'Mukjizat2' (Miracles)

Family and Friends "Nama Berita?!"

I'll just get right into the highlights and the good stuff!

So this week was the beginning of a new transfers, as all the transfers go here, they are sad because people I love leave. They are also exciting because they bring new companions and new people! So Elder Patrick left me and I got a new native companion, his name is Elder Ajek! He speaks good English, he is from Kuching, Sarawak, and he lived in KL for a couple years working there! He works for a way high up and wealthy fashion company so that's cool. He is good at being a missionary and we are both excited to get to work, I am excited to learn from him. 

 

We did Family Home Evening earlier this week at one of our members house before Elder Patrick left. After we taught we were hanging out and eating, and they brought out sunflower seeds to eat as a snack! I was so excited they actually have sunflower seeds here!  It got even better when I found out they eat them one at a time with their hands??? So I showed them how we do it and how we just throw a handful into our mouth and then open, eat, and spit them from our mouths....  They were mind-blown, haha. They could not believe that I could do this so easily, pretty funny. 

As a part of transfers we had, a new fresh "greeny" come in from America. So as a district we played a prank on him and Elder Ajek acted like he didn't know English and one of the Chinese Elders acted like he could only speak Chinese. So we 'translated' everything which, funny, but we finally told him after like 3 days and he couldn't believe it, fun.

I will finish it up here with the work this week:  Elder Ajek and I have seen some awesome little miracles in our few days together it has been awesome. We are teaching this new family, and when we first met them they didn't know anything it seemed. They were all very shy and didn't participate as well and didn't talk at all. They've come to church and we have taught them 3 times, and our last lesson it seemed like they knew everything before we could even teach it.  They were involved and talking!   Most of them don't even know how to read, and even if they do they are not the best readers.  We asked if they would like to be baptized and they accepted!  We are way excited. 

Well, I  believe that is all I have for this week, onto the next week! Thanks for all the support everyone! 

Elder Thompson

2015 Draper, Utah Missionary Letters thru Nov22-2015

...news of things happening around the world, is tough hear...

Hello Family and Friends!

This week was good as we got back in the swing of things and finished up a very hard working week! The whole district is sitting in this internet cafe together awaiting transfers so it is a little nerve racking! But anyways, let me throw out at you some fun stuff happening out here in Sarawak!

This week one of the nights we came into one of our less-actives houses and they had the Corner Canyon High School SBO Closing Video playing from our year....wait what?!   Haha they searched me up on YouTube and they found it, haha. So they were watching it and they wanted to know what was going on, so, I translated it for them! It was way funny and they all loved it!

We also had the opportunity of doing a lot of exchanges this week, so that meant that on one of the days Elder Orr and I were left with our two native Iban companions. That was a blast! It was pretty funny if you could listen to two white kids throw around Iban with two natives.  As Sunday rolled around this week, we came to church like normal only to find that our branch president hadn't prepared anything for the meeting. "Hey so, Elder Thompson, can you speak for us today?"......Oh gosh. So yeah I had to pull out a talk out of you know where and go on for 15 min, in Malay. Scariest thing ever, but it worked out! Stories, man, stories are where it's at. (Thanks Dad!)

  

Keeping pets contained an essential part of teaching lessons:

 

One last quick thing, as we get the news about these things happening around the world here in Malaysia, it is tough as usual. I hear about these not only from other sources, but late because of the lack of information here. I am saddened and humbled, but my mind always returns back to the recent talks given by Prophets and Apostles of God that talk about these rough times hard. Not just recent talks but many talks that have been given just in the last decade. Just in this recent conference there were many. Gary A Stevenson talked about holding to Christ in these hard times to come. Robert D. Hales talked about us being pilots in this day. He said that we must be able to pilot our planes through the oncoming storms. Quentin L. Cook talked about making sure our boats were strong enough to withstand when the tide draws out. There are many more that talk about similar things, but they all point to one eternal truth: That there are storms and troubles ahead, and we must ready for them, and the way to do that is to stick to Christ, and stick to this Gospel. This is apart of God's plan. I don't mean to sound ignorant, that is the last thing God wants. We can aid and pray and fast for the world. I guess my point is that we should not be scared and we should not fear.

