Photo: L-R: Elders Batt, Pehrson, Rempel, Felix, then Bernell & RaNae
One would never guess that we could have gained so many experiences and found so many dear friends in such a short period of time while in Thompson. We have been here only two months as we prepare to depart for our next assignment. We’re excited yet tearful, which is most typical of the missionary experience.
This is Matthias J. Johnson, chief journalist for The Thompson Citizen, which we helped relocate as a service project. We had hopes of stirring his interest in the Gospel, but he’s pretty steeped in his family legacy of Pentecostal beliefs. Yet, he and his wife and child have a place in our hearts.
Johnny and Jessica are choice and receptive people. They embrace the Book of Mormon and have such a wonderful spirit about them. They are both learning English and have become good friends. We pray they will progress to baptism. Johnny especially has eagerly embraced the Book of Mormon.
When we first came to Canada, we wondered if we would ever meet an actual Chief of a First Nations tribe. Yesterday we did, and were so impressed! Being a Chief of the Cree Nation is a most challenging undertaking. It requires diplomacy, grit and patience. And in the case of Chief Angela Levasseur, it also requires a great deal of faith and prayers. “I could not do this without God,” Angela says. You’ll enjoy her poised and powerful testimony, just as we did.
You can watch her Faith Story here. https://myfaithstory.org/faithful-chief/
We met Cheryl Harnum at the Thompson Seniors luncheon we attend most Tuesdays. It didn’t take long to become good friends, and she opened up and shared personal challenges with us.
She was very gracious to receive our gift of The Book of Mormon, and we are optimistic she will love and join the Church. We are pairing her up with Michelle Pruder, one of the local solid members here.
Ashish Errappa is the general manager at Safeway, where we go to get his short-dated bread for the Thompson Seniors hamper program. When I invited him to share his faith story, he said he was not sure of his faith, although he is Muslim, and had many questions.
He accepted our special Book of Mormon gift the day before we left Thompson. We pray he will read and be touched. He’d make a wonderful member of the Church.
Jacqueline Hunter is a powerful member who lives in Alberta, but works locally at Nelson House. She always comes to church when she’s in town and is another good friend.
She and her mother Emma Hunter Nelson shared their amazing faith story that you can see here: https://myfaithstory.org/cree-faithful/
I helped her create a logo, videos and landing page for her new business. You can check it out here: https://enlightenfirst.com/
Jackie is the one who introduced us to the local Cree Chief, Angela Lavesseur.
Michelle Pruder is the second anchor of Thompson Branch, along with Jim Hinds. She’s a true Saint and we love her grit and love for the Lord.
From her earliest memory, Michelle had spiritual stirrings, and she loved the Lord. And over time, those feelings grew from simple belief into a firm conviction that burns in her very bones.
You can see her Faith Story here: https://myfaithstory.org/the-search/
Duong and Oanh Tron are from Vietnam. We’ve been helping with their English classes along with the young Elders and have become good friends.
Their Faith Story is the first one in their native Vietnamese language and we’re excited to see how it turns out.
Jim and Cathy Hinds are the two pioneers in Thompson Branch. Cathy can’t get out much anymore, but Jim is still the most faithful member. They are both Scotts and Jim has a very Scottish accent. They also still possess a wonderful sense of humