August 25, 2015 Happy Transfer Week

Hi Friends and Family,

First off Happy Birthday to my beautiful brown eyed sister Maggie! I hope 13 treats you well :)
Sorry for not writing last week! It was transfer week so very busy. We had 16 missionaries go home and 25 come in! Only 1 from Iowa though, Sister Campbell. Her dad came to our seminary class once a couple years ago at the Hemmingsen's. He works for the Seminary
department for the church. We had a ton come in from Idaho (one from
Shelly who knows Dustin Marsden!) The hardest thing about transfer week is running on low sleep.
Wednesday we got up at 3 AM to take missionaries to the airport and didn't get to sleep till around 11 or 12 that night! It was fun though I loved every bit of it! It was a little tough too cause a lot of missionaries in the group that just went home had a huge impact on my
mission. (elder brown, Norton, Perrins, Carroll, etc.) 

I just love working so much! This past week especially, we don't get a ton of time to proselyte so it's so relaxing when we do have those few hours during the day to find and teach and prepare people to baptism.

Jorge and Jennifer got baptized on Saturday! 

We love Jorge and Jennifer!

They are going to be some solid members of the church! Also, their son Angel is 7 and turns 8 in November so Jorge will get to baptize his son. He's getting the Priesthood this Sunday. The thing that really turned for Jorge and his
conversion was his willingness to keep the Sabbath Day holy. One Sunday about a month and a half ago, he was at work on Sunday and told his boss, "I can't do this anymore I need to be at church so that's where I'm going to go." and then he left work and came to the last hour of church in his work clothes. His boss still let him keep his job and gave him Sundays off after that. Also, because of that, our Ward Mission Leader who works on Sundays after church told his boss
that he needs Sundays off to be with his family and go to church and
his boss gave him Sundays off too. Pretty neat stuff! 

School started this week for all of the kids here so Sunday night, Elder Sawyer and I gave blessings to all of the kids that we are teaching and any homes that didn't have the priesthood so every kid could have that blessing before school started! I know my dads blessing to me before school started helped me out a ton! Love you Dad! 

 Love you all! 

Keep working hard! 

 Elder Faldmo

Went for a walk with Jorge and Jennifer Garcia family around the temple... they have their eyes on the prize.

September 7, 2015 MLC, Baptisms, Tanner Mangum, & Steph Curry

Family!  This week was grand!

This is Kerry Wilson in the picture on the left of Elder Sawyer and I

First of all, Kerry Wilson & Jake Summers were baptized on Saturday. Kerry walked into the church about a month ago and was all in with the church and wanted to be baptized. He taught ballroom dancing at BYU in the 80s and is surprised he didn't join back then. He is originally from Australia and has one of the coolest accents ever!

Jake Summers has became one of my best friends over the past month or so. We met him through his friend, Robert, who is leaving this Wednesday for his mission in Virginia. Robert's dad is the 2nd counselor in our mission presidency. Jake is probably one of the most humble guys know and just wants to learn and do what is right. He will be going to Chicago in February to enter into the Navy! Hey mom and dad we're going to visit him when I get home ok? He got baptized on Saturday too! He wanted Called to Serve to be the closing song at
his baptism cause he loves missionary work! He already has given a Book of Mormon to his friend. 

Elder Sawyer, Robert, Jake and me... So great to be a part of teaching this great guy!

 We had MLC this week where all of the Zone Leaders and STLs come and we have trainings and discuss some things about the mission and Elder Sawyer & I gave a training called "Get Outta the Boat!" It was about leadership and we compared it to the qualities of the Apostle and leader Peter when he chose to "get outta the boat" and walk on water with the Savior. We related it to being mission leaders and doing everything we can to help out stewardship progress as missionaries. Get outta the boat people! Walk on water and when needed ask the
Savior for help!

We found a super solid family on Saturday. They are really prepared and told us that we were a sign from God. It's a single mom with 4 kids. We're really excited to keep teaching them!

I had a amazing experience fasting this week. I gained a stronger testimony of how powerful fasting is. I know we can receive a ton of revelation through fasting and a lot of extra strength from God through obedience to this law. When Moses received the 10 commandments
(which was revelation) it was while he was fasting. I love the law of the fast!

