Hello everyone!
So, it is transfer week! I apologize for the late email. I am staying in North Shields for another transfer, with a new companion! My Swedish pal is off to serve in Leeds, but I am getting an Danish Elder in return! I just cannot get enough of the Scandinavian vikings! I am excited but also a little bummed to see Elder Krylborn go. I have learned so much from him. My new companion is named Elder Kelson. He is from the same ward as Elder Krylborn's girlfriend. So small world. I don't meet him till tomorrow though. Another big surprise, North Shields is getting two more missionaries!! Don't ask me where they are going to sleep because we don't have beds or anything. I guess that will get sorted soon. I am pumped to have flat mates.
Other than that this week has been pretty slow! We have had some good moments though. One was that we were out knocking doors before we were going to go in for the night and this lady answered the door and Elder Krylborn started talking to her about religion and things and I just looked at her shirt and see that is says "Star Trek Voyager" and I just cut in and say "are you a treky by chance?" We then had a fantastic conversation about star trek. I am embarrassed by how much I know. She was super nice but not interested in religion at all. Elder Krylborn then said as we were saying bye, "Yeah I have always been more into like Lord of the Rings rather than Star Wars." and me and her just go quiet and look at him....funniest thing of the day definitely. I have learned that it is so much better to go out and have good conversations with people and let them know who we are. We don't need to try and cram religion down their throat. We can let them know our purpose and invite them to listen, but I would rather have them walk away with a mormon.org card thinking "what nice guys" then to be walking away thinking "I wish those crazy mormons would leave me alone" while throwing a leaflet in the nearest bin.
I love meeting and talking to people. I think the adversary makes me doubt this so much. I will walk onto a bus and think the last thing I want to do is talk to anyone on it, but as soon as I sit down and start a conversation with someone, I love it.
So I have talked about the Chhinas before I am sure. But they are doing great. Indion who is 12, and the only member of the family currently attending church regularly, has such a great testimony. She is thinking about baptism, but we are not pushing her at all because ideally we want more family support for her. Her mom did come to church for the second time on Sunday though. That was a miracle.
Our mission president was coming to speak in sacrament meeting on Sunday and like all of our investigators were being flaky as weather they were coming or not and like half of the ward was sick. Me and Elder Krylborn decided we were going to work our hardest to get investigators there and invite everyone we could because we wanted a good turn out for President Pilkington, then we decided to fast for the ward members. The night before church we got a call from our President Pilkington saying he can't make it, we were pretty disappointed because we were working so hard to get a good turn out at church. We decided to continue fasting for the ward though and Sunday was just amazing. We show up at church and are meeting with the bishop when a member knocks on the door and says hey elders Paul is here. We don't know a Paul so we go out and this man Paul said missionaries spoke to him several weeks ago inviting him to church and he just showed up! then Indion came, then during sacrament we had one of the biggest turn outs from the ward i have ever seen! then indions mom, Shiela, comes walking in! We honestly couldn't believe it. Heavenly Fathers hear and answers prayers. I know it because I see it everyday.
Alright, I am sorry I wrote an essay! I love being here and I love missionary work. It is hard, it is scary, it is fantastic. I wouldn't trade it, or all that I have learned for anything in the world.
You're in my prayers,
Love
Elder Gurney
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