Feliz Navidad!

Buenas noches mis amigos!  Espero que todos de uds. tenian una buenisimo Navidad :) I had a great Christmas!  It was a little stressful because of the internet situation.  First theres only one person in our ward who had a computer and he was hard to find!  Then on Christmas day everyone that had a computer in the area was trying to use it so I kept calling my family on Skype and the calls kept dropping!  But finally after about 3 stressful hours it worked and I talked with them for a long time!

Talking to my family was absolutely amazing.  Just seeing all their faces for the first time in 4 months was incredible!  I originally called on the telephone Christmas eve night and my mom didn't know but I was just calling to set up a time for the next day to skype.  I won't forget how my mom answered the phone!  She was just so excited to hear my voice and I was too haha. We both were tearing up pretty good just for a short phone call.  But skyping was fantastic. I got some solid gifts...a blow up deer (yes a lifesize deer) for the house with a target and a nerf gun to "keep up my redneck skills" while Im gone.  It was pretty dad gum funny. 

Sam's Christmas selfie sporting his new tie and tie clip.

Christmas night was probably the second worst night of the mission to be honest (after my first night in the field when i was locked out of the house in the freezing rain and yeah y'all know the story).  It was super hard.  But I prayed super hard and again was blessed because I woke up the next morning and felt like normal!  

Me and Elder C went right back to work the next day and I feel like we maybe had our best week teaching wise thus far.  Weve had about 4 investigators that we originally didn't think much of start to really progress and came to church as well!  One in particular is an "antique" investigator that has been through every set of missionaries since about a year and a half ago only to debate and say whats wrong with our church.  We had an amazing talk with him and he finally began reading the Book of Mormon and everything has changed.  He came to church and it was great! 

I gave another talk in church this past week as well which I think went super well.  It was just on simple faith, but it went great.  In Ether 12 (in the BoM) the word faith, I counted, is mentioned 34 times.  Its an amazing chapter .  Verse 4 gives an example: faith is our anchor.   I talked about how our ship is made up of all different types of Christlike attributes and hope and charity and everything!  But our anchor is faith.  And the greater and bigger and stronger our anchor, the less affect the storms and temptations and hardships in our lives have on our ship.  

So my invitation this week is to read Ether 12 because its one of, if not my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon! 

Anyways hoped you all had a great Christmas!  I think my mom made an album on my facebook if you wanna see all my pictures from the mish thus far.  

Texas Forever 

Elder G

Ether 12:4  "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

Christmas Eve service project

Finally getting Skype to work!!!

Christmas with friends!

The Week Before Christmas...

Well interesting final week before Christmas and a good one! I got punched in the back of the head by some boracho (drunk) in the street.  I hadn't said anything or looked at him but he whacked me haha I saw him run off.  Theres literally tons of cops on every corner of Limon and it happened right in front of 3 of them literally 10 feet away, and they just watched and did nothing. I kinda threw my arms up and said why don't you do your job right? I was ticked off but apparently it's a big problem in Guatemala and latin america in general.  Tons of cops that don't do much.  Whatever! haha

I cant believe the Mavs got Rondo.  And the Cowboys flippin won the NFC East its almost like I'm a bad luck charm.  If either of them end up winning the whole thing I think that would be the worst and best thing to ever happen... mixed feelings mixed feelings haha

Anyway I'm gonna keep this letter short Im whiped out but I wanted to share just a little bit.  Elder C is my companion and has been my whole time in the field. We were getting along decently in the beginning but we would get in fights from time to time.  To be straight up not trying to be a jerk, but yeah every time it was his fault we were fighting hahahaha and he knew it and knows it.  Ive been super relaxed with him and he just has trouble with his anger sometimes.  About 3 weeks ago we got in a big fight.  I was pretty down and prayed for about an hour straight just asking Heavenly Father to help me get through these last few days until the next change on Jan, 6.  Well Heavenly Father has more than answered my prayers!  Me and C are great friends and getting along great and Im really glad that we get to spend Christmas together.  

He's had a tough life.  He lives with his grandma because his dad left him when he was young and his mom paid a coyote to take her to the U.S. when he was 7.  They still talk but don't have much of a relationship.  He's mentioned a few times how hes sad hes not getting anything for Christmas. But because I have the most amazing mom in the world she sent him some presents in my Christmas package and i seriously cant wait to give em to him.  He doesnt know that by the way. hahah Anyway I'm just super excited to give em to him because I know hes gonna be really happy!  

And I'm gonna be freakin happy cause ya boi gets to talk to his family in 2 days!!!!!!