I also went on exchanges with Elder Thorne! He's a stud and a super hard worker. It's crazy that our sisters are friends now too!

Ok tender mercy of the week:
We were walking in this apartment complex on Saturday and this guy recognized us as Mormons and swings open his door and says, "hey guys come in here!" So we go in his apartment and he showed us a replay of the last play of the BYU Nebraska game! He wasn't interested in
listening to us but I'm sure the Lord will bless him for telling us to come inside his apartment at that moment :)

I also met a Steph Curry look alike this week! I'll send a pic.

I love you all!!

Elder Faldmo

September 14, 2015 Moroni 9:6

This week was pretty fast paced and a lot of fun! 

This week was the Mission Presidents' Conference for all of the mission presidents in the Southwest Area of the U.S. Elder Sawyer and I picked up all of them and their wives up Thursday morning and took them to their hotel and then took them back to the airport on Sunday. It was the first time on my mission I didn't go to all of church because we had to leave after sacrament to get them so I felt pretty weird. I met Elder Matt Gay's mission president, President Mortensen,
and his wife and I got a picture with her and she sent it to Elder Gay haha. Also, their daughter is in Abby's Ward and friends with her at BYU. Also, Elder Foster, Corbridge, and Robbins of the Seventy came too! On the way to their hotel we passed the Thomas and Mack Center! It brought back memories of a few years ago when Dad, Abby, Will, and I came here for BYU's conference tournament. It was a lot of fun to meet all of the mission presidents but let's be honest, we got the best here with President D. Jack Snow and Sister Peggy Snow! :)

 We had 3 exchanges this week. For one of them I went to my last area in the Black Mountain Stake and for another one I went down to Kingman, Arizona. Kingman is like another mission down there. It's such a different culture, the first lesson we had was at this house in
the country with horses and cows outside I felt like I was back in the Midwest! Everyone is so nice there it was crazy! Also it was the first time on my mission that we had a lesson at "Land Plot #41" and a dinner "right by Mile Marker 7" 

Here is is HURST FAM... The ACE in Kingman:)

 That family I was talking about last week, the Gideons, are still doing great! They have an older sister who just moved in this week too! She's 22 and really interested in the church. She's due to have her baby at the end of this month. The oldest brother Xavier and their mom had to work, but the 4 others came to church and loved it! There is 3 daughters, who are 22, 15, and 14 and 2 sons who are 18 and 10. Jake Summers, who got baptized last Saturday has been a huge
fellowshipper for them. He comes out with us all the time now to lessons and got the Priesthood this Sunday! I love that guy so much! 

Here she is... one of the greatest ladies you'll meet!  Leona!

Our girl Leona got baptized on Saturday! She might be the most funny lady I have met. She has gone through a lot in her life and she is so grateful to be a member now. She found the church after walking into church about a month and a half ago after praying and telling God that
she was going back to a church and stopping at the first one she sees and ours was the first one!

Really though, there's nothing better than serving a mission! I love it here so much and like I've said before, I've never been happier! I'm learning more and more everyday. This is the truth, nothing else to it.
#NLVM #Win4Taysom

Elder Faldmo

August 10, 2015 Sawldmo...

President Snow making sure we still take in some of the terrain that's a part of of the 

Nevada Las Vegas Mission!

Hey Fam!
First off Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents, David Norman and Robin Hurst Faldmo. I'm grateful for your height! I love you! It was your wedding anniversary and my year anniversary in Vegas this week!

We saw a ton of miracles this week and are seeing a lot of blessings right now. The Bermuda Ward is on fire right now! Sunday was a pretty crazy day. We had a ton of investigators show up to church! Elder Sawyer & I taught Gospel Principles and the topic was The Signs of the 2nd Coming. One of our investigators named Jacqui that is really fun to teach but hard cause she has so many questions, anyway, she  commented in class and told us she wanted to be baptized! She raised her hand after another member was sharing about their experience when they were baptized and said, "Alright, I'm convinced! I'm ready!" Later we were talking about missionary work and asked the class how many of them are converts and she said, "I almost am!"

