August is almost gone

August 26, 2013

Dear Family,

It's always a challenge to express in words.. and even more so, in text, the feelings I have from the mission. It's something I have to do every week! This week was great. I got to go on exchanges with many of the Zone Leaders and we experienced lots of great things. We got to go to church in a place called Orange yesterday. It was the District Conference for the members in the Orange District. Presiding was Elder Walker of the 70. It was a neat experience to meet and interact with these members that live out in the Australian Outback. They are very faithful Saints and have a special spirit about them. 

One really cool experience I had this week was that I got to go back and work in Bankstown for the first time since I left. I was with the Zone Leader Elder Wan. On this day I got to go visit my recent convert Dee Havea. His family is still set to be sealed in the temple in November. Just a few weeks before I come home. Dee is an amazing man. He has been a member for less than 1 year but is one of the most converted people I have ever met. He is always helping in church activities and rescue nights and he fulfils his calling very well as 1st counselor in the young men's. He understands the significance of the priesthood and is always conscious of being worthy of it. He is also using it in every way to bless his family. He and his wife and 6 children begin each morning with prayer and scripture study but since they have been really sick lately they changed it up one morning and he gave each child a blessing. The night before he made sure he fasted and prayed to get the spirit, then woke up very early in the morning to shave and put on a suit so that he could give the blessings. I was really impressed by this.  I am very blessed to see the progression of Dee and how the gospel has blessed his family in such a short time. 

It's very sad to hear about all the deaths happening lately. It is always a rough thing to lose someone close to you. It is also such a blessing to have knowledge of the plan of salvation.  It may not answer every question that someone might have, but it does give answers to the questions that God knows we need the answers to. I am grateful for the Holy Ghost and it's power to teach. Not only teaching through me, but also teaching to me. There are many great and wonderful things that I have learned only because of the Holy Ghost. No amount of intellect or intelligence could gather from the scriptures or any other resource, the things that have been revealed to me by the Holy Ghost. It is an unbeatable gift.  If nothing else, the Spirit will always provide us with comfort and peace to help us get through whatever trial we have. 

To Makayla, I am so happy and so sad to hear that you are growing up so fast! It seems like just yesterday I could hold "Monkey" as a little baby but now you could probably lift me up! I am excited to hear that you are going to go to a new school and makes lots of new friends. You will never forget the people you have met through school and daycare so far. You will also have lots of fun in your new school.  Change can be a scary thing. It is scary for everyone because we don't know what to expect, or what will happen to us. However, change makes life exciting! I remember I was nervous to leave home and go on a mission but I knew how much I would learn and how much I would change so I just did my best to try anything new. I have learned a lot of new things and I am thankful for this experience of being a missionary. There are also lots of other new things I had to do before my mission but I am thankful for all of them because they helped me to be a better person and to learn more, and meet lots of cool new people. I'm sure that this new school will bring you lot of happiness, friends and good memories. You are such a good and kind girl I know that others will like you too.  I'm happy for you that you got to have a longer summer break & have fun at kids camp & swim with  Grant, Lydia and Lila.  To Mr.Grant, have fun at pre-school & take good care of Lydia and your mom.  I am looking forward to seeing Lydia as a little person, not just a tiny baby and to meet Lila. 

This week we have a mission tour with the Area President, Elder Hamula. I am very excited for that but also have to do a lot of work in preparation for it.  The days of sitting back and enjoying the show are over. I'm now the stage crew! 

Hope you all have a great week!

Love Elder Thompson

Pictures

- the Orange Zone at District Conference (many of these branches have not seen any missionaries in years)

 - watching the sun rise at Pambula Beach

Family Ties

August 18, 2013

 

Good day family! 

Yes, I did get to meet up with Aunt Carol! It was great. We were in Canberra and ended up with a little free time so we decided to drop by her place for a surprise visit but no one was home so we went to the car and called her but no answer. We had to make a few other calls so we just stayed in the car and took care of business. Then she pulled up next to us and caught us there waiting! haha it was funny. We then went to dinner and it was really nice. It was so funny to see another Sherman. Definitely felt like family. We went to the Parliament House which was real fun.  It's funny because for anyone else, spending 90 minutes in Canberra for leisure time wouldn't even be worth the breath but for us those 90 minutes felt like a 3 week vacation! haha! That's just how it goes. I'll send pictures later on.

This week showed lots of miracles as we went down through the south coast and up through Canberra. A highlight of my week was when Elder Tonga'onevai and I went tracting in some humble living circumstances. Apparently this block of units is named by the missionaries, the "Miracle Blocks". That it was. It is a government housing facility for many young families and students who struggle with money while they do their studies at the nearby univeristy. In 90 minutes we found 5 potential investigators, set up 1 return appointment, and were invited in by a young vietnamese family to teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was shocked when the young mother named Nga simply said "Ok, come in, we will have you teach us." We had an excellent lesson. They are Buddhist in background, so it was interesting for me to teach them about our beliefs. I had the opportunity to bear my testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and I felt the spirit very strong. That was a blessing for me to have that experience. 
Our investigator named Gabriella showed up to church again as well. Last week we had a somewhat informal lesson with her, but this week we had our first scheduled meeting that went really well. After a long, very intense lesson of the restoration we stressed the importance of the Book of Mormon. Gabriella said that she feels like something is missing in her life but she doesn't know what. Her member friends seem to have a "rock" in their lives that really strengthens them and that's what she wants. At first we thought that the rock she was missing was commandment keeping but as she expressed how she doesn't drink or smoke or hook up with guys and stuff, we realized that all she is now missing is the ordinances of salvation. We read Helaman 5:12 with her (build your foundation on the rock of our Redeemer) and explained that the way we build our foundation of the rock of Jesus Christ is by being baptised. We then invited her to be baptised and she said yes!!!! However, she is very aware that before she is baptised she must gain faith and repentance and she said that she would be baptised on the condition that she knew it was true. We then assured her that there is no way we will let her get baptised without first developing faith and repenting. Wow that was a spiritually draining lesson. She is one of the most intense (intense is the best word I can think of) investigators that I have ever had. I am SO grateful to be able to teach her though, because it is forcing me to use every ounce of Spirit that I can feel. I am learning so much already from this teaching experience. It is very humbling. 

The Australia Sydney South Mission is definitely catching the wave of missionaries. When the mission split, our mission had a whopping 85 missionaries. By the end of the year, we will have 200. President Lew is very inspired, and under his direction we are having a lot of success. We are also baptising many more people and the missionaries are very happy. I know the Lord is Hastening his work!

By the way, I put that text in red. Everything that is red, you can just make that my 8th ward newsletter post. :)

I'm looking forward to this week! I hope you all have a great week as well!

Love, Elder Thompson

August is Here

August 5, 2013

 

Dear Mom and Dad

It's only been a few days since my last email huh? Time is flying so fast, every time I look at the date on my watch it is always 1 or 2 days ahead of where I though it should be. Tomorrow is August 6th. That blows my mind! Things are going well here, finally calmed down and everything. Lot's of miracles are happening. We are now working in the Hurstville ward when we have time, we had our first Sunday there yesterday. A random part member Columbian family showed up to sacrament and brought their japanese friend with them. Funny thing is that President was inspired to send a japanese Elder there even though it is a mostly chinese area. That elder was able to talk to her and get contact details so they can teach her. 

A really cool miracle though that has to do with your question, Dad, about whether we help pair up the missionaries. Yes, we are pretty involved with that process. My companion and I, President and Sister Lew, after listening to the testimonies of the new missionaries, go into presidents office and spent about 90 minutes pairing them all up, praying about it and stuff. It is a REALLY cool experience. That is one of my favorite things, I always look forward to it. But anyway, a few days after transfers I was talking to an Elder who was in an area called Camden. He met a member who was from Cowra, which is a small branch that is way out in the bush. This member in Cowra suspected that missionaries were coming soon because they had been helping us look for accomodation out there. They never got around to it, but they were going to request us to send a Filipino missionary out there because a part member recent convert Filipino family just moved into the branch. By this time, Elder Moyes who is training in Cowra had already arrived with his new trainee, who just happens to be Elder Abquina.. from the Philippines. He is a great missionary. I couldn't my believe ears when I heard that. It really sunk in, I know that these transfers are inspired by God. There are so many things factored in that we really have no control over, however, God knows what's going on and it is great to be able to rely on him. 

