Feburary 15, 2016: 'Things are great'

Sister Petch, Sister McBride, Elder Holman and Elder Stobbs in City Center in Dublin.

Sister Petch absolutely loved the package. She really was so touched she said she wanted to write mom and tell her thank you. (mom here: She is talking about the valentine package we sent to the both of them. Each one got their separate valentine package) I don't think she has gotten hardly any packages on her mission. and she loved the socks. and about Sister Wilkinson to be honest like, we're the best of friends and I am really excited to hang out with her when I get home. She promised to come to my homecoming with Sister Skagen :) and maybe sister Turner since they all live in Utah. They are so great.

Things are going much much better and I think president understands the situation really well. Sister Petch and I both have changed SO much I know it was because all of your and our prayers and fasting that helped tremendously! We are becoming the best of friends.

We are actually in the city center for p-day right now with him and his new comp Elder Stobbs at an internet cafe, it's cool stuff. we got permission because we know sister petch has to leave and they probs wont send her back to Ireland because of Visa problems. On our way over here we saw a guy dressed as darth vader playing the piano on the high street in the center. I will send a pic. thank you for all you do and everything that you give to me I love you both so much. and yes Daddy I got your letter. thank you :)

I have been eating loads of the snacks that you sent and Sister Petch has been enjoying them as well. We brought some wheat thins to District Meeting last week and Elder Holman is the only other person from the America continent and he was like 'Wheat thins! those are so good! I forgot those existed!" haha all the other missionaries couldn't understand what we were so excited about. 2 of them being from England and one from Germany and then of course sister Petch from Finland. I had honestly forgotten how much I love wheat thins and pretty much everything you sent me haha. thank you!

 We did a lot of finding this week. All day on Friday and then most of the day on Saturday. due to our investigators dropping us and not returning our calls. But our friend Patrick is headed for baptism this Saturday! We weren't sure if he still wanted to do it as he is a bit of a nervous guy but when we called him this morning he said yes! So there we go! We are excited for him. He keeps all of our commitments :) There were a lot of blessings this week. For one we were able to stay sane on Friday when we did finding ALL DAY I kid you not literally everyone we talked to said 'no' or 'too busy', I'm in a rush, sorry girls I'm not religious... etc it was excuse after excuse! But I didn't feel overwhelmed or down trodden but full of hope that I knew the Lord would take care of us and bless us. Then on Saturday afternoon we met a lady named Norma (in our area but a 30min bus ride towards the city center) and she was totally open to our message. We said hey  can we share a book called the Book of Mormon. She said ok I'll take one! Never in my life have I had that happen. Not only that but she was willing to buy it! haha of course we didn't take the money and then we found out that she lives in Clonsilla like 5 in from the church! So she came! :D we have an appointment with her on Tuesday :)

 Love you all!! 

sister McBride

Feburaury 29, 2016: 'That time I attended Mass'

Hello everyone!

So I get a new sister missionary named Sister Muller she is a greenie. She has just finished her training so that is fun! I get to stay here in the blessed land of Clonsilla!

This week was interesting. We found out that Gillian doesn't actually live in our area... which is highly unfortunate but we are thinking about keeping her anyway due to the fact that she met the Elders a lot of times and never went to church or met with them. I think she is a bit shy and feels more comfortable around Sisters so we will see. We met a really nice lady named Suzie and had a good lesson with her and a return appointment however she must have gotten on the internet because she text us yesterday and told us that our teachings go against the Bible. then not to contact her anymore... so there you go. Sounds like Satan is working hard on people this week from the e-mails I got from other missionary friends sounds like they had something similar. Anyways she referred us to her neighbor anyway and we met with the nice lady this morning. Her daughter on Saturday told us she was headed off to a special mass at 8pm. (it was 7:30) and so she couldn't meet with us just then but to come by on Monday morning at 11. Then she invited us to the mass. I admit as most people in the countries here are catholic I have always been curious and Sister Petch was especially excited to be invited. So we asked a member to come along with us and she happily did us the favor. It was different from what I have lived with but it was good to experience, something different.

So Gillian is great and it's been a good week. I am sad to see Sister Petch go, she has become a great friend and person that I can confide in and ask for help. Sister Petch asked if I was ok, she said she felt I was unhappy and I confided in her that I was worried about follow-up training because I'm not like a lot of Sisters to be honest. Many Sisters are very urgent in what they do. I am urgent but not physically if that makes sense. Many Sisters rush to appointments, walk fast, talk fast, and just generally do a lot of things in a quick manner. I however don't do that most of the time (obviously if it's necessary I will) but I find that when I do that I stress myself out! Because I'm not going fast enough, I'm not working hard enough. So through out my time I have had to realize that I have to do things calmly to keep myself calm. so I don't stress. I said this to her and she was very kind and told me that I was good! and that it's ok. She knows I show my urgency in a different way and that I work hard even though it may not be like others.

