irishmission

McBRIDE REPORT - September 25, 2011

Our dear family and friends,

SLAINTE and may ye niver meet a bad fairy on a dark night - or for that matter a wee banshee. It is indeed another beautiful autumn day in the lovely Emerald Isle. You know it's summer in Ireland when the rain gets warmer !!  However this is Autumn, the golden leaves are falling, the chestnuts are ripe and ready to play conkers and the holly along the roadside is beginning to fill with bright red berries signalling that winter is not far away and God takes care of the little birds.  This may be the last missionary report from us -- at least for this mission. You see, our official travel documents have arrived, so we think that means we should be leaving soon !!  The words of the song , may say it best --  " The party's over, it's time to call it a day "  In the auld ULLAN tongue that we have been used to communicating in our area --  " nane o yer gurning "  ( no sad goodbyes )      In the language of Elder McBrides boyhood it seems much easier to say,  " Haste ye back "  ( come back soon ) than to say goodbye. The ULLAN way means no regrets, no fuss, no fanfare -- just carry on.  We like this best.  While our labors have been tough and challenging at times, it has also been very rewarding. You might say it has been  " A miserable joy ".  We have made great new friends among Heavenly Father's children and we love, admire and respect many stalwarts here in the church who practice everything that is good. These devoted saints are easy to love and have been wonderful examples to us in following in the pathway of the Saviour. 

Jaist fer a wee bit o craik -- let us share a few wee Irish sayings, trivia, language, stories, etc : -

If you are lucky enough to be Irish, then you are lucky enough !!

The term  " EMERALD ISLE " first appeared in William Drennans 1795 patriotic poem, " When Erin first rose "

The common prefixes of " mac " and  " o " found in many Irish family names derive, respectively, from the Gaelic for  " son of " and  " grandson "

There are a number of towns and villages, especially in the the republic, such as County Kerry and Donegal where only Gaelic is spoken.

King Williams statue at Carrickfergus castle makes him look like ,  " the size o a thruppence "    ( let's see who will ask what a thruppence is ? )

To   "  hoake " around -- what does that mean.   What are bairns or weans ?   What is a " gulder " and what is a " hirple "  What is " The Red Hand of Ulster "

Method tae mak Irish sody farls : -

Heat the griddle up wile slow, lift up al o the ingredients ta put in plenty o air, melder the buttermilk tae mak a dough, rowl oot on yer bakeboord, mak intae farls, cook on a het griddle fer a wheen o minutes, dinny ate it til its cowl  !!!

How did you do -- have you any cooked yet ?

Now, lets see if you can speak a wee bit o NORN IRON.  Remember, this will be your last lesson --- here is your Northern Irish dialect translator : -

NORN IRON   ------                     Northern Ireland.

WICK              -------                   useless

A BUCK EEJIT   ----                 making a fool of yourself.

STICKIN OUT     -----                super

THE BIG SMOKE  ----              Belfast city.

AWAY ON             ------             you're kidding me.

BOGGIN,MINGIN  -----             messy or dirty

MINGER                -----             ugly

A GEG                  -----             a funny person

DEAD ON            ------            that's great

BRILLIANT           -------          fantastic, great

BOG                     -------          toilet

FAFFIN ABOUT  --------        lazing around

BOB                      --------       money

THINGY                 --------       what's his name

'BOUT YA             --------      how are you

CHEERIO            --------       goodbye

That's all for now, there are lots more -- NORN IRON is a language all to itself -- between that, Ullan ( Ulster/Scots )  and English, it has been very interesting. Then you add to that the jestures and there are various -- eg : - walking along the street you might say, " How are you doing "  ---- the response is simply a friendly nod of the head and an audible  " Aye " ----  or you might ask a woman " How is your husband " -- her reply, " Oh, me man's in bed wi his kidneys "  ( meaning he is having problems with his kidneys, is sick and in bed.  )   Now you see, there is a lot of reading between lines in Ireland and in the reading of facial expressions.

A few stories --- it's the Irish way, after you kiss the blarney stone, there's always a story !!!

Recently while visiting one of our less active families that we teach we thought we might introduce a wee bit o fun. They live down on the banks of the beautiful Bann outside Ballymoney and most of our visits are of the more serious variety as we encourage, persuade and teach the principles. On this visit I wore my tam o shanter and Sister McBride introduced me as a " new greenie missionary "  - Elder Jock Muckbride from Polintammy in the Outer Hebrides. I came in singing ---  " Ah jaist came doon from the Isle o Skye, am no very big an am awfully shy, through the streets wi ma kilt al go, all the lassies say hello, Elder, wheres yer troosers.

They loved it and we all had a good laugh and what's more -- we got them all to church on Sunday. What we have to do sometimes !!   Are we having fun yet !!

The very last part of  Erins green Isle that we had not seen was the spectacular Dingle peninsula. We along with our good friends Elder and Sister Holt, the only other senior couple in the North took two days to visit Dingle. We had 2 pdays banked up and left the very best to last. It has been said, if you ever go across the seas to Ireland, maybe at the closing of your day, you must see the sun go down on Galway Bay. However, to watch the sun go down over Dingle is absolutely breathtaking. There is so much to see of Gods beautiful creations and the history stretches back into ancient times. We visited sites with the famous beehive huts, built by the side of the ocean that would be inhabited from ancient times to 1200AD, a speial type of craftsmanship using a method called corbelling -- very simple but interesting. They are built in ringforts, sites called raths , lios or caiseals ( Gaelic )  -- stone cashels in English. Dingle was where the movie " Ryans Daughter " was shot.