I will finish with one of my favorites from this last conference. As Richard J. Maynes explained, we must be centered, as clay in the center of the potter's wheel, exactly in the center of this Gospel if we are to stand in the oncoming things. The world is spinning and will continue to spin faster and faster as does the potter's wheel, if the clay is not centered perfectly, it will not be able to become something beautiful. I have a strong testimony of this not only because I took a year of pottery in high school and learned this the hard way haha..., but because it is so true for today, and will be true for the days to come.

Love you all!

Elder Thompson

2015 Draper, Utah Missionary Letters thru Nov14-2015



Sibu Rain, a little Chinese, & a late Halloween

Hello Everyone!  

Come around on another week out here in Sibu doing that whole missionary thing! Looking back on this week it was pretty slow, but the funny thing is that I always try to do something fun in the day so it doesn't seem slow. There is nothing like coming home and flopping on the bed completely exhausted, yet so fulfilled. 

  

As I may have mentioned in past emails the beginning of rainy season is upon us here in Malaysia, and boy is it upon us... We are just so used to timing the storms and knowing when it is going to dump or just sprinkle rain. When we have to bike through a storm, we just accept it and then go for it, it is actually fun. But, all this rain makes for some spectacular sights when the clouds break, of which I am always a fan.  

We had a Halloween party a little late here. The Chinese branch here invited us to come a attend. It was way funny teaching all these Chinese people how to play Halloween games like 'bobbing for apples,' haha. Plus I get to brush up on my Chinese which is always good! They have a member that cannot speak or hear, so I have done my fair share of studying of Malaysian sign language to talk to him, which is always a humbling experience.  This week I got to do exchanges with our district leader Elder Sabin which is always a good time. He is way sick and we both love to talk about basketball and all that good stuff. He is way tall and the members that we visit love him because he is a Chinese speaking Elder and I teach him Malay haha. 

This week toward the end of the week our mission President and his wife flew in to visit our zone and talk to all of us. It was cool to see him and talk to him, as well as get to know him more! He and his wife are truly ready to help us out in any way possible!  Anyways, not too much happened but there are the everyday adventures that every missionary experiences that I have the privilege of doing also. I miss all the cool fall and winter weather back home but I am getting a nice farmers tan out here!

Elder Thompson



2015 Draper, Utah Missionary Letters thru Nov8-2015

Singapore Conference & Rice Planting Services 

  

Family and Friends, 'Nama Berita?!'

Another week flew by, but this week was a little different! It was crazy, fun, and a whole lot of stuff happened, so let's see if I can get it all down.  We did Family Home Evening at one of our member families houses last Monday and it was so much fun! Family Home Evening is called "Malam Keluarga" or Family Night! We shared scriptures, ate good food, and played some fun games that I thought of and they loved them. I am known for doing games and fun object lessons here because I love teaching them, they understand them so much better!

   

The highlight of this week is that we went to Singapore!!! We all flew in, all the missionaries in East Malaysia for Zone Conference for 3 days. The first day we had some time so we took the city! First we ate a mall food court, I got a long awaited bowl of PHO....so good. It is pronounced like "FUH" haha. As I was eating that I couldn't help but hear Steve Hardy's voice in the back yelling "PHO Siagon!" haha. 

  

After that we headed to Marina Bay, we walked all around Marina Bay and saw all the sweet buildings, and all the tourism spots, we just had a good time is was so awesome. What was even better was that we got to see all the missionaries we came from the MTC with. It was awesome to see all those guys again! 

  

 

So on Sunday we had electric problems in a couple rooms, then the whole building went black, but that didn't phase anyone! We went right ahead with the meeting, no mic, no lights, it was pretty funny but they finally came on. That was a new experience! The weather this week has been awesome, it is moving into rainy season here so the smog is moving out and the sun is shining! It is hotter but the sky is blue and the clouds are beautiful! Anytime we get a chance to go adventure through the land I take it because I love it here. 

 

This morning was way fun as we woke up and helped one of the branch presidents with his rice farm! We planted rice, got up early to do it too. I had such a fun time getting all muddy and messy while serving! The area we traveled to is so beautiful and the people there are all Iban, which means a good time and a lot of toothless smiles....Happy Halloween! Haha   

  

 

I think I covered most of it, a lot of fun stuff happened this week, and the mission rolls on, Elder Thompson

PS Shout out to Jaydra Payne who is now called Hermana Payne:) Have fun in the Mexico MTC!

2015 Draper, Utah Missionary Letters thru Oct31-2015