February 29, 2016 FAM BAM

Missionary March Madness... in the North. Laying out the brackets for my zone.

Hey Fam,

First off S/O to my cuz Wilhelm Clark for tonight and his first playoff game! #OHS

Thanks for all of your prayers, my health is 100% and I'm good to go and I have feeling in my face again! I'm on some meds that are helping my nerves recover so it's all good. 

Elder Smith and I are having a lot of fun. It's a perfect area with an exponential amount of work and solid members and people to teach. My Spanish is getting better day by day too. One person were teaching is named Octavio. He has already read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine &
Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and Teachings of Howard W. Hunter book. We're just waiting for approval from the first presidency for him to get baptized. 

Another person we are teaching is Maexdrey. She's from Cuba and is almost done with the Book of Mormon. Elder Sawyer is
teaching her daughter in the YSA Ward by the temple and she's getting baptized soon too and wants to serve a mission! 

On Tuesday we had interviews with President and Sister Snow. I love them so much! President Snow gave me some good advice about college and my career after my mission. I just feel bad for young kids that dream about coming to this mission and don't get to. #NLVM 

I was on exchanges in the Nellis Manor Ward this week. That's the Air Force Base Ward. There was a member named Brother Coombs that came out to teach with us. He said he grew up in Orem and I asked if he knew any Faldmos. He said when he was younger he would collect fast
offerings from Nana and Papa's house and he said his brothers knew some of my uncles pretty well. 

I studied King Benjamin's discourses this week in Mosiah and learned a lot of cool things from those few chapters. My favorite verse from those chapters is :
"13 For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who
is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"
To understand Christ, we need to serve Him. To serve him we must serve others. 

(See Mosiah 2:17)

Love you all!

Elder Faldmo 

 I met a guy with a sick mullet this week. I told him I would grow one after my mission! Can I mom? You can't see it very well in the picture but this is him haha

February 22, 2016 Somos gabachos‏

I had a super fun and busy and crazy week, especially Saturday.  So I started Saturday with my

long, lost friend Dustin Marsden who was down from Idaho with his sales team took us to breakfast. 

Me & Dustin... not really smilin' --see end of letter

Then after that, I was able to go to the temple for Makay's endowment session!

I'm grateful to serve in a mission where you can stay close to all of your converts! It was a really cool experience and she deserves all of the blessings she got! President Snow also came to it and I was sitting with him in the chapel in the temple before the session started and he told me that in July 2017, there will be a 3rd mission opened in Las Vegas! I'm super pumped! That was what we all wanted to do when we got here and it is going to happen now!

Then later that day I was able to go back to my last area for Jason's baptism! He was someone Elder Chambers and I found on exchanges a little over a month ago and he's one of those people who is just ready for the gospel and he accepted it right away. He's going into the military and so there were lots of people from  of his unit and some of his officers that were at the baptism. Naturally, one of the songs was "Onward Christian Soldiers."

Jason in the white shirt... 

Our district volunteered at three square food bank this week!

This weekend was stake conference and Elder Palmer of the 70 came to speak. North Stake is exploding right now. The zone broke the mission record for new investigators last week and then we broke our own record this week! The people here are so prepared! The Lord is blessing us hard core right now and everyone is working really hard.

I was able to reunite with Elder Thorne on Tuesday! He came to my area for exchanges and it was good to be with him for the day. He's finally made his decision and is going to try and walk on at the Y for football!

Elder Thorne & I on exchanges in front of the Loveshack!

So I got this weird disease this week that we think is Bell's Palsy. I'm kinda paralyzed on the right side of my face. It's actually been a blessing because it's helped my accent a lot for Spanish! I think It's starting to fade away... but I'm going to see a PA on Thursday just to make sure everything's ok.

"Handing out so many Book of Mormons, we need a new case

My right face can't move, call it 2 face" -Drake

"Rapping for me is like performing surgery, 

I don't want you to see me when I get my hands dirty 

but I want you to see the final product."

-Elder Smith
Love you all!

Elder Faldmo

February 15, 2016 ¿Que milanesas que no bisteses, ya pensaba que tú morongas?‏

It was a good week #2 here in the land Northward. We did everything we could to "...fortify against the Lamanites, from the west sea, even unto the east; it being a day’s journey for a Nephite, on the line which they had fortified and stationed their armies to defend their north country." (Helaman 4:7)

We went on 2 exchanges with 2 of the District Leaders in our zone and their companion's this week.  On one of these exchanges  I went with my MTC companion, Elder Bunch! If anyone has any questions about technology, ask him. He is going to make a lot of money doing whatever he's going to do after the mission. This is our first time serving in the same zone on our missions, so it was good to catch up and talk about the things we are going to do to finish strong.   We had a pretty cool experience with a family that we taught in my area. 

