Wow what a week (or two!) July 20 & 27, 2016

July 20, 2016

Wow, what a week. 

HELLO FAMILY!!!

Sooo how is everyone doing? This has been just a crazy kind of week. 

I got humped by a giant 3 legged bear. Haha well not a bear, but a huge dog in the street We were doing some contacts and all of a sudden his huge dog jumped up on me and tried humping me, yet this dog only has 3 legs, so it didn’t really work and I couldn’t get it off of me, haha so it was just a struggle, haha their is a good laugh for you all

• Had divisions with Elder Kieffer from my group, which was super fun! We burned a shirt, for our 1 year mark, photos to come (sorry don’t have my camera)
• Cleaned our house super nice today, looks great
• I have been sick, then getting better, then sick again, just a roller coaster.
• Well, soo it kind of was a suckie week. NO, it was really hard actually. Like a week that God is just kind of backhanding you. That’s what it felt like. All of our appointments feel through, we were sick, we were not finding anything, it’s cold, it was raining too, a couple days, just everything not going.
• BUT, the sun always rises. Every day, a miracle happened. It might have been something little, or something big, but they happen. They exist. We found a new person, or even just someone helping out the missionaries. Just everyday miracles, in even the hardest of times.

And that’s true in life. Our past is our past. It’s something that I really have a hard time with, with my weaknesses, with who I was. But I have changed. I have learned. I have grown. And it’s not right for me, or anyone, to open up a wound that was healed, or return back to our mistakes. It’s not right at all. Christ paid for that, it’s done. And it is hard, because that is one of the hardest things ever. I know I am trying, and sometimes I feel like I can’t do anything, but I know that God blesses people who are trying.

Sometimes, that’s all we can do. TRY. Give it our all. Even if we feel like we are failing. Just TRY. 

It was a hard week, not going to le. But I know, I know that things will get better, that everything will work out. And I know that happiness is available. God wants us to be happy. And I know that I have so much more to learn, but that was just a little insight on my week! Here is to a better week!!

I love you. I love God. I am so grateful for his son Jesus Christ. He lives. He loves us. He is true.

Elder Carney

July 27, 2016

Hello family!!! 

Wow, what a week. A lot of highs and lows. That’s for sure! But, I am going to copy and paste a thing my friend sent, which I just think is hilarious because it is SOO true. Welcome to Chile. Literally, my life as a missionary, here are some points from it.

- It’s perfectly normal for people here to have parties at 9:00 am on Tuesday mornings and get super drunk and pass out and wake up at 6 ready to eat dinner.

- Old Chilean ladies have absolutely no problem in telling you exactly what’s been going on in their lives and every single medical problem they have and how many times they`ve gone to the doctor that week and what medications they have to take and then somehow relating that information with a story from 1956 about how their husband liked to listen to old Chinese music when he biked around the city after just having said, "hola."

- In Winter, its "too cold" to go to church

- In Summer, its "too hot" to go to church.

- In Spring and Fall, the weather is ´´too nice´´ to go to church.

- When you`ve finished your huge plate of chicken and rice for lunch, (basically the daily meal here) and the members ask if you want more and to not offend you say yes even though you`re extremely full, but you say ´´But just a tiny bit,´´ just forget it. All hope is lost. They`ll come back with a plate bigger than the first serving.

- When you`re in the city and a group of teenagers ask you what time it is, it’s usually not because they want to know, it’s because they want to see how expensive your watch looks.

- If you made the mistake of taking the hand with the watch out of your pocket to check, walk away, REALLY fast.

- Everybody suddenly and magically becomes "REALLY BUSY" when the missionaries go out contacting.

- The most baptized people in all of Chile, are the people who aren´t from Chile.

-Everyone in Chile has had a dream or vision where God or Jesus has appeared and spoken to them. 

-Everyone's Catholic in their own way. [en mi manera

-There's almost always an inactive church member part of every family. 

-In the parks (there are many) there are always couples going at it....whether they're just kissing or more. NASTY

So yeah that’s my life in Chile!! I thought it was really funny, literally it’s so true! But how are you guys? This week was full of ups and downs, highs and lows. Overall it was a really good week, we are finding new people, which is so nice! We found this lady, she is less active and she is like 30, and it’s so weird. I truly believe that I have passed through trials and tests to help others through it, to help others out. It’s like connecting with the person, you just know exactly what it feels like, and because you went through it, you know exactly how to help them. I had that moment this week, and it was just soo rewarding. SO incredible to truly feel like you are an instrument in Gods’ hands, that he is working through you. And although sometimes I don’t know why I had certain things happen to me, or what I went through certain trials, I do know, that I can help other péople with what I have experienced. And it’s true for everyone. Everyone can and NEEDS to help our brothers and sisters. 

So that was really cool! We went to the temple today and it was crazy, we say it is English!! So weird!! But, I am sick, and I think I have an ear infection, I literally can’t hear out of one of my ears, so that’s fun! Try understanding Chileans (whose Spanish isn’t Spanish, is already awful) people with no teeth trying to talk to you, it’s kind of entertaining!! But yeah, hopefully I will get better! 

Temple was great. Man I love it, and seeing gringos just starting their mission and in the CCM, haha man I just feel for them!!

All is well though. I have faith that everything will work out. I love you guys so much and God is GOOD. 

Elder Carney