Also, a random family of 5 walked into church and said that they want to be taught so we are starting to teach them tonight!

This older lady named Leona just moved here from California and she said she wanted to find church again. She told herself that she would go to the first church she saw when she got here and the first church she saw was the chapel down the road from our chapel. She walked into
church last Sunday and the missionaries in that Ward taught her this week but she lives in our boundaries so we taught her last night and she's a hoot. She is one of the most fun people to teach on my mission. She asked us what sacrifices she had to make to be baptized and we talked about the Word of Wisdom and she said, "no coffee or tea?" And we said nope. Then she said, "dang, but can I still have my kool-aid? I need me some sugar still!" Yes Leona, you can have kool-aid.

We also started teaching this kid named Jake this week. His friend Robert, who is a member in another Ward invited him to church a few weeks ago and then invited him to listen to us! We taught him the restoration this week and he will be baptized in September! Robert is going on a mission in September too so hopefully he will be able to baptize him before he goes. Jake said that that would be good for him to prepare Robert for his mission so he can get used to it haha I went on exchanges this week with Elder Chase Carroll. He's from Gilbert, AZ and went to high school with cousin Kenzie Hurst! He goes home in a week so he said he will take pictures at her farewell for me :) we're excited for you Kenzie!

I also went on exchanges with Elder Rockwood this week in my last area! It was fun to teach some of the same people that we taught together there last transfer.

S/o to President and Sister Snow for taking us to Hoover Dam this morning! Besides the fact that it reminded me of Lake Powell it was really fun! (I'll send pics later) Also to Sylvia for giving a killer talk on Sunday at church yesterday I heard!

Elder Sawyer and I sporting our shirt given to us by our Ward Mission Leader.

 

Overlook at Hoover Dam with Elder Sawyer and the Sister Training Leaders

Love you all! Keep sending me pics of all of your great adventures!

Elder Faldmo

August 3, 2015 Miracles and Scorpions...

We had a bunch of great things happen this week!

President Snow and I with a new missionary from the Philippines, Elder Balajadia, that just arrived to our mission!

Yesterday we found another golden family. They just moved here from Carlsbad, CA. They have had LDS friends in the past and have gone to different churches but never found the right one. We were knocking on a door in their apartment complex and they saw us outside their window
and the mom sent her son out to try and talk to us but we left too quick. To try and track us down, they looked up the temple and called it but it was closed for cleaning so they thought they'd never be able to talk to us. Then, later in the day, the oldest daughter went to the
laundromat and on the floor she found a tattered Gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet with the number of the Singles' Ward Sister Missionaries on in and called them. Then the sisters called us and we called the family and went over that night. When we went over, they
told us this whole story and then today they came to church and loved it! After church, the mom didn't want to come out of Relief Society because she didn't want her kids to see her cry. It was really good weekend to say the least. They now have a baptismal date and are excited to continue to learn!

On Tuesday, we were getting into our car and Elder Sawyer sits down in the drivers seat and he felt something on his back and thought it was his seat being really hot and burning him-- summers in Vegas! So, he leans forward and reaches back to feel the back part of his seat and something else hurt his finger and so he gets out of the car and we look and there's nothing there so we go to our next stop. When we go to get back in the car, on the mat there's a scorpion sitting there! It was on my side so I freaked out!!! Then we tried and catch it and it got away in the cracks of the seat, but we had an appointment to go to so we had to get in the car! So for the rest of the day, I was sitting in my seat, scared to death that the scorpion would get me or run up my pants or something. Then at the end of the night, we went to a guy in our Ward who is an exterminator. He sprayed our car for us. The next morning the scorpion was dead on the floor so we got it! Now it's the mascot in our apartment.

So, I hate scorpions but I LOVE snakes:) This one belongs to someone we are teaching.

I love you all! Keep up the good work!

Elder Faldmo

July 28, 2015 Fam Jam

Hey everyone!

S/o to Sylvia for going to the temple for the first time and completing the special ordinances for her grandparents. I'm sure it was a great experience!

