Hello from the ghetto! April 27, 2016

April 27, 2016

What up from the ghetto!!

Yo what up mi familia!

How are you all doing!? So this is going to be a little short, but yeah! 

This week was good. It’s been good. Today was pday and we played soccer which was fun and then watched 17 miracles, ahhh I love that movie. If you haven’t seen it, watch it.  Now. 

I truly am so grateful for the pioneers. Their faith, their dependence on the lord during their journey. How incredible they are. How much hardships they passed through, it is breathtaking. I am soo grateful for them, for their example to me. I couldn’t imagine all that they went through. It hit me hard! haha how little my problems are. How much they went through, how much faith they had, to get to Zion. To be sealed with their families. I remember studying about it in BYU and there was a quote, about how they came to know God, because of it. I am forever grateful them, for their faith. 

It’s been a good week. We had a lesson with a family that was just really spiritual, we showed the bible video, about Jesus being whipped and crucified, wow. I don’t like that video at all. It gives me rage, I don’t know, I just hate watching it. It makes things so real. SO much we talk about how he died for us and was put on a cross, but when we see it, the reality, it is so different. I don’t know why, I just felt such gratitude for all that Christ did for me, for everyone, how he suffered more than we can possibly imagine. And then we watched the resurrection, and wow. It’s just beautiful.

I love Christ. I love learning about him. I love him, and cannot express my gratitude enough for him. I love being on the mission because I get to do that every day. And I take it for granted, A lot. At times, I am tired. At times, I don’t want to go walk all day, in the rain, in the burning heat, have people scream at us, deny us, just feel like crap. But I am so grateful for what he did, for what he has done for me, that I shouldn’t take it for granted. 

He lives. He is real. He knows us. He knows your name. He knows where you have been, and he knows how to help you through it. He is our best friend. Our merciful savior. 

I love this gospel! It’s hard. Its hard training, its hard being in Chile at times. Yet I somehow keep going on. Keep on keeping on. I am so blessed to have a family, not only at home but here also, and to help others. I love it!

I love you all. This week, just take a moment, watch videos about Christ. Read about him. learn about him. And follow him. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Elder carney

I'm Feeling 20!! 4/20/16 AND 4/13/16

April 20, 2016

I’M FEELING 20!!

Hello family!!!

Wow, so what all happened this week? Oh thank you sooo much for the birthday cards and for all that, I am sooo thankful to have all of you in my life! I just love ya! And yeah this week. A lot has happened!

So my birthday, man. I am just sooo blessed. Literally, I am so thankful to be here, to have these people in my life! This family surprised me with a huge lemos cake and that was just super cool, family Gallerardo, they are just awesome! And then, at night time, our ward mission leader, Ricardo, he is deaf, him and his wife, they are just awesome, and they threw a huge party for me! Haha no joke, I walked in and there was sushi, and a huge cake, just food everywhere, just really, really cool. I sat down and I kind of just was flooded with an emotion of love. Love for these people. How they spent their money on me, a little white gringo. I just was overwhelmed with love! I know how Christ feels, how much he loves each and every one of us. I AM BLESSED. so blessed.

Oh it rained for like 4 days straight, and at first it was just AWESOME! I LOVE THE RAIN! Was walking around just in my jacket, just dancing in the street, haha I love it! Everyone was in their patios and inside, and crazy, good Brad Carney just in the street, haha we didn’t have jackets or anything, it came without any warning so I just soaked up the moment, literally! So that was fun! Our house on the other hand, yeah looks like we are going to get a new ceiling! Haha one room like flooded, and it’s not even our house, we are living in a different house! Haha so it’s now 6 elders just crammed into like a living room, but we make it fun! 

All the while, on Sunday, we had 1 hour of church because of the rain, attendance of 25, haha going strong! When it rains or any weird weather happens here, the people just shut down, haha they don’t do anything! But funny thing, they also cut the electricity and the water!!! Haha so we truly didn’t have crap! Just waiting for a huge earthquake to happen haha! No, but we were walking around our sector and at night time, it was like pitch black, I was a little scared haha not going to lie! So weird, everyone was in their houses sleeping at like 6 pm, there was nothing! But we just kept on trucking, in the rain, without light, or water, haha but it was good!

