Danny is in Brazil!

Danny officially made it to Brazil last Tuesday and was able to send a quick email letting us know that he was there safe and sound:

I am here in Sao Paulo!!!  We only have like two minutes to email and tell you that we got here, but just wanted to let you know that I got here safely. Haha the Portuguese is definitely difficult, but I am loving it already.  I am about to meet my companion, he is from Argentina so that is exciting!  I will be able to email next Monday!  Love you all, tchau!
-Elder Carney

________________________________________________________________________

We also got a pleasant surprise from the President of the Montana Billings Mission where Danny was serving until his visa came through.  President and Sister Mecham sent us the following email:

Dear Brother & Sister Carney,

It has been our extreme pleasure to have Elder Carney serve in the Montana Billings Mission.  You should be proud of such a fine young man, gentleman, and spiritual giant.  We wish he could have been ours for the duration.  We know he will bless many in Brazil with his testimony and engaging smile.  He will definitely be a leader in the mission.  Here are a few photos from the time he spent here.

Our regards,
President and Sister Mecham

Danny with Pres. and Sister Mecham

All the missionaries who were waiting for their visas

Their trip to the Bozeman Temple

Pres. Mecham, Danny, Elder Pirillo, Sister Mecham

It was so great to hear from Danny's Mission President and to hear how loved he was there.  It's so great to see that contagious smile of his and the joy in his face as he is serving the Lord.

Danny's on his way to Brazil!!!

Note from Mom- Danny finally received his VISA, and is on his way to Sao Paulo Brazil!  He flew from Billings to SLC Monday morning, then from SLC- NYC, then from NYC to Sao Paulo.  He will arrive in Brazil Tuesday morning, after 24 hours of traveling!  We got to talk to him during his layover in NYC-- He sounds really great & very excited to go to Brazil.  He had a difficult time saying goodbye to the wonderful people in Montana, and truly loved his time serving there.  Here are his letters from this past week! Again, we are blocking out names of people he is teaching to protect their privacy.

NOTE* We are not sure that the address in Brazil is correct, so for now, email would be the best way to write to him!  We'll update as soon as possible!

Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2013- So I got here in Billings and I have been loving my time here. My companions, Elder Bishop and Elder Nielson are really great. We are in Shepard and I am really loving it, it is up above Billings and isn't too far away. But the reason that I am emailing you all on a Thursday afternoon is...

OUR PREPARATION DAY CHANGED!!!!!!!

Haha just kidding, that was definitely not the truth. The real reason that I am emailing on Thursday is below

I GOT MY VISA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Haha I am so incredibly excited!! It was funny because the way my companions were acting and the former zone leaders (Elder Burrows and Schlenker) and just how things have been working out made me really think I was getting mine, so it wasn't really surprising but very very exciting. I am going to be so incredibly sad to leave Montana, but I am excited to go! I will let you know as I find out more details, but I know I leave Monday! Love you all! Sao Paulo Here I come!!!!

Love,

Elder Carney

Here is his letter from Sunday night, his last day in Montana:

Sun. Sept 22, 2013 -Well since I am leaving tomorrow morning I was given the opportunity to email tonight since I wasn't sure if I would be able to tomorrow. Before I left Bozeman I was able to see some fo the people that we were teaching for a last time and we also set a baptismal date with T and R which was great! T is getting baptized this next Saturday and I so badly wish I could be there. He is an incredible kid and I am so grateful that we were able to teach him and his family. I also wasn't sure about setting a date for R, we weren't sure if that was the best time to do it, and I really didn't want to just because I was leaving, but Elder Brown felt very strongly during the lesson that we needed to, so on Tuesday night we set dates for both of them and R is scheduled to be baptized on October 12th. He has a lot of progressing that he needs to do, but if he is diligent then I believe he can be ready by then.

On Tuesday night we had dinner with this family, the Pitcher's, and their daughter and grandson was there, well they were talking about "party ice cream." So I asked their six year old son what it was and he replied "It's a party in your tummy!" All while rubbing his stomach with this little grin on his face. Haha this kid was cracking me up, but anyways it was a fun last little night in Bozeman.

 It was sad saying bye to people, and on Wednesday morning it was a huge downpour the entire first half of the day, basically all the way up until I left at like 1:30, haha so I felt like Bozeman was sad that I was leaving too. It was such a bummer to say goodbye to Elder Burrows and Elder Schlenker. They are fantastic missionaries and I was way bummed to not be able to be around them again. Like I said before, Elder Burrows reminds me SO much of Kyle and we have talked a lot about post mission things but I also am very aware that that is just a tiny bit in the future, Haha it was sad to say goodbye to him but that's all right. I was sad to say bye to Elder Brown, I truly have grown a lot in being ith him and learned a lot about being a companion and how to best be a companion for someone. He is a good elder and we met his new companion, and it seems like they will do well together. Haha I was talking about our area so much to him and to Elder Brown, I felt so responsible for it and these people, it was interesting as I was surprised at how hard it was to leave. So that was a bummer, but we were able to say goodbye to some families as well so that was good as we talked to them. Several of them were very kind to me and I was grateful as they said some nice things in parting.

