fills our hearts with great enthusiasm to continue to do our best to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's an amazing feeling to be joined in a very large group that is totally dedicated to one focus and one focus only....Jesus Christ!
All the other senior couples drive into Dublin the day before, especially the seniors that live 4.5 plus hours away. Because we are only 2.5 hours south of Dublin, we, again, elected to just get up early and drive up the same morning. Many seniors also spend the night of zone conference in Dublin and will leave the next day, taking their time to travel back home. This was not our choice of how to wanted to return to Limerick. With good intentions of getting out of the city before traffic got worse, we were asked after conference if we could help get elders to the train station, which we did. Unfortunately, that took just over two extra hours of driving for us before we were, once again, on our way home to Limerick. We were able to grab a quick dinner from Mr. Burrito Dublin, a favorite place, before we headed home.
This is the Finagles Dublin ward chapel and stake center. There are about 2500 members in the Dublin Stake. This building is about the same size as a medium size Utah chapel.
You know when the missionaries are gathering because the parking lot of the church turns into a fleet of matching cars. When the senior couples get excused after conference, we all stand outside and try to guess which vehicle belongs to who without unlocking cars and flashing the headlights. Very funny.
Two wonderful teaching moments happened for us while at zone conference. One was hearing from our mission president and, the second, from the training sister missionaries later that day. President started his talk to us by asking all of us why we have weaknesses. I was surprised at how many of these young missionaries truly spoke of weaknesses from deep within their hearts. Some of these young single adults have already come to know much sorrow, pain and individual weaknesses. When president spoke again, he pointed us to the scripture in Ether 12:27, which we read together. I wish you all could have been in that chapel with me to hear the marvelous discussion that that single verse caused to evolve. Wow!!! The gospel of Jesus Christ can always cause uplifting and moving discussions that gives hope and knowledge.
President McCrudden teaching out of the Strength For Youth guidebook
All eyes are on our dear president! You can literally hear a pin drop. So cool!!!
One young missionary after hearing president ask the question of why we have weaknesses, shouted out, as if he really knew that this was THE answer and said, "We all need to come unto Him!" How true that one answer is. President built upon that answer and also injected that we all need to be obedient in every way. At the end of president's teachings, he reminded us that God gives us weaknesses, NOT SATAN! God so loved the world...that He gave us weaknesses, so He can help us make our weaknesses strong and strengthen us to be an instrument in doing His work. Very powerful! The training sister missionaries taught us about having confidence in Christ. We can always have confidence in Christ, simply because of Christ! We were told to remember that Christ knows how to help each of us at all times and in all places. He certainly is our confidence!
After our morning sessions ended, we all gathered in the cultural hall for a delicious lunch. The missionaries were serve a creamed chicken with bacon bits dish over rice, including fresh vegetables and a choice of desserts. I was asked to bring Rice Krispy treats. Elder and I had to drive to several different stores to get the variety I wanted. As always, all the food disappeared in minutes!
Sister McCrudden purchased Cadbury Easter eggs for all the missionaries and placed them on the dining table as part of the table decorations for zone conference. After lunch, she called all volunteers to come and participate in a egg and spoon race, which was so fun to see. After lunch, we also gathered near the stage to take our group photo. Then, we finished our conference with another couple of hours of training and, with a desire to do better and a stronger love in our hearts for the welfare of the souls we seek after, we ended our time together until we will meet again at our next zone conference.
The lunch line-up. Sisters first, young men!
These are some serious contenders, don't you think?
Elder Drinkwater (yay, that is really his name!) won the race by a landslide. He was so happy!!!
Parting words from Sister McCrudden
This zone conference's group photo
On Wednesday, Elder and I went grocery shopping. That is always a good thing. We were also schedule to join the elders to teach Suzanne, one of our friends, at 3:30 pm. In that teaching situation, we all took turns reading 3 Nephi chapter 11. Suzanne stated that she understood what was read and thought that it was a beautiful story. We reconfirmed to her that is was not just a story, but that it really happened! After that lesson, we prepared to teach our two Bolivian sisters, who came at 5:00. The elders taught them about the restoration and showed them the video, "Ask of God" in Spanish. After, an awesome discussion with testimony developed.
At 6:00, we were joined by four Brazilian friends for the weekly English Connect class. That night we learned about how to state our birthdays, how to ask another when their birthday is, the American number system and the different months of the year. Some of our Brazilian friends struggle in their English pronunciation. That is when we slow down and work with them until they master the task. We had fun, not only learning the language, but learning more about each other.
I spent Thursday preparing for my weekly Book of Mormon class and we also spent some time with Sister Smirnov. This week was Sister Smirnov's last week of her basic health care class. While we were there, she told us of her newest blessing. If you will remember, this lady gets blessings more often than anybody I know. I truly stand all amazed at times. Her newest blessing, once again, reflects God's tender mercies for her.
