Cool Times

Hello!

It was a really productive week for us. We were able to invite 191 people to hear about your unique message and were able to teach 23 wonderful new investigators. Elder Sorronda and I have just been working so hard. We're still trying to find the fruits of our labors but we know that they will keep coming as we work with all of our might!!!

My Tagalog is still pretty limited but I'm finally starting to figure a few things out. If I really try my best, I can speak what they call "Taglish" (Tagalog with English mixed in) or perhaps a more appropriate term is "Engalog" (English with Tagalog mixed in.) I'll keep at it.

We went to visit Brother Teddy out at his home in Sabang. Unfortunately, the branch boundaries just changed so we will no longer be allowed to visit him but at least we will see him at church. He's such a great convert, maybe I can come back to see him and his wife Anita get sealed! To celebrate our last visit, they fed us delicious crabs and squid, fresh from the ocean right next to his house. Such a cool location. See the picture below. 🦀

I'm so stoked to be spending all of my time serving the Lord right now!! Just trying to give my all while I'm here and fight a good fight!! 

Have a great week, be happy, life healthy, and enjoy the moment!

Love, Elder Thompson

Dinner at Teddy's house

Zone Meeting

Dear family and friends,

Things are good here in Palawan. This week we had our zone meeting where my companion and I spoke during much of it. Fortunately it was in English so I could really express myself in front of the zone. I'm starting to be really comfortable with speaking in front of people. The mission has really taught me that so far. A few emails ago, I think I mentioned that our zone was "on fire" because of all the baptisms. I'm pleased to say that we are still "on fire" and the fire has just been stoked. Seriously the elders and sisters are working so hard. When Elder Bowen came he challenged us to talk to 190 people every single week about our unique message. We've really been striving to do that and just hit our goal for the first time. Every companionship in the zone has drastically increased from an average of 40 or so to above 100 people every single week. It's so cool to see the desire that all of these wonderful elders and sisters have. Now we just have to be consistent and keep the excitement. We just had transfers and a bunch of new people came into our zone. I'm excited to get to know them all personally. 

I hope that you're all doing well. Have a great week!

Love, Elder Thompson

I saw these kids pulling each other down a hill on these little homemade go karts.

So creative and fun!

Puerto Zone

Time Goes By So Fast

Well, another month went by and another transfer as well. We got the transfer announcements this morning and I'm happy to say that Elder Sorronda and I will be staying here for another transfer. He's really the only companion that I've ever had for more than one transfer since my old days in Bangalore so it's nice to not bounce around for a second.

We went out to the concrete jungle of Manila again last week for MLC. We're putting a huge stress about OYM. (Open your mouth) That's the way to consistently get new people to teach so we need to do way more than we have before. That's something that Elder Bowen has really stressed as well. We learned lots of different tools that we can use to motivate the zone so we're so pumped about this. We also had the chance to go with the AP's on exchange so I learned some good stuff to take back to our zone.

Here we are in light pollution and traffic.

...and back to paradise.

Love, Elder Thompson

Missionary Work Every Day!!

This week was pretty cool. We traveled out to Roxas for exchanges to see how the work is doing out there. The elders are working really hard so we were really pleased to see what they were doing. Rosas is a few hours north of where we are in Puerto so we took a bus to get out there. The bus ride was one of the most beautiful rides I have ever been on. At one moment we were passing pristine beaches and the next we were passing luscious green mountains and rivers and later we went past open green planes and coconut tree groves. The place I am assigned to work in right now continues to amaze me more and more. We attended district meeting in Roxas and then went to proselyte. I met some really cool members and investigators out there so it was a good time. After all of that, we went to the elders home for the night. It was a cozy two story home, just perfect for the four missionaries assigned there. There was a little open deck on the second story so Elder Sorronda and I slept under brilliantly bright stars and moon.

On New Year's eve we went to the Nunez Family to enjoy some deliections dinner. Brother Nunez likes to keep chickens in his back yard so when we showed up he just took us out back, he picked one that looked good, and we chopped him up and ate him! Wow! They made him into some delicious adobo or a Filipino dish with soy sauce. Masarap!

I've been experiencing so many cool things here in the Philippines. It's so great to work hard and have a good time doing it!

Here's a few shots from our trip to Roxas.

Have a good one!