So also on Wednesday, we had breakfast at my old apartment and Yani, the Indonesian lady who lived beneath us, made us all breakfast. I had told you a little about her before but she made and bought us SOOOOO much food. Haha like seriously, she was way super kind and we called her our "Mormon mom" even though she isn't Mormon. We all went down and sang "As armies of Helaman" to her and she starting crying since most of us were leaving. She is just such a neat lady and in her broken English she told each of us individually thank you for being her friend and God bless us. She is seriously one of the most charitable people I have ever met. Haha and she can talk someone's ear off but that made her all the more memorable! So then I said goodbye to my wonderful district and to all the people I had loved serving and serving with and came here to Billings. It was a long day but then I met my new companions, Elder Bishop and Elder NIelson.

Now some words before I go into that, I had discussed with Sister Greenfield, a sister waiting for her visa in my district in Bozeman, that I felt like if I got put in a trio or if I was moved to Billings this transfer then maybe that meant my visa was close. So then when I got put in a trio in Billings everyone thought for sure my visa was here, I was wanted to think this, but I was not sure since another elder had been put with these same elders for a whole transfer then was moved back out in Bozeman again. Haha so that was in my head, and I was way overanalyzing everything the Elders were doing and thinking if they were indicative of me receiving it or not, but I didn't ask them and just served as normal. Then on Thursday afternoon during our weekly planning session, I got a call from one of the assistants, Elder Olsen, who told me my visa was here and I was leaving Monday. Haha so I wasn't crazy surprised, but I was crazy excited!! Haha my companions said it was one of the most excited they had seen a visa waiter, because most were sad, but I told them how sad I was leaving Bozeman, and those other ones had served here in Billings when they found out, so I already went through the bummer news of leaving the area I had served so much in as opposed to an area I had been in for one day. But these last couple days have been really good as I have been serving with them.

 The Color Me Rad 5k was here in Billings on Saturday, and the Elder were volunteering Friday and then racing for free on Saturday morning. Well they raced in white shirt and ties and name tags with b-ball shorts, but there weren't enough volunteer spots for Friday, so I volunteered with some other elders to actually work the race Sat morning. We were assigned to the liquid green color station, so we were in charge of soaking all the runners with this green liquid that they had in abundance attached to a ton of hoses. It was super fun, and by the end I had complately green hands and arms, with it soaking through all my clothes, haha which meant basically everything had to be properly disposed of. Haha it even dyed my skin underneath my clothes, so basically I was the Hulk. I mean, the bulging muscles already lent to the effect, and the green was just a little side effect tthat finished it all off... haha nope, don't worry, still as distant runner-y as ever! So it was fun volunteering and targeting the other missionaries specifically as they ran by. We have been able to contact a lot of people these last couple days and I have loved being able to work hard even though I am leaving here soon. Today church was really good, also I was able to see Elder Wilson and Elder Devine, two elders from the MTC, as well as Elder McLaughlin who was moved to Bozeman to be in a trio in a different ward from the one I served in. Overall this week was really nice, just very crazy! I am really looking forward to tomorrow and going, but I am truly going to miss this place. I hd felt very strongly before that I was here for a specific purpose, otherwise I would have gone straight to Brazil. I was here for a reason and as I have prayed about it, I have felt very strongly that my purpose in being here has been fulfilled. I feel good about leaving here and I feel like I did my best to be the best missionary I could be for my area, my investigators, my companion, the other missionaries I served with, my mission president, and for Christ and God. I love Montana so much and am so incredibly grateful for the time I have spent here. I am sad to leave here but very excited to go on to my next adventure!

Com Amor,

Elder Carney

Happy Monday!!!

The latest news from our cute missionary!

"Well hello there!! I have had a great week. Seriously though, it was great. I really loved it and of course there were lots of ups and downs, but it was really enjoyable.

Last preparation day we had an awesome game of pod ball (dodgeball with some fun twists, free for all, no sides, lots of running) which resulted in an extreme injury for me. I jammed my left ring finger. It was pretty bad, lots of blood and hospitals and doctors and things like that. Haha except it actually really did hurt for a couple days though, I felt like a wimp.

But it was a great preparation day and we were able to eat at the C family’s again and share a thought in Portuguese, all while having Pao de Quijo (Cheese Bread) and some other delicious Brasilian food. I really liked it. Then on Monday night I went to another apartment in the old apartment complex that we used to live and started an exchange with the elders there. I was with Elder Salazar, an Elder who came to the mission a week before I did, but has been out for less time since I was in the MTC for so long. So we are both new, but it was really good because we were in his area so it gave him a great opportunity to lead and really take charge. It was great, I grew to love the people we met and were talking with and the members who fed us, it made me wish that I would have the chance to serve there sometime while I am here in Bozeman. So that was a great experience.

