Monday, April 9, 2012

to me

   Hey it does sound like you guys did have a very busy week I hope you guys really enjoyed it. So hey Nates home wow it really feels like just yesterday we were saying bye to him to go to the mission field. Now hes home and hopefully hes really doing so good. Time really flies by when you are doing the Lord's work here in the Philippines. It has gone by so quickly im already at 7 months here in the field and 9 months on the mission. IT FLIES!!! I have enjoyed every moment of it so far and I know that I will continue to love it as I continue on and become an even greater missionary than I am now. We always have for room for improvement siempre!!! I know that im definitly not a perfect missionary, but one thing I have learned is we cannot do this alone so one thing I do if I need anything I get on my knees and offer up my soul to him. It really does work I promise you it really works. I have been struggling trying to get down this language its hard it really is. Especially for the foreigners its harder for us to get this language down, but now im really getting it and have been improving daily especially from the help of my native speaker companion. Hes been a big hep in improving my skills, and now im not afraid to mess up and now the people actually understand me which is such a big relief to me. I continue to press on and continue t try my hardest to get this stuff down and its really helping with prayer.

  So this week we had a very good week we are really looking good me and Elder Acera. Hes an amazing companion yes its a lil hard trying to change to a totally different culture and companion from all the other companions that I have had, but it has been so rewarding to have him as well I have learned so much from him and hope to really progress in this area with him im really happy in how much success we have had this area is going we continue to find many less actives and continue to progress in this area and many investigator that we have are really progressing it really is great to see how much the Lord really helps you when your willing to do his work daily. So at conference we had the opportunity to see all of them and it really was a great expericence to have and we actually had many less actives and we actually had one of our investigators come and he loved it. All of our other investigators were out for Holy Week and Easter in the province cause thats were the real fun is. So yep I didnt see anybody get crucified, but I got to see another great thing on the side of the road. So this week we were leaving a members house which was in a squatter area (really poor area), and we got to expericence the craziness of the Philippines. We heard a dog barking so we thought something was going on. We turn the corner and we see two guys one with a knife and the other one is holding something on the table. ITS A FREAKING DOG!!! Next thing I see is this guy going at the dog's neck with his knife and I can just hear this dog screeching and let me tell it wasnt a happy howl its sent chills down my spine so bad. Next thing is the dog is just gushing blood out if its neck and the guys get a bucket for the blood from the dog for what reason I dont know, but I got out of there quickly and then I puked my freaking guts it was so nasty. My comp and the ward missionary that was with us was like hey your FIRST EXPERIENCE!! YAY so it means ill definitly see some of that again :( Anyways I loved conference so much though really my favorite talk was defintily from Elder Holland he always has good talks you can always feel the Spirit when he talks. It really spoke to me his talk though I really loved it along with Elder Uchtdorf's talk with STOP IT!! It really is the best thing that you can do is STOP IT!! I loved his talk so much. So with you questions I really eat alot of rice and one thing me and my companion do is cook chicken alot and hotdog yea hotdog!!! Finances really are going good I havent had any problems with them I just use it very wisely. We didnt really celebrate other than eating a peanut butter choclate bunny yesterday given to one of my housemates in a package. Elder Wilde. So really this is what we did this week really was an exciting week let me tell you. I love you guys alot and send love to Nana, Papa, Aunt Pat and Joyces way. Miss you all tons .
 
Mahal Kita
 
Jordan Thompson
With new investigators at conference sessions.

Elder Thompson and Elder Aat conference.

Even though he wont be able to see this til August 2013 had to have apicture in front of it at Pday.

Thought we should see how big the rats are!!! thanks Jord!!
 