We had commenced some months ago Family Home evenings and cottage meetings in several homes. Some of these have now taken hold and we feel very satisfied they they are solid enough to keep going in our absence. After these meetings while enjoying some tasty refreshments we are treated to some fabulous local humor that we will never forget. Several older couples attend. Let us share a few juicy comments :  Bill is explaining how they had a possible gas leak in their home and his wife was very frightened. Roy perks in " I would have got outside and then sent my wife inside with a box of matches to check for leaks ? "  ---  Roy says Maxine keeps a journal and he finds and reads it -- " but I would never do it again ' cause for 2 weeks she never mentioned me once !! "   ------ Roy is a convert to the church of only about a year, his wife Maxine has been a member over 30 years and they are wonderful branch missionaries. They are easy to love and do a lot for the branch.  Back to the craik.   Roy says,  " When I got the Priesthood I had trouble getting Maxine to walk behind me "  --- Maxine, " The only reason I let him walk 3 feet in front of me is to check for landmines !! " ---- and so it goes, we love the endorfine frenzy !!    For certain, this mission is no dull experience. We will have stories to tell for a lifetime and beyond.

Geraldine lives in a catholic housing estate -- here you might classify her as a ' catholic mormon "  -- yes, only in dear old Ireland. She has been less active for many years but through continued visits she is coming out to church again. Like many she has a rather large challenge with addictions - especially smoking and alcohol. When she is under the influence of alcohol we do not spend much time there. When not, she is very enjoyable and extremely funny. Last visit she obviously had a few jugs of wine -- easy to tell as her lipstick was pretty much all over her face with little on her lips !! Yes, there are tell tale signs, however on this short visit she introduced us to her dogs, that she had always kept outside when we visited. This was an experience -- the big one was a rare breed - an Irish Wheaten Terrier -- oh, he was dirty and unique green eyes !!  I asked Geraldine in jest was he a catholic or prodestant dog -- she laughed so heartily and responded, " Why Elder McBride, he's a mormon dog !! "     The little dog was also very interesting - she told us he talks !!  Then she lifted him and squeezed his tummy, to which he bared his teeth and in a raspy bark it sounded something very like " stop that "   We thought we might be best leaving a prayer but perhaps as we would address Heavenly Father he might bark again  " STOP THAT "   ---- Geraldine thought it was all hilarious. Yes, there are some characters here, however, they are all offspring of deity and just like all of us, are Gods children. We are instructed in scripture repeatedly  " do not judge ".  So hopefully, we can bring them love and hope. The light of Christ fills the immensity of space and we trust that we can help them understand this principle. Furthermore, there are many less active members here who once embraced the fulness of the Gospel. It has been our privilege to bring this to their remembrance and to bear testimony that is  " recorded in Heaven, for the angels to look upon and they rejoice over us "   That is the great promise given to each of us as we bear solemn testimony of the truth.

Yesterday was our last Sunday in Coleraine. It was a wonderful Sacrament meeting and we had 5 less actives attend. That was very good as we had invited our mission President and his wife to attend and then asked the Branch Presidents several weeks ago to ask them to speak. We also had them speak in Antrim last week. Our mission home is in Edinburgh, Scotland and we do not have them visit Northern Ireland so often. We thought this would be a treat for the members we have worked with for some time.

As you know we have taken care of all the mission real estate in Northern Island and just last week we welcomed a new missionary couple to the North. They came in late off the ferry from Scotland, had never driven on the left side of the road, etc. So we had them stay in our flat overnight and got them off to their new flat in Omagh. They are a lovely couple from Farmington Utah -- are humble, obedient and with a firm testimony of the Gospel -- they will be a great asset to the Omagh branch, who are getting a new chapel built presently. Let me share a brief story illustrating God's tender mercies -- especially to his missionaries. When we picked Elder and Sister Chamberlain up we took them to a branch activinty we were attending. On the way home we suggested they would need to purchase a Sat Nav  ( GPS )  as it is next to impossible to find home here we visit. They agreed and we went to a large 24 hour store in Belfast. In searching for the right model, we found them all quite expensive, but he was willing to pay ( true to my heritage, I was not ) So we kept looking. I found a few on the bottom shelf in a misplaced  area at considerably less money. It was a brand name and he said the perfect size for them. We took it to the check out and ( just by chance !! ) there was a clerk we had befriended. We also had a discount coupon for 20 pounds ( 30 dollars ) Hudson put it through and said that will be 4 pounds --- 4 pounds, that is only 6 dollars for a big name GPS system !!   I had him check it 3 times -- he said  " I don't understand that it would be so low, but it is correct "   What a wonderful, deserving start to a mission for this lovely couple and another testimony to all of us of his constant tender mercies.

We love our Heavenly Father. He is always near us and has blessed us with so very much. Above all he has given to us, his precious son. We know that Jesus lives -- he lives, we know that our Redeemer lives, what comfort this sweet sentence gives.  This is his church , there is none other -- he is not the author of confusion. I love my companion, Sister McBride -- no missionary has ever had a better companion.  While I often take the lead in homes she has had a powerful impact with her participation, joining in often at the perfect time under inspiration with compassion and kindness and the most beautiful and sincere testimony. Now, who could refuse her captivating spirit ?  We have felt we have been a good team and have enjoyed the wonderful experiences together. They can never be forgotten and will be with us eternally.  The Gospel has been restored in it's fulness, it is good news. It changes and molds us as we become obedient and submit in the great example of our Saviour. Our dear Family and Friends, thank you for your constant support and sincere prayers in our behalf -- we owe a lot to you and we will love you forever and that is a very long time. Keep the faith and love General Conference as we listen to the words of a Prophet of God.  May God bless all of you abundantly and may he hold you in the hollow of his hands.  WE LOVE YOU.

Elder and Sister McBride

Scotland / Ireland Mission.