February 9, 2015

Well the town of Great Grimsby is doing just great. It smells like fish all the time, which sucks. But it snowed! Which also sucks. English snow is just disappointing.

We went to Hull on saturday for a meeting which was exciting! Well after the 2 hour bus ride that started at 7 am. It was weird to be in such a big town again!

It isn't a very successful place for missionary work here. I found out today that this area finds like 1 new investigator a month. thats with 2 ward and 3 teams of missionaries! But me and my companion have found 2 since we got here and are planning on changing that culture.

I am really happy. I love the missionaries I live with and I love being a missionary! I hope you have a great week!

Elder Gurney

January 19, 2015: Grimsby 1

Well Grimsby is definitely different from York! I am back on the coast, which is nice. Until the seagulls come that is.

Me and my companion are opening this area brand new, which is a challenge, the other Grimsby team hasn't had a huge teaching pool lately anyway so we are all just kinda starting from scratch. Lots and lots of finding.

My companion is named Elder Carrigan and he is from Grand Junction Colorado. He has been out just over 3 months, but he is fantastic. We are really excited to see lots of success here in Grimsby.

I am reading in The Acts right now and I love it! It is not coincidence that I am reading it. After getting rejected for hours, it is always helpful to reflect back to your personal study and think "at least I'm not in prison!"

Grimsby is not the classiest town, just fyi...

 

​(Don't worry it isn't a swear here!)

 

Anyway I am happy! I hope you guys have a great week.
Love you!
Elder Gurney

January 13, 2015: Well......I'm off to Grimsby...

An unexpected transfer! I am off to Grimsby after 6 short weeks in York.

I am going to miss this ward and area so much. I love the Uni students and the history and all. But I am excited to go back to the coast.

Me and Elder McGee worked our tails off this last week. We talked to so many good people and got into several homes (You gotta love students) It was so much fun.

This is just one of the great families we had to say goodbye to yesterday. The Bortones. We went to their house at Christmas time and New Years, they are the best.



Saying goodbye to our investigators Gillian and Rodger was really difficult too. They are just such good people! Rodger is a mechanic and has a restored Triumph TR6 (google it, the yellow one is probably his) and Gillian is his mom.


This is part of the group of missionaries I came out with
Me, Elder McGee, Elder Brown, Elder Johansen, Elder Baird, and Elder Saolotoga

As you can see I finally remembered to bring my camera to the library!

Well I am really happy here in England. I love this church, I know it is true, and so can you!

Love you guys!
Elder Gurney


January 5, 2015

Happy new year everyone! Even if you were 7 hours late in celebrating it!

It has been a slow couple of weeks during the holidays with lots of finding. We have found success with it though and been having a lot of fun.
For New Years we went to a members home and played Monopoly and had a giant dinner. I love just being around good families. Church was fantastic yesterday. I love this ward so much, so many good people.

I was studying this morning out of the beginning of the Book of Mormon (you know, those few chapters that everyone reads this time of year) and I just love it. I am trying to read it more like a book instead of study it how I normally do and I love it. There are so many good lessons to be learned.

Well I am happy and I love you guys!

Elder Gurney

 Christmas with the Bortones!

We found snow!!!!!!!!!
​

Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal

Christmas time!
Time just goes so fast. I cannot believe it is Christmas again. I don't think this one will be as fun as last year, but it will still be good I am sure.

This last week was a bit slow, but yesterday was just great. Church was just so good and me and my companion had the opportunity to bless the sacrament. I love when we are asked to do that. A member also brought her friend to church and we were able to go to tea at their house last night which was great. So flipping trunky, but also a lot of fun. (They just remind me so much of all you guys haha) But her friend Jenny loved church and is coming to the carol service on Christmas eve.

We are excited for Christmas. We are going to several homes over Christmas eve Christmas day and boxing day. I love the members here in York. They are just so great. If I had to live in England it would probably be either in this ward or Huddersfield. But I like this city a lot better so we will say York. Maybe I will do a semester abroad!
 
Anyway I hope you guys have a great week and we will talk to you soon!
Love you!
Elder Gurney

Hannah's baptism on the 11th!
....yeah I have gotten fat....I am scared to get on a scale...good thing I don't know what a stone is.

December 15, 2014: York, beautiful York!

Wow this is the most beautiful city I have ever been to. I would show you pictures, but my camera bit the dust this week, don't send me one! Boxing day is the day after Christmas and it is like the black Friday of the UK, so I will get one then.

​Saying goodbye to Hugh Moses. He is a boss. He was baptised in September, but he acts like he has been a member his whole life.

This week we had a huge miracle. Hannah was baptised.

Hannah is a student who met the missionaries when they knocked on her roomates door. She was not interested at all at first, and hated church the first time she went. But the Spirit worked on her and she decided it was right. York has a great YSA that has done great to fellowship her.

I love being a missionary.
Love you guys!
Elder Gurney


PS sorry we messed up reserving the computer times again this week so I don't have time to write back individually. Next week!

December 1, 2014: I am off to York!

Well....I have to leave Huddersfield.....and I am not too stoked. But I have heard really good things about York.

37 Granville Terrace
York NYORKS
YO10 3DY

Huddersfield is exploding. We have had a lot of success this last week....so thats how I knew I was leaving. But it is all right. I will go teach all the posh people of York. I will also be serving with someone who came out with me. He grew up in North Carolina and England, but his family now lives in American Fork. His name is Elder McGee. Good kid. I am excited.

I don't have many stories this week...hmmm how about a spiritual thought.

So the world is so concerned with truth, and they are obsessed with finding it with as little work as possible. So they ask friends and families and neighbors. and google (probably the worst source of truth ever). and as soon as they hear something they like, they accept it. As long as it has enough backup, whether it is actually true or not. Lots of people will even join the church this way, which isn't inherently bad, because it is true. People even followed Christ because they saw the miracles. So lets bring up truth again.

Jesus Christ asked his apostles "whom do ye say that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Truth can only be found through sincere prayer. It cannot be argued with. It cannot be changed. It cannot be hidden. Try though the world might, its efforts will be in vain.

I love this gospel. I love truth. I love my Saviour Jesus Christ for all he has done for me and for you. Seek him and you will find him.  He is the gift of this season. I love you guys!


Elder Gurney