Week 47!

Friends and family! 

Well this week was peachy! Lots of cool stuff!

We were visiting a less active and they didn't answer so we both walked out of the building and then we both turned around at the same time and had the prompting to knock at the door we had just passed! We did and this Samoan lady answered and was kinda trying to shew us away but then decided to let us in and we got to teach her the Book of Mormon. It was so awesome! So moral of the story... Follow promptings! 

So I have a super funny story for you guys that only in a Polynesian Wards does stuff like this happen! So On Friday we had dinner with this family that gave us so much food that I ate almost 3 times my body weight in food! (Well not really that much but it felt like it!)  And then this is the best part of the story! I felt like I was about to throw up and so I got up and just said I needed some air and literary walked outside threw up Ina bush then went back in and ate more! The family is like our favorite family in the Ward and I told them after and they loved it haha! 

This week we also had zone meeting and that was really awesome! We talked about 1 nephi 8 and about the iron rod. We talked about why and what got us out on missions and the fact that that doesn't matter anymore and that we need to think about why we are staying out on missions! It was actually really awesome! We talked also about kind of finding yourself and how you can only find yourself when you're not looking and looking outside of yourself! The more you look outside of yourself the more you'll see him! And we also had trainer trainee meeting this week! It was basically just about the Book of Mormon and how we can better explain it when we are street contacting and stuff like that! And lastly we had interviews with president this week on Friday and those were actually really awesome too!!

We had our baptism for Angelica on Saturday and it went awesomely! Elder tuimoloau and I had to plan the whole baptism because our Ward mission leader isn't here right now so we were stressed about it going smoothly but I went really good! It's seriously the best feeling to help someone come closer to Jesus Christ! So Angelica was from a part member family and wasn't baptized and so we taught her and well... Baptized her! 

Overall this week was really awesome! We had the baptism for Angelica, tons and tons of meetings, and we got to teach a lot which is always a good thing! But thank you for all you do for me! 

Weather update for everyone: it has been raining non stop for the past 3 weeks here! 

"As you become closer to Jesus Christ, don't think for a second he doesn't come to know you better" ~President Russell M Nelson 

D&C 75:22

Love, Elder Fawson

Happy August! Week 46!

Friends and family!!

This week was upper eventful and fun! We had lots of lessons and sadly We had to reschedule Angelica's baptism because they had family obligations! We had some super crazy things happen to us! On Thursday we went to see a less active and this huge black dog was out front and almost ate us! It didn't look like that mean of a dog but when we got out of the car it turned all rabies on us and I think it was scared to chase elder tuimoloau so it came after me and I swear I have never opened that car door and dived in the car so fast! Haha but it was so funny to talk about after! Second crazy thing that happened to us was while we were in mountain view visiting with a less active family and all of a sudden POP POP POP! Yea it was gunshots! We Heard gunshots during a lesson!!! It was pretty crazy! 

So this less active family we have worked with for a while now, they are young couple with a daughter and we got them going to church for a bit then they stopped and we just periodically will stop by to see how they are doing and everytime we stop by jaislene (the wife) says they we are literally an answer to their prays and everything because she said every time we stop by they are having a bad day or whatever and we cheer them up! Well Sunday after church we went to have a lesson with the big family we are teaching and it fell through and we were just going to leave and go home and change out of our suits and visit others but we decided to just go over to their house and see how they are doing and because we hadn't talked to them in a while! We literally caught them at the only time we really could have! So they have had lots and lots of things going on with their family that they live with and they all just kinda blew up on eachother so Michael and jaislene were grabbing stuff out and moving out to a new place and we caught them right when Michael was packing stuff up and jaislene was just sitting out side with her daughter! She said that when she saw us pull she knew God didn't give up and forget about her! It was a really awesome moment and she was talking about how we always show up when they are in need and so we got to share and scripture and have one of the most powerful prayers I think I've had on my mission! It was awesome! So moral of the story... Never delay on a prompting!!

This week we had lots of lessons and we are starting to have some new investigators pop up! So we are excited about that one! Thank you for everything you do for guys! You're awesome!

D&C 75:22 

Love, Elder Fawson

Week 45

Friends and family

Well ya know this week was just awesome! We got transfer calls on Friday and elder tuimoloau and I are staying and finishing up his 12 week training! Transfer calls aren't as exciting when you know you're both staying! I think the next one will be more exciting because I will probably go! One super funny thing is Elder Tuimoloau sees family literally everywhere we go! He's related to some people in the Ward and last Monday we were walking through Walmart and he saw his cousin! So funny!

Wednesday we got to go the temple which was pretty awesome! It's nice be in the anchorage area because you get to go to the temple each transfer! 