Had another amazing week! First off, on Wednesday I went on exchanges with the one and only
Elder Chambers. We went to his area in the North (my birthplace for my mission) and had a great day. Also, we had dinner with the one and only Loveman! The rest of the country better watch out when Elder Chambers is playing as an offensive tackle for BYU next year!

On Saturday I got to go to lunch with my cousins the Clarks and Gallaghers! It was good to see all of the cousins and that night, Christian (formerly known as Elder Clark) came out to teach with Elder Sawyer and I! It was so much fun to teach the gospel with my cousin who I haven't seen in over two years. We had some good experiences in the ghetto! right Christian?

Our investigator Jorge was a champ this week. He came to church 2 weeks in a row about 2 months ago but then he got a job that scheduled him working on Sunday. He loves going to church and has been trying to get a new job and finally this Sunday he couldn't take it anymore without
going to church. So, he told his boss in the middle of work that he had to go to church, he left work, and just showed up for the 3rd hour of church. Then last night we had a lesson with him and his girlfriend and they told us that they wanted to get married as soon as possible and now they have a
marriage and baptismal date. Jorge is the man! All he wants is for his family to be sealed as a family for time and all eternity. I'm so grateful for the restored gospel and the knowledge that we have to give us more peace and direction for our lives. Jorge knows where he wants to go but now, unlike before, he knows exactly what he needs to do to get there.

Also we had 2 zone conferences this week. One was in Lake Havesu. We had to get up at 3:30 in the morning to get there... The lake wasn't even warm. Just kidding... but it was a good drive. President Snow has the lead foot of Dad so we got home quick. I got half trunky cause it had the same scenery as ion the way to lake Powell.

I love the mission life! Crazy spiritual, busy and fun! Love you all!
Elder Faldmo

July 20, 2015 Brother Hemmingway, Tyler Haws, and Prepared people‏

I had another busy and exciting week!

First of all, congratulations to my cousin Kenzie Hurst for getting called to serve in Los Angeles on her mission! You're going to do awesome Kenzie!

The most exciting part of our week was probably the fact that Brother Hemmingway, the Director of Proselyting for the whole world, came and evaluated and trained our mission. On Tuesday, he took Elder Sawyer and I to Outback Steakhouse(I got a 10 oz. Sirloin if you were wondering) and then worked with us and taught with us for the rest of the night and then planned with us at the end of the night.  He taught us so much, especially about planning. Everything I learned from him will benefit me for the rest of my life with school, work, and as a disciple of Jesus Christ. He is a genius! I don't think Elder Sawyer and I totally understood how lucky we were to experience what we did until after he left. We got one of the smartest guys in the whole world in regards to missionary work to work with us for 3 days and he was teaching with us for 5 hours of those three days! Pretty cool stuff. Something I'll remember forever. 

Elder Sawyer and I doing some training the week of transfers

Role playing with our training

We found this golden family this week. The girlfriend is a member and her boyfriend isn't and when we walked in their home, one of the first things they told us was that they wanted to get sealed in the temple! We were able to teach them almost everyday this week.

Another guy we're teaching told us that he never thought before that he would go to a church but last night he said, "why didn't you guys find me earlier?" We were able to tell him that the Lord prepared him for this moment to find and accept His true church. 

It's so great when you come in contact with prepared people!

The NBA summer league is going on here in Vegas and last week some Elders got a text from a guy named Tyler Haws saying that he needs something to do and asked if he could go out with them? So while Tyler Haws' teammates were partying, he went out with the missionaries. Thanks Tyler!

Elder Sawyer and I were able to go to the temple on Friday! It was an awesome experience again to be in the house of the Lord. We are so lucky here in this mission to have a temple so close and to be able help our new members get there quickly to experience the joy that is found within the temple walls. 

Elder Sawyer with the look

Love you Fam! 

Elder Faldmo 

Taking care of TRANSFERS... July 13, 2015

Hey guys just another quick email, 

this week was nuts!!! We had 27 missionaries leave and 25 come in and had to get up at 3:30 AM to take the first group to the airport... but it was a good time! 

