Prepare to Stop!

Congratulations dear readers! You have soldiered on to the end of this blog. Sadly for us, this mission has come to an end. We are only left with determining how many pairs of socks we will donate to the local economy ‘cause they just won’t fit in the suitcase.

But before we go, I need to share something with you about Ireland, which, if you have been paying attention, you will know is NOT where we are. We are in Northern Ireland, which is a whole different country. Northern Ireland has a queen and Belfast. Ireland has neither. However, Ireland does have something very cool.The formerly longest name of a place in the Republic (of Ireland) is Muckanaghederdauhaulia, which is in County Galway and is Irish for, “piggery between two briny places.” It has since been relegated to the longest name for a town in the Republic. The longest name of a place is a tie between Bullaunancheathrairaluinn and Sruffaunoughterluggatoora, both also in County Galway. In fact, eight of the top ten longest place names in the Republic are located in County Galway. This is the type of useless information for which I am also a man of no small reputation among all those who know me (my apologies to Amulek – See Alma 10:4).

Here is something else I have recently learned. Why I used to be considered less trustworthy than other men. I have blue eyes and used to have a thin face. New research from scientists (actual science not included) shows that men with blue eyes and thin faces are viewed as less honest than men with brown eyes and big faces that smile. I am not making this up.

Scientists using real science scientifically asked volunteers to look at 40 photographs of male students and 40 different photographs showing different differences of female students. The scientists, still using the scientific method for which they are famous, found that eye colour makes a huge difference in our perceptions of trustworthiness. This is especially true if we are perceiving perceptions of men.

For example, our scientific scientists used actual science to determine that rounded male faces, with bigger mouths and chins, coupled with brown eyes, are perceived as being more trustworthy than blue-eyed men with narrow faces and chiselled chins.

On the other hand, according to the science generated by these scientists, when we are looking at the faces of women, we only need to see the eye colour to pass scientific judgement; facial shapes of women are irrelevant. Well, irrelevant only to scientists who study these things. They are still pretty relevant to non-scientific men.

One of the scientists who conducted this study is a doctor. I don’t know if he is real doctor, or just one of them [sic] university type doctors who are always going on about science this, science that, yada yada yada. In any case, this Dr. Karel Kleisner is a scientist from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. I’m sure you’ve heard of it (the Czech Republic, not the University, which I know you never heard of). He said blue-eyed faces are not perceived as being as trustworthy.

Smaller faces with downward pointing mouths are also perceived as being untrustworthy, according to all “the scientists”. I don’t know if all the scientists refers to all of the scientists in the universe, which would be a pretty large number, given the popularity of science, or if it refers to all the scientists known by the author of the article I was reading, which probably is a much smaller subset of scientists, probably one I’d guess.

In any case, since learning of this science, I have increased my caloric intake, which has enlarged my face, thus reducing the scientific likelihood that I am perceived as less trustworthy than some brown-eyed guy who is not a scientist but looks like a weasel.

And I could go on, but really, should I?

I want you to know that my companion and I have loved what we are doing here. We have sadly run out of time in which to love doing it. Serving together has been the best thing we have done in years. We love Northern Ireland, its magnificent landscapes, deep-rooted culture and easy to overeat food. Mostly we love the people. We cherish the relationships we were blessed to develop here. We have a boatload of memories to take home and cherish forever.

A few nights ago, the stake and the YSA organised a lovely surprise departure party for us. It was brilliant and we cried. We have put our whole hearts into this and they are breaking with the thought of saying goodbye.

Last night, we held our last fireside with the YSA and we cried some more. They are just lovely people and we will miss them.

We invite and encourage you to incorporate a mission with your spouse into your plans. Seven percent of the 64,373 missionaries currently serving are seniors. For those of you who graduated from Monticello High School, this is just over 4,500 senior missionaries. It has been our greatest honour and privilege to be two of them.

A few weeks ago, we were driving down a country lane (intended for a small dog pulling a cart) and came across a road sign that adequately expresses our feelings at this point in our mission.

Thanks for reading.

Elder Blickenstaff

Signing off from Belfast, where the craic is mighty!

Some of Our Final Adventures

We’ll pictorially fill you in on the month of March and our visit with Jason.