But everything is good now! Oh, we played tennis today for pday, man I miss tennis! Haha still got some in me, but just ate with a family too, they invited us over and so they are awesome! But yeah, that was my week!

Literally blessed. It’s been good here. We had a conference yesterday with our Mission President and Hermana Cook, they are just incredible. So much respect for them. Literally, they are awesome. I love this mission. I know I can’t compare it to other missions or presidents, but I feel just so blessed to have President Cook as our mission president. It was a conference about humility and pride, something I can work on, haha, we all can work on! And repentance also. 

The atonement. Wow, I love it. I am learning about it every day. I can’t even describe my feelings for Christ, to have his name on my plaque, to wear it every day. I am so blessed to be a missionary, to learn of him, feel of his love not only for me, but for others. The mission is the hardest thing, ever. NO joke, but I am Just blessed. Just blessed. Come unto Christ. Learn of him. Invite him in. He is real. He is watching over you, ready to uplift you, ready to heal you, ready to make you into who he knows you can be. He is our Savior. He is my best friend. I love you all and am praying for all of you this week.

LOVE LOVE

Elder Carney

April 13, 2016

WHAT UP WHAT UP!!

HELLLOOO family!

So this week, first off, story time. 

We were talking to this drunk guy (there are many here who wander the streets!) and all of a sudden, he starts going off about Americans and how cold they are, how they don’t kiss on the check to meet people like they do here, and how they only do handshakes, and all of a sudden, this guy gives me a hug and I was like, ok, this is weird, and he freaking kissed me on the check! I pushed him off and was like, salta po lado which is pretty much like, get out of here, nasty!! It was so nasty, so that was scaring. Freaking Latinos!

Anyways, this week was good. So I have been sick this whole week and kind of just miserable. Not really been fun at all, but I just kept trucking, kept going even harder. As a trainer, you want to be an example 24/7 and I realized, one morning, that I physically and mentally couldn’t function, I had been going so hard and didn’t take any time to rest. And was about to throw up, so I just laid down and was out for like 2 hours. The other elders in my house, homies, they came and were like, you are stressed. You need to get better. I finally realized that I was stressed, haha its hard! Doing everything alone pretty much! So I listened to this talk, about how we need to treat ourselves now, rest up and heal before we can keep moving, because in the future you are going to take more time to heal. And so yeah, I was like, shoot I need to relax, I can’t do all this on my own! 

So Jesus take the wheel. I am learning to take things slower, to ask for help more, and to not be sick! Haha I hate being sick, but it was just a good life lesson. We can’t run faster if we don’t have any energy. So yeah, treat yourself, learned that!

It’s been good. This week was good but man, its tiring! Life is just interesting here! Oh we moved out of our house! They are doing renovations on it, so we are in a house with other elders for now, and not sure how long we will be here. They are tearing up our kitchen and bathroom, which is probably good because its super crappy! Pics will come later! But yeah!

It’s been cold lately! Winer is coming, which I am excited for but also not! Haha it’s so cold in houses here, they have no insulation haha so pray for me that I won’t freeze to death! Because I don’t have that much fat to help me!

Other than that, life is good family. Jesus take the wheel, I truly can’t do this on my own, like Carrie underwood states. Haha but not joke, we can’t do it. We truly can’t. So here it is, invite him in. Trust him in your life. He knows it, he knows everything, just let him take control!

I love you family, all is well. Also, not excited to turn 20...noooo!!! I refuse to grow up!!!

LOVE YOU ALL

Elder Carney

LIFE JUST GOT REAL! 3/30 & 4/6, 2016

April 6, 2016

WHAT UP WHAT UP!

Hello family!!!

Soo yeah, this week has been good! Wow, sooo I am really tired! haha training, I never thought it would be so tiring, haha its different that’s for sure! Because you have to be an example 24/7, but with someone watching your every move, every second haha its been good! My kid is from Columbia and he is a good missionary, he has a lot to learn! He knows the language though haha its almost not fair haha we are doing good though. Trying to love him get to know him, trying to teach him! Hard, yes. The mission is hard. So hard. But possible? Yes.

And yeah so this week I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time in Spanish! We did it in 3 months with the mission and it was such an incredible experience. Like, wow! I did it! Haha did I understand every bit, nope, but I did it! It’s so cool, because I know it’s true!  I did Moroni’s promise, that if anyone asks God, with real intent, to know if it is true, they will receive an answer, and I did that- I just knew it. I know it’s true. I love telling people that too! IT’S TRUE; READ IT! The book is blue and its true!

Also, Stanley, our Haitian. I just love that guy. We haven’t been able to visit him but last night, it was pouring rain and he was home and he is just the best! HE prayed, he prayed and asked if it is true! Haha but it is so weird teaching in English haha I love it though! I wish I could do it more here, but I love Spanish too! 

General conference was super good! I loved the talks and just love feeling the spirit! Haha it was all in Spanish which was fun, at like the 10th hour I was just done though haha tired! But I am excited to hear it in English too, or read it in English, but it was just so good! 

Life here is good. I could use prayers, its tiring haha but I love it! I love the people. Even though some are very difficult, even though people scream at us or slam the gate in our faces, or just ignore us, it doesn’t matter. Children of God. And I love ‘em. Is it hard to love them sometimes? Yeah, it is honestly. But I know that if God loves them, heck, that means so should I. I love you all. I am so grateful for this gospel, its true!!!! I invite all to open their hearts, really discover for yourself. IT TRUE!!! And I love it so much!!

Much love!!

 Elder Carney

 BRADLEY and his new companion in the tallest building in Santaigo!!!

March 30, 2016

LIFE JUST GOT REAL……

Hello family!!!

Soo shoot, looks like I’m pregnant...nah I’m a trainer!!! I have a kid!!!! And he is a Latino, yep from Columbia, Elder Garzon, he is a really good guy, just trying to get to know him and it’s just weird because he knows Spanish and I don’t...haha so I have to train him to be a missionary. And I will be honest, its super stressful already! Haha but I’m excited! It will be good! So this means I will have another 3 months in my sector which is good, but we are going to change this ward around! So yeah, I’m a dad!!! His accent though, man it’s so weird haha have to get used to it, how he speaks! Haha never thought that would happen anytime soon! What is cool is that 2 other guys from Colorado from my group, Elder Maser and Elder Brown, we all got lost together in Atlanta, yeah they are training too! But training gringos, which is cool! Someday I want a gringo to train, but for now, got to train this guy! But life is good. I’m alive, the 29th was good, we just stayed inside and played board games and chilled, wasn’t really a vacation though haha we did a super deep clean of the house! But yeah life is good family. I want to hear about your lives! I am sorry this is short, super short, but I love you guys and yeah, life no mas! Love you all, praying for you daily and I wish you all the best!!!!!!

Elder Carney

Fam Bam, what's up! March 23, 2016

March 23, 2016

Fam Bam, what’s up?

Hello family!!!!

So this week, was really good! We are just living life here in Chile, haha oh next week on Tuesday, we have to be indoors all day, we can’t leave because it’s a day where rebellion and everything goes down, like turn up in Chile! Haha basically the purge, for all of you who have seen it! Haha so that will be fun! 

This week, hmmm oh, we had 72 people come to church!!! Yes, 72, that is the most we have had in such a long time, it was super great! Most of them were girls, haha women, what is sad that there is no priesthood in the ward, just sad! Anyways, it was a good week! We are still teaching Stanley, the Haitian that we found and he is just the man!!! It’s hard to teach him in English haha the gospel sounds so weird in English!!! But I love it! Oh sign language is super cool too, haha I guess it counts as another language, but it’s so different, so cool! I really want to learn American Sign language when I am back or something! 

Not sure if you guys have seen, but the new Easter video, He Lives, no, Hallelujah, not sure what it is, but its SOO good! It’s an incredible video, basically saying that Christ rose the third day, that he lives, and that he changes lives, that we can find new lives through him, I just love it, because its true! CHRIST LIVES!!! WE CAN CHANGE, thanks to him. Start new, fresh pages. It’s the gospel of hope, it’s the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Church of Jesus Christ, the only true church!!! It’s just incredible to teach!! And its semana santa, haha, or holy week here, people celebrate it and leave town, all that, they don’t have to work for 3 days, so that’s nice for us! But yeah, the celebrate it a week here! What else? Life is just going dandy! We went to the Colo stadium today and also played some futbolito, haha some soccer on small fields, super fun, but yeah, Colo Colo is a team here, a soccer team who are pretty ghetto haha but So famous in Chile, and when games are on for them, it’s kind of dangerous, haha but yeah! I love soccer, man I love it!

