Put on your Adventure Hat! June 15, 2016

That's SMOG, not clouds, hello lung cancer!

My adventure hat!

 June 15, 2016

Put on your Adventure Hat!

Hello family!!

Wow, so first off, today was pday and I put on my adventure hat and we climbed a hill!!!Haha it was super fun, wow. Just trucking up a mountain (hills here) and heart beating, sweating, I feel SOO out of shape, but I just love it so much, hiking. WOW, it was incredible!!! I miss it, that’s for sure! But today was sick!! It’s called Cerro Chena, and we of course decided to go the hard uphill way instead of the long way! Haha I miss it so much, I was just trucking up that hill, haha I love it! Latinos struggled a little bit, haha but the gringos we are so out of shape haha! But anyways, God is good. I felt like I was in nature, and got to be above all the smog and filth, actually breathe real air, first time I have my whole mission! SO yeah, I can’t WAIT to be sore tomorrow, I miss it! 

Oh side note, I love Haitians. There are soo many here, and I just love them. We are finding so many and trying to teach them, they are some of the most humble and loving people. Black people are the best. They are filled with pure love and energy; we all need that!!! Sorry side note done

This week. Wow, what a good one. We had our talent show with our ward, and like over 50 people came!! Super good! And I sang!!! Haha yep, team no fear. I sang “Thinking out loud” by Ed Sheeran, and it was really fun actually! Sang with a guy who played guitar and a girl who sang, like a duet, was super chill! The elders, we all did an act but I can’t upload it! It was super funny though, where our arms were not ours! SO me and this other elder, we were sitting and the other elders were our arms and we did the life of a missionary, like waking up, shaving, eating breakfast, stuff like that! Super funny, really fun too! 

It has been COLD lately, soo cold! Haha but really good too!!! Just getting out of the shower and feeling like you’re going to die of cold, haha rough! But all is well. Like my favorite quote, suffering with happiness, or suffering with a smile, that’s my life! 

We had our last conference yesterday with President and Hermana Cook. WOW. It was incredible...they are literally my favorites; I am going miss them so much. Truly I have ben so blessed to have gotten to know them for a year, soo blessed. The conference was one of my favorites, they gave talks and stuff and thy were just so good. About apostasy, repentance, and a bunch of other stuff. SOO GOOD. I love being a missio0nary, I love bringing and inviting others to come unto Christ. We are soo unique, we don’t push people, scream in the street like the evangelicos do telling people to repent or their going to hell. NO. We invite others to come unto Christ, by learning of him, by making covenants with him. And it’s all TRUE!!!! This gospel is true!

I have had soo many spiritual experiences, and just moments of pure love I have felt, for people and from God, but I just can only tell you guys that he lives. That Jesus Christ and Heavenly father, they love us, unconditionally. I love this gospel, this happiness. I am so blessed to be here and in this mission, at this moment. 

It’s been a wild ride. 11 months. Wow. But still have so much more to learn!!! GOD IS GOOD. HIS LOVE IS UNFAILING.

I love you all. Praying for you. GO out and share your happiness

Elder Carney

Morts Tummy hurts 6/8/16

June 8, 2016

Mort’s tummy hurts!

Hey family and friends!! Not sure why I put that subject line, just reminded me of Madagascar haha! 

HELLO!! Or as Chileans say, chello, how are chu!? That’s pretty much all I hear when I walk the streets here, oh also every cuss word. Chileans don’t know like any English, only the cuss words, thank you world! 

So wow. I am going to do a bullet point thing again, sorry! But it’s going to be great!