-Elder Kent R. Thompson

The ride to Roxas

Coconut groves on the road to Roxas

Our Zone Is "On Fire"

Saturday was day for our mission's goal of having tons of baptisms. We are so very happy to report that 14 wonderful people throughout the zone made a covenant with Heavenly Father and entered into the waters of baptism!! What an exciting day! When we did our follow up calls last night, it wasn't hard, we didn't feel overwhelmed afterwards, we just felt excited and pumped up. Our zone did amazing and we are "On Fire" right now. The assistants told me that our zone is leading the mission as far as baptisms for the month of December. What an exciting time it is to be here and serve with all of these superb missionaries! So basically everything is so good that I fell asleep last night with a smile on my face.

Now is the time to go forth for January, February, and March with an even greater commitment! 

Anyway, tons of stuff has been happening recently so I'll send a ton of pictures with explanations. 

Ingat!!!!! 

-Elder Thompson :)

It was so cool to Skype with my family this week!

The Sisters' baptisms. Brother Jessie and sister Aiden were baptized by our district leader, Elder Binhaon. They were legally married an hour before they were baptized so that they can keep the law of chastity. Also incredibly prepared.

Our faithful and prepared investigator Teddy with his wife and son and daughter. Man this guy was so ready. Him and his wife travel and hour and a half to church every single week and now have a goal for a temple sealing next year.

L-R: Elder Penugao, Brother Jiggs, Brother Joel Pacalan and his wife and Elder Binhaon. Joel was the investigator of these two fine missionaries. He's the son of Sister Pacalan who has been a member for a long time. Brother and Sister Pacalan were married an hour before the baptism service as well! Wow!

All of these wonderful people were baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. Even two children!

Saw this the other day. It is literally an "Egg Plant." I'm not sure how that is possible.

The crocodile farm

Our district had a P-day activity a few days ago at the crocodile farm. L-R: Sister Narag, Sister Martinez, Elder Sorronda, Elder Binhaon, Elder Thompson, Elder Penugao, Sister Holzworth, and Sister Defacto.

Our zone performed at The Baywalk last week. It's a place where lots of tourists like to go, right next to the the bay. There was a big stage there for us to sing on and we sang some really nice Christmas hymns.

With Elder Penugao

Christmas Day Skype

We were so excited to be able to Skype with Kent on Christmas Eve.  He Skyped from the home of the Morales family.  Sister Morales is a widow.  Her husband was killed in the military.  She has a young son named Kent!  Kent told me that they must save the name Kent for the most handsome people in the world. :-)   She served a delicious Christmas dinner to Kent and the other three missionaries in his apartment and let them all Skype with their families.  I am so thankful for her kindness!  We didn't get much of an email on his P-day....just a few sentences in response to some pictures I sent.  Here is what he had to say....

"Oh yeah Elder Ball told me that he got his visa and will leave next week. Pretty exciting. Maybe that means that I'll get mine soon also. I'm excited to speak with you this week and the timing sounds perfect. Looking forward to it. Unfortunately I have zero time to send you guys anything this week...sorry about that. But I love you and can't wait to talk on Christmas. Oh, and Elder Cloward got his visa also. Sounds like the whole batch is going back."

He Skyped from the Morales home.

Sister Morales is a widow with a young son, named Kent!  She fed them a delicious dinner.

They have a dog named Fish.

This was just before Fish chewed through the charging cable.

Elder Thompson, Elder Sorranda, Elder Binhaon, and Elder Penugao.  It was fun to talk to each of them .  They are all stellar young men!

Mission Tour By Elder Bowen

This week was really cool because we got to spend much of it with Elder Shayne Bowen from the first quorum of the seventy as well as his wife Sister Bowen. He trained the leaders on Tuesday at MLC, The Manila missionaries on Wednesday (which we got to attend most of because our flight was delayed), The Palawan missionaries on Thursday, attended our mission's Christmas party on Friday and came to our Branch's Sacrament meeting on Sunday. He was so wise and I really learned a ton from him.  Sister Bowen was so good also and she had about a five minute Tagalog testimony memorized.  They are so cool!

The Christmas party was really fun. We played some fun games, sang some songs, watched a movie about the Savior, and then Elder Bowen bore a very powerful testimony and witness of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ while Sister Bowen played the piano.  It was a great time.

On Saturday we went to visit our investigator Teddy who literally lives 100 feet from this beautiful beach. Teddy is so prepared to be baptized on the 26th!!  He's reading the Book of Mormon like crazy, keeping the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity and coming to church regularly. We're so blessed to help him make this great step in his life.

Elder Thompson

Elder Thompson, Elder and Sister Bowen, Elder Sorronda

Santa came to our party!!

Letson Baboy!! (grilled pig). Sobrang masarap!!!!

Our investigator, Teddy, lives 100 feet from this beautiful beach.

Boats near the beach