The First Month in Chile

Hello everyone!  David is doing well, and it was so much fun to Skype with him for Mother's Day.  He is doing well.  Cold, though.  He did go and get a great big comforter, and says he is sleeping much better now.  He wanted a bunch of warm clothes (thermals, etc.) and wanted me to send them to him.  So I'm supposed to find long underwear and such in North Carolina in May?  Not likely.  I can't find warm clothes here in December.  But, he is finding places to shop and will survive.  Then when summer hits down there, he will not be happy to drag all his cold weather gear around with him!  Here is his email from this week.  No pictures--we have had very few pictures from Chile.  We will ask him to take some more pictures. 

You can write to him at dearelder.com, (Chile Santiago West Mission) or at david.cheney@myldsmail.net.  He does not have a lot of time to reply to everyone individually, but he sure appreciates hearing from you!

Love, Brenda

Hola familia!!

How is everybody doing?!?!?!?!

THis week has been amazing. Its really hard right now because we dont have a lot of investigators and a lot of people say that they are going to be at their house and then they never are. But this week has been so amazing because i have been through the refining fire of the lord.

An Elder in my pension said that every missionary goes through this process. (and in fact every person should go through it) But when you need pure gold you basically have to burn the heck out of it and basically destroy it. And that is exactly what the lord has done with me this week. I basically went through heck this week but it only made me stronger and better for the lords work. I still have a super long way to go but i know the lord is there for me.

I know you guys are never alone! just pray to have help from the lord. He wants to hear from you. He is waiting.

ITs wierd to think about it. Im on my mission! Ive only thought about this for my whole life and 2 months comin up on 3 and its going by so fast. Always live in the moment!!!

A couple stories i dont have a lot of time hahaha

First of all yesterday in the morning we about to leave the pension for church and the door was locked. And my companion lost the keys.  So what happened was the other elders thought we left so they locked the door. There was no way out because the windows have bars on them. we were locked in our own house and what made it worse was that we didnt have credit on our phone so we had to wait until someone called us and finally they got the keys and got us out. IT basically sucked haha

Second we were walking in the street and then a borracho (drunk) motioned us over and said that his mom died and he takes drugs and his life is a mess. But he wanted to change and he knows we can help him. PERFECT! haha we have a lesson lined up with him this wednesday and we just hope he isnt going to be drunk haha. Then when we said goodbye he kissed my hand! Hahah welcome to chile.

I know everyone is doing great and i hope you all remember that the lord is there for you always.

Look up Mosiah 3:19 in the book of Mormon. This is what i have had to learn to do this week. Put off the natural man and love others life is so much more enjoyable. I know you guys can do this.

Solo amor!!

I love you all so much!!!

Keep it real!!!

Elder David Cheney