Oh! We also did a ton of service that day which was great, we went to this part member family’s home in the mountains here and helped the member's husband tear up his deck! Elder Salazar and I are quite good at being destructive and tearing things apart we found out, as most 19 year old males most likely are.  Luckily we weren't asked to actually build anything otherwise we would not have been able to perform as well I think.

We then spent three hours at the library here in Bozeman (Which is AWESOME. I seriously think it is so cool and I could spend so many hours reading here as a student or something) and we shelved books! Haha I gained a renewed appreciation for you mom, it was good but almost more tiring than the deck. Oh, I had to get tested on the Dewey Decimal System and alphabetizing, which was fun, but honestly a little nerve racking. But guess who passed with a perfect score? THIS ELDER.  Haha it was good to be able to serve for a long time and then we were able to see some members and proselyte.

On Wednesday we had some really good contacts with members of our ward and then Elder Brown got way sick that night. It was interesting because he seriously was SO out of it. So we went back to the apartment and he went to sleep at 7 pm and slept through the night, while he was doing so I was able to have some quality time calling members of the ward and those we are teaching to set up appointments and to study as well. I did my best to serve from my apartment. On Thursday we had a Zone Training which I had been really looking forward to, it was incredible. I really loved it. We were able to role-play some lessons that we were talking about and it went great. We also had a wonderful discussion on inspired questions and really being in-tune with the Holy Ghost to know what we need to ask those we are teaching. I have really tried to apply that more and I have seen little miracles happen during our lessons as I ask questions that lead to trains of thought and things the investigators need that we hadn't planned for. I love it.

I also was asked to prepare and lead a discussion on a very interesting topic, which was “What is a successful missionary and how do you become one?” It was pretty difficult at first because I had to really find out what I thought a successful missionary was, focusing specifically on Preach My Gospel, pages 10-11. You should go read those some time, they are really good. I prepared a lot for it and the discussion went really well, I was really pleased. In Preach My Gospel, the manual for how we can be missionaries essentially, it discusses and says that our success as missionaries is primarily determined by our "commitment to find, teach, and baptize." This is often a struggle for missionaries who don't baptize many or any and feel like that then means they aren't successful. So I was able to have a great discussion and hear people's opinions on what that means. I was able to emphasize that perfection is not a trait missionaries have or will have, but that our commitment to find, or us striving and doing all we can, to find teach and baptize is what determines our success. It went well and I was happy about it. 

Afterwards, we were able to serve at the food bank which was really good, I always loving doing so. Church was good, we had some great lessons, and it was a mission Fast Sunday so we were doing that.

Now to answer some of your questions: My ward is great, not very missionary minded and tiny, but it has been really progressing. We are striving so much to help the members become more oriented, and luckily we are blessed with a fantastic ward mission leader, who actually has picked up some ideas from me talking about Dad. We just cover this one ward, but it is huge. So big. I am pretty sure it is the size, maybe slightly smaller, of our entire Stake back home. Haha it's crazy. But the members feed us almost every night and we love them for doing that, they are really great. I am eating very well, and very healthy as well. I have almond milk now because we are discouraged from having a lot of dairy. I am eating lots of vegetables and fruit, and I am seriously fed really well by the members. Also, my quest to gain weight is still the same it always has been, I have gained like 2 pounds, then I lost one, now I think I lost another one. Haha I exercise a lot more now so that has been fun in the mornings, never running because Elder Brown doesn't like to, but lots of core and some weights with the ones we have.
Elder Carney

On Preparation Days we mainly clean, study, clean the truck, email, and then have time to play games like described above at the church, which is super fun! I love them and then we have dinner and go right back to the work! We try to ride our bikes as much as possible, which becomes interesting when your area is huge, but we only have a set number of miles each month, so we do that a lot, and the bikes are provided by the mission. I have gotten so good at riding without hands and I can even mark things in my planner while riding now, it's fun. Also, got your package, and absolutely loved it! I loved the coconut, it was delicious and I still have some. Elder Burrows loved it to, Elder Brown and Schlenker not so much. Haha so thanks for that, oh and the razor is fantastic, it has been so nice!!!

Oh and we had dinner with the Mortenson’s last week which was really good, especially because right before this random guy pulled his car up next to us on Main Street and asked if he could talk with us. His friends are LDS and one is on a mission and he said he wanted to know what we believe because his friends haven't ever been active and he has always been curious. We ended up teaching him the first lesson right there on the street and gave him a Book of Mormon, he unfortunately lives in Texas and was just visiting but we did all we could to either get his info for the missionaries there and to encourage him to go to Mormon.org and contact missionaries through that. It was definitely a tender mercy.

So I have some interesting and exciting news.

I AM GETTING TRANSFERRED.