 
 

Monday, April 2, 2012

Hey wonderful family,

      So this week we get to see conference this week so I'm really excited for this from what you guys have said it sounds like that its going to be so good like it always is. I'm really excited for this week cause we are going to have such a great week this week first of all its cause we have conference. Hey thanks for telling me that I'm really excited to hear from Andrew when hes able to go and do the same thing that I'm doing he is going to have so much fun. Its so cool to also hear that others are also going on their missions Jon Huber's going to Mexico WOW!!! that's so cool that he gets to go there. Like Elder Jeffrey Holland said " We need every worthy man to prepare for a mission we need as many missionaries that we can possibly get to bring this gospel to every nation, kindred, and tongue". Speaking of tongues I'm really loving Tagalog its hard definitely especially when you cant understand sometimes, but now I have a Filipino I can learn from hes so good at English too so it makes it more better for me. I'm learning so much from him and he says that he learning more English from me inside we made a decision to speak only English and outside we speak only Tagalog. It has been a big help I'm now not afraid to speak to people on the street i usually was a lil timid with it, but now I'm not afraid to speak to people i feel that I can talk to people, but i still cant understand some things so that's what my companion is for.  So this transfer is really looking so good we have 2 baptisms set for April 14th. Ill tell you a lil bit more about them.

   So first we have a investigator whose name is Rowel Iskatoto. So Rowel probably the coolest kid that I have taught here in the Philippines so far many kids that I have taught here in the Philippines you know that sometimes that when you go to church or when the missionaries come over you get a lil bored or you just totally zonk out. Well Rowel doesn't do that, hes only 14 years old, but is probably the most focused person I have ever met. Many kids his age usually get kinda bored he doesn't. HES TOTAL GOLD!!! He lives with members in our ward and he has many friends in the ward so really hes pure GOLD!! He does everything that we give him he reads the Book of Mormon he prays and its all from his free will not because the members he lives with force him cause he wants to know. This kid has a big desire to follow Christ and hes doing so good me and Elder Acera are doing all we can to have him baptized by April 14th we will see hes come to church twice now, understands all we say to him he really is a great kid I'm really excited to see how he does we are going to him tonight and then we are going to have a FHE at the members house so more time with him.

  Also we have Grace Gwenevente. She is actually the sister and daughter of two of the less actives we also teach with her. So it pretty much is double great time going there to teach them. She is very good as well. Sure she is a lil older she is 24 years old and has 2 kids one of which is 5. The problem we only see in the future is that she is living in with her boyfriend. That's all we see holding her back from getting baptized, she has a big desire to be baptized and like Rowel she keeps all of the commitments we give her. She read when we ask her to, she prays , and she comes to church, she didn't come this week, but she has come once so we will see how that goes. She is really great and I love being able to teach her as well as Rowel. I LOVE IT!!!

  So yea that's just a lil something that will be coming up soon with us. yes I'm considered a senior comp, but I make sure that I don't make it known, cause I make it more sound like we are co-seniors cause then they feel more important it really makes the companionship better if you really have your companion more involved than just you doing it. Other food that I have been used to also here is pretty much really good food I have eaten dugo ng baboy, or in English pigs blood  alot here. If its prepared by members its ok to eat that, but if its just off the street that's a hindi pwede or a no can do. It can have some bad stuff in them so I don't eat it unless its prepared by a member. I am good with money my comp pays his part as well as me so don't worry about that. I wouldn't let anyone get away with that. Tell everyone that I love them and miss all of my friends a ton its hard to be away, but there is no other thing that I would rather be doing. I love you guys too miss you guys so much I'm am praying for you guys as well as you pray for me.

 Mahal kita,
 Elder Thompson

Elder Thompson and Elder A with new investigator.

They sell pineapple and mango on  the street!! Elder Thompson says the pineapple is the best:)

Part of his mission an area called Sitio Militar




Monday, March 26, 2012

Elder Thompson and Elder A

Elder Thompson, Elder A with members
 Hey my wonderful family of mine,

  So its looking like this week we had such a good week. We were able to work really hard me and Elder Acera. We really were able to focus on our less actives. We were able to find 7 new less actives to start teaching. We also were also able to find 4 new investigators for us to teach. We had so much good things help us this week I cant say how helpful the members are in helping the work and how working with the missionaries makes it some much better not only for us missionaries, but also the less actives and make them feel like they are missed and make them have the desire to go back and partake of the blessing of being active in the church.