God is good. He lives. It was a good week, we are finding people, and working hard, or here they say, caminamos mas que kung foo, haha just another dicho, another saying they have. It’s not Spanish they speak here, it’s really bad, fast and filled with sayings haha, but yeah family, that’s about it! I love you all so much!!!

This is my invitation to you all, to share the gospel, share your happiness with people who you don’t think would accept it, to people who need help, to everyone, because everyone deserves a second chance, everyone deserves to feel the love of Christ. He is real. He lives. Share it. It’s true!!! And if you don’t know it’s true, find out for yourself, ask god. Ask him. Its real! I love being a missionary, even though it is soo hard, and some days it just feels impossible, I love it. I love bringing others unto Christ. So, just come unto him. Let him take you in. I love you all and am praying for you all daily!!!!

Elder Carney

Jdawg iz in the House! March 16, 2016

March 16, 2016

Jdawg iz in the House!!!!

What is up my family!? 

So this week has been good! We did a temple tour with one of our menos activos, (less actives) Ivan, he is just awesome. He is 23 and we found him working with the 23-page list on less active members, haha yep welcome to Chile! But he is just incredible and is changing his life! Also, today for Pday, we went to the temple and it was just super super good. I LOVE THE TEMPLE. So blessed to have temples all over the world, to have one close in our mission, to be able to feel of God’s love for us. I was sitting in the celestial room and just looked in the mirror, and what’s incredible is that everything goes on for eternity. That families truly can be together, that this is not the end. There is another life, we lived with God before this life and we will live with him again. We are preparing to go back home, our real home. And I just love that! I love that we have that. ITS TRUE! This gospel is true. We have the authority of God, to seal families together so they can live with one another, for eternity. I just love that!!! Learning and speaking with all these other religions is really cool, I love learning their beliefs and all that, but everything we do, everything we have, is in the scriptures, is in our religion. It’s just a testament that God lives, that he has a church, and something that I invite everyone to do, EVERYONE, is to pray about it.

Because as missionaries, we can preach all we want, we can stand in the street with microphones and play music like evangelicals and lots of other churches do, but to truly know, you have to pray. You have to ask GOD specifically if these things are true. Find out for yourself. You will receive an answer. He has a plan for every one of his children. He knows your name. He loves you more than you can imagine. Boom. I love the temple. I love God, I am so blessed to be a servant of Jesus Christ. He is our savior! He knows us, he loves us. He lives to bring us home. 

I love you all. Life is good over here in Chile, it’s just a grand old time! I love you and am praying for you all. I}GOD IS GOOD. 

Elder Carney

PICTURES!!!!

1)Yes, we have a hammock...yes we broke it!!   

2) Our Hawaii activity!!

3)Colo Colo is a crummy soccer team here - but cool shirt!!

4) Video !!  Still got it, kind of!!!!

5) Some of the javens (youth) here!  

6) Can't do a back flip anymore, but can still rock the one handed hand stand!

der Carney

March 9, 2016 I Can't do a Backflip anymore!!

March 9, 2019

I can’t do a backflip anymore!

Well family and friends....it hit. I tried doing a backflip for mutual, one of the youth wanted to learn, see me do it, and well...I almost ate it. I can’t do a backflip anymore...I’M FAT!!! Haha so time to break out the P90X abs workout, haha nah...but I was just so sad!!!! So there it is, I lost it. Fat and loving it. 

Anyways, this week was good, it has been an adventure. I am tired! Today for Pday we played soccer, well it’s called bebe, which is little courts, little soccer fields, they are everywhere here! Super cool! And also, one of our investigators came! Victor, he is like 40 and an awesome guy, he destroyed us all but I still have a little something in me from soccer haha, still can hold my own! I love playing with Latinos, they just play so different, so fluid, and then gringos, It’s just a wreck! 