Haha I found out last night but wasn't allowed to tell any other missionaries until this morning that I am being moved to Billings! I will be in a trio with the Zone Leaders there, Elder Bishop and Elder Nielsen, who I have heard are absolutely fantastic. I was super bummed/excited because I love it here and am so sad to be leaving the people I have grown to love through teaching and meeting with. So that was so exciting to hear that I am going there! Elder Brown is staying here as District Leader and he is getting a new companion and from what we have heard it is a really good opportunity for him to be a leader in the companionship. The rest of our Zone is getting pretty torn up as well: Elder Burrows is going to be a Zone Leader in Kalispell, which is actually an area he was in for six months and where he was Zone Leader before, so he’s really excited about that. I am way bummed to not be able to be around him again, we've become great friends and we both wish we could serve together but he is going to do great there.

Also, interesting thing is that often when visa-waiters are put into trios, especially in Billings, it is an indication that their visas are close... we'll see, maybe I am just needed in Billings right now, but that could be exciting, so we will just have to wait and see what happens in the future. Keep sending things to the mission home, they will redirect everything to my new place! Well I love you all so much, I am so glad to hear you all are ok with the floods, some people have been telling me about it and I was a little worried but figured I would hear something if anything bad happened. Keeping all of those people in my prayers. Love you all so much, and Billings here I come!!!!

-Elder Carney

It has, yet again, been a great week in Bozeman!

It has yet again been a great week here in Bozeman, Montana! I absolutely love it here, and although it is hard, it is so good as well. I am really grateful to be here. Last week was really good, we had some opportunities to serve and on Thursday we served at the Foodbank like we always do. I seriously love it there so much. The people are so friendly and come from all over in such different circumstances. I love just hearing people talk about their days and I love marking cans and putting them out on the shelves even if it makes me want to wash my hands because I don;t like germs of any kind. But it is good for me, especially because eventually i will be in some places that aren't too sanitary.

 Anyways, I keep on switching in my thinking of when my visa is going to come! Part of me thinks that I am going to leave like next week, then sometimes I think I am leaving in six months! Either way I love it here and I know I will love it there so I am a happy camper. This last week we were able to teach M's husband and her about the Restoration. It went so incredibly well. It really touched their hearts and R (NOTE:we aren't publishing names for privacy purposes) committed to baptism when he really receives a confirmation that these things are true. They have a little ways to go as they both smoke a lot and drink, but as we are working with them we are seeing such a positive change in their lives. They said they feel more happy and more at peace, which is so cool to see them experiencing the gifts of the Holy Ghost. I love teaching the first lesson about the Restoration, it is such a great lesson and message with so much power. They didn't have to work on Sunday and so they said they would be at church and were determined to do so, and then they didn't come. We were pretty devastated. We still had two other investigators at church and that went well but last night we stopped by to see if they were ok and it turns out thtey had had a really hard day so we expressed our disappointment and were able to talk about blessings that come through obedience and related the story of Job. M started to cry as she said she felt like she could do some hard things for the gospel and God because she believed they were true. It was humbling to see as we talked a little bit about tithing and to them she realized that might mean being unsure of where the food would come from for her kids or her husband. It was so cool to see her talk about how she felt and that she thought she would be willing to do that and to have faith that God would provide. I shared the time when you and Dad payed tithing and Aunt Bonnie sent that money, she really appreciated it. 

B is in the process of moving, but she is still progressing really well. We have come to realize that she is really separating her Chinese culture and the Gospel. We gave her a chinese Book of Mormon, but we found out she is still reading in English and she is also praying in English. I really believe those questions were inspired as we then challenged her to read and pray in Chinese. I know that as she reads and talks to God in her native language she will more fully feel the Spirit and communicate better, not because God needs to hear it in Chinese, but because she needs to focus less on the English and more on the Spirit. We really received help from the Language study chapter in Preach My Gospel, so I don't ever want to hear that missionaries not learning a new language can't use that chapter, it can be just as inspiring as the rest. 

We had some really tender mercies happen last week and I truly felt like they were at times directly to help me feel better. On Saturday the first counselor in the mission presidency came to our zone and interviewed all of us, and man was that a needed blessing. He was so inspiring and helpful and I was able to talk with him about some of my concerns and that was really needed. HE also said something super nice, when I first walked into the room after we had all met with him together, the first thing he said was how much he loved my smile and that he could tell I was a good missionary. It seriously made my day, haha then he asked if I smiled all the time and I told him my favorite quote was "I just like to smile; smiling's my favorite" from Elf. Haha it was a good interview and it really helped me and gave me good ideas to work more effectively with those around me. I loved hearing form him and his wife, they really helped a lot.I was really grateful for that, I truly know that God loves me and cares about me. I have a testimony that I am a son of God, and that he knows me better than I know myself. He knows my needs, my desires, my concerns, my weaknesses, my strengths, and how I best can be a tool in his hand. Oh, one other tender mercy is we got the Ensign magazine last week, they come late since the mission has to distribute them so we get them about a month later than they come out, but I read an article called "1000 things to be grateful for." While I was reading it I had the idea - and then felt like it would really help me be patient, loving, more grateful, and more Christ-like - to make a list of 1,000 things that I am grateful for during this week. I started on Friday and will end this next friday, and man am I grateful for this list so far. I have over 500 right now, and sometimes it is genuinely really difficult, but I have felt the Spirit as I have done so and felt myself be given the greater ability to see all that God has given me in my life. So if you feel like it would benefit you, it is such a good challenge and would encourage everyone to do this, I am receiving a lot of blessings from doing this. Haha I am also trying to do this while I am not doing other things that are more important like my studies, calling people, and especially teaching, and so I am trying to squeeze it in between things and before I go to bed. Haha so that is awesome, I am really enjoying doing it. 

