March 2015, Last email!

TO be completely honest this does not feel like my last letter nor does it feel like my last days in Chile.....its like everyone telling me that the sky is red over and over when i know its blue! Haha and to be honest i feel like im just going to start a new change.

Well family and friends this is it i guess. First i just want to thank everybody who has helped me througout  my mission really the mission isn't easy sometimes and actually very hard and the most comforting thing is a nice letter or words of advice. Really it helped me out a lot.

But its hard to really describe with words what has happened these last two years.....actually its impossible haha. When i think about these two years they have been so special and so beautiful and worth it that just thinking about it makes me cry haha. I think the biggest feeling that comes to my mind is gratefulness. For all the people that i have met and for all the experiences that i have had which have led me to a personal conversion to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Im so grateful that i was allowed to have a little part in this great work to help others come to this knowledge, it has been such a blessing to experience that joy and happieness that we had together.

I just want to leave you guys with my testimony, things that i believed to be true before and now i know to be true.

I testify that God called Joseph Smith to be the prophet that restored his church and with that the knowledge and power that families can be forever through the gospel of Jesus Christ. That he has given us sacred gifts, prayer and the book of Mormon to know these things are to be true. I know that as we read and pray we become closer to God and we become way happier. I know that God answers questions and loves each one of us, no matter who we are or what we have done, that love is always there. I know that the Gospel is the more excellent way and the happier way like it says in the scriptures. And I know and testify that the Atonement of Christ is real. It is real. It covers EVERYTHING, sins, temptations, pain, sorrow, sadness, depression, difficult times, sickness, everything. An endless gift of love for all of us if we are will to accept him, in return to heal us, comfort us, help us, and to change us.  Jesus Christ lives, he is the Savior and Redeemer of all of us and these things i know to be true in the name of Jesus Christ

Amen

I love you all and i will see you Tuesday!!!!

Elder Cheney


(David will be arriving home in Charlotte on Tuesday, March 10, 2015)

February 2015

Well family it just keeps going faster and faster......its unbelievable that im to this point. It actually scares me that the end is coming so fast. It was always something i believed to be far away.....hahaha.

That was so funny what they did. That actually is a family of investigadors that we are teaching. Their son Nico knows how to speak ingles so he wrote that hahaha Its fine that you didnt get it! Actually better its ok i didnt want a video hahahaa But it was very nice of them to celebrate my birthday i love that family so much!!! IT was way fun hahahaah!!!!!

Hahahaha mom thanks for asking me what im craving!! yep made me a little trunky. I would love to eat Chicken enchaladas the day i get home i seriously have wanted to eat it for 2 years!!!!! ahhaha but thanks for taking it back to the work!!

But despite that its coming down really fast we are seeing many blessings here in las americas. Everyone says that there isnt a lot of work in the summer because everyone is in the beach! Thats acutally completley true because everyone does go to the beach but in these last weeks we have seen so many miracles and blessings!!!

 

 

First Hernan and Mara

These people are amazing. They have been listening for about 2-3 weeks and they are progressing so much!! They are reading in the book of mormon and the wife has already gotten her answer that its true. We are working with the husband now! And we had a great lesson on temples and eternal marriage, and the law of chastity becasue they arent married. THat was an intense lesson and we invited them to get married before their bautismal date. They are going to pray and talk about it! But the lesson was way strong and they felt like they need to do it. And everything was good they were going to go to church sunday then we got a text message sunday in the morning that their parents to them to the south of chile for two weeks......................that was really sad......so we just have to wait two weeks until they get back to see where they are at......

Rodrigo and Christina.

In these weeks we have found a couple of great families one is a family of 4 and a family of 7! Rodrigo and Christina are the family of 4 and actaully christina grew up right next to the church in fact she would jump the fence to go to activities when she was younger ahahaha Rodrigo did scouts in the church when he was a little kid so they had always had contact with the church. We had the restoration lesson with them and they loved it that had actually read and it was the best comprehension i have seen in my mission. They really understood what they read. We invited them to be baptized and they said yes!!! Really prepared!!!! They are awesome!!!!

