Parties, Weddings, Pig Dinner, and Christmas of Course!

Hello everyone and a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the snow for me....

To my family, this feels a little bit weird typing this email because I literally talked to you all like 3 hours ago, haha.... But anyways, here I will have to think of more stuff to share about that I didn't share while we skyped! 

 

This week was just full of Christmas fun-filled activities and most of which were made, organized, and ran by the Elders. So it was pretty stressful but we got it done! A lot of the festivities of the season took place inside our house with Elder Haslam and I. It was a good one. Christmas itself was just a good day all in all. We were expecting to have invitations and things planned for us on that day but nope, everyone leaves to go to their village and the Elders get left alone.... So we went to work! It's all we know to do...  We helped the sick and the afflicted, visited the widows, and looked for ways to serve. 

We were riding our bikes and it was raining. Yeah, did I mention it rains here?! Anyways we saw this truck stuck on the side of the road. The second I saw it and the 8 Malaysian dudes unsuccessfully trying to get it out, I instantly thought of the Mormon Message 'Bearing Our Burdens with Hope' about the truck in the snow. I was like, well, I've seen this in a Mormon Message once! Well, I went over there and took over. I told them all to get in the back and weigh it down, we gave it some space, and some gas, and 2 tries later we were out of there. Folks, Mormon Messages have skill value to them too not just spiritual value!!

We got to have the branch party this week as well. Guess who got to be Santa Claus? 

  

Iban weddings are fun. Especially when you throw them in the bottom floor of your Iban wooden house in kampung that is no bigger then 15 feet squared and you invite the whole village! Yes, please make the white man say the opening prayer too! Then lets throw on some really loud Iban music and ask the big white man to dance over and over until he just has to leave...Haha it was so much fun.

 

Our investigator Hendry passed his baptismal interview this week and he will be getting baptized next week! Way excited. This is our 9 year old investigator that acts like he is 24 already haha.  So cool.

Well, Love you all! Merry Christmas!

Elder Thompson

Ps:  Hope your Holiday Feasts were good this year!?!

Some Fruit with that?

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Draper, Utah Missionary Letters seen thru Dec 24-2016

Christmas on the Equator

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is having a good time bundling up and walking through snow these days because we're not!....

Just getting my nice tan lines nice and crisp.

This week was a good week that didn't have much to it, but we worked hard and got some results! 

They celebrated my birthday this week for the second time and we coordinated it with a FHE so it was way fun .Cake and everything. These people have just become family to me and they treat me like family too!

We had the opportunity to do some service this week and do some yard work! Do you know how long it has been since I have done like actual yard work? Yeah, it felt good. 

This email is going to be REALLY short but to make up for it I took a ton of pictures this week of our adventures so I think I will just let the pictures to the talking for this week. Merry Christmas everyone! Love you all!

Elder Thompson

Ps: 

From: Elder Haslam  
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2016 3:01 AM
Subject: Thank You!

Hello Elder Thompsons Mother! I just wanted to say thank you for the Christmas candy that you sent to us! It is delicious and I really appreciate it! Also, your son is awesome, I'm lucky to have him as a companion and trainer! 

 

 

Pss: Tons of Pictures to do the Talking this Week::

   

 

   

 

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Draper, Utah Missionary Letters seen thru Dec 17-2016

Beginning to Look Like Christmas in Malaysia

First off I want to say thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes and the stuff that I received on my birthday! You truly made it a good one!  I felt like I was getting too much stuff and too much attention and I felt like it was all just too much, but, I am so grateful for all the love! Just trying to give more than I receive, and I always lose, it seems like. In a world where no one has a lot, and you seem to have it all, you completely forget yourself. Thinking of myself for one day just felt weird.....I had to get back to work fast, haha. But thank you so much!

Starting off the week we had an awesome family home evening at a central Kampung house that brought in about 52 people! Most were less active members. It was so cool to see everyone come out and beat the average we have at church each week, haha! I just couldn't stop looking around and smiling thinking how much I love all these people. It was the best.

We did caroling this week as a branch. So we all got in our caravan of janky cars and worse, motorcycles, and we went house to house each night and sang some off tune Christmas songs, but it was so much fun. Yes, Christmas is finally here. 

Elder Haslam and I got real festive this week. We couldn't take our plain house any longer so we spiced it up a little bit. Thanks to some skills my mom taught me our house is ready for Christmas and it feels a lot more like home. You'll have to see the many pictures because in terms of Elders homes....we crushed it. Just bringing in the Christmas spirit and showing our Chinese and Muslim neighbors how big white people do it from America! 

Love you all so much! Til next week! 

Elder Thompson

Fun Christmas Note: "here in Malaysia we have to put the stocking under the AC because they don't know what fireplaces are.....so Santa comes through the air vents..."

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Draper, Utah Missionary Letters seen thru Dec 10-2016

Tour of Malaysia

Yep, this week consisted of lots of biking to far places consistently, every single day. We had District Conference so we were down at the Kuching District building every single day and in case you wanted to know, it is about a 40 min bike ride, every time. Matang is pretty far out. That is besides the point that my legs have been twice the size of Lance Armstrong's for weeks now.... but 40 min outside on this island is a long time to be exposed to storms that drop in 10 min or less. Hence, we were wet.....a lot!  Just pack your poncho everywhere you go and you'll be fine they say.....it's water-proof they say..... Well it's not island of Borneo, Haha?!  One really just learns to love being wet here.