Congrats to Booboo on his race, it sounds like he is getting back and getting stronger! Also I didn't get the package you sent, I am wondering if the mission home is holding it for transfers, if they are too big they won't forward them, or they often will just wait for a van or someone going out the way someone is to send them something. So I am sure I will get it eventually, I appreciate it! What else, oh Katy I loved hearing about Madi tearing up the bills, it cracked me up! Haha I wish I could write all of you emails but I have like no time! I love you all so much, and Dad way to be awesome! We have such a good ward mission leader here and I know that you are even better which makes me really happy and grateful for your example. Love you all so much, and I am seriously loving it here! Haha I said the other day if I had to stay here my whole mission  I would be really bummed, but I could totally do it. Maybe I'll just serve two years in Brazil and then come back and serve two more here?? What do you think Mom? Yes? Yes. Haha love you all!

Elder Danny Carney

Mom's note: he thinks he's funny!! I'm already counting months until he gets home & he wants to add 2 years!! 

Happy Labor Day!

Here is this week's email from our cute missionary!  He sent us some pictures too!

"Sorry that I didn't get to email yesterday, we come here to the Public Library and it was closed so here we are emailing today! I loved getting everyone's emails, I felt truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends to hear from! 

This last week has been really good, a ton of ups and downs just like usual! I am absolutely loving it here in Bozeman though, it is a great place with a lot of work that can happen and I am loving being a part of that work! Last Monday we taught that family from Sao Paulo and their friend who is investigating the church, and it went so well! We taught about the Restoration of the Gospel in Portuguese and she made delicious Brazilian food, and then we taught them again last night, although without their friend since she was out of town. I am loving having this opportunity and I feel so blessed because I am discovering that so many members of my ward here served their missions in Brazil! I feel really lucky and blessed that I have the opportunity to speak Portuguese more often! So that lesson went well and then the rest of the week was great, a little crazy! We really struggled making appointments with people because like our whole teaching pool was gone for Labor day or too busy so that was difficult! So that was hard because we really had to try hard to find people to teach or things to do so that we were being effective while still working hard. 

We also tried to start the Stop Smoking Program with M and R last Wednesday. (Side note: We've removed names to protect people's privacy).  We were super excited because this program is a seven day program that has 100% success rate for those who follow it exactly.  It's something that missionaries are given by the church to use and it has had so much success! The key is the willingness of the person to follow the rules exactly, but M and R wouldn't answer the door even though we could hear them inside their trailer, so that was really hard on me because we thought they were willing to do so! But it has to be based on their own desire so we have kept on visiting them and maybe down the road they will be more determined to do so! 

We also, unfortunately, had to drop B's baptism date for this Saturday because she went out of town and couldn't come to church this Sunday and she hasn't been meeting with us more than once a week or twice sometimes. It was a bummer to see that, but she is still progressing so well! She struggles to feel like the Spirit is giving her an answer but she always says that when she prays, is at church, and meets with us, she feels good inside, and a calm peaceful feeling. So we are working on helping her recognize the Spirit.  If she could do that and be willing to take a step of faith, she would be so incredibly ready to be baptized!

It is really exciting, we are also working with a part member family, the mom is coming back to church and has a goal to go through the temple! Her son, T, is ten and hasn't been baptized so he is under our responsibility to teach, and he is great! He knows so much and he and his mom have such a great Spirit about them, I truly love teaching their family, they help make my week!

I have been praying a lot recently to help our ward get more missionary minded and to receive more people to teach, and now we have 13 people in our referral pool! It is more than Elder Brown has ever had and it all came in a week, most of them are also ones that we are waiting on because the members want to be a part of it in contacting and teaching, so that has truly been a humbling and tender mercy experience for me. I love it here so much and it is insane to me that I have already been in the field for 9 weeks!

I also found out today that Elder Brown and I are moving to a new apartment less than a mile from our current one, they want to split all missionary apartments that have multiple sets in our mission. So that has been super sad since I love the elders that I live with, Elders Burrows and Schlenker. They are so incredible and I look up to them a lot. Our new apartment is super nice though, like SUPER nice. Haha I feel way spoiled and can't believe that we are going there, although I wish that we were staying with these elders. 