I'm just having a great time right now and December has been great.  I thought i was going to be pretty homesick but thanks to my buddies in the mission and the people weve been teaching I've had a lot of fun.  I kinda understand why its hard for people to go home now.  I'm definitely going to be excited to go home no doubt about it, but there will be a lot of things that I will miss about the mission.   

Short letter.  But just want to wish y'all a Merry Christmas from the big G :) I love all of y'all and hope you enjoy and cherish this Navidad with your families.  

One love!

Elder Gurksnis

P.S. I didn't have time to get back to everyones emails today but i will next week :) I wanted to thank everyone who sent me an email this week! Merry Christmas!

Find a way, make Him room, let Him in.

Soild week!  We continue to work hard.  Ana Lusia who was our most progressing investigator moved to a different zone :( but we got her in contact with the missionaries in the other area so I hope she continues to progress.  Right now we don't have a ton of solid investigators were doing a lot of searching.  This week we found a bunch though and a lot of families!  

We also got to go to the temple today and it was awesome!  Everything you do in the mission is just a whole different experience in that you're normally so close with the spirit and you just pay attention to everything more and its easier to learn and everything.  For example I think I mentioned it back then but General Conference in October was so great just because i was so focused on everything being said and learned and felt the spirit so much.  Its the same with the temple.  Its such a spiritual experience everytime I go!  

We had interviews with President Crapo this past week.  It was short only about ten minutes long because obviously he has 250 missionaries to interview this week, but it went great.  He's a really solid mission President and I respect him a ton.  He kind of helped me with what I was talking about last week with the question "who do we baptize?"  He said essentially its crucial that we have faith.  We read D&C 20:37 which is basically the "standard" for baptism for lack of a better word.  We are all commanded to be baptized.  But again if we don't endure to the end and don't continually keep the covenants we make at baptism, our baptism doesn't mean anything.  But this scripture says (off the top of my head because its not in front of me) if one comes to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit having truly repented of all their sins then they are ready and willing, it's our job as missionaries to look upon our investigators with more faith and less critically.  He used the phrase, "with eyes open more with the love of the spirit", and i loved that.  It helped me a ton!  

I feel like the greatest thing that my mission has done for me by far is I feel I have truly come to know the love of Christ.  I'm constantly comforted by Him in prayer and scripture study.   I just feel so close to Christ and continue to feel His love stronger and stronger.  This Christmas season is truly amazing and so different on the mission.  Obviously I'm so much more focused on the meaning of Christmas rather than all the other distractions.  One thing I've been doing in our lessons a lot this month is sharing the picture of Christ knocking on the door with no handle on the outside.

One Christmas song that I love says, "find a way, make Him room, Let Him in."  Christ's door is always open to recieve us even when we have sinned, because thanks to Him, we can always repent.  It is our job to let Him into our lives.  He is constantly knocking in different rhythms and tones trying to find the right one that will get you up to answer.  Find a way.  Nothing is more important than He. Make Him room.  He will comfort you and love you in a way that you have never felt before.  Let Him in. He is always knocking.  That's my invitation for the week :) And remember why we have this amazing holiday!

I'm so grateful for my Savior and His love for me.  Although I miss my family, I will continue to share this amazing message we have with all.  For, "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light." (Luke 11:33)  

Merry Christmas!

Elder Gurksnis

He is the Gift...

Howdy everyone!  Yes I hit day 100 in 2 days so only 630 left to go ;) 

I know my letters are getting shorter and shorter but its just because mission life gets more and more normal.  haha.  And some of the stuff that's not so every day in the states is just day to day stuff to me now.  BUT we did have a great week!  We baptized Maryuri M on Tuesday which was a bit of a surprise because she originally wasn't going to be baptized until late December but we visited her that day and she said she couldn't wait anymore and her mom agreed!  It was so awesome. 

She's another great baptism who i know will stay active in church.  That's one thing I've learned.  One thing that bugs me about the mission is numbers and stats.  They're necessary because President needs to know who's working and who's being a chambon (lazy).  But some missionaries get caught up with the numbers.  Some baptize those who aren't ready and who aren't going to endure to the end after their baptism and I don't want to be one of those missionaries.  Because if one doesn't endure to the end, their baptism doesn't mean much.  I think 2 Nephi 31 20 ish in the Book of Mormon?  ("Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.") Not sure but I do know that even though I may have less baptisms at the end of my mission that I'm not going to baptize anyone unless Ive prayed really hard about them and know that they re going to change and not just be baptised but truly have a change of heart.  Because this gospel is a lifestyle!  Not just something you can say and it be fine, you have to live it.  One great thing Ive learned on the mish.