Yellow Submarine? Liverpool John Lennon Airport, where else? 

Night shot of the Preston England Temple spire

A YSA dog pile in the Accommodation Centre.  They are always up for a wee bit o' Tom Foolery. 

Trafford Square - the mall of malls! Amazing! I’ve never seen a mall this big OR this ornate!  Manchester, England

United Kingdom’s Mothering Day: 10 March 2013

Jason is singlehandedly defending Carrickfergus Castle!

Beautiful Northern Ireland. Lush even in the dead of winter.  Newtownards, NI

The amazing Giant’s Causeway - We’ve brought many a visitor and missionary here. It’s an impressive area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

A bit of rock climbing...Jason’s pulled a coin out of a crack. Must be a 'make a wish’/'good luck' thing? The Giant’s Causeway

Oooops!!! Honestly didn’t see this sign till AFTER the climb!

Jason at Dunluce Castle

St. Gobban’s Church - Smallest Church on the island. 8 feet by 4 feet! Portbradden, White Park Bay,  NI

Oh, how I’ll miss it here and most especially the rare sunny days!

The beautiful wee village of Cushenden, County Antrim, NI

Downhill Demesne, County Londonderry, NI.  “Home” of Fredrick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry. Built in the 1700’s. Much of it was destroyed by fire in 1851. Rebuilt in the 1870’s.  It fell into disrepair after World War II

Downhill Demesne from another angle.

The Mussenden Temple was built in 1785 as a summer library for 

Frederick Hervey and his family.

A belvedere, or summer home built for Frederick Hervey’s daughter 

Grianan Ailligh - A stone-walled fort built in the time of Christ!

The inside of Grianan Ailligh

I am in love with these conservatories (sun rooms) they tack onto so many of the homes over here.  Helps you feel kind of like you’re outside with lots of daylight coming in from three sides, but still enjoy the warmth of being inside your home.

Fort Dunree, County Donegal, Ireland 

Peace Bridge, a cycle and footbridge across the River Foyle in Londonderry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Londonderry is the only remaining completely walled city on the island and one of the finest examples of Walled Cities in Europe.  It was built during the period 1613-1618  as a defense for early seventeenth century settlers from England and Scotland. 

Here we are with our mission president, President Alan Brown and his sweetest of wives (she’s holding a little something I made for their family) at our last zone conference in Dublin.

Michelle, one of our lovely YSA, ready to open her mission call to.........England Birmingham!!! Congrats!!! soon to be Sister Harkness!

So missions DO come to an end.  I wouldn’t have thought so 18 months ago.  It seemed like such a long time on that end!  But now it’s here and we are having a bit of a hard time coming to grips with it.  We will miss so many people we’ve come to love! They’ve opened their hearts and their homes to us and have been so incredibly inclusive.  We wish we could bring them home with us.  But alas, this chapter of our lives has to end. Can’t bear it unless we will plan to come back and/or they will come over to see us (which quite a few of them have promised that they will)!  "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” (From the musical ‘Annie.’)  I love that.  It is so true!  We have truly been blessed beyond measure here.  This mission couldn’t have been a better fit for us!

Love,

XOX  Sister Blickenstaff

Didn’t remember to include some Irish Slang last time, so here’s double this time!

nye - now

here’s me - so I said

tray bake - cookies, cupcakes, cakes

quid - pound (buck/dollar)

at the weekend, on the Tuesday - over the weekend, on Tuesday

wick - useless

The Penultimate Post

I have been granted authorization to post another bloggy thingy! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. The reason for this enthusiastic restraint is that our son, Jason, came to visit this past week. We enjoyed introducing him to some of our favourite awe-inspiring scenery, people we have come to love and food that we have used to expand our collective girth. We had a brilliant week and it passed too quickly. The only good thing about his departure this morning was that when we said goodbye at the airport, he said, “Well, I will see you in a couple of weeks.” Wow! Seriously? A couple of weeks?