Last week we were able to go on exchanges for a day, so I went with Elder Schlenker to his area, which is the University Ward for all of Friday. It was such a great experience and that night we didn't have an appointment at the end and so we went street contacting on the main street. It was a VERY interesting experience. Haha we were walking and heard from behind us "Hey Backpacks!" We turn around and saw this lady leaning out of a bar and she motioned for us to come over, so we went (Also Elder Schlenker is 6'8", so we stood out very clearly on this street at 8:30pm) and she asks if we want a drink, to which is promptly say, "No," and then she asks if we want to come in, which we also say,"No." Haha someone was sitting at the bar as well gesturing us to come in, but we left since that would not have been good, so we are walking and Elder Schlenker decides to put a Book of Mormon outside the bar for whoever was motioning for us to come in, so that was interesting! Then we get in a conversation with the same homeless man who asked me about the Zionist movement in America about MSU football, after which two men wearing Bicardi shirts ask where we are from, hear our answers, then say "Woowww..." and "We're gone," and get in their car and leave, leaving behind two very confused missionaries. Then a man asks if we are missionaries, and then asks us how we are doing financially which we respond that we are doing great, so he gives us $10 and says his good friend is a professor at BYU and is one of the best men that he knows and is a great Mormon so every time he sees missionaries he tries to help them out! Then we get into a conversation with a door man and then we ride home for curfew. In short it was a extremely different night! 

I am enjoying being with Elder Brown more and more, we are working together on finding opportunities to serve and help each other or other missionaries in any way. I am bummed about moving, even if it is a nice place, because Elder Burrows is one of my favorite people I have met! Haha he reminds me SO much of Kyle, which is great because we have a good time together, but we are possibly going to do something after the mission in regards to school but that is a really far off thought from now so we will see about that. 

I loved hearing from each person in the family, it was so much fun! Mom, if there is any way you could get me an electric razor, that would be so nice! I hate shaving every day and that would be really cool, if not I totally understand or I could try to find one here. 

I am so glad that surgery went well and I was praying for you so hard! I loved hearing about your week as well Dad and I am glad that you taught me to be grateful because that is something that has come so in handy while I have been here, people truly have their hearts softened as you are grateful to them. I am glad that the craziness has died down a little bit since last week but I am still keeping you in my prayers! Also Dad, guess who I met in our ward here? D. Mortenson!!!!!! Haha I met him, he said he was from Golden, I told him I was from Littleton, he mentioned only knowing the stake president for the Arapahoe stake, to which i responded that that was my Uncle! Haha he asked who my dad was and it went from there! So that was exciting! Also my Bishop is in love with Franklin Covey and his brother works for them in California, do you know a B. Kroff?? He wanted me to ask. Mom, could you request a driving record for me and have it sent or send it to my mission?? They need one and I can't remember if I ever sent that before I left. Let me know, I love you so much and I am so glad to hear from all of you! Oh Mom, could you also get MC's address/email for me, maybe message her on facebook or something? Thanks, Love you!

Elder Carney"

Here are some pictures from Danny's last few days at the 

Missionary Training Center (MTC) and his first days in Montana

Elder Carney with his teacher at the MTC

Danny in Montana

Well, holy cow!

Well holy cow, it feels like I have been in Bozeman forever, so much has happened this last week, but I have only been here for a little more than a week! So my mind was blown when I realized that. I am loving it here, it is really hard, but I also am so happy. Last week we had a good beginning to the week, it was a little slow, but we were able to meet a couple families that we began teaching and had contacted and made appointments with my first weekend here so that was really nice. They were some great families that have a spouse who isn't a member, as well as some families that haven't been to church in a while so it was nice to meet them. Last Tuesday two of the elders in my district here had a baptism for two girls they had been teaching, and B came to it which was awesome! She had said she wanted to see one before she got baptized and so it was perfect that there was one two days after she said that. She had a really good experience and then we were able to talk with her about baptism more fully and discuss what happens when someone is baptized, we think it really helped. Then one of the highlights of my week and my mission up to this point happened on Wednesday! President Mecham decided he felt like the entire mission (230 missionaries) needed to come to the temple in Billings, and so last Wednesday was my zone's, or area of missionaries, day to go!! We woke up, cleaned our apartment, and were about to leave to meet at Walmart where the van was picking us all up here in Bozeman to head out, when one of the sisters in our district called and said that she had sliced her finger while she was cutting food, and that it was really deep, so they were heading to the ER. We were worried and hoping she was ok and so Elder Brown and I told the missionaries driving the van, and decided we would go to the ER and wait for them and drive their car to Billings as soon as she was released. So we went to the hospital, waited for her, were in the room while she got the stiches, and then drove to Billings! We had to be in the temple by 12:15 and so we were so hoping and praying that we would be able to get there on time, all while obeying the speed limit! Haha so we actually made it!!!!!!!! I was so grateful and we were able to go in and have a wonderful time there. The temple president spoke to all of us and then we were able to go through and have a wonderful experience.. At the end of the session as I was sitting there before leaving, i was just pondering a couple things I  had such a witness and reminder to me that our family is sealed and that no matter what happens, we will be together forever. It was so peaceful and I felt so loved and didn't want to leave the temple. But afterwards we went to dinner in Billings and then headed out. It was so uplifting and cool to be able to have one day to focus on the temple and feeling the Spirit. 

