13 January 2014: Solid week being a missionary

Hey I just love being a missionary. It is so much fun and so rewarding. This is great.

Chandler is going to Lisbon, Portugal! What up! I am so pumped for you man. You're going to be such a good missionary.

Well last week was transfer week, so I don't remember anything that happened. Always such a crazy week. We also have new planners so I can't look back at the week because I left it back at the flat.

So last night I was talking to this young man in the ward named garrath. He pulled out his phone and showed me what was playing on his ipod. Brand New! I was so proud of him. If I could do anything for the young men I work with, it would be to get them on a mission. If I could do two, it would be to get them to listen to brand new. The young mens leader also likes them but hasn't listened to them much since he got married. Reason #1 to put off marriage as long as I can.

Natasha and Kevin are doing great. Natasha was really sick all week and Kevin was away for the weekend so we only saw Natasha once. But they seem to be really happy. Her kids are just the cutest. Tom is 5 and Lily-Grace is 3.

So miracle of the week. We went on splits with Brother Spedding and Brother Arkley and I went with Brother Arkley home teaching. It was short notice so we were just trying by people. We went by one person on his list and they brushed us off so we were in his car trying to decide what to do. We called everyone on his list and they couldn't meet. We then looked through people I had been working with to go by, but they couldn't meet either. Then we started just thinking of any members we could visit. We called a few and they couldn't meet. Then probably after making 30 phone calls we called Linda, a member. She is just a very solid member. She works in primary and she comes every sunday but she said she would love for us to come by, and she didn't live too far either. We went to her house and she invited us in and it wasn't long before she just started crying explaining that she had just been praying for a blessing. She had been struggling with a few things lately and she really just needed some comfort. Brother Arkley and I were able to give her a blessing and she felt a lot better.

Me and Brother Arkley were talking on the way back to the flat. We talked about how we had to make 30 phone calls before we actually decided to call her. She was on my mind the whole night and the few days before that as well. I think it is so interesting how the Lord doesn't just want you to do whats right. He wants you to go above and beyond. Go the extra mile. Show you deserve that direction and revelation. I wish I could even just grasp the concept of faith. One day...

"Wishing will not make is so. The Lord expects our thinking. He expects our action. He expects our labors. He expects our testimonies. He expects our devotion."

-Thomas S. Monson

I know that this church is true. I had the opportunity to speak again in Sacrament on sunday (yep, twice in one month) and I was asked to speak on the first vision and the impact it has on us today. I found out about 30 minutes before church. Anyway I was giving my talk and I was kind of giving it lacklusterly (is that a word...?) and then I realized Christine Steele, a member had brought her friend Jeane to church. I realized that she had never heard this before. This is such an incredible event! I realized that this talk would determine weather she wanted to hear more or not. So I gave it my all and tried my best to bear such a strong testimony. She is meeting with the other missionaries on tuesday. Such an incredible miracle. The Lord really fulfilled his promise.

 6 For it shall be ^agiven you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

The Lord really does hear and answer prayers. He knows what we need and he wants to bless us. If only we humble ourselves before him. 

 19 And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them.

The testimony we have is powerful and it should be used as a gift. Why would the Lord give us the gift of a testimony, if we wouldn't use it to help people and help them to come unto Christ? 

Sorry for the novel. I love you guys! 

Elder Gurney

7 January 2014

Hey everyone! 

I am staying!!!! Another 6 weeks in North Shields, I am pumped!

I hope everyone had a good New Year. This week has just flown by. New years we were allowed to play video games, as long as they weren't too dodgy so we played MarioKart for like all day at Sister Thompsons. We also played Monopoly. Which I still suck at. Sister Thompson won, but only because Elder Bagwell helped her. Mom she loves your Christmas present. She is always talking about it.

So some of the biggest miracle last week were Kevin and Jonathan. So Kevin is Natasha's fiancee and he asked to hear the lessons after her baptism. We taught him for the first time on Monday and it was incredible. He is so much more prepared than he thinks he is. We taught him again on friday and it went just as well if not better. He came to church as well yesterday and he loved it. That family has so much potential. Especially Natasha's kids. I can just see little Tom growing up and going on a mission. Honestly I could have no more success my whole mission and I won't feel like I wasted a minute. 

Jonathan was another big miracle. We were teaching a man named Brian in the chapel. The chapel is normally all locked up with a gate around it but while we were in there for 50 minutes, a man named Jonathan walked in. Apparently he was baptised about 10 years ago and he had went inactive when he moved away. Well now he is back with his girlfriend and he wanted to show her the church, we just happened to be there at the same time. Huge miracle. We should be meeting with him soon.

I have learned so much these last few weeks. My testimony is growing so strong in just knowledge. I know that we are here to learn all that we can. The fantastic privilege I get is sharing that knowledge with people who have never heard it before. I love this church. It does so much good for people. I love this gospel. It shapes people into the person they want to be. So often do I see people get in the way of themselves or their family and it makes me so sad. I know the joy they could be feeling and they won't learn simply because of ignorance and pride. This church is true because of the fruits of it. Look how happy people are when the embrace Christ as their Saviour and then you tell me there is no God or that he doesn't love his children. Kevin has seen it in Natasha and that is why is wants it as well. God is so aware of us and he love us. He puts us in situations that try us and our faith, but he will always bless us with the strength and power to endure. "God doesn't give us what we can handle, God helps us handle what we are given." -Norman Johnson

I love you guys!

Elder Gurney

Me and Elder Bagwell ( My DL) checkin out lighthouses on new years eve while we made our boys study!