When the mission split, we had about 80 missionaries. By the end of the year (when I come home) there will be 198 missionaries in the Australia Sydney South Mission alone. WHOA! I feel bad for the person who has to organize all that chaos.. oh yeah.. I have to organize all that chaos. It's gonna be nuts! 

Elder Haeata and I had dinner in the mission home last night with President and Sister Lew. It was really fun, we just feel like really close friends. We talked about dating and how Preach My Gospel is great in the principles it teaches because most of the things can be applied to finding and maintaining a spouse. For example there is a section called "Teach when you find, find when you teach." and President Lew said in real life that is called "Date when you find, and find when you Date." (Finding is when you are looking for new investigators) hahaha anyway, it's been a fun week. This week we have 6 exchanges planned. We're gonna have heaps of fun! :)

Have a great week!

Love, Elder Thompson

Family Reunion

July 31, 2013

 

Dear Family,

Hey sorry it took a while to get this written again, things have been hectic as. We just had our first transfer as the Australia Sydney South Mission. New mission. New mission office. New mission president. New companion. and 29 new missionaries. Only 2 went home! Next transfer we have 29 more coming, then the next transfer we have 47 more coming. And over those 2 transfers we only have 6 people going home. That's totally insane. We created a new zone and opened up 14 areas. The logistics of this have been crazy. I "killed" (had my companion finish his mission) my first companion last week. It's a weird feeling because you know you won't see them at conferences and stuff. He is going back to Utah though so I will see him there one day. 

 

Anyway, things here are GREAT!!!! I'm loving every minute. Things have been crazier than I could have ever imagined but it's still a lot of fun. Hope you all have a great week! 

Love Elder Thompson

Happy Hot Pioneer Day

July 23, 2013

 

G'day

So the verdict is final. I got confirmation of my visa extension! I am now officially allowed to stay in Australia until 22 December 2013, so that means I will be coming home 3 December 2013. Looks like I'll be home for Christmas. Although I really wanted to extend, and that's what I decided to do, it never felt quite real. It looked possible but I never had that feeling that it was actually going to happen so now that I found out about this, it just confirms those feelings.  It's just good to know for sure what will happen. Friday night we got to help prepare food for the dinner with all the stake presidents and the member of the 70 and it was pretty fun. I had this waist down apron on and I really looked like a waiter. They all told me I looked really good as a waiter and that they would recommend me to anyone to work for them.  I think when I get home I will look for a job as a waiter, probably at the Outback Steakhouse, I will just use my Australian accent and entertain everyone hahaha my accent is acutally pretty dang good. 80% of people here don't even know that I am American. Heaps of people think that I am just an Aussie or from New Zealand it's sweet as. I reckon being a waiter would be fun and I could get heaps of tips and I might even meet my wife, who knows???  Anyway.. enough of this waiter business, it might just be a phase. I go through a lot of phases. Phases are fun, they keep life interesting :)

I'll share a cool experience from this weekend. We went to invite some people to church Sunday morning a family which the kids were baptised but not yet the parents. When we knocked, the young girl Sophie answered the door and immediately said, my friend Whitney is coming the church with us today, she slept over! It was pretty cool, and so because Whitney would be with strangers all day, Sophies mom Brook came to church as well. (She probably wouldn't have come if Whitney wasn't there).  At church, Brook was welcomed warmly. It's been a few weeks since she last came. In gospel principles, the lesson was on baptism and the members that were in the class were a mom and her daughter. The daughter was older and married now but they shared their conversion experience about how the kids were baptised first and then the mom later. I could go into more detail but the experience they shared related EXACTLY to Brook. I think it really hit her. I hope she has her eyes opened and gives commitment to the gospel so that her family can be blessed. 

Nothing I can really think of to say at the family reunion other than to follow the prophet. The most important thing we can do is follow the council of the prophets and the apostles and everything will be ok. You can also let everyone know that I am well and that I love my mission. :)

Well, I think that's all for this week. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY week ahead. Can't stress that enough! Transfers and Mission Leadership council. Then planning for a recent convert fireside the next week. All while I have a new companion and a new mission president.  This is the biggest intake the mission has ever seen by far. about 4 times as many missionaries as we have ever gotten. The wave has finally hit Sydney! We have 30 new missionaries coming in. Then in a few months we have 46 more coming. SPLASH! haha what a great thing to see! :) Bring it on!!!