• I had my last interview with president last week. WOW. I love him. He is like, a prophet to me haha. Literally so full of wisdom and he is just incredible, I am going to miss him a ton. They leave this change. I would love to tell you all the dets, but I am just going to keep it personal. Just know, that I am so grateful to have been called to this mission, to serve these people, to be here. Blessed
• Changes are in 2 weeks, I might be going (pray for me) haha no, but we will see what goes down
• Played soccer today, still got it in me, yet feel fat and like I can’t run
• I was sleeping and I woke up, and I don’t know what happened, but I like jolted, my body had like a spazzz attack and I NAILED my head on the wall haha, it hurt so bad! I thought I was bleeding! So I have a nice little goose egg!
• We had 6 people, 6 investigators come to church, I repeat, 6!!! The most I have ever had in my mission! It was sooo incredible. And this dope new family, this family they are just gold. I love them! Their mom just died like a month ago, their dad less than a year ago, and one of them is less active, Mauricio, and he is just incredible, A returned missionary. And his family, we are now teaching all of them, and they are just SO cool! So I am really excited about that!
• I saw a dead cat in the street, not just dead, it got demolished. 
• Starting to like cats here, this might be a problem, signs I have been here to long
• Have seen so many women breastfeeding, just whipping it out and their kids going at it. Pray for me
• I got to go see my old ward!!! Covarrubias! Philipe, a guy in my old Chilean family, familia Gonzalez Turedo, he got baptized!! SO cool! So I got to go and see it, it was soooo good! Truly he changed his life around, and I am so excited for him. It was so good to see this family. Wow, they are incredible. I love them so much!
• We are doing a talent show this week, haha tots going to sing a song in front of everyone, haha why not!? SIN VERGUENZA!!!!
• I love Jesus Christ. I love this gospel. It’s true. Thank you for all your prayers, they have carried me through the thick and the thin, I am so blessed to be here, and I love and miss all of you!!!

That’s it!! LOVE LOVE LOVE, besitos (kisses) and choito!!!

Elder Slim Shady Carney

Throwing Up & Getting Assaulted 5/26 & 6/1/16

May 25

Throwing Up & Getting Assaulted

What up family!!!

Wow so where to start off. Remember how I told you we ate Columbian food for my comp last pday, in this little shop and everything? Yeah, well, threw that all up. Later that night, last Wednesday, I just needed to throw up, I felt soo bad, and it turns out, so did all the other gringos! My comp was perfectly fine though, so we were all suffering, Thursday we literally couldn’t get out of bed, just all were quarantined in a room. Just 3 elders, sick, all in the same bed, on the floor, just kind of miserable. So that was fun! But, I recovered. Just never eating Columbian food again!

Today for pday we went and played bowling which was fun! They play American music too, so that’s a bonus! I suck at bowling, I just mess around, and its super fun! Got a solid like 4 strikes though! Then had some McDonalds, which man, I love America. God bless America. 

Oh yeah, last night! We were walking on this street, these two like 10 year olds go up to this girl in front of us, and rob her, steel all her stuff and like molested her, touched he inappropriately. I was pissed. I went up to them, and told them to get out of here, this little kid came up and nailed me in the leg! Like hard, and I almost dropped the little guy. I was PISSED. This kid was a shrimp and I was so close to slugging him, then this adult, yes, adult in the car was looking around in his car franticly, I thought it was a gun so I decided best not and told them to leave. I was just amazed`. How sad it is, that little kids are robbing people, that society can be so bad. We walked the girl to her house, she was crying, she was like 15 and going to work on a school project. Humanity, man, it is so sad.

But I learned a big lesson. I was just disgusted with humanity, with this society, what we live in, and I guess I just figured that you know what, everyone can play their part. Yeah, there are bad things in the world, but there are soo many good things. SO many people, who are good! The power of the adversary, is real. So real. But we know who is going to win. We are on Gods team. We may fall down, but we will always get back up. And thaws like it in the gospel. We will fall at some point, many will fall, but we always have to get back up, keep forgiving, keeping moving forward, not looking in the past. 

It’s hard. Its hard being a missionary, being a member sometimes. Yet when we look at all the blessings, all that we do have, it is such a privilege, such a grand opportunity that we have. To grow closer to Jesus Christ, to one-day return to live with our heavenly father. I love it!!

So yeah, that was kind of fun! Just throwing up and got kicked by a midget I was about to own. In the mission, it’s said that you have 1 free punch, so use it wisely. Haha I was about to use it, but I didn’t. Not sure why, but I didn’t. 

