7 Months today... Where does time go? This time last year I was waiting for my mission call anxiously awaiting to find out where I would serve. This year I'm in Cork, Ireland, of all places, and next December... I'll be home for Christmas.... Its crazy, and I'm honestly not sure what to make of it. Its good, but at the same time, time is so so fleeting, and you only get this one chance, this one opportunity to be here doing this unique work and experience. I don't want to look back and think, "What did I do with all that time that I was given? I had the opportunity, and what did I do with it?" It definitely is food for thought.
Well, its been a crazy, busy week!
Monday evening we left on a bus for Dublin, got there at about 9:30, were picked up by the zone leaders, and stayed with the Clonsilla sisters.
Tuesday we went to Finglas and had the beginning of all-day rehearsals. Sister Morrison led most of Tuesday, even though she was a little under the weather. Brother Ralph Jamieson from Dundee stake came that evening. He is a secondary school choir teacher, and completely brilliant. We literally rehearsed from 10 am-9 pm Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday was in Clonsilla, due to a funeral in Finglas. We all stayed at a hotel in Dublin that was very nice, and we were very lucky to have a room to each companionship. We were all dead by Wednesday and we were all beginning to feel under the weather, and Sister Morrison was quite sick, and essentially unable to sing.
We performed in St. Patrick's Cathedral Wednesday afternoon, which was incredible. It was the first venue where Handel's Messiah was performed, and the acoustics were amazing! I am so lucky to say that I accompanied a quartet of Silent Night on the flute in the cathedral! There were some members and a senior couple who came out to the cathedral, as well as President and Sister Brown. They were there for the evening performance in Finglas as well. Between the two performances we got some time to do some contacting in Dublin, and I went with Sister Pennock, from Bath, because both of our companions were ill. Wednesday evening's performance was kind of a low point of the trip, honestly, not because it was bad, but it wasn't as good as it could have been, because we were all so tired. There just wasn't a lot of energy to it. But we learned from it and came back stronger!
Thursday we traveled to Limerick. We had a great time performing at the Crescent shopping mall with two sessions, having lunch in between. The second session began as a 'flash-mob' with missionaries appearing from shops and arising from benches singing the phrase 'Joy to the World' over and over producing a street-cry effect with echoes! We had no sooner started when out came the mobile phones from the public, filming all the action. It was great seeing people slow down or stop to listen :) We got to have a break and some time to practice solos and small groups after the mall, and it was good fun with the missionaries to bond (the whole week, between breaks and long bus trips!) Our performance in Limerick was ten times better than Dublin, and was very well received by those who attended! We were practically a different choir. The adorable Kelly family were so kind in allowing us to stay in their beautiful home that night, and giving us lifts to and from.
The trip crescendo-ed in Belfast. The Spirit was so strong! The energy and connection between choir and audience was just incredible. I couldn't help but grin through the whole thing! I kind of cut off a note in my flute solo of Mary's Lullaby because I wanted to smile! Sister Morrison was sick all week, which was a real bummer, but by Friday she was doing so well she was able to perform her duet with Elder Starr with Elder Simpson on guitar. The whole concert was a miracle performance. There was great variety to the program, with E. Anderson singing a solo of "Joseph: I was not His Father" from the Forgotten Carols, and E. Smiler singing and playing (on mini-guitar) a traditional Maori Christmas hymn. An octet of elders performed O Come O Come Emmanuel accapella. The choir numbers were powerful and beautiful, especially "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"
We all were completely exhausted by the end of it.
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Purple top in the center  |
We stayed in a cute b&b in Lisburn Saturday night, and the Hales and the landlady were so kind and accommodating in ordering and picking up fried chicken and chips for hungry missionaries at a late hour!
Sunday we went to church in Finglas and we rode home with the Hales after dinner with the YSA couple, the McKendricks there in Dublin. We arrived back in Cork around 7:30 pm.
I loved this week, and parting from Missionaries in Belfast and Dublin was such sweet sorrow. I'll miss them all. It has been an incredible experience, that I'll never forget. The Lord completely magnified our talents, and miracles were seen and experienced. I don't know how we sounded like we did, because so many of us (including myself) had crazy, raw, ragged throats/voices. There were some in the choir with no experience, and yet we all triumphed. We learned and grew together, and that's my favorite part of this kind of thing. I wouldn't have traded it for the world.
Trying to get back to normal missionary work is going to be hard, but I'm looking forward to it. Time to breathe some life back into our area! I hope you pray for us, that we can see some progress here, with our current investigators, but especially with the members and finding new, prepared people! Hopefully our health allows that! We get our moves call this Sunday, and I don't want leave Cork! I feel that I'm not done here yet!
I hope this week is doing you all well, and that you enjoy your Christmas season! Remember the reason for the season and to #SharetheGift!! http://www.mormon.org/christmas
I love you all!!
Sister Mary Ann Kirkpatrick
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