Sept 2, 2015 The LONGEST week of my life!

Sept 2, 2015
The LONGEST week of my life!

Wed. Sept 2, 2015

The LONGEST week of my life!

Hello Familia!!!!!

Wow. I don’t really even know where to start...ummm it was probs the longest week of my life. SO long. But hey, 1 week in the field down, BOOM. Wow, what a week. Where to begin? There is dog poop everywhere, literally everywhere, and yes, I step in it. Graffiti is everywhere. It is getting freaking hot, and it will only get hotter. The water here is nasty, makes me appreciate Colorado water so much. Side note, digestive system has taken some beating, need to get used to tons of oil and soda. Umm, my feet just hurt by the end of every day. Some guy hardcore bible bashed us. I asked a lady who was already baptized to be baptized again, had no idea she already was. YEAH! That has been my week.

We wake up every day at 7:30, because Chileans stay up so late working and go to bed late, so we go to bed at 11:30 pm. I live with 3 other Elders. They all have like 20 plus months on their missions, and yeah! Its starting to get really hot here, and the sad part is it will get SO much more hot, this is just spring. 

I had an interview, super short one with Pres. Cook and it was good! Super short, and not that much depth, but yeah! Ummm stories:

Turned a corner, a dog literally got hit by a car, and was lying in the middle of the street, in a pool of fresh blood. This cute little dog, just dead. So that was scarring...nah, but I was really sad.

First lunch at a members’ house, and they always have bananas or apples after meals, and I was showing them the thing where you split open a banana in half just by ripping it, and I ripped it but half of it FLEW over the members head and hit their cabinet, so that was cool! I just kind of sit there and try to comprehend everything that they are saying, but I can’t. So that was a fun way to start off! Haha, nah it was funny!  They were really good!

I challenged this lady to be baptized, who already was, and my comp just laughed and laughed and I had no clue! It turns out it was the other girl we were teaching who wants to get baptized! I was so confused during it! 

As for Spanish, man. I am getting humbled. I go through waves. Some days I feel good and such, then others, I can’t speak crap. I try to comprehend everything, yet Chileans speak so fast!!! SO fast. But I can comprehend a lot more than I can speak, so counting my blessings. I just need like, 1 year! And all the people in the US or elsewhere English speaking, BE GRATEFUl!!!! Haha I miss it! We actually taught this lady in English, as I was in another division doing splits for a day with a Zone leader, and it MADE my life!!! So happy about it. God was looking out for me, I needed it! 

Oh my first Sunday here was good! All Spanish! And here, you get up during sacrament and introduce yourself, the new missionaries! So I did and it was great! Here is the thing. This mission is hard. This mission is not like Brazil. The average members every Sunday are like, 50. And that’s normal in Chile. It’s just so sad! People were baptized without having a clue what it even is! And now we are building it back up, trying to retain people!

One day we were walking and just got rejected, SO much. All day, just nothing. It was hot. I was so mad at myself with the language, I felt like I couldn’t say anything and I have this message, this beautiful message and I can’t even speak it! SO after bottling in everything all day, I was just done. I just said a pray in my heart, to just let me find one person. Just get into a house. And at last, we met Pablo! What a gem. I love him. We are now teaching him. God listens to prayers.

The people here don’t go to church because of work. They work SO much, so long. And they get paid like nothing. People are living pay check by paycheck. It’s been humbling. Some of these houses we go into, are very humbling. So small. Some dirt floors. Some don’t have bathrooms. Tin roofs. Man, I am just so blessed. I am blessed to be out here teaching. The mission is hard. It’s exhausting. But these people, they are so loving. I love these people, even when they yell at us, reject us, almost everything. 

I love my family! I miss all of you greatly. God is amazing. The spirit, amazing. God cares and loves you. He has a plan for every one of his children. 

Peace and Blessings!

Elder Carney