Just be good. Love one another. Love God. We are so blessed. We need to realize that, and help others. God is good. 

I love you all. I bought a volleyball today and laid in my hammock for like 1 hour, and it was blissful. I just love it! I love you, I am praying for you all. God IS GOOD. Peace and blessings!!

Elder Carney

June 1, 2016

Helloooo!

Hello my family!!! 

So yeah, this week. Not really sure all that happened!  

• We are finally back into our house, all nice and remodeled, so that’s cool
• Getting sick yet again, welcome to my life
• We have this SICK new family that we ae teaching, one is a less active and the rest are investigators, and they are awesome, so we are excited about that!
• Played soccer today, got kneed in the leg, can’t really walk right now, just limping around, but all is well
• It’s been freaking cold at night lately
• We are finding so many Haitians, and it’s so frustrating, some can’t speak Spanish or English, so we just kind of try to communicate with them, someday I will learn French!
• I am just living life as a missionary. Really blessed. I love this gospel, I love being a missionary, life is good.

That’s about it! I don’t really know what else to say! But yeah, I am sorry, super lame email! But I love you all and next week I will say a lot more!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!

Elder Carney

May 18, 2016 SHALOM!

Apparently, the FORCE is with him!!!  VADERING it up in CHILE!!!

May 18, 2016

SHALOM!!!

What up family, my friends, everyone in the 303 and in the USA! This week has been good. We are just working hard, or as they say here, sacando la mugre!!! Which literally means taking out the blood, welcome to Chile, there are saying and weird dichos for everything! 

This week, hmmm what has been new? Oh we had an activity here in our ward, that they planned for like 3 weeks, and like 15 people showed up haha so that was fun! But it was good, it was a festival de postres, so just ate desserts and all that!  I bought a brownie mix, haha I don’t have time to make a cake or anything from scratch! But they were prime!

So new guy in our house, Elder Willis, from Utah, he is a homie. Chill guy, super sick! Umm everything is going good, my comp is doing good! 

Today we went to the temple and went and ate at a Columbian restaurant, which was good! Haha now I feel sick, but whatevs, it’s the mission, we pretty much have diarrhea nonstop for 2 years. SOO sick of rice with chicken, or I should say oil, with a little bit of rice and chicken! But I am grateful that I have food.

The people here are awesome. I love them. Is it hard sometimes loving the people? Yes. But deep down, no matter how crappy the day or how cold you are walking around all day in the rain and nobody’s letting you in, it doesn’t matter. It’s all about love.

God loves us. So much. At times I question that, at times I am like, how? There are SOO any people in this world, how can he know ME, and know my name, and feel what I am going through? At times we all will question that, but think of all the moments that he has been there, that he has had a hand in our life. He is there. He DOES know us. He loves us more than we can know.

I am tired, haha as I always say, but I love being tired. Life is good!!!

Its getting colder here, raining and all that, and just super cold at night! Time for winter!!

That is all my family. I am sorry, not really anything special happened this week! Oh, this Haitian, Stanley, who is just the best, he called me his nigga, hahah I just started cracking up hahah what a homie. 

GOD LOVES US. LET HIM IN. love you all

Elder Carney

Long Time No See! May 11, 2016

We had so much fun Skyping with Elder Brad Carney on Mother's day!!  He looks GREAT and sounds so happy!  It was so awesome!!! We had our Denver family on the call, as well as Danny in Utah, and Katy& Marty & twins from NYC!  It was the best!!!!!

May 11, 2016

Long Time No See!

Well hello family! wow, that was soo weird to see you all. Haha to see your faces and hear your voices. super weird! Yet soo good to hear and see you guys, I miss you like crazy! I just love my family; you all are the best. And almost cried, but didn’t, thanks mom, for being you. YOU THE REAL MVP mama carney. Love you!!!!

Katy, Happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!! And so yeah not really sure what to talk about this week! We had changes, but I’m staying and have to finish my kids training, but yeah another 6 weeks in this ward! It’s really progressed a lot, little by little, has it been super hard, yes, but I’m really blessed. Tired, yep, but blessed as ever! 