The Ward is doing good! Angelica is a 12 year old girl we have been teaching and she is now being baptized in Saturday! Super cool! She is in a part member family and is awesome and literally remembers everything we teach her! One of our other investigators is Kayla! She is the girlfriend of our Ward mission leaders son! They have 3 kids together! It's been hard to teach and baptize her because they aren't married but they have now decided to get married so they will have the bishop do it and we will finish lessons and baptize her! They want to get sealed as a family so when they do that they will have the big celebration!

For all the people that are hot back in Utah... It was 62 here on Friday! And I must say it was pretty dang awesome!!! Haha We went on exchanges this week. I went with elder berenson in our area and he's a stud! He's from Lincoln California which is like 30 minutes from Sacramento which is pretty cool!

A year ago today I was on my way to Samoa! It's so weird to think about! Crazy how fast time flies! 

Well this week was pretty fun! Thanks for all you do for me! You're all awesome! 

Love, Elder Fawson

                He said this is a Sasa!

               Their trip to the temple!

Week 44

Friends and family!

This week was pretty awesome! We got to do some fuuuunnnn stuff!! Last p day we played basketball with our zone so you can imagine it was a pretty awesome p day for me!

This week we got to meet with a lot of new people and got lots of referels so that's always a good thing! Our biggest struggle is getting people to church! We have lots of people that have taken the lessons previously and we meet with them now and they just won't come to church! So you can imagine we have lots and lots of lessons explaining the importance and why we come to church. God wants you at church!

On Friday we had zone conference! Which is just a dandy ole time! 10 till 6 of trainings! But it was actually really awesome. The zone leaders gave a training about how we teach everyone that God is our loving Heavenly Father but do we really believe that for ourselves? And about the atonement and how we all need to use it! And that we are ALL sons and daughters of God. President trained us on he lords time how 1000 years for us is 1 day for him. So 2 years for us is about 35 seconds for him. So when you account for the time we sleep and meetings and studies... We are the lords missionaries for about 11.66 seconds. Crazy. So the whole point of the training was to make use of our time because it's so short. And then the APs and STLs trainings were about how we sometimes live below our potential meaning how we have so many tools that we have been given to help us so are we using them the best we can. It was really awesome and we learned so much about what we can do to become better! Now we just have to make sure we apply what we learned!

If any of you have the chance go read or watch, "the purifying power of gethsemane" by Bruce R Mckonkie! It is the best talk ever! It's his last talk he ever gives and especially watch the last 2 minutes of it. This week I have watched it everyday and I learned literally 5 new things each time I listen to it! 

Well overall this week was just dandy! Love you guys and thanks for everything you do for me!

The church is true 

The book is blue

And Moroni is still on the ball

Love, Elder Fawson

Week 43!

Friends and family!!

First of all happy birthday to my dad! You're getting old! Haha I have the best dad ever!

We had lessons with all of our investigators this week so that was a good thing! Our struggle is just getting them to church! They would be ready and progressing if they would just come to church! 

There was a big riot going on down the road on Friday! It was sweet! We guess there's been a lot of black people being shot so they had a big riot and chanting black lives matter! We were going to OYM in it but we decided maybe not! But it was like this tunnel of people when we drove through them and it was awesomeness!

We had zone meeting this week on Friday and it was awesome! The stake president came and talked to us and then the zone leaders talked about loving everyone! It was a really good training and kind of hit everyone right in the heart! They asked everyone if they loved America and then would they die for America and then turned the questions to do you love God and then would you die for God? And of course everyone said yes but then you really really think about it and would you? Or would you die for just the world? It was an eye opener for sure! We also read a quote from Bruce r mckonkie and it said how missionaries and apostles have the same calling and same priesthood and everything! Cool thought!

On Saturday we were OYMing in mountain view and there was a little shade spot and there was like 20 natives that were hanging out there and most of them were drunk. I thought it would be super fun to go talk to all of them and we walked up to them and like half of them are asking how many wives we have and why we are dressed nice and just yelling random stuff and we talked to them for like 20 minutes and by the end they were saying they like the Mormons and stuff like that so that's awesome! In the midst of all them was this guy named Ferrell and he was white! Haha He has a super cool little black dog named blackie and he was asking us some questions about the church and he wasn't drunk by the way. He stood up and asked if he could talk to us somewhere where everyone wasn't being dumb and asked a few more questions and he wants us to come back and teach him! He was awesome and sadly we had to pass him off to the other elders but it was still a super cool experience. So moral of the story for every 20 drunk native people you find there is one that wanting to change! 