Though we had struggles it has been good and she is very humble. She always says about how much she has learned from me and has seen a lot of things that she didn't do before that she can change and I have has well. I will miss her but excited for this new experience.

It's been a good week. I know this gospel brings the greatest happiness and I love you all! Sorry if I didn't get to e-mail each of you individually but I love you and stay strong!

Sister McBride

March 28,2016 - "An Easter Message"

 Sister McBride and Sister Mueller at a home for Easter Dinner

Hello everyone!

The Best think about Easter is knowing that Christ has risen again. I have always heard that phrase but have never really known what it meant for me. and one day it hit me that Christ didn't only die for me, but He lived for me! Because of Him I can and will live again with my family and I have loved sharing that with the people here. I love stopping people on the street which might sound weird especially when I ask them about their belief in God. The best thing about Easter is that it gives you and extra good reason to testify that Christ really did come and He is the resurrected Lord. If you are wondering why on earth did Alyssa go all the way to Scotland and Ireland and 'change her name' to Sister ;) Welp it wasn't for the scenery and it wasn't for the tourism. My parents didn't ask me to go, I wasn't forced pushed or persuaded. I have been doing this for something more then myself. This has been a hard experience and if the reason I did it wasn't greater than me if I didn't know it was true I would have gone home a long time ago. I came to testify, to share, to proclaim that there is a God! He is our Father and He has given us this gospel and has called a prophet. we can read the Book of Mormon and come closer to Him. We can receive strength, confidence, a greater sense of love, peace and hope. More than we could ever comprehend. That is why I trudge through the rain and cold all day, that is why I stop strangers on the street and ask them about God, that is why I have spent nearly a year and a half away from you my friends and my family. Because it's true and it has blessed my life so much that I want other people to have to as well. I hope you all have had a good Easter. I invite you all to ask God is he is really there and if he loves you. I promise if you ask with real intent, wanting to know the truth, you will receive your answer :)

there was an extra set of Elders here in Clonsilla due to the bombing in Brussels and with this Easter Sunday also being the celebration for Ireland rising against the British 100 years ago they wanted to be cautious and pull out all the missionaries who live in City Centre. There were parades and marches going on and everything. SO I heard anyway. Nothing happened in Blanchardstown. :) so we are safe. We are actually e-mailing at the Bishops house today because it's a bank holiday and the library is closed. Our church only has one computer so we got permission to e-mail here. :) They are a nice family.

Yeah I can't think of anything else that that's happenin' it was a good week

Love you all!!

Sister McBride

St patty's!

March 21, 2016 "Our Fasting Miracle and St. Patricks Day"

So this week was interesting. You know how we always thought I had bad acid...? well as I've been taking the acid pills I've noticed that they have been hurting my stomach after I take them. I thought that was weird since I really wasn't taking them that often. Well my 'acid' really acted up this week and we had to stay two days in the flat due to the amount of pain I was in just simply standing. Well, to cut a long story short  I have not had acid problems (maybe a bit but not that intense) It's been indigestion! It was very very painful just like at home when I could hardly move. so I guess I get so stressed out and anxious that I get constipated with indigestion... haha.... when I type it like that it makes me giggle.... the boys have most definitely rubbed off on me. I find Elders (not all of them) absolutely hilarious and I'm like laughing tears and most of my companions just think their jokes are not that funny. They don't joke about poop or anything like that though. they are more polite ;) Anyways! Yeah so indigestion.  SO it made more sense as to why the acid reducer was painful for my stomach and why it didn't really work last time it got super bad and also why it was only the DigestZen essential oils that helped, because it helped me digest!

But I got a wonderful blessing from the Elders on Saturday which had a lot of things I needed to hear and remember. It's amazing the difference you feel with the priesthood in your home. I couldn't do much walking so they came to the flat (which was weird) but they just did it by the doorway. It was a blessing of healing an it was truly remarkable.

Some great events from this week though is that we taught a man named Ali yesterday! Ali is super cool. First of all he is the first Muslim I have actually taught and second we met him last Sunday because he stopped us. We had just ran into the branch president of Brae who was lost on his way to the Bishops house that evening so after we helped them for a good 10min and started our walk to the flat Ali pulled over in his car and said... hey you live here don't you? haha it was weird at first but he explained that he lived there ( in verdemont which is a big flat complex over 100 flats) and he went on to explain that he has always seen 2 girls walking around and that there was always something different about them. We replied that it must be the skirts because we are missionaries. He simply said that no, that wasn't it. there is something different and good about us and he has always wondered what it was. It was like there was a light in our eyes So he asked us to come by and visit with him and his family the next week! May I just mention that we were fasting that day for the opportunity to teach a family. That is definitely the first time I have had some one say that to me! so that was a great miracle. Unfortunately it's a bit tricky to teach Muslims due to some Muslim countries killing those who have converted to Christianity. Ali says he isn't quite ready to convert but he will listen and read the Book of Mormon so we will see.