   This week for this transfer we had one of the youth work with this week the first day he worked with us we were able to find 2 new less actives to teach, and how did we find the less actives, because my area is very packed especially in one of more squatter areas squatter meaning the really poor are. Its called Sitio Militar and its a really packed area and we have a big amount of less actives living in this area. So with the help of this youth whose name is Joseph Aaolin who is only 17 years old, we were able to progress in this area immensely. So really by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Me and Elder Acera have a scripture we always remember when the going gets tough in our area. Its in D&C 58:4-5 it reads " After much tribulation comes the blessings" One day this week I had a experience with this scripture, one of the days on Tuesday of last week we were really struggling to find someone to teach we were really starting to feel really sad and mad at the same time. We go to one of our less actives house who is actually named John Ray, we go to his door and knock we get no answer and we just sit there to plan a lil more this was after we got punted a lot and I mean A LOT. So I'm thinking give up and just go home, but I had this scripture come into my mind. As I was walking away from the house we were about to turn and go into the opposite direction when we hear someone call us its JOHN RAY!! What he said to us when we got inside was we asked why he was coming home usually when he comes from school he usually goes to a internet shop to play video games, but today he said he felt like he needed to go home for some stinking reason. It was so cool totally felt the Spirit during the lesson and the rest of that day we were busy teaching many less actives. I know it was the Spirit helping us teach him and all the LA's that we went to that day. I cannot express the need of members in helping the work progress it really is the key in helping the less actives come back and investigators to want to baptized and come to church. This work is not only the best work in the world, but also this is the Lord's work and we need to do all we can to help it progress. I love doing this work and all the blessings that not only me, but also you guys for allowing me to serve and to raising me the way you raised. Couldn't have had a better way to be raised. I love you guys so much.

  So yea also I haven't been able to write anyone back, but I will be a lil more diligent in doing that. Hey Addy its finally finished hahahaahah. She also got her nice backpack now wahoo. Miss that backpack. I did get Nana's letter actually got it today and I loved it its cool especially how big Jude's hand is now hahahaah. Tell Andrew good luck to him and hes going to love every second of his mission. Tell him to email me when he gets out and Ill be waiting to hear from him. Also if you can send me Taylor Shreeve's email so I can write him from time to time miss that guy and hope he is doing so good. I miss you guys again and cant wait for next weeks email.

Mahal kita,

Elder Thompson

Monday, March 19, 2012

Hey wonderful family of mine this week was so awesome transfers this week was so cool lots of crazy things happened this week. Well first of all my new companion,Elder Acera. So Elder Acera probably the first FILIPINO comp that I have had im really excited for this transfer cause first of all he is not only my first filipino comp, but also he is my first junior comp yep he has only been out for only 4 months, but he is really good. I already know that im really going to like him alot he is very positive and even though we get punted alot he keeps going and keeps wanting to work im really going to like him alot hes one of those comps that you just cant stop loving he is a great missionary. Hes actually from Isabel which is in the Cuayan mission so he knows the province very well. I dont though cause ive been in city areas the most of the time.
 
   Hey corned beef that sounds so pleasing cause that's all you eat out here they sell corned beef everywhere here in the Philippines. I'm surprised that Ed and NG loved it I'm really not a big fan of it but when its the only the thing that you can eat it really kinda influences that. Hey Saint Pattys day i miss that day hahahahah gotta love the Irish blood in us hahahaha. Did you go to the fountain in Fountain Hills again? Yikes sounds like you guys had some good food though. I love the food here especially the dried fish and BALUT!!! Oh yea balut gotta love that stuff, but you definitely have to make sure that its not an old one cause if is you might get a nice surprise like I did last Saturday. So we have a new elder in our house me and Elder Esteves stayed in our ward and I got Elder Acera and he is training a new Elder, Elder Wilde. So since he new we had a member go and buy some balut and then we went to their house last week and had him try it HE DIDNT LIKE IT!!! I got a nice surprise me and Elder Esteves we just so happened to eat the oldest eggs of the four we had. Mine wasn't bad as his but it has FEATHERS!!! :( Yea it was pleasant surprise. Except mine didn't have bones like Elder Esteves's had. Hey I thought Nate came home in March??? Hey tell Delia and Lucero hi for me I miss those guys alot that's so cool they came to visit. I'm staying alive I'm persevering its hard, but at the same time I'm loving it its really the greatest joy you can feel when you serve the people. I love it here!!! I miss you guys, but I also miss my converts from my last area, but I'm writing to them so we will see how they are doing. I love you guys and all your doing keep working at it it will come I've learned that from trying to learn Tagalog yes its a lil different, but if you keep coming it comes. I love you guys keep going and the Lord really does bless you.