The thing is all the dates for baptisms will be 1 or 2 weeks after i get home. Which is like a little lame because i want to stay here but really it helps me be less focused on myself what i want and just helps me leave everything on the court like dad always says!!!

I love you all!!!

Elder Cheney

January 2015

So ive been slacking really bad these past couple of weeks........im sorry its been really hard to write!!!!

So mom you wanted to know how the people are doing.

Wel we are in a process of finding a lot of people!!

We have found a ton of people really it has been such a blessing!! But it has been hard hahaha because during the last part of december everybody says yeah thanks for comning and im excited to  keep listening come back after the new year so we did that and january and february are the months to take off here in chile they literally take off a whole month, so thats what a lot of people are saying now too, come back in march after vacations...............im like!!!!NOOOOO!!!!! I GO HOME THEN!!!!!

O a little frustrating hahaha!!

 But one guys that i would like to tell you about. His name is oscar. We have a department building that is basically a gold mine, we knock on doors and the people let us in right away hahah its awesoem, a little hard sometimes, we usually have to bring a brother with us becuase there are a lot of single women in the house.

But we found oscar contacting and really hes just a great guy looking for the truth!! We talked to him and really he has gone to every church and just looking for the truth but never felt like he has found it, and we are the first missionaries hes let in.

When we taught the restoratiion was unbelievable, we asked him what he thought about the first vision he said it was an amazing experience a wonder ful experience. and when we gave him abook of mormon it was like we gave him the original gold plates hahaha he was very grateful. Hes coming along great. THe lord ALWAyS has people prepared for the message of the restoration.

 I love you all and im so grateful for all that you guys do!!!

Elder Cheney

December 2014

ITS NOT LOOKING ANYTHING LIKE CHRISTMAS!

 

Welpt the title says it all. ITs so hot here its hard to get homesick for christmas, its like if someone in the middle of july tried telling you that its christmas and you have to celebrate it ahahaha it just doesnt work!!!

Well i have some big big news!!! things have been crazy and really we have had so many miracles in this sector its ridiculous!!!! I think some times god waits and saves up blessing and then all of a sudden BAM!!! he just rains them down!!!

THE BIG NEWS!!!!

Do you guys remember the Familia palavecino that got reactivated when i was in los nogales? well they are going to get sealed this friday!!! and they asked me to be a witness!!! im so excited!! This is really a huge miracle and i cant wait to see them this friday!! Its going to be such a good expierience seeing them get sealed to their children"!!! theya re just the best im going to take a lot of pictures and send them to you guys!!

i miss you all and i hope you are having fun getting ready for christmas!!!

You ugys should see the video that is in youtube HE IS THE GIFT we are using it a lot down here in the lessons.

 I love you all!!!

Elder Cheney

November 2014

It's getting HOT!

 

Well its getting really really hot here in chile. haha you are just always wet and sweating. sounds lovely doesnt it haha.

We really are seeing so many miracles here in the sector. and it was amazing to see clara oh i miss her and i dont even know her.

NICO

Well we are having discussions with a teenager named nico and i think i have told you about him last week. But he studied a little bit with the missionaries a while back but recently started. But he had become atheist. And really it has been a great expierience with him. Becuase we shared alma 22 with him like i said last week and we began to focus on just trying to know if god exists. This friday and saturday he really prayed and felt good and then he prayed agian and really had felt something that he had never felt before and now he really believes that God could exist and does. He is progressing a lot. An amazing expierience like Diego when he got baptized in january he went through the same thing.

We have been seeing so many blessings. I really think a whitewash is one of the best ways to begin to work in a sector we have found so many people. And people that really want to listen. Ive been learning that God really cares for each and everyone of his children.

Monday we had divisions and we were going to switch at 430 and so we had time to look for some of the less actives that we had on our lists and we knocked on a door and found a man named fernando he is like 45 and was baptized a while back. And it was a miracle. i have to explain what was happening before. He had lost his job, he had problems with his wife, he was celebrating the 4th year the same day of the death of his mom, and he had really reached a breaking point he ate lunch and then began to look in the internet for something to help him about God to help him change and become better, 10 minutes later he heard us call from outside. He said that God had answered his prayers through us and really he is doing great.

Then later that night in the sector that i went to to have divisions i ran into the familia Garrido!!!!! The family that was baptized in Q!uimey!!! And i almost cried they are doing great. Brother marcelo already got the melquisedec priesthood and hes the elders quorom cousler!!!! And a ward missionary!!! And the sister Joana is a visiting teacher and a ward missionary and the son alexis is now a deacon!!!! And the best news theya re going to go to SALT LAKE TO GET SEALED IN JUNE!!!!! Im so excited  i cant wait to talk to you guys about in skype!!!!

God loves everyone of his children and is mindful of every single one i love you all!!!
Much love to clara!!!

Elder Cheney

October 2014

October 2014

Well the weeks are just passing like days its really ridiculous and well sorry i havent really written a good letter in awhile but here i am now haha. I hope you guys are doing great!!!

Im just going to tell you how the people are doing!!

Daniel

Well we have a baptism this Sunday!!! we are so excited for a Man named Daniel Ilabaca. Daniel was studying with the jehovas witnesses but we left him a book of mormon and then passed by like a month and  a half later and he had read until alma. And then we invited him to listen and he began and then we invited him to the conference and he got his answer there. Then up until now really is has been a miracle because he just accepts whatever we teach without question. Hes a great person!! I will send you pictures neext week. 

Familia Ramirez

They are a less-activefamily that we are reactivating. The mom just got active and has a calling all the children are active now and the dad is almost there. they really are likke my family haha they are so fun!! The dad and the mom both served missions and the dad went to go visit people with us last week like 3 times during the week!! hes doing great he jsut needs a calling and hell be set!!!

We are working a lot with finding new people we have the same people that ive told you about and they are progressing thats something really awesome!!!

But the ward is getting pumped to go out with us, the last week we had 12 people go out and visit with us!! Really awesome!!! and how is the missionary work going over there? Who is in the ward right now? Elders or Sisters?

 

 

Take care of my dog!!!!

You have to update me of what is going on with melissa the whole baby sitiuation and send me a lot of pictures of when you go down to Georgia!!!

Im so proud of you guys that you are doing missionary work!!! 

I love you all!!!!

Elder Cheney

 

 

Another week goes by

It's absolutely ridiculous I feel like I just wrote, but this week has been better, it's getting better. Even though we walked for like 7 hours straight yesterday ha...ha ....nobody wanted to listen.

It was actually a weird winter this year here in Chile. I remember last year I was dying of the cold, but now it was a really warm winter and we are starting to get into summer again in a couple weeks. 

This week we had a great miracle. We are teaching a less active family and we invited the mom to read as well as the others. So Friday she got to 1 Nefi 3:7 and then loved it absolutely loved it and marked it. And she had been praying to know that these things are true. She had a dream that night that something bad happened. It happened the very next day and she was a disaster, and then she went back and read that scripture and it filled her with so much peace and comfort that she said, I know its true and I know what I have to do. Really incredible!!!

Then a funny story, we were walking down the street and this guy walked by with a bottle of Coke, 3 liters and some bread and said hi to us, and I tried to stop and say hi to him and he turned a little startled and kind of flung the Coke in the air. That sucker exploded and I got an eye full of Coke hahaha it was so funny!  We have a lesson with him this Sunday!!! It worked!!!

One thing that I found out this week was about Patriarchal blessings. They are personal covenants between God and each one of us individually!!! There are the covenants that we made before this life and all the blessings that God promised us in this life and the life after. I invite you all to read exactly what God wants you to do in this life to receive all the blessings that you need and you will see the difference in your life!!!

I love you all!! 

Elder Cheney