Here's Elder Sawyer and I with a great group of missionaries that were about to go home

Return with Honor

Explaining lots of things to our new group

Object lesson and making a fire

There is a
bunch of really good missionaries that came in. I'm so exhausted but it's all good, if I wasn't exhausted there would be something wrong! It was fun to give trainings to the new missionaries and get to know them in the mission home. Also, S/O to Sister Snow for making the best food on transfer days! 

Here's our new group in President & Sister Snow's backyard practicing street contacting

Here's our whole new group of greenies:)

We're teaching this amazing person name Maria she's so solid. She's a single mom with 2 little kids. She should be getting baptized next week!

When we were going to pick up the new missionaries, I was driving a huge 12 passenger van and Elder Sawyer was driving the truck with a enclosed trailer on the back for all of the luggage and we went to go in the short term parking and the trailer was too tall for the clearance and so Elder Sawyer had to back all the way back down the ramp with a trailer!! President and I went with the MSTLs to get the
new missionaries and so we just timed it right where we got their luggage and then hurried to the departing line and threw the luggage in the trailer when Elder Sawyer met us all there. I felt like I was house boy in Harry Potter without Elder Sawyer with me weaving all of the missionaries through the airport. We finally got to the mission home and after we trained them on a few things and had them do some paper work, they passed out on the couches:)



The NLVM Airport Transport at your service
Hope you guys had a good week!
Elder Faldmo

The 4th of July: July 6, 2015

Hey guys just wanted to send you a quick email...

I don't have much time to write this week but I'm getting transferred back to Warm Springs (right next to my 2nd area) 

I'll be serving with Elder Sawyer from Montana and he lives right by Flathead Lake! He's such a stud!

We had a sweet activity we did for the 4th of July. We went to a park and set up a booth where we had a professional photographer camera. Families could come and we would take a family picture of them and after they gave us their address so the sisters can develop and print the pictures and we will deliver the pictures to the families this week and share a message about families. We also had missionaries out with their iPads seeing how many selfies they could get with random people and inviting them to take their family's picture at our booth. Something else
was that a Sister missionary who is really good at the violin come and played patriotic songs for more people to enjoy. All in all it was good and we got 55 referrals of people who will contact this week.

Sample of the missionary July 4 selfie in the park

I

I'm really going to miss Elder Rockwood!

Have a great week!

Elder Faldmo

Sister Snow and President Snow at the head of the table with a few of us at Red Robin

Happy Birthday Abby & 'Merica! June 29, 2015

Hey Fam. 

First of all I want to wish my cute sister Abigail Faldmo a happy 18th birthday on Sunday! Stop growing up!
We had a great week again. 

One of the coolest lessons we had this week was with Paul. His kids are recently baptized and right as we started one of lessons this week he told us that his doctor told him some things about the church that he had never heard before. They were all false and he was really worried because he has been praying really hard for his answer and wasn't sure if that was an answer to his prayer or a test? We were able to resolve his concern and share a scripture, bear testimony, have his son share his testimony and also share a video of Elder Holland's testimony (on our iPads ) and by the end he was able to remember the testimony he already had. Definitely the coolest moment of the week! 

 We had 2 exchanges this week and I was able to learn a lot from some other missionaries from my zone. I can't believe this is already the last week of the transfer. We have 30 missionaries going home from our mission next week so transfers will be very hectic but the greatest
mission president, President D. Jack Snow will make the best out of it.

We had interviews this week and I love the time we have to study the scriptures and have time to talk with President and Sister Snow! They are the greatest! 

It got up to about 116 on the thermometer this week so it's a little uncomfortable to be outside but remember, "life is a beach party!"-Mont Tanner 

We taught sharing time in primary this week! It was about the Holy Ghost and when we asked them how not to have the Holy Ghost with us they said, "go to the strip" so that was good they knew that:) hahahaha

I'm very busy and tired but also very happy, that seems to be the theme of my mission.

Diligence = happiness
Family, I hope you are all having a fabulous time at Heaven on Earth aka Lake Powell! I mean you could be serving a mission but Lake Powell is pretty cool too I guess :) enjoy Padre Bay and Ethan try not to catch too many fish! 

I love you guys! 

 Elder Faldmo

Me and Elder Rockwood and the kids from one of the coolest families you'll ever meet.

The Daltons