 Mahal kita,
 Elder Thompson

Old Zone!


Last time to see his 1st trainer Elder Burgan

New companion Elder Acera


 
 

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

 Hey mother this week was so freaking fun, but it was a little sad. So this week is transfers and well I'm not going, but my comp is finally leaving this area. He has been in this area since he first entered the field. Yea he literally jumped around the room today cause he finally is leaving this area. So yea tomorrow I will be getting a new companion so I'm really hoping for a Filipino to establish my Tagalog skills. I'm not saying I'm fluent in it not at all, but I can understand most of what people say its still hard to figure some things out, but once I get a filipino ill be able to speak with him more in Tagalog cause all my comps have been American or Australian. I'm hoping for a Filipino talaga cause all the Americans want to just speak English, i mean I don't want to forget English, but i really want to get good at Tagalog cause you never know if it could help me in the future right?

   Hey sounds like you guys had a great week I wish I could enjoy spring break, not!! Especially if you are having a garage sale on a Friday i would of hated that. Is it still nice over there or is it starting to get hot again. Its freaking BLAZINGG HOTTTTT. Everyday I come home and I'm freaking soaked from sweat not water. Especially here in the city with the pollution here it just makes it even worse trapping the heat and it just is horrible, but I've been surviving since I am from AZ so it makes it a lil easier. It sounds like that NG and ED had a goodtime at the Aloha festival I'm really mad that I wasn't there, but hey maybe next time diba? Oh funny thing is yesterday I had a thought come to my mind, but every time I would try to think of it I would just catch myself saying it in Tagalog. Funny ha? I'm even forgetting my English words now its weird!! Oh yea I'm really glad Addisin isn't going to die hahahaha JK, but I'm glad that she is doing fine and she gets to go to Idaho. LUCKY DUCK!!! Oh yea i heard Christiaan ate some porcupine, but actually I think that I can beat him on eating weird stuff. I didn't want to tell you but it was in my first transfer, I ate at my first member dinner, dinuguan, or BLOOD SOUP!!!:( Yea I was kinda sketched out about it when I first got it, but I didn't know what it was so I ate it. Yea my trainer said don't ask just eat so i didn't mind, i didn't find out until later after the appointment the reason it was OK is it was prepared by a member if it was on the street they say you can get really really sick from it. It wasn't actually that bad it was just a lil weird, its pigs blood so it had a bit of a porky taste to it, but I thought it was actually pretty good. Surprisingly I didn't get sick either, weird huh? Yea we got lots of good food out here. Yea but if I see it again ill get a picture of it for you as well as what dad said of a daga(RAT). You guys need to see the size of these things THEY'RE HUGE!!!!! One time one ran past me on the street and I literally thought it was a cat it was so huge. Yea thank goodness we dont get them in the house though we just get lil mice and ipis( huge flying cockroaches) yea gotta love the Philippines. Hey but the people are so freaking awesome and yes like Addy said very talented and cute HAHAHA!!!! I haven't gotten the package or card Nana or Kara, but maybe tomorrow at transfer meeting I will since we get our mail tomorrow. So yea also my trainer goes home tomorrow its freaking crazy hes already going to be gone he is bearing his testimony tomorrow cause he and another elder are going at night since they aren't going to America. I'm glad Andrew and Brenden liked their letters its so great that they are going to its really the greatest decision Ive made. I love it here and I love serving the Lord everyday it really is the greatest experience you can ever have. I love you guys and wish you all the best.

