March 28, 2016 La Pascua‏

Happy Easter everyone!

So most wards have a special sacrament meeting planned out for Easter and all the bells and whistles ready to go. For our Ward they didn't have anything so in Ward council yesterday on Easter Sunday, they told us we had to speak because they didn't have anyone else. So yeah I don't really know what I said but I talked for 15 minutes about the resurrection. It was pretty cool
because I was able to share my experience and testimony about knowing how the resurrection was real. From experiences at Grandpa Ross' funeral and also another funeral of a young boy here on my mission Heavenly Father has let me know through His Spirit that our bodies and
our spirits will actually come together again and be glorified, perfected beings. It's a step that we will be able to take to be able to become that much more like our Father in heaven. It's a pretty wonderful truth that we have a full knowledge of thanks to the restoration.

Elder Merrill my companion is a boss and it's a lot of fun to serve with him. We are teaching some pretty special people right now so I hope we have a big April to follow up with what we did in March. North Las Vegas is the place to be and there are a ton of miracles happening every day.
We just have to want them, pray for them and most importantly WORK for them. "Work, work, work, there is no satisfactory substitute, especially in missionary work." -Ezra Taft Benson

I'm so grateful for my mission and the opportunity I have to grow in so many different ways every day. I'm starting to learn to see every situation/problem/weakness as a opportunity rather than an obligation. We just need to realize what we're thinking about when our effort is low. When effort is low it's probably because we see things as an obligation rather than an opportunity to grow into what God wants us to be. The way we think about things in our life is everything.

I hope March Madness is going well and all of your brackets are busted and Remember everyone when you're shopping to "See Hurst First" :)

Here's a picture of me with another ceramic donkey.

Elder Faldmo

March 21, 2016 TRANSFERS

Hi Everyone!

Before anything I want to say congrats to Dakota Valley Basketball!  It's so good to hear how much success they had. I'm proud of Big T for finishing strong and being a leader! I miss it so much.

Me, Stephanie and Elder Smith and her baptism

Transfers are this week on Tuesday. We got our transfer doctrine on Saturday and Elder Smith will be leaving me :( and going to the Ensign Spanish Ward in the East stake. He'll be by the Stratosphere and around that part of Vegas. He's been the funniest companion I've had
so far and it was a lot of fun to serve with him. I'm staying here and my new companion is Elder Merrill! I served around him in my last area. He is from Cardston, Alberta Canada and went to BYU for a year before his mission. He has been out for about a year and a half and is a knockdown 3-point shooter :) He will be my companion most likely for the rest of my mission, he's gunna kill me!

This week I was able to go back to my last area to the Robindale YSA Ward (AKA RobSquad) for Haley's Baptism! She is best friends with a member of our Ward named Tatiana and one time we were at Tatiana's house for dinner and we asked her if we could teach any of her friends and she's said, "yeah I'll text one right now." (That's why YSA wards are so bomb.) Anyway, Elder Thorne and I started teaching Haley and a couple days after the first lesson, Haley, her friend texted us and said she didn't want to continue to learn because she didn't like the church's
stance on gay marriage cause she had a few friends that were but thanked us anyway. A few months later she changed her mind and decided to start learning again and decided to be baptized! I'm grateful that the church and gospel are true because we don't really convince
anyone we teach, the spirit does it on it's own and we are just here as missionaries to carry out what the Spirit teaches.

Haley's Baptism Day

Ok one more cool story... Last night, Smith and I were teaching this guy named Martin. He's has an alcohol addiction and really wants to stop. We were teaching the Restoration towards the beginning of the lesson when he started telling us about his problem he got really emotional. We
talked about how God knows him personally and knows who he is. We read over that part in the pamphlet as we taught him that simple truth and it hit him really hard. He just read that sentence over and over again to himself, "God knows you personally and loves you more than you can
imagine." We asked him if he had ever heard that before and he said "no" and started to cry again. We continued talking about this truth throughout the lesson and when we were almost to the end he wanted to go back to the first page just so he could read that sentence again. It helped me be more grateful for the knowledge of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Without the restoration we wouldn't have a full understanding of that simple, yet profound truth. God is our literal Father in Heaven-- not  just some blob floating around. He knows us perfectly and knows how to heal us through His Son's Atonement. Martin learned that last night and accepted a date to be baptized. 

This stuff is too good!

I love you all!

Elder Faldmo

They like their burro here in the North!

March 14, 2016 A donde tan peinado?‏

Hey Friends & Fam,

About a month ago, a priest in our Ward and I were out and about and a lady named Mixdrey opened her door and invited us in. Mixdrey and her daughter Ana were baptized this week! They are two of the most solid people I've taught on my mission. Mixdrey is already almost done reading the Book of Mormon and Ana cancelled her school and is going to go on a mission in
a year. Shoutout to my friend Sylvia for talking to Ana and helping her via text and answering some of her questions!

Elder Smith, Mixdrey, Ana and I all in white:)

I was also able to go back to Henderson this weekend for Debra's baptism! She is the mom of a part member family that Elder Rockwood and I taught a lot when I was with him. All of the family has gotten baptized one by one. Now they are going to be able to go to the temple and become a forever family in a year!

All of us at Debra's baptism

Elder Smith and I are loving serving the Spanish speakers here in El Rancho. My listening and understanding is almost all the way back to where I was a year ago with Elder Felix so I pretty much know everything everyone is saying and my speaking has gotten a lot better too these past few weeks. Elder Smith is a Spanish genius!

S/O to Christian Clark, Matthew Gay, Jake Hasler, Josh Pollard and Kyle Howard for coming to see us this week! Love you guys!

Me with the Provo All-Stars!

Also S/O to Elder Thorne's grandpa for getting baptized this week!

I'm excited for these last 3 months of my mission. We boutta sprint to the finish line no regrets! So much to do!

Me and Elder Rockwood with Brown family the evening of Debra's baptism.  They are one of our favorite families in Henderson!

Sorry for the bad quality of some of the pictures! 

Love you all!

Elder Faldmo

March 7, 2016 March Madness!

Me with my Uncle Jason (mom's brother) ... All the Hursts in Vegas for ACE show

 

March Madness is in full effect and North Las Vegas is on fire! I love serving here and the energy that's in our zone right now. This week Elder Smith and I went to MLC at the mission office and got some good training from our boys Clark and Thorne. They trained on strategic planning and always looking 3-4 months ahead in the future for your zone.

I was able to go to the temple this week with Elder Sawyer to be there for Leona's first time at the temple doing baptisms! He and I taught and baptized her when we were companions. She had her own family names and was able to do their baptisms and confirmations!

Elder Sawyer, Leona and me

The Ace Show was in Vegas this week and so that means every Hurst and their dog was here to be at it. I was able to see my Uncle Bruce and Aunt Holly and also my Uncle Jason and the mom's friends and Uncle Jason's in-laws the Smiths! I love you guys!

Aunt Holly, Uncle Bruce, me and Elder Smith

Everything is going well here! Elder Smith and I are working hard and having a lot of fun!
Love you all!

Elder Faldmo

Me, mom's BFF Marjie from HS and Elder Smith