One (kinda) funny thing that happened this week was I left a shirt on the floor for like 2 days and didn't see it.  It was absolutely destroyed by rat poop and urine :)) Hope it was a comfy poo!

The Christmas season has been great and super hard at the same time.  As expected.  I miss my family so unbelievably much and sometimes I torture myself at night with Christmas music and pictures haha.  Last night i was reading through all the Christmas cards my family sent and the ward sent.  My niece, little Bailey Smith's read "Dear Sam, I hope you have a great Christmas!  Love B.S. !"  I laughed pretty hard and couldn't help but think Erik or Kevin put her up to that. But anyways we have an amazing opportunity especially this month to share this gospel and especially focus on Christ.  We have these cards that we've been contacting with that have a picture of Mary and the baby Jesus that say El es la Dadiva, which means He is the Gift.  We get to tell people that no matter the celebrations and gifts we receive there is no greater gift ever given than that of God: His only Begotten Jesus Christ. With our investigators we share this video which is a beautiful video.  Its about 3 minutes long and I encourage all of y'all to watch it :) 

I wanted to leave yall with one thought that I had this week.  We have been using the members a lot recently especially with these little cards for references and I think it'll be a big success. We gave each of them one card and said we expect next Sunday for yall to have given this to a friend or family non member with a day that we can come with you to their house to share the video and a short message!  When i was sharing with them our idea I just asked them 1. How are you growing your own testimony? What do you do on a daily or weekly basis to grow closer to Christ and His atonement? Are you truly and sincerely doing everything you can to strengthen your testimony? 2. How are you growing the testimony of those in your family and growing your relationship with each individual member of your family?  Are you having family home evening every Monday and family scripture study and prayer? Are you spending quality time with your family on a regular basis? and 3. How are you helping with missionary work?  Are you constantly looking for people who are ready to receive the gospel and trying to share this thing that is most important in your life with others? Because missionary work is very unsuccessful without the help of the members.  The blessings that we receive for doing the Lords work are simply remarkable and this opportunity and challenge that we have given you is a great way to start!  So I would encourage all of you to think about those three simple questions!  And i would encourage you this Christmas season to involve yourself with the missionaries as well as immerse yourself in service.  We as Americans have so much to be thankful for and especially in Prosper, we have so much.  Take this Christmas season as an opportunity to give to those who don't have as much.  

This Christmas for me will be one I know I will never forget!  I have a testimony of this gospel and I know that Christ is my and our Savior of the world.  His birth is an amazing story that I'm so grateful that I can share with these people of Guatemala.  Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Have a great week!  Don't forget the reason why this time is so special :)

Feliz Navidad!

Elder Gurksnis 

#Limonlife

Welp… hit day 90 today and 3 months on Wednesday.  Fastest time of my life that’s for sure! 

Not too much crazy happened this week except we did have to drop 2 investigators because they’re extortionists :)))) aka hit men, well women in this case.  We always saw them using the public phones every day even though they had cell phones but never thought anything of it.  But one went to jail this week and a woman in our ward told us the same day that she overheard her on the phone and … yeah they’re totally hit women. lol #limonlife

I was sick almost all week including Thanksgiving and lost a good amount of weight.  We didn’t get to do anything for Thanksgiving anyway. It was just a normal day!  That morning Elder Turley, our zone leader and buddy in the zone, sent a text to all the Nortes just saying Happy Thanksgiving!  And it was somewhat long and thoughtful and then at the end he put Solomon 8:8 and I went to read it... just started dying laughing! hahah Y’all will just have to go look it up in the King James version haha it was such a Turley move it was really funny.

I gave a talk this past Sunday in church on humility that was about 12 or 13 minutes long.  I think it went pretty well. I put a lot of thought into it!  Just basically saying how nothing is much more humbling than this whole situation and having to learn a new language.  But I think it went well!  

We have two baptisms set for this month and then we committed Ana Lucia to baptism as well!  In fact marriage too! haha She has children and her and her husband aren’t legally married so in January our bishop will perform a legal marriage and hopefully her husband will have had time to hear the lessons by then and can be baptized with her. Then in a year they can have a temple marriage!  Pretty amazing.  

But yeah somewhat of a slow week but I’m feeling better now and we’re gonna hit it hard this week!  

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!  You all have a lot to be thankful for especially our amazing country and state and everything that we have and the luxuries we have in the states.  Thankful for all of you! 

Texas Forever 

Elder Gurksnis