St. Patricks Day is SO cool here. They decorate and have a parade and activities in the shopping center all day, but due to the recent terrorism attacks they wanted us to stay away from it :C so we saw the parade at a distance. We bought some green and white hair flowers to celebrate and we got to go to the Bishops house for a proper Irish dinner which was ham, cabbage and potatoes. St. Patrick's day is from Ireland they celebrate the life and death of St. Patrick who supposedly brought Christianity to Ireland because they were all druids and he also-the legend says- cast out all the snakes from Ireland. There literally are no snakes but we don't know if that's true. So actually Scotland, being Scotland doesn't really celebrate St. Patricks day. it was fun here anyway to see the decorations and to... hear the festivities. 

Love 

Sister McBride

 Sister Mueller and Sister McBride

The Bishops home.

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March 14, 2016 - "No Baptism for Gillian"

Sister Muller and I get along great! we are very similar in a lot of ways. She is a kind hard working missionary. Unfortunately Gillian has never again met with us in order to really be set for baptism. I think she just doesn't tell the people that she babysits for that she has other appointments that she already made so they ask her and she just keeps cancelling.... bah! so it was kind of a hard week in the sense that none of our appointments held and we did a lot of finding. We are having a lot more appointments with members so that is always good because then we can build our relationship with them and there's always good that come from that. ( it took a little while for Sister Petch to realize so we hadn't been visiting members much.)

the past few day have been absolutely lovely!! I mean WOW! seriously it is so sunny right now I never realized how much I missed consistent sun. because it was actually pretty sunny in Dundee. oh it's so good. I could walk out with no coat. and my top isn't' even a sweater! (if you stand in the shade it's pretty cold but not too bad) So it's probably like 65. Whenever I tell people that it's about 90 in Arizona (translated into Celsius it's like 35-40) they're always like no way!! that's so hot... haha Yeah it is and it's wonderful! I think I'm a bit trunky for Arizona weather ;) 

I have pics! I at first thought that some of the mold around the door way was just dirt, because it looks like dirt. I didn't really consciously think about it until I started seeing the loads of mold in the bathroom and around the door way to our balcony in the bed room (not all the door ways were that bad). Oh did I mention we have a balcony? it looks out into the little grassy area. were on the top floor it's pretty nice. Also it snowed last week! I  was going to send a video and pic but ran out of time (I'm so bad!) I started using Essential oils on my skin and they are really helping it not be so oily all the time... but hey-oh! ) Sister Muller says that all the time Hey-ho. I think it's a Swiss thing. Also she says "Hello, we do not live behind the Moon" haha she's funny.

Anyway I best go!

BYEE!

Sister McBride

March 7, 2016- "It's a great week"

Sister Muller is great! I don't have any pics of her sorry but she is so nice and kind and gentle and easy going. I am feeling some anxiety with coming home haha similar to just before I left for the mission I got a bit of the heart burn pain, but not too much. I still have the medicine you sent me so thanks :) We chapped into a less active man yesterday who is a returned missionary of 10+yrs and still has his testimony of the gospel. We had no idea that he lived there. We just had some extra time before we were getting a lift to the new member fireside that we had over at the stake center that evening. It was way cool. 

We were going to continue teaching Gillian but she cancelled nearly every appointment we made with her and then didn't come to church :C hopefully everything is ok. Her baptism is still for this Saturday! Also the lady that we went to that invited us to the catholic mass?? yeah, I have never met such a devoted catholic my goodness! Nothing against her she is a nice lady but we were preached to, there was no preaching from our side thats for sure! It was interesting conversation.

It has been a bit cold with little spots of sunshine and some random hail storms! that was weird. One minute sunshiney the next I've got ice hitting my face and going down the back of my coat! haha but it didn't last for too long.

Not much happened this week just a lot of finding. It was good! there is this guy Alexei that's a bit different he has some sort of special needs but he always says hi to us when he sees us. but he doesn't want to walk with us or follow now that sister Petch is gone haha. So many men fell in love with her on the street haha it was so funny.

Anyway I have loved studying the Book of Mormon and am now in the war chapters of Alma where the doctrine is a bit hard to find... but! Moroni is cool. :)

Stay Strong!! 

Love,

Sister McBride