Well that was my week this week! Thanks for all the emails and for everything you guys do for me! Love you guys!

Love, Elder Fawson

And just an awkward selfie for all y'all

Temple pic from a few weeks ago when he was still with Elder Judd!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Friends and family!!!

Well this week has been really awesome! We have gotten lots done!! One of the super cool things that happened to us this week was we had a Ward party on Saturday with our Ward and lake Otis the other Samoan Ward! We were at the park on Saturday and it was awesome! Tons of good food and cultural dances, music and games! And there was even lots of missionary work that came from it! 

Another cool thing that happened to us this week was our Ward almost woke up and now they want to help us so much more with missionary work! It's crazy! I'm not sure what happened but all of a sudden yesterday at church everyone was telling us families and friends that we could go see of theirs and lots of members told us to call them anytime to help with lessons  and all that good stuff! It was cool!

We didn't get the opportunity to do as much service this week but we did lots and lots of OYMing to people and I tell you what that is seriously the funnest thing to do! You never ever know what you're going to get! I met like 2 Joseph smiths! Haha!

The training is going great! It's really cool because when you train it's like you yourself get trained into a better and more effective missionary too! I think I may have learned more than elder Tuimoloau has! Haha my studies this week I have really been reading the Jesus the Christ and if that doesn't get the gears turning in your head I don't know what will! I have learned so much from it!

Our investigators are doing good! The family with 6 kids is doing great! We got to visit with them this week and teach them the commandments so that was really cool! They are actually moving soon but luckily it's within our area! William is doing good. We stopped by this week and he didn't read what we asked him to read so we read it with him and really focused on the importance of finding out for yourself and keeping and the importance of commitments so hopefully he read! Angleica is doing good! We didn't get to meet with her because she was up in wasilla all week so that's a bummer but we will this week!

Happy 4th of July! "I usually don't eat a braut, hamburger, and a steak!.... But it is 4th of July! And I need the energy if I'm going to start blowing crap up!" -Jim gaffigan 

I can't believe it's the 4th of July already! I remember a year ago today I was in the Mtc and it was probably one of the hardest nights because I missed my family so much! All was well! Overall this week was really awesome! The sun being out all the time is probably the coolest thing since iced water! Thanks for everything you guys do and continue to do for me! You're all in my prayers and remember God is at the helm!

1 nephi 17:3

Love, Elder Fawson

Friends and family!!!

Well this week was good! We had a really busy week and had some really good lessons which is always a good thing! Monday of course we got to play basketball and well it was pretty dang awesome! It rains like every Monday so we have to go to the chapel to do something. I just thinks it's heavenly fathers way of showing that basketball is his favorite sport!

It feels like this week we became professional movers! Maybe it's the fact that Im with a big Polynesian! Not sure! But on Tuesday we moved a family in the other Ward to a new house and it pretty much took the whole day! Gotta love it! Then on Thursday we helped these members move stuff from their storage unit to a uhaul. And out last moving gig this week we helped a member in our Ward, brother Whitney, (yes it's a palagi in a Samoan Ward) and he is actually moving to Spokane Washington! Pretty cool! So we basically moved everything in his house into and big uhaul and a huge box trailer! So we are professional! 2 missionaries in a Subaru! Starting a business now!

This week on Tuesday we had trainer trainee meeting which is an awesome experience because it's our president just teaching all the people training and intraining. He talked a lot about how to become better at training how to better commit and invite people to different commitments. And without extending commitments the investigator would not progress at all because it gives them no way to find out if the gospel is true if they done have anything they can do to help them feel the spirit on their own!

Elder Tuimoloau and I now have 3 investigators and a family we are now teaching which is pretty cool! We have an investigator named William who is really awesome and had a stroke a little bit ago but has fully recovered! He just moved up here and is trying to get his family up here. His parents are members but he never was interested in the church but he cried when we first went over there, he said he's been waiting for us to come over! It's was a super neat experience! I will tell you about the rest I'm future emails!

One thing that is super funny that happens to us is every time we go somewhere people always think we work there! It is seriously the weirdest thing! EVERYWHERE! So next time you go somewhere don't ask the missionaries if they work there haha! In my studies this week I have read proverbs and it is seriously the best thing to ever read! Haha it's wisdom man! And it's like the most entertaining and funniest scriptures to read! Well at least in the Old Testament! Haha 

But overall our week was really awesome! We got to each lunch with a family missionaries had worked with and got sealed so that was pretty cool! But we had lots of lessons and it is definently a good thing! Thanks for everything you all do for me! Love you guys!

The church is true

The book is blue

And Moroni is still on the ball

Jacob 6:12

Love, Elder Fawson