 Mahal kita,  Elder Thompson

Monday, March 5, 2012


 Dear my most amazing mother,

   I'm loving the work here in the Philippines its really going so great here I love being here this place is so stinking. The people here are really the greatest people they are always so stinking happy even though they really don't have much, but they don't care they are just so happy. Every time we go out to work I always looking forward to the kids outside. WHY??? the kids here are probably the sweetest. You cannot go anywhere without getting asked from where we are from especially the fact that my comp is 6'5 that's a big influence, but they are just the greatest. I literally get more high fives from kids here than I would at school for a week literally. The people here are so great I honestly could say I do not want to go home anytime. I feel like I'm home the ward here is so cool and I'm hearing from the missionaries in my last area say that all my RC's are still active in the church which is the biggest relief I can honestly get.

   So it sounds like you guys are having a great time with NG it always sounds like he gets sick all the time.  HES JUST A LITTLE GUY!!!! (NG you remember this quote?) So anyways hey Ed and Ng get to perform in the Aloha Festival WHAT THE HECK! I'm really jealous of both of them that's so stinking cool I wish I was in their shoes, but that's OK cause I'm pretty sure they would love this place alot. So anyways hey I know i missed all of their birthdays as well as Dads I'm so sad I want to send something to you guys, but at the same time I don't know if I can. I'm so glad that I got to write that letter to Brenden I'm also gonna send one to you guys for Andrew I need to write him but its gonna take forever for it to get to him if i send he probably gonna be gone before I even get it to him. The Perezes were sealed that's so stinking cool we have a family in our ward that we are gonna try to get to the temple they really want to, but it will take some work first. I cant wait to be able to participate in things like seeing my RC's getting sealed in the temple I can only imagine how great it is. I wish I was able to go and see them get sealed its so great. What do the boys get to do just wondering it would be good to know? I'm gonna be sending alot of prayers you guys way it sounds like the life there is going so good and just keeps getting better. I really like that quote from Ezra Taft Benson I might start using that to use when I teach. I love you guys. Anyways time for what I learned from Elder Nielson of the Seventy.

   So last week we were able to hear from Elder Neilson of the Philippines Area Presidency said to us about the gospel and how through explaining more how it will influence the family and not the individual it will make the people want to not only come to church and also do all the things that we need to bring the Less Actives back to church. I loved it it felt so good to hear from him he was so stinking spiritual and he really is one of those men that has been sent here to assist us here in the Philippines to help the work here to really progress. I loved this last week and it was such a spiritual feast he really is a man called of God. So yea pretty much that is what was really cool that happened to us this week. Next week is transfer week not this week ,but next PDay I will know if I'm transferring most likely I'm not going to be, but there is still that little chance. I'm really set on my comp going though because he has been in this same area since he first got into the mission so I'm really thinking that I will have a new comp pretty soon. I'm really hoping to train a new missionary especially a new Filipino. I have only had one Filipino comp and that was only for a week, but it was still awesome. I really like speaking Tagalog its so cool yes I'm still pretty bad at it no doubt, but I love speaking it its so cool to say things then have people say WHAT THE HECK WHY IS THIS AMERICAN SPEAKING TAGALOG??? It really just makes you laugh cause they then say your good when you really know they are just saying that to make you feel better. I love it so yea what else really looking to step up to trainer and not district leader or zone leader cause stepping up as trainer and DL just sounds like a pain. Don't just take my word for it ask Elder McDonald and Elder Dalisay 2 of my comps from the MTC hahahha they did it. I definitely don't let McDonald forget it HAAHAH!!! So anyways I love you guys and miss you tons hope to hear from you guys soon MUCH LOVE!!!

 Mahal kita,
Elder Jordan Thompson
Elder Thompson and Elder Dasay