This week was good, we are now starting English classes at the chapel. Something interesting happened, we were contacting and earlier that day we had a zone meeting in which they talked about how we pretty much need to have more faith, pray for miracles- get out and see the Lords hand, see miracles every day! And so I really wanted that, and I was praying for it, that something would happen, and we came across this guy, Stanley, yep from Haiti! There are so many Haitianos here, and people from other countries working because in there countries they don’t pay like anything, and this guy spoke English! Like island English, but it was SO sick!!!! And he brought us to his house, he was excited just to speak English, he has 2 months here in Chile and we are now teaching him!  He has the craziest stories, about Haiti and why he is here in Chile, just such an incredible guy, and we are super excited to work with him, and it’s in English! It feels like we are in the states, this guy is sick!! So pray for Stanley, he is incredible. 

I just love learning peoples stories here, life stories. One thing I have noticed this week, is that we need to respect everyone, need to love everyone. We don’t know what people are going through in their lives, yet people in the world are so judgmental and it’s sad, truly sad. Just have respect, treat everyone like family and friends, take off the masks and stop the judging, we are all children of God, nothing else. Doesn’t matter where people have been, what they have done, everyone and anyone can start new, can feel of Gods’ love, can start again.  And thanks to Jesus Christ we can do this, through the atonement, we can do it!!! I love the atonement, it’s incredible. USE it. It’s for us. I am learning about it every day here, I am in awe for what Jesus Christ did for me, for everyone, he died for me. He suffered and he also was resurrected, for us!! It’s amazing!!!!

Alright family, I love you. I am praying for you all. Please pray for me and these  people I am teaching. GOD IS GOOD, don’t ever doubt that. 

LOVELOVE LOVE

Elder Carney

March 2, 2016 Sunny in Santiago

March 2, 2016

Sunny in Santiago!

Hello family! So this will be kind of a short letter, super sorry! Today, we went paintballing!!! Super sick!!! It was awesome, got some good welts but all worth it! I love P-days! 

Anyways, so we had an activity this week, viaje (Trip) to Hawaii, which pretty much is a Plan of Salvation activity. We all board a plane like we are going to Hawaii, and then the plane crashes (this really graphic plane crash, haha probs scared some kids) and then every dies, yeah? Then they go to the Telestial kingdom, and find out what is there. People who continue in sin, continue to do bad things, all that. This dark room, with just a night light, just creepy, cold. And then Terrestial Kingdom, which is just worldly things, just sports, everything, just not eternal happiness. Then the Celestial Kingdom, which is just super bright, with a big photo, stand up of Jesus Christ, and just peaceful, and just really cool! So we did that activity. Yes, the missionaries. No one else. We set up, did everything! It was so so frustrating, just me and my comp doing everything, finally we got some help and thank goodness, people came! And it was really good! Haha turns out we had 9 people come who we are visiting, which is really good! And then the next day at church, yep, 0 came. Everyone was sleeping. Welcome to Chile! So frustrating!!!

Anyways. This week, I honestly have been humbled. I have just noticed my pride, and just I didn’t feel like myself. I haven’t felt like myself lately. And I read a talk which just pretty much destroyed me, then built me back up. That’s kind of been the way this week has gone haha! But I needed it. I needed to truly, just pray. I just had a time when I just needed to pray, just think, and I felt so much better after. Just trying, telling God, here I am. I know I am weak, I know I can’t do this alone. I truly can’t. I try so much, and I know I have so much to learn, but I need His help. And I’m willing to do it. 

And it was hard!!! It’s hard to just own up to our mistakes, just ask for help! I hate asking for help, but we need to do it! We can’t do it alone in this life. It’s impossible. And we have a Savior, Jesus Christ, a God who loves us so so much, and sees our potential and puts things in our way to make us grow. And we just need to do it! Stop messing around and do it. 

So that is what I learned this week.  Alright, questions! I want everyone to send me questiones, about Chile, missionary work, anything! GO for it!

I just love you all. It was a very humbling week. I am super sorry that I am not going to write more, but next week! I love you all. I am so grateful for you guys, for my family, friends, my life! For God. To be able to feel his love, and to help others feel of it. 

Always remember, we are children of God, he loves us. He will never fail us. 

Elder Carney