Sister Smirnov's goal has always been to become an emergency medical technician (EMT). I also tread this path some 20 plus years ago and remember how difficult the EMT program was then. Now that she is finishing her beginning classes, she had the opportunity to take the next step of taking a local first class EMT course. The problem was that there were only 8 seats available in the class, with many more than that applying for the privilege. All applicants had to interview before the final selection. When it was all said and done (you guessed it), Sister Smirnov was selected. I wasn't surprise after seeing so many other miracles in her life and I also was very happy for her. She even told us that one student in her class that also applied, who is highly medically trained, did not make the cut. I keep telling her that God not only wants her to be in the healthcare field, but He also needs her for her great love and compassion.
Friday was a VERY special day for me. My firstborn grandchild was married to his sweetheart for all time and eternity in the San Antonio Texas temple. What a great blessing that was extended to me! Because we couldn't attend in person, but wanted to be a part of the celebration, we made arrangements to have a zoom together just before the wedding. Those few moments will always be treasured in my heart. I realized how blessed I became welcoming another member into my extended family. Ella is wonderful in every way! We are all very lucky to have her.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Brian Anderson!! May God always bless you with His peace, joy and happiness!
It was hard for me to teach my Book of Mormon class that night, as, time wise, Brian and Ella were also being sealed at that exact same time. I really tried hard to focus on my lesson. If there would have been anyway besides serving a mission for the Lord, I would have been in that temple that day, I look forward after returning home to visiting them in Idaho, not only to deepen our relationship, but attend a temple session together. After my class, Elder and I attended a branch missionary correlation meeting. It was good to meet again and come up with new ideas and needed support for the work to move forward in Limerick. We immediately drove home to also join in on our weekly all mission "Come Follow Me" lesson. By the time it was bed time, we were both ready!
Saturday evening brought us another world-wide general conference. We so look forward those ten hours of basking in the spirit. Because we are 7 hours ahead of Utah time, we get to watch the morning session starting at 5 pm in the evening. I loved the first session, especially Elder Stevenson and Bonnie Cordon's talks. After we returned home, I sat up and listened to the Saturday afternoon session. Thant session, too, was so wonderful.
General conference is such a blessing to me. I love it!!
I thought I would show a few more recent photos. Lately, the weather here has been quite rainy. Welcome spring!! So rainy, in fact, that the Shannon river is running higher than we have ever seen it here before. Because the Shannon river does fluctuates often, Limerick has a flooding protection unlike one I've ever seen before. Near where high river water can affect walkways and parks, Limerick City place metal guardrails to keep the water out. We have seen these rails go up often. Here are a few photos of how high the river has been lately.
Those little white vertical marks near the water's edge is the top of the statement mounted on the river's wall that states "It will rise with the moon". You can see that 90% of the lettering is underwater.
This is a downward set of stairs on the river's edge that typically shows 10-15 stairs above the water depending on the river's depth. There are literally only inches left in this photo until the city sidewalks get flooded.
This is a man kayaking in the rapids of the high water levels. He and 2 other friends took turns trying to maneuver upstream against the water's force. There were many people standing by watching them try over and over again until they were successful. I thought that was pretty cool (in freezing cold water!)
Here is the outside of the church. You can see it is quite large for just women clergy to care for
The front sign
The front altar and stained glass window
The painting above the front altar
A small room off to the side of the chapel to pause and reflect. I loved the ambience of this rom. It was so inviting!
One more stained glass window
The amazing thing about this small chapel besides the beautiful interior and being run by women, is that I have NEVER seen such a cleaner chapel EVER! I mean everything was cleaned, dusted and orderly. You literally could eat off the floors. I saw my reflection in the old floor tiles. That alone is amazing. Like cleaning to the MAX. Wow! Ok! One more recent photo of King John's castle.
Pretty tricky how I greyed out everything but the Irish flag
Again, I want to part with my ever-growing testimony of Jesus Christ. I am ever so grateful for Him and for all His tender mercies that He literally pours upon me on a daily basis. If there is ever a day that I can't see Him in my life, it's because I am not looking in the right direction. I am forever grateful to Him for the promises that He makes to me and absolutely keeps them in exactness. I love that Jesus Christ is always available to me, in times of peace, in times of joy, in times of trouble or heartache and especially in times when my weaknesses surface. I testify that He does live! I testify that He suffered and died for us, because He loves us so much. I testify that He is our Savior and our ever loving friend, even when we sin. He wants only for us to love Him in return by serving Him and making and keeping His sacred covenants. Because of Him, I am truly blessed!
See you next week!
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