Love, Elder Thompson

PS) Please pray especially hard for me, I need the Lord's help as much as possible! Can't do it without him :)

Happy Campers

July 18, 2013
 

Hello! Sorry it's late.

Well here's my decision. I decided to extend my mission to 14 January 2014...... however, by the time I had made this decision it was already too late and Sister Haynes had already did the travel request for 3 December... so that's the way it worked out. Right now, it's looking like I will be home for Christmas. I haven't had my personal interview with president Lew yet though so I will bring this up with him, let him know what my situation was and see if we can make an exception to my travel details, just cancel the itinerary that will come through and book new travel for January. We'll see what happens :) either way I will be satisfied with my mission. 

Anyway, that's not even exciting news... KANNON IS ENGAGED! WHOA!! Good on 'em. hahaha that blew my mind! Even though I could see it coming from a million miles away.. ok maybe not a million, but definitely a couple thousand miles away for sure. That means I'll be the only one left.  whoa... 

so still no details for it, will I be home for that do you think? Either way I don't want to be factored in too much. If they need to get married quick then they don't need to wait for me or anything haha but I do want to be there for sure.  It is also very good to hear about Corina and Trenton! Tell them congratulations for me! If you can give me their address that would be great, I would like to write them a letter if I get a few spare minutes. 

The email from president Lew I didn't know about, Elder Hoer is my companion though so it was probably a copy and paste or something. Not really sure. That's good you got the new address though. you could put it on facebook or something. See if anyone wants to send me a letter or something... I don't get a lot of letters hahaha, but then again.. I don't write a lot of letters! 

Anyway that's some news for the week, there's more but we are really busy still.  Tonight we are going to go set up for a dinner at the mission home. President Lew is having all the stake presidents over for dinner as well as the area 70. pretty intense! And also in August Elder Hamula is doing a mission tour. He is the President of the Pacific area. He is really cool and I should be able to talk to him quite a bit :) Looking forward to that. Well, I love you, have a great week! I'll hear from you on Monday!

Love, Elder Thompson

Happy 4th of July

July 8, 2013

 

Hello! 

Well, now that the mission is split there are a few things that are way different. Seeing that we only have half the mission to look after, we potentially have a lot more time to spend proselyting. However, President and Sister Lew are brand new to Australia and they need a lot of help figuring out how things work here, mission things, cultural things, logistical things, administrative things, driving especially haha! Lot's of things to show them how to do. President Lew is very on to it though. It hasn't been hard at all! This week, we have lot's of Zone conferences all over the mission. It will be pretty busy but fun at the same time. Last night we had our first recent convert fireside in the Sydney South Mission. We used to have them every first Sunday at the old mission office location but now we had one down south and it was really great. The recent converts who spoke were very good. Lot's of members, investigators and other recent converts showed up as well. It was a semi-stressful thing to plan out but it was all worth it. 

Today we actually had a pretty real P-day as well. President Lew is really supportive of us having a P-day because he know swe haven't had one in like 2 months so today was really nice :)

Crazy to know that Ryan is home now... I can't believe it. I am very proud of him and know he was a great missionary. Speaking of coming home, I have an interesting decision to make. See if you can make sense of this. My proposed release date is 25 December but that's Christmas day. We have been planning to send me home 3 December because it is the transfer right before the 25th.  I also found out that President Lew has the authority to send a missionary home up to 30 days before or after their original release date, visa situation permitting. A transfer is 42 days but since my release date is mid-transfer, I would be able to stay another transfer longer which would put me home about 14 January. So I have to decide. Do I want to come home 3 December, or 14 January? I have been praying about it alot. I  have to decide by tomorrow what I will do. I am very torn and would appreciate any input or information from you guys.  Will you email me back about this tomorrow?  I need to let Sister Haynes know by tomorrow whether or not she should book a plane ticket for me or not. 

Well, I have to send this off, but I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow! :)

Love, Elder Thompson