 

I had exchanges with one of the Chinese Elders in my district, Elder Schindler, and I brought him up to Matang for the day. We went to Kampung together. He loved it. We are talking about the privileged, and always dry Chinese Elders here in Kuching, who sit on couches in air conditioned rooms, and get fed everyday. Well, time to live the Kampung life! Come join me as we walk around in human feces, and sit on wood floors in wood homes they built themselves. Oh yeah, and let's have no light, no air conditioning, and no real clean water. BUT, let's have the best time and smile a whole lot because we are just so dang happy here. Haha it was a good day.

Oh yeah, Elder Haslam and I really have a knack for cooking everyday now. We are becoming some way good cooks, especially with the food here. I think we are addicted.

That's all I have to say this week! Christmas is here!!! 

Transfer are on the way today so I will update you all as to what happens!

Elder Thompson

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Draper, Utah Missionary Letters seen thru Dec 3-2016

Harvesting Long Planted Seeds

Hey everyone how is going?

This week was a good week over here in Matang, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. Wow, it has been awhile that I have said that.  It's still hot, and it rains a whole lot more, and it's Christmas time!

Last week for P-day we went to an Archery Tag place for the zone activity and that was way fun. Bows and plush arrows and some janky Malaysian arena and we had a good time!  I went on exchanges with Elder Ngatikaura and Elder Rich this week and it is always a pleasure to work with them! I always seem to learn more than I am supposed to teach on these exchanges....love it.

 

A couple nights ago the entire city of Kuching just went black. Total power outage. You know me I was having the time of my life, haha. As if wasn't dark enough out here in the jungles of Matang, it got darker. Good thing I've got my trusty bike lights and I know these roads up and down and could navigate with my eyes closed. It was a fun night, but I didn't particularly enjoy sweating all night long trying to sleep. But I mean, we do it all day so why not just keep it going??

Sweetest miracle this week. For those of you the remember my investigators Jimmy and Lisa back in Singapore that Elder Miller and I taught....they got baptized!!!!  It was a long process but they committed once and for all this week, and they were 'dunked' yesterday. I love those two and in the spirit of thanksgiving....I give thanks to God for the opportunity to have found and taught them. With no Thanksgiving dinners to be seen here in Kuching.... the celebration of crops ready to be picked was in Singapore this week. Jimmy and Lisa made the step.

That's all! Love you all!

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Draper, Utah Missionary Letters seen thru Nov 26-2016

Zone Conference - Travel to Singapore

(Great to See Everyone)

Hey everyone!

First off I am sad to hear about the tragedy that hit Draper this week. It never settles right with me. It is times like this that we look around us at the ones we love and cherish them a little more than we have. It is so great to have an eternal perspective on life in times of trail as this one as well. The peace the gospel brings cannot be matched. It is a time to lift up our heads and help those around us to see what we see that they may feel that joy as well. God didn't promise us it would be easy, he just said it would be worth it, as is a common meme. Let us be grateful for the loved ones we have and the knowledge we can gain of the great love and amazing grace of our God!

 

 

This week was pretty chill for Elder Thompson. We had Zone Conference in Singapore again which is always a good time. So much fun to see all the past companions and old friends who have become so close to me. Hugs all around and some real good talks. Elder Haslam and I got some time to tour around Singapore as well too. Along with the spiritual upliftment, we also get to see one of the coolest cities in the world. We learned a lot and had some fun times. Other than that, we are getting back into our area! The highlights this week are in the pictures, haha. The mission goes on! 

Elder Thompson

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Draper, Utah Missionary Letters seen thru Nov 19-2016

Sagu , Angels, and Trump

Sorry everyone but this is gonna be a short one! How is everyone doing by the way? I hope you're enjoying the nice fall weather...because I'm still on my 16th month of Summer in a row!

Anyways this week we had a couple of highlights that I'd like to share:

Last P-day we found a field and we played real American football. Like real football. It's been well over 16 months that I have even picked up a ball and thrown one. It just felt awkward for some reason. It didn't feel right. We had a way fun time even though I was dropping more balls than usual and my route running was slower ;)

We ate this stuff called 'Sagu' at a members house. If you can imagine the cinnamon challenge for  Americans, that is what Sagu is for these Ibans. Uncooked rice mashed up with dried coconut and a whole lot of sugar and some other stuff, I'm not sure. It was so hard to get down, oh my, Haha!  Elder Haslam and I were laughing so hard trying to finish it. It tasted just fine, it was just the texture. I think it took me 20 minutes to take like 10 spoonsful. 

 

 

Oh while I am on the topic of food I also had cereal this week. I can't tell you how long it has been since I last did that. I can't remember that's how long. Well it tasted delicious! Again though, it felt pretty weird to be American...

We taught this sweet Indian man this week who is golden for sure. This man sees angels and gets personal revelation and the whole 9 meters. Well, I mean he believes that he can break and bless his own sacrament to himself and friends, but that we will discuss :) .  He paid for our lunch because he claimed "It's on Trump!" Apparently he won a bet, and got some money, so we ate out.  He said that like 10 times and just kept buying more food for us, haha. Good times!

Love you all!    Elder Thompson

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Draper, Utah Missionary Letters seen thru Nov 12-2016