On Thursday we had a good goal to focus more on finding people to teach, and I had been praying so hard that we could find more people, and then a random RM came to our apartment, found out we were in a certain area, and asked how this one person was doing, and told us we should contact her. She was nowhere in our area books or records, and so it was a miracle in that we never would have found her, then that night we asked the Ward MIssion Leader about her and he had been thinking about her, as had the Bishop and they are now working to have her meet with us. I felt so grateful for that, as well as how many referrals we have had these last couple days, it feels like Heavenly Father has blessed us with so many names of people. Some of them don;t want to be taught, but it has been cool contacting them and getting positive responses from so many.

Oh also when we were at the library we ran into an interesting fellow. Haha he asked our opinion on the Zionist movement in America and how they had kidnapped several people from our church... and how they were following him to Montana and all sorts of interesting things. It was nice being able to tie it back into how through all of his struggles he can receive help through our Savior, but he was little more interested in talking to us about unique conspiracy theories than hearing our message. Haha but it definitely was interesting. Oh and yesterday we ate dinner with a family in teh ward who were doing a murder mystery and so they all were dressed up very nice and pretty cool, but it was just a little awkward so we left before the murder mystery actually started to unfold. But it was very nice for them to do that and have us over as well! Oh and I ran last week!!!!! It felt so incredibly good, and it made me want to race, which I know would probably be disappointing right now but oh well!

On Friday we went and served during the afternoon at the Food Bank here in Bozeman with some of the other missionaries, it is something we do once a week and I loved it! We got to talk with and get to know slightly so many people, most who are in a really tough situation right now, so it was nice to be able to listen to them and help make their days a little better as we took their food and put it in boxes and helped them get it to their cars. Then on Saturday we had Stake Conference start, and a member of the Seventy was here this weekend for it, as well as President Mecham, and the temple President and his wife. It was so great to be lifted up by them so much, we were asked to go to a leadership meeting Saturday afternoon, then the adult session that night, and then the Sunday Morning session as well. I loved it so much, and it was great to here from these great men, especially form President Mecham, he is truly amazing! Having so many meetings and changes to our regular schedule made it hard for doing missionary work, but I felt truly blessed with so many opportunities that made it so we actually had a really productive week and got a lot of work done, Elder Brown said it was one of the most successful weeks he has had his entire mission. So that was exciting to hear!! Yesterday M came to church which we were happy about since it was her first time in like 10 years, and she really enjoyed stake conference. We are going to work with her and her husband on quitting smoking, so we are really praying for them to have the strength and desire to do so. We also taught B again after the session of conference on Sunday, and she is experiencing a lot of hardship in regard to pressure from a lot of different people in her life, a lot of whom are against her being baptized, and she is struggling that she still feels like she needs to know perfectly. We had such a great lesson with her and are now also going to be able to meet with her more often, so we will see if she is able to be baptized on the 7th still, I think she still can, but we might have to push it back depending on how that situation with her family goes. I really hope and pray that she can get baptized, it will be such a strength to her. 

Mom, could you post my mission home address for people to write letters to? Also, I got your package and I loved it!!! Haha it was so awesome and I am still eating some of the things you sent me. It definitely helped make my day that day! Did you get my thank you note?? 

In regards to online proselyting, and sorry that I couldn't do it for everyone, but I asked that you forward it, Katy and Mom should check their messages folder on facebook, specifically the "other messages" folder... I think you might get a surprise. 

I loved hearing about all of your weeks!! I am going to try to respond quickly to each of you but I don't have a ton of time, so sorry about that! Mom, good luck with the surgery, I thought it was this last week so you have definitly been in my prayers! Good luck with all of the craziness this week and CAMILLE IS ENGAGED AND GETTING MARRIED!?! Haha and I found out Madison is engaged too!!! And I can't believe Harrison is getting married as well so soon! Basically I feel very strange with all of that happening! Love you all!

Elder Carney

Oh shoot I totally forgot!!!!! I am teaching a lesson tonight in Portuguese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 The sisters here (one who is also going to Sao Paulo eventually) have a family in their ward from Sao Paulo and one of their friends in beginning to investigate the church, so the people invited us as well as the sisters over tonight to practice our portuguese, have brasilian food, and teach the first lesson in Portuguese! I am so incredibly excited and I am a little nervous since this is my first real lesson in portuguese! I have seriously been looking forward to this since last week when I found out it was happening! Love you!