Hmm not sure what to say, going to do bullet points, deal? deal.

• I now am like, a haircut person, I have cut like 5 peoples hair, and I will be honest, and prideful, they look dang good!!! so #newhobbie
• we have an activity of postrew, of desserts this Saturday, not sure what to bake, but I need a recipe, something American if you could please send me one!!
• Still living 6 in our house, well the other house, our house is getting renovated, and probs going to be another 2 weeks
• Chile is cold in the winter, the houses have no insolation and it’s like a refrigerator
• I almost got bit by a dog, but #protected by God
• played soccer on a big turf field today with a ton of missionaries, my leg started hurting, from my injury my senior yet, my IT band, so that kind of sucked, going to take it easier now
• Wow, I can’t breathe here. I feel fat
• The people are good, we are finding some new people to teach. They are just sweet,
• my kid (his younger companion he is training!)  is doing good, he is a good missionary, just trying to bring the spirit in every moment, in lessons and everything, that’s the challenging part as a missionary. The spirit is the teacher, not us, AMEN
• that’s pretty much it....God is good.

I love you all!!! Have a GREAT weekend, and remember how much God loves you. To trust in his plan. I am so grateful to be here, honestly, I feel like I have progressed so much, learned so much, and yet have soo much to learn, yet I am so grateful that I am here. God loves us, he has a plan.

Trust in his plan. In his love. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU ALL

E Carney

Today was WILD! May 4, 2016

May 4, 2016

Today was WILD!!!

Hello family!

SO today we went to the zoo!!! Haha pretty crappy zoo, and it’s like all on a hill, but it was fun! Shoot I can’t send pictures in this computer, super sorry! But yeah, it was good! Got to see some aminals, as Danny used to call it, or something! Haha but yeah, chill pday.

Wow, how are you all!? Thank you all so much for all the letters and everything, literally, letters to a missionary, makes the world. SO much. Thank you!!! 

This week was good. We are finding a lot of new people, like all of yesterday, we found so many new people, it was honestly so nice to see. After working hard and trying to find new people to teach, and feeling like nothing, NOTHING was working after so long, we found them! So that’s kind of good! 

Oh this one guy. Mauricio. We literally have been trying to go by him for the past 4 months, the time I have been here. He is a returned missionary and he works all the time, so we haven’t been able to find him. Then, the other day, I saw this tatted up guy and really big guy standing outside his door, and I was like, THATS HIM!!! And we like rushed over there and it turns out it was him! And it also turns out, his dad passed away a month ago, his mom has cancer, and he is really struggling. He said he knows he needs to do the things like he should be doing, and he knows that God sent us in that moment to help him. after searching for him for so long and telling him that God loves him, that he has a family, and a plan, it was incredible. We have a return appointment with him too, that was kind of a miracle moment. We never gave up trying to find him, and finally we did!

It’s been good. Yesterday was like, hot, and it was incredible!! I miss hot weather! Well, US hot weather, the sun here in Chile, is like straight up UV, straight up cancer, SOO strong! And the smog, I am pretty sure I will have lung infections when I get back. But yeah!

Spiritually, I feel like I am learning so much. So so much, yet I fault so much too.  Always there are things to work on. 

I want to share one of my favorite scriptures with you all. Its in 1 John 4:19 which says

“We love him, because he first loved us.” 

Really, I am discovering that. I am discovering why we do all the things that we do. Why do we pray? Why should I pray? Why should I go to church? I am tired. I don’t want waste 3 hours of my day. Why should I do all the things that we do? 

It’s because He loves us. That’s why we do them. He loved us, and that is all that matters. He knows us. He loves us more than we can know. And we do those things, we do all these things, because we love him. 

I love that. So so so much. that scripture might be my favorite, for life. It’s true. So true. We do these things, because we love him, and that is how we can show our love for him, because he loves us SO much.

I love him. I am so grateful for him. I love this knowledge, this gift that I have. And I am soo blessed. 

He lives. He loves us.

Elder Carney

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