It was Easter this past weekend and we had a very enjoyable Easter Sunday. We had a wonderful Sacrament meeting with excellent talks. They were very different talks but very moving and inspirational. Brother Jaffa Kelly gave a talk on the Atonement. It was not a long talk, about 10 minutes, but it he gave some different perspectives on the events of Easter weekend that made you think. The other talk was by a member of the branch presidency and was very different. He has been a member of the church for six years and he talked about some of the challenges in his life before joining the church and how the church has improved things for him. He then talked about the importance of reverence in Sacrament meeting and of the meeting itself and he didn't pull any punches, it was something we need to think about and act on. We enjoyed the meeting and the spirit that was there. After church we went to a member family's home for Easter dinner. This was the first time we have invited for Sunday dinner and it was wonderful. We had a very nice meal with the Murphy family and enjoyed some great conversation with them and their three children. It was a traditional Irish Easter meal of lamb and it was delicious. Brother Murphy is from Ireland and his wife is from Finland. It was a quiet weekend for us since the YSA in our branch, most of them, went to Belfast for the weekend for a YSA convention which was for YSA from all of Ireland. There were some transportation mixups before they left which caused some drama but once they got there I think they had an enjoyable weekend. It is an expensive proposition for them since they have to pay a registration fee and also pay for transportation by bus or train there and back. I am glad so many of them were able to attend. It gives them the opportunity to socialize with other YSA which is important for those who are from small branches like those in our district. Another "Vive la difference" moment from Ireland. One thing that people do here, especially in the older homes, is give their houses a name. I think this goes back to times when houses did not have numbers and was a way of identifying where they lived. Whatever the reason it is fairly common here in western Ireland. We were planning on moving the Elders to a new apartment on Wednesday of this past week but it didn't happen. It was complicated but the bottom line is they were going to move into the sister's old apartment on Wednesday but now they are going to move into the new apartment we have rented and the sister's apartment will be left open for the time being. We spent Saturday cleaning the sister's apartment after it had been used by visiting sisters for zone conference and taking beds apart and storing them at the new apartment so the Elders could move in on Tuesday and move in their beds. It looks like we may be getting sisters back again soon and that makes us happy. What also makes us happy is we get to have district meals again. We had zone conference here in Limerick on Thursday and we had a chat with President Donaldson about that subject and explained what we did and he said to go ahead and continue hosting meals for the district after the meeting. We had a good zone conference and had a nice opportunity to get together with other senior couples and have a good visit which was enjoyable. Maurene was able to help Sister Donaldson with lunch which was appreciated. We are planning on a District YSA activity for April 23 which will be a hike at Clare Glens. Since it is an outdoor activity on a dirt trail we thought it would be wise to have a back up in case it rains, which happens from time to time here in Ireland. So we went on an urban hike which went by many historic sites along the river in Limerick to see if it would be a good alternate activity and we really enjoyed it. There is an admission for King John's castle but that could be optional. There is no doubt about it, spring is in the air here in Ireland with the blooming of the daffodils and other flowers and the days lengthening. We are enjoying our service here and are trying our best to help the YSA, the branch and the young missionaries. It is not always easy but very rewarding.
1 Comment
shirley asplund
3/28/2016 06:11:06 pm
I just got caught up on your blog. I have been grinning at everything. It's so good to see the country and your involvement in everything. The pictures are wonderful. You two look great. We wish you the very best.
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AuthorThis is the blog of Elder Tom and Sister Maurene Wilson of our mission to the Scotland/Ireland Mission. Archives
October 2016
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