Happy New Year!

Hey everyone!!

I am just in shock how fast this week went by. But at the same time, Christmas feels like a month ago. 

Ahh Taylor and Samantha were baptised! I am so happy. I am just obsessed with that family. Those are such good kids. Didn't they move though?

Well this last week was packed and so is this week so time is just going by entirely too fast. Natasha was baptised this last saturday which is just such a huge miracle. Even more so, her fiance, Kevin, asked after the baptism if he could receive the discussions. We will be teaching the family later today! We are so excited and so blessed.

It sounds like everyone had a really good Christmas. I really enjoyed skyping with the family. Our Christmas day was exhausting so sorry if I seemed a bit off while skyping. 

I am sorry it is another short letter! I will send pictures of the baptism though.

Love you!!!

Elder Gurney

Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone!

So this week has been great. We have been so busy! We had P-day on monday and a christmas party on tuesday last week, then spent half a day in Newcastle on friday, and still taught 13 lessons, none on splits. I am exhausted. But so happy. We went to Newcastle friday night and went caroling in the middle of the city shops. It was so much fun. I'll attach some pictures.

Natasha is doing great. She is so excited for her baptism on saturday. To be honest she is the type of person that if she was the only person I taught on my mission, it would still be worth it. She has so much faith it is so amazing. Her kids are so cute as well, gonna help the primary so much in the ward. Best Christmas present I could have ever asked for.

Speaking of Christmas, who is pumped?? I love this time of year. We haven't seen a single bit of snow:( I think it is because we are too close to the coast. Sounds like Utah is getting wrecked by snow, and no one is skiing. You guys need to get out there!

I really am so happy. Tired, stressed, too busy, but happy. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Love you

Elder G

December 16, 2013

So this week has been great! I just love England.

The week went by super fast. I was so surprised. We did a lot of things that kept us busy. We did service like all of wednesday for a man in the ward named Michael Taylor. He needed help moving house. Then on thursday we had Patrick Kearon come and speak to the mission. He was so fantastic!

He talked a lot about "getting stuck in" and to do missionary work with "real intent". The quote I gathered from the conference was; 

"If you always do what you have always done, you will get what you always got."

-Patrick Kearon

So it was super inspiring and I have a new energy in the work now!

Natasha is doing good. She is really excited for her baptism but we got a phone call last night and she was pretty upset. Her best friend was just diagnosed terminally ill with leukemia. We have just been praying that she will turn towards Heavenly Father for strength and support at this time.

Saturday night I got a call from the bishopric and 10 pm asking me to speak in the morning for 10-20 minutes as the final speaker in sacrament meeting. I was really excited and had about an hour in the morning to prepare, but then the alarm didn't go off and we all woke up late. So I didn't have nearly as much time to prepare, but hey I hope it went okay.

I was asked to speak on how teaching about The Saviour has brought me closer to him. It was supposed to spark the interest of sharing the gospel in the ward. I learned so much preparing and giving the talk. One of the things I said that caught me by surprise while I was speaking was that I have a really hard time recognizing my testimony unless I am sharing it with someone. I had been wondering how I can recognize my testimony more about a week ago. But I was so excited when I found this out. It makes me so excited to just go up to people and bear my testimony to them.

Hey this gospel is true. It makes me so happy to say that. I know that the scriptures are given to us to help build our faith. I know that by reading them everyday and applying the things they teach with give us that testimony that makes us so happy. 

Love you!

Elder Gurney

December 9, 2013

Hey everyone!

So this week has gone by so fast!! I am sorry my emails have been lacking lately. North Shields is as good as ever! But it is starting to get cold. I guess it doesn't snow a lot here because we are right next to the coast.

Elder Sim is so much fun. He is such a good missionary as well. I wish I was like him when I came out. Way more prepared than me ha. You guys need to look up his videos on YouTube. He made a video called "Stuff Mormons Say" and it is really big here. All the dodgy young women in the stake love him.

We had an adventure earlier this week. So friday morning I woke up and went to do sit ups with the radiator holding my feet. As I sat down I held onto it for balance and the whole thing ripped out of the wall. This thing is big and heavy. We managed to prop it up and hold it with weight from the bench press but we lost our heating. Friday night was the coldest night ever. We all huddled in out bed room with one little space heater for a couple hours before bed then turned it off and woke up and turned it on at like 5 30. The house was so cold. We studied with coats and gloves and scarfs. I'll attach pictures.

I have been really focusing on study from the scriptures themselves. President Pilkington has been trying to show us where things like Preach My Gospel come from and it is so powerful. Every bit of doctrine comes from the standard works and it is so fun and interesting to find that by yourself. I really hope everyone reading this is reading their scriptures as often as they can, because mine sat on my desk for 17 years and I never touched them. Biggest regret.

Hey I love you guys, I pray for you and I appreciate everything you do for me.

Elder Gurney

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." -Winston Churchill

December 2, 2013

Another exciting week in North Shields!

My new companion is named Elder Sim. He is from Calgary, Alberta, CANADA!

Alright before you get too excited, he is actually English. He grew up in Northamptonshire in the Midlands. But he was born in Scotland. So don't ask me where is actually from. He is so good though. I am so excited to be working with him, and I am so happy I can pronounce his name.

Oh he might be famous as well, I am not sure....Apparently he made a video called "stuff mormons say" on youtube or something so people keep knowing who he is.

Thanksgiving sounded like lots of fun. We realized it was thanksgiving while riding a bus. So yeah we didn't do much. Good day though.

My memory card reader is broken, so sorry for the lack of pictures, I need to pick up a new one soon. 

Natasha is doing so good. She has been so accepting of the gospel and I can already see it blessing her life. I am so excited to see her progress.

I have learned a lot about agency this last week. We went by a guy named John, who has always been real nice to us at the door. He has had a really rough life and he is just unhappy. We taught him and testified so powerfully of the gospel, he felt the Spirit. But he didn't want to hear the message. He says he just can't believe in a God. It was really hard seeing this. I just know how much the gospel can help people, especially in his situation. But he chose not to accept it. Elder Sim and I were pretty discouraged, but as we talked about it we realized we did everything we possibly could for him. We brought the Spirit into his home and we loved him. But he still chose not to accept the gospel. The Lord helped us do our part, but John will always have his agency. We are hopefully going to go back and help him do some construction work and hopefully that will soften his heart a little.

Well I love all of you and I love the mission more and more everyday!

Elder Gurney

November 18, 2013

18 November 2013

Hey everyone!!

Okay I have really been slacking with this weekly letter thing. But hey I am alive and so happy! How is everyone doing?

Time is going by so fast!! I can't believe Christmas is in a month!! So i only have a few minutes to write but I want to tell you about Judy

So Judy Smith is a miracle. Me and Elder Krylborn decided to go by a less active member one day that had requested no visits from the church. Hey they can't get upset if you and just "knocking the street". Well we knocked on the door and Judy answered. Her daughter is who we were looking for. She invited us in and she told us she use to be a member but took her name off the records. She told us how she had almost died like 6 months ago and has felt like she has more of a purpose in life. Well a few weeks go by with canceled appointments and such but then me and elder kjeldsen go by a few weeks ago and we meet with her and she tells us she is going to come to church, and she does! We have met with her since and she is so excited to get back into church and get her two less active daughters and all her grandkids into church again as well. Ah she  is so great. Also one of the first missionaries to teach her was a Elder Douglas Gurney from Alberta. Whats up distant relative.

Love you all!

Elder Gurney