Yesterday, my companion, Sister Blickenstaff, in a culinary exhibit of the highest order, hosted a dinner for Jason, our sister missionaries and a couple of local citizens whom we have rescued from a life of sin and careless behaviour. Sister Blick baked four baguettes, which, as near as I can tell, are not quite full-size bags – hence the name, baguettes. Ha ha! This is a gastronomic joke. As everyone knows, a baguette is, in actual fact, a French feminine noun, referring to a long thin loaf of French bread that is made from dough. I am not making this up. Apparently some loaves of French bread are not made from dough. Perhaps they are made from French fries, French braids, French kisses, French toast, French beans, French cuffs, French dressing, French doors, French horns, French Resistance, French onion soup, French Revolution, the French Foreign Legion, Daniel Chester French or French’s® Mustard – Since 1904. The important thing to know is that the dough in a baguette is defined by French law. Of course, outside the borders of France, French law is about as relevant as a Kim Jong-un opinion of acceptable behaviour in Sunday school. I have no idea what the law says, as I am not a Frenchman. The main thing to remember out of all this is that the last word in the book of Jacob is French. Also, my companion baked four baguettes, which takes us back to where we started before we got lost in all this French business.

As we wrap up this wonderful mission, we have been making the Belfast Northern Ireland Stake Farewell Tour 2013. After this coming Sunday, we will have spoken in sacrament meeting in all 11 units in the stake and stayed awake during most of it.

Last week we were honoured to be able to accompany about 25 of our YSA and friends (including Jason) to the temple in Preston England. We were there for four days and had an experience never to be forgotten. The feelings were tender, the company was outstanding and the Spirit was strong. This valiant group of young men and women are the future leaders of the Church in this country and we felt so humbled to be able to be in the temple with them, focusing on things that matter.

We held a fireside at the home of the temple president where many shared their testimonies. It was such a wonderful way to begin the end. My companion encouraged each of us to make good choices in our lives so that when we meet each other again, we can be together, forever.

Loads and loads of cool people at the temple.

Powerful stuff.

As was this amazing discovery. While I was pondering during a recent meeting, I glanced down at my notebook. It had two words printed in large block letters on the back inside cover. It said USEFUL INFORMATION. This intrigued me and I looked a little closer. One of the pieces of useful information is this:

            There are 1,728 cubic inches in a cubic foot

            There are 24 ¾ cubic feet in a perch of stone

            A perch of stone is 16 ½ feet long, 1 ½ feet wide and 1 foot deep

I’m sure this is useful information to someone, but not to me. Not everything the world (or the manufacturer of your notebook) labels as useful information actually is. The world is guilty of mislabelled information and false advertising. Remember this when you are making an Internet purchase or thinking about letting go of the Iron Rod.

As many of you, I am excited about the just-announced changes in the study aids used in conjunction with the scriptures in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In my review, one of the changes I noticed is in the chapter headings of the Book of Mormon. In most instances, I saw the word shall has been changed to will. This got me to thinking and so I spent sometime online looking at the difference between shall and will.

Some people say there used to be a difference but they are now used interchangeably. Some people say those people are wrong. Some people say that there is a difference between the British and American usage of shall and will. Some people say those people are wrong. Some people say they are right. Some people say those people are wrong.

This is what I say, after reading what the other people said. Since this is my opinion, no one can say I am wrong because it is a well-known fact that I am a world-class expert on what my opinion is.

In the beginning, shall was used with first person pronouns (I and we). Will was used with all other person pronouns (him, her, they and youse’ns). This was particularly so in British English. Over time, will has become the norm for all pronouns and is considered to be less formal than shall. Some lawyers still use shall in legal documents because their object is to get gain (see Alma 11:20).

I found one clever comment from John (the commenter, not the Beloved). He posted the following comment about an article outlining shall vs will. 

“So, you have found a loophole in the Ten Commandments. It’s about time. Am I to understand since they are not grammatically correct they are not enforceable?”

Ha ha. I would like to have a conversation with John the commenter. Perhaps someday, I shall will.

I have now squandered another perfectly good hour writing about nothing. But I take great satisfaction in knowing that somewhere, at least one person is reading this. Unfortunately, he graduated from Monticello High School and may not be able to actually comprehend the big words, like shall and will.

Jason reprising the role of Legolas boarding on a cannon to repulse the enemy.

Jason driving the tour bus around Belfast.

Practicing for when I get old.

Best missionary companion in the world!

Will she let him post one last time if he promises to behave? Stay tuned.

Elder Blickenstaff