****MOM note- I am removing the names of the people he teaches to protect their privacy!

BOZEMAN!! And new address!

Haha well I am officially in Montana! This last week has been crazy, but I absolutely love it here. On monday we flew in and I met my new mission president, President Mecham. He is an incredible man, one of the most inspiring that I have ever met, and it is incredible how much he knows about us and even more impoortantly, cares about us before we even get a chance to talk with him. He is super kind, and him and his wife were very welcoming and helpful. That first night all the elders stayed in this bunkroom type thing they have in the mission home, and we received our assignments. Mine is to Bozeman, which is a smaller town about an hour and a half from Billings. MSU is here and I am really liking it already. I had a turn of events happen and on Tuesday morning, one of the Assistants to the mission President, Elder Olsen from Spanish Fork, UT, told me to pack a smaller bag and that I would actually be his travel companion for a couple days and we were going down to Wyoming and dropping off missionaries, and then I would be on exchanges with two elders down in Riverton, Wyoming, and that after that we would head back up to Bozeman. Haha so that was a surprise, and I had the privelege of going down through a huge chunk of Wyoming, which is basically a whole lot of nothing. Haha it had some beautiful parts, and I actually came to really love Riverton for the people there and how awesome they were, as well as the two elders who I served with, Elders Linton and Organ. They were great, and the area needed a lot of organizing so we spent a lot of time with that and working as to how we could make our efforts more effective. Just as I was really loving it and looking ofrward to being there, Elder Olsen said we needed to move on, and so we left and made our way back to Billings for a night, and on Friday morning we left to come here to Bozeman. I met my companion, Elder Brown, who is awesome, and we live in an apartment with the two elders, Elder Burrows and Elder Schlenker. I love Elder Brown already, he is a good elder, loves music, very smart, and knows the area here really well.

Anyways, I got here in Bozeman and my area covers mainly the outskirts, so it takes forever to cover areas because of how spread apart our area is. We have a truck and bikes, so we often spend time biking or driving half way then biking to save gas and mileage. I love it here, it is so beautiful! I have also had some interesting experiences, this family had us over for dinner and they live in a trailer home, but as we walked in she was decorating a Christmas tree, which was interesting. .. haah so they are a great but very unique family. And unfortunately it reeked and was super hot in their trailer. Like bad. Like I am pretty sure I haven't smelled something that bad for a long time. Well I was mistaken in how bad I thought that smell was. Because on Sunday morning we woke up at our usual time to the worst smell I have smelled in seriously like my entire life. Our apartment REEKED! Our windows were open and we discovered this lady below us was cooking (or letting rot, or making smell as bad a possible) something, I don't want to know what, and it was coming up and killing us all silently. So we spent a half hour frantically lighting a scented candle, spreading dryer sheets strategically around the place, and dousing every surface in febreeze. But that's ok, it definitely was memorable!! The people we are teaching here are awesome, I love them all already! We are teaching a woman and that's been good, she is a less-active member, and she hasn't been to church in years and has had such a hard life. We are really working with her in helping her come back to church and she has such a desire to know God and have a more personal relationship with him so we are trying to help her pray more and read the Book of Mormon every day. She has been progressing well but there always seems to be something in the way of her keeping her commitments, so hopefully we can help her keep those and have a desire to pull through. My favorite investigator right now I met yesterday, her name is B and she is an immigrant from Shanghai, but she speaks really good English. Elder Brown has been working with her for three months, and she is so ready to be baptized. She has such a knowledge, desire, and she attends church every week. Yesterday we taught her in the Gospel Essentials class at church more about the life of Christ because she doesn't know a lot not being from a Christian background, and then we taught her after again about the Atonement, and it was so powerful. She is so ready and we challenged her to be baptized on September 7th, which she accepted. She is somewhat hesitant as she feels she needs a perfect knowledge of everything but we talked to her about faith and how she needs to pray to know if this is was she needs to do, and she said she thinks it is and she will pray. So that like made my week, and she is doing really well!

 I am really excited to be serving here though! Also, the address you need to send everything to is the one for the mission home, it should have been on the return address for my letter, but just have it be to me and they will forward everything. Also any packages need to be USPS priority or something like that, not standard, otherwise they won't be able to forward those. I am seriously loving it here, please put the mission address on my blog so that people can write me if they'd like (hint hint, nudge nudge) hahaha and I hope you are all doing well! I loved hearing from everyone via email and I am keeping all of you in my prayers! Booboo, I hope the tendonitiis goes away quick, work hard and be smart and then be aggressive with running when you can, Katy, I LOVED hearing about your week and I am so glad that you are doing well. Kyle, I love you lots, let me know how you are doing, and Dad, I am so glad that work is good and thanks so much for the advice, I really needed some of the things you said. Well I love oyu all, tchau!!!

Elder Carney

Danny's New Address is:
Elder Daniel Carney
Montana Billings Mission
1848 Rimrock Road
Billings, MT  59102-0765