A Paralympian, our last wedding, a sunny day or two, a farewell...

One of our YSAs, Jason Smyth, is a four-time Paralympic gold medalist.  He is almost blind and sees only shapes.

Our last wedding while we’re here, Eve McCrudden and John O’Connor.

Why don’t we have wedding cars like this in the United States?

 I’m kept in stitches all the time... weddings, babies, crossword names of families we’ve come to love...

Beautiful Belfast on a rare sunny day!

Stormont and the Stormont Castle

"Farewell Sister Olsen” (centre) who served in Belfast for nine whole months!!!  We miss her so much already!!!

Sister Olsen and Joanne (a sweet convert of eight months)

 Sister Hansen and Sister Blick at Inch Abbey.  Sightseeing while awaiting a new companion (for Sister Hansen, not for Sister Blick)

Down Cathedral - where St. Patrick is buried 

St. Patrick’s burial stone in the cemetery at Down Cathedral

Down Cathedral, Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

A Christmas Bazar in Holywood, Norn Iron

We have reached our 14 month mark!  Four months left. Where is the time going?  The days are getting much shorter.  In two and a half weeks the days will start getting longer again. Yeah!!!  We are always amazed that the noon sun looks like 5-6:00 in the summer.  Makes for really long nights when it is dark at 4:00 p.m. and light at 9:00 a.m.  

Never really realized how much of a missionary tool Facebook can really be.  I’ve become quite close to a sweet young woman in her early 30’s who is in one of our wards that we visit. She penned this poem to me in about ten minutes, she said.  I’ve never had a poem written for me before, but it has touched my heart and I wanted to share it with you, not to brag, but to show how much missionaries can mean in the lives of the people they come to know and love. 

“I met these awesome missionaries,

Only knew their names.

Didn’t talk till recently,

cos my social skills are lame.

Then began to have wee chats,

often late at night.

And I began to realise,

I don’t feel I’ve to hide.

She has become an amazing friend, 

So much fun and full of beans.

I find I don’t need to pretend,

I’m accepted just as ‘me.’

I often laugh at the wee quirky words,

and all the funny sayings.

means so much too,

the loving words,

and to know someone is praying.

So anyway, just want to say,

thanks for being there,

It really helps me face some days,

The wee chats with my Mumsie Bear.

:) <3 xoxo”

Have we told you lately how much we love being here? We love the people, we love their accents, we love the country (no place is as green!), we love the food. . . 

Love, hugs and kisses,

Sister B.

Here’s some Northern Irish Slang:

That’s me away/That’s me gone - I’m leaving now

Awkhhh!  - exclamation for Wow! “Oh, really?”

gutted - disappointed