May 6, 2014

Ah I am staying in LEEDS! I am so happy. Me and Elder Jensen are staying together! In fact all of the 8 missionaries in the ward are staying the same. That means out flatmates stay as well! I am really happy.

Me and Elder Jensen were out last night doing some knocking and we saw so many miracles. With in the first 6 doors we had 2 potentials with return appointments and a new investigator. We didn't even have time to finish knocking but we will when we are back there on thursday. I have really just learned to love knocking on doors. We taught this guy last night named Joseph and he is a rastafarian. Not like some chav who smokes weed with his friends but a real life Rastafarian. He is so nice and he is so good with music. Such a boss.

I am really really happy being a missionary and I love the people of England.

Love you guys!

Elder Gurney

ps sorry I forgot my camera today...

April 27, 2014

Hey Everyone!

So it has been a good week! I have been really happy. I just really like being a missionary.

I don't have any huge stories this week or anything super surprising, but I just feel that my testimony has grown a lot this week. I really have learned the principle that "knowledge is gained by obedience" (Bruce R McKonkie). I know that as I try and be as obedient as I can, my testimony grows and so does my conviction to share it with others.

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

-Isaiah 49

I know that the Lord really is there and that he loves us and cares for us more that we can ever understand. He knows exactly who we are and wants to give us an opportunity to live with him and our Father in Heaven again. He will forgive us and set us free.

 30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are bfree; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

-Helaman 14

I love you guys!

Elder Gurney

April 21, 2014: From Leeds with Love

Hey everyone!

What a week! I cannot believe it how fast it has gone. It is all just a blur.

England is starting to warm up, on some days. Yesterday is one of the best P days I have had on my mission (it was a bank holiday and the library was closed, that is why I am emailing today) and I didn't take a single picture! I am really upset. We went to the APs flat and had a BBQ. They and another team of missionaries just moved into this new flat with a back garden that opens right into a massive park. It was so much fun. Sometimes it is just really nice to relax with other missionaries.

This Easter weekend has been something special. Church on Sunday was so good. Elder Vingoe who is one of the institute couple missionaries spoke and it was so powerful. It really is a special time of year.

So let me tell you about Kay. Kay is a less active member who we were referred to though mormon.org. It turns out she served a mission back in the 70s and she was still in touch with an old companion, who referred her. She has been less active for about 10 years but she wants to come back so badly. She came to church on sunday and she loved it, and when we taught her about the nature of God last night, The Spirit was so strong. We just discussed for over half and hour about the relationship we have with God and what that really means. It really made me realize how we all need to understand this relationship, even if we have been in the church for 30 years. It is important to reflect on it often.

We Are Everything To God

"This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God. While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within out breast. We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation-worlds without end- within our grasp. And it is God's great desire to help us reach it." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I love all of you. I love this church and I know that it is true. I know that God is there and that he loves and cares for us so much. 

Elder Gurney

April 14, 2014

It is spring time!! Nothing feels better than walking through Leeds in a white shirt and tie!

Wow what a week! Me and Elder Jensen have been working ourselves like crazy this weekend. We had a goal yesterday to place 12 book of mormons after church. We went out and I was having doubts in the first 30 min but we worked really hard and we did it! we placed the last one at 8:48. It was so much fun. 

I had the chance to bear testimony of the Book of Mormon so many times yesterday and it made me so happy. I love that book. We talked to so many uni students and I just love how they all have an opinion. The Lord really does love all his children and the book of mormon is such convincing evidence of that. Read it. If you're not, start. If you've read it, start again. If you memorized it, read Jacob 5 again and enlighten me.

Love you all so much!

Elder Gurney

England has the terrible habit of building roads, then blocking them off.....

April 7, 2014: Springtime!!

Hey everyone!

Wow where did winter go? Time just goes way too quickly!

Such a good week! My new companion is named Elder Jensen and he is from Richfield Utah. He is way good and I am excited to have a companion that is older than me for the first time in like 6 months.

So we have been teaching this less active member named Peter since I got to Leeds and he is so good. His doctrinal understanding is top notch. He was baptised about 20 years ago and studies for nearly 2 hours a day. Lately we have been trying to help him get back to church and get back to the temple. It really has built my testimony about acting on the knowledge we have. Everyday we should study and then write down the things we are going to do or change, because of what we learned. After every zone conference our mission president has us email him a list of the things we are going to do because of what we have learned. I am going to do something similar and create a list for myself of things I am going to change because of general conference.

I watched all of the sessions, except the sunday afternoon, but I will start watching that soon. But conference was incredible as usual.

Well I am happy, I love it here in Leeds, I love being on my mission.

I love and miss all of you!

Elder G

April 1, 2014

Hey everyone! What a week!!!

drum roll................................I am staying in LEEDS!!!! Yay!!!!! But my German friend is going..I am getting my first companion from the states, and the worst part still......UTAH! hahaha nah I am excited! My new companion is from Richfield Utah! The same place as the one and only ELDER MCALLISTER! We will have so much to talk about. I am proper chuffed.

So this week has been crazy. We have seen so many miracles! So the other day, me and Elder Schwarzkopf had about an hour and a half after study till we had an appt so we decided to knock. The SECOND door we knocked is answered by this girl named A.K. and she invited us in! We taught her a bit about the book of mormon and she is reading! So we decided to continue down the street a ways and knock again, the first door we knocked this man answers and starts to invite us in, but then he girlfriend tells him no....so that sucked but hey he was super nice. I have really just learned to love knocking doors. Especially in a student area. Even if people aren't bothered they will still let you bear your testimony to them which always feels good.

I am so happy I love being a missionary.

Love you!

Elder Gurney

March 24, 2014

So it has been a busy week in Leeds. A busy transfer! I cannot believe it is week 5 of the transfer. I felt like I just got to England five minutes ago!

I want to tell you today about the Rojas family. Alex and Elizabeth Rojas are from Chile and are here so that Sister Rojas can teach English. They have been here for like 4 or 5 months. We meet with them like maybe once or twice a week. Brother Rojas is not very good with English but is learning. He is such a humble man. They literally have nothing here in England but Brother Rojas has been to known to give missionaries the umbrella from over his head and the tie off his neck. I love this family so much. The reason I wanted to talk about them today is because they helped me realize how privileged we are to have the gospel. They have nothing but the church in this country, and it is all they need. Everything else just seems to work out. We all have so many worldly things we want, and yes they are nice to have, but all that really matters in this life is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that is where true happiness comes from. It is not just a nice idea that helps us through hard times like I am told everyday by those who don't have a faith, but it is the ONLY thing that can possibly get us through this life, back to our Heavenly Father. 

I am happy here doing the Lord's work. I miss all of you terribly but I know this is where I will be happiest. I know the Lord is watching over all of you and I know that if I keep working hard he will continue to do so. Don't take this gospel for granted. You need it.

I love you guys,

Elder Gurney