So we are teaching this guy named Luis who was in the Mexican Mafia. He has a pet pigeon. No we're not talking like President Monson owned pigeons, it's just a pigeon that came off the street. It doesn't even have a cage. But I've gotten used to it and we're buds now. 

Some other awesome people we are teaching are Maexdre & Ana. They are a mother and daughter and from Cuba. They came to church and loved it! Maexdre read all the way to Alma 5 in 3 days. Then, on her own terms, she drove to the temple to look at it! 

All in all, things are going great! I love serving with Smitty and we are having a fun time getting Spanish back up to speed!

Have a great week!

Elder Faldmo

This is my companion Elder Smith with a savila plant a lady randomly gave us after we knocked on her

door:)

 

February 8, 2016 #Number1North

Hey Fam!
I'm having a blast serving back in El Rancho with Elder Smith! He's the funniest companion I've had and we are having a great time together. I don't know of I told you last week but he's from Vienna, Virginia right by DC. He went to BYU for a year before his mission. He's also an amateur rapper. 

So there's probably too much work here for us. We actually need like 2 more companionships for our ward.  In order for us to cover it like we would like to, it would be great to have it like it was the first time I was here. But we aren't complaining about that FOR SURE, we are just running around all day every day finding and teaching. We have the most functional Spanish Ward in the valley and they are extremely supportive.

The Lord is blessing the North Zone a ton right now. This transfer we are "#KnockOutNorth: KO'd for KI's" (key indicators). That's our zone vision and Elder Smith and I rolled it out this week at our Zone Council. We are focusing on finding for the month of February and already broke our zone
record for finding this past week! Our local leaders are all on board and we have a great Ward Mission Leader and if we stay humble and hungry some positive outlying things can happen these next few months! #Number1North 

Already broke the zone record... KO'd for KI's and Knocking Out Satan too!

At ZTC I trained on "knocking out Satan" and how we need to remove the obstacles and temptations in our lives that allow him to be in the ring with us so we can win by KO.

My Spanish is doing ok right now. Still knocking some rust off but through fasting and prayer we're going to get there. Like 90% of the people we talk to are Spanish speaking so that makes it easier to progress faster with the language. It was cool to come to church yesterday and see the Rubio Family, a family Elder Rivas and I baptized.  They were all there and very active. I'm going to get them to the temple before I leave here! I love serving in the ghetto areas. People are so humble and crazy! :)

So it is with us, North Town is the place to be for missionary work and seeing miracles everyday! This has been one of the best weeks on my mission!

Elder Faldmo

February 1, 2016 Ode to Warm Springs Part II

Hey Everyone!

I'm getting transferred to North Las Vegas tomorrow. I'm going to be serving in the El Rancho Spanish Ward! That's where I started my mission so I'm excited to go back and serve there again! My companion is going to be Elder Smith. He's been out almost as long as me and he's from Washington DC (Vienna, VA to be exact). He's pretty much the same person as my cousin Christian Clark so it's going to be a lot of fun!

On Saturday, Kaleb got baptized! A few months ago, Elder Thorne and I went to prosball at Sunset park. Kaleb and his brother were there and we beat them in a little 2 on 2 pickup game and then shared the lesson of the Restoration with them. They didn't live in our area so we passed them over to Elder Sawyer and Chambers who were assigned to Kaleb's area. So they started teaching Kaleb more and he progressed really quickly and was baptized on Saturday!

Kaleb's Baptism

Me, Elder Chambers, Kaleb's brother, Kaleb, Elder Thorne & Elder Sawyer

After staying put for the last five transfers, it's time for me to leave Warm Springs again. Throughout my mission, I've served in 4 different wards here in the Warm Springs Stake for a total of about 1 year. What a great experience it has been!  I'm so grateful to have been able to have had the opportunity to serve around the amazing members here that understand what it means to be consecrated and how to best help the missionary work here. I'm also grateful to be have been able to serve so closely with President and Sister Snow and for all that they've
taught me! And of course, I'm super blessed to have had the opportunity to serve with Elder Thorne these past 2 transfers. He has taught me a ton and also helped me get back into shape :) But, I'm also super excited for the future and the opportunity I have to serve back in the North! We're going to be #Number1North and break some records! Let's go to work!

Elder Isaac Faldmo

Ancestors and Elder Corbridge visit January 27, 2016

Hey everybody here's a quick update of what's going on with me the past week or so:

These past few days we have had the opportunity and the blessing to have Elder Lawrence Corbridge of the 1st Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy and his wife with our mission. It started with a special MLC on Sunday night and then 2 mega zone conferences on Monday and Tuesday.

Front Row: Sister Corbridge, Elder Corbridge, President Snow and Sister Snow.  

Me with Elder Thorne and sister training leaders in the back:)

While Elder Corbridge was here I had the chance to be interviewed personally by him and get some 1-on-1 time. He is probably the most intelligent person ever with the scriptures. One question I posed to him in my interview was "how can I avoid temptation after my mission?" and without delay he responded with D&C 45:57:

"For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived--verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day."

Here are a couple of other things I learned from him these past few days:

    * The bad news is that the Lord requires everything. Our time, talents, and interests. The good news is that the Lord only requires everything.

   *D&C 64

33 Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

34 Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.

Greatness is the compilation of many small things done well. Day after day, obedience after obedience, workout after workout (Spiritual or Physical). 

Last Wednesday was the Worldwide Missionary Broadcast for all of the missionaries throughout the world. We were able to hear from a few of the apostles (Anderson, Bednar, Oaks) and others from the Missionary Executive Council.  It was titled "Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts." I loved it because all of the talks and trainings were on the 8 fundamentals of missionary work or from the Missionary Guide Preach My Gospel. It's all about the fundamentals for whatever we do in life! 

I also was able to go on exchanges with Elder Chambers this past week! I'm so grateful for the mission and the friendships we develop because of it! I can't wait to watch him play at BYU after the mission!

So I have become quite fascinated with my ancestor named Thomas Sirls Terry. A member from a Ward I formerly served in is a descendant of him also and gave me a huge book with all of Thomas and his family's history.  Here are a couple of my favorite Thomas Sirls Terry quotes from his journal:

"When famine and starvation stared me in the face, and hunger had so weakened my mortal frame, that when at my labor I would have to sit down to rest in order to gain strength... still I hung on to my faith and integrity in the Lord ... and when a mist of darkness had darkened the horizon of truth and when the prophets of God, who were slain for the testimony which they bore, by the wicked friends of hell, and when destruction seemed to the total overthrow of the whole church, my faith was still in the Lord, and would serve the God of Israel and would never let anything shake me from my firm position in the commandments of Christ. Therefore, my dear children, let nothing of an evil nature persuade you from a righteous course through life, and always carry out your righteous decrees and be firm in your determination."

"I was a Mormon, and was determined to gather with the Saints. Although it was critical times with the Saints as they were driven from Nauvoo the year before, the church was on the move, and they had no home, and more than this, but a very few friends. But their God was my God and if they died, I could die with them."

I'm grateful for the spiritual strength we get by learning about our ancestors!

Elder Faldmo 

January 18, 2016 "No Bad Days!"

This week was pretty eventful. On Tuesday to Wednesday I was down on exchanges with Elder Taylor in Lake Havasu City! The city slogan is "No Bad Days" and after a day there it's hard to believe that there could be bad days in Havasu.The people there are super nice and there

are a lot of members of the Church there too! Elder Taylor is from Alaska but he was born in Penguitch! The same place Grandpa Ross was born. He might play baseball at Dixie after his mission. I also went on exchanges on Thursday with Elder Wasden, my former comp!

I also got an exchange in with my man Elder Chambers

On Saturday, we had 2 baptisms. The first was Landon. He is dating a member and his whole family is Baptist. It was hard for him a little bit because of that, but Elder Thorne was able to relate a lot to him because his mom's whole family is all Baptist too. S/O to Kim Thorne for
being a trailblazer!  

Elder Thorne, Landon & me

Lora's family walked into church a few months ago and she been progressing ever since! Her parents got baptized a few weeks ago and on Saturday she and her little brother got baptized.

Elder Thorne, Lora and Me-- Photobomb by Lora's little brother:)

Today, President and Sister Snow took us to the Valley of Fire! It's right by Overton and looks similar to Zion National Park and Dixie Redrock. There was some slot canyons that we were able to go through.  It's super cool and a perfect time of year to visit it!

Thorne and I sporting our KC championship T-shirts 

Happy Birthday this week on the 22nd to my father David! Love you dad! Thanks for being a great example of hard work and consecration!


Elder Faldmo

January 11, 2015 The Story of Bryan Mandujano‏

This was one of the best weeks of my mission! 

Mostly, for the fact that Bryan Mandujano got baptized! For those of you who don't know, I
started my mission in North Las Vegas in a Spanish Ward named El Rancho. While there, Elder Rivas and I were working very closely with Bryan. Over the course of the last year and a half since I left El Rancho, a few crazy things have happened to bring Bryan to last Saturday... His baptism. Here is his story.

This week Bryan Mandujano and his wife got baptized. He is a true example of the love our Savior has for all of us and that our Savior's hand is always extended to us... no matter how far we think we are. Bryan was found by missionaries about 19 months ago. He has always had a sincere desire to follow Christ and be baptized but he has struggled with substance abuse and addictions for the last couple of years. Missionaries have taught him constantly  and tried to help him for the last 18 months with dozens of potential baptismal dates which all failed because of his relapses. Many of us who taught him even began to question and lose faith that he would ever be able to overcome his addictions. At one point, it even got to where his girlfriend had a plane ticket to leave but at the last minute decided to stay with him. With their newborn son she felt she couldn't break up the family.

Things continued on for about 3 months after that. Just 1 month ago, Bryan was in the car with one of his friends that is a member of our church. They got in a really bad car wreck and his friend died because of the crash. Bryan was in a coma for a month and they weren't sure if he
would make it,  but he did come out of it. When he woke up he had limited use of his body and had permanent damage. However he said that during his coma, his friend who had died in the crash came to him and told him he was ok. His friend told Bryan that he didn't need to worry about him because he was in spirit paradise waiting for Bryan because he had made the covenant of baptism. Bryan immediately changed after that. From that point,  he started progressing for real and since his first meeting with the missionaries. He finally was clean of drugs for the first time! All that remained for hi to enter into the covenant of baptism was to be married to his girlfriend Maria. This past Saturday Maria and Bryan were married and
baptized directly after the wedding. For the past 18 months many missionaries have worked with Bryan and Maria and he finally has entered the fold. Bryan and Maria are now striving towards an eternal family through their future temple sealing and overcoming all the odds against them!

Maria, Bryan & their baby boy surrounded by many of the missionaries in the Nevada Las Vegas Mission that have taught and helped Bryan



This stuff it too good! I love this mission! #NLVM

Love,

Elder Isaac Faldmo

January 4, 2015 DRIZZY DRAKE

What's up everybody??  we've had a pretty great past 2 weeks!

We rolled out the 2016 mission vision at MLC this week. President Snow played "Started from the Bottom" by Drake at the end of the presentation and threw on a KC Royals hat and the whole room went nuts. It might have been the greatest moment of my mission so far.

Reason #472657 why President Snow is the coolest mission president out there. 

I thought Elder Chambers was going to flip a table and Rockwood was going to pass out. It's a pretty fun time in the mission right now. There's a ton of work being done here. We're reaching

new heights here in the NLVM! We're just trying to #elevate our way to Tier 3 missionary work here in Las Vegas!

Mary got baptized on New Years Day! She's a foreign exchange student from Russia and is still working on her English but it's been cool to see her progress in the Gospel through trials in her life. Her host family are all members and she's going to go to BYUI next fall.

Elder Thorne, Mary's host family and me

I grew a lot spiritually in 2015 and I'm excited to keep progressing here in 2016! It's time!
Let's get to work!

Elder Faldmo

December 14, 2015 Christmas Conferences, YSA success, and.....Thorne fell into a hot tub‏

Hey everyone here's just a quick update of how we're doing:

We had 3 Christmas Conferences this week. The first was all of the Henderson zones, then out of valley (Kingman/Lake Havasu Zone), then we finished the week off with the Las Vegas Zones 

President Snow, Elder Thorne & I in our matching ties, and Sister Snow

Elder Thorne and I trained at all of them on Revelation through Church attendance. We also had a guest appearance at all of them by Santa Snow and a talent show (our mission has the most talented missionaries btw)

We are teaching a lot of people and one of them is getting baptized at the end of this month. Her name is Mary and she's a foreign exchange student from Russia. She just got here a month ago so she's still learning English and culture. She lives with a member family and is going to BYU-I next fall! She's super prepared! We were teaching this guy by a pool this week. He was a little under the influence of alcohol. We got done with the lesson and Thorne takes a couple steps back forgetting that we are by a pool and splashes right into the hot tub.... 

He said he was just showing the guy how baptism works but I'm not buying it.  The drunk guy said he looked like a model after he got out who agrees??

Elder Faldmo

Me, Elder Thorne, Sister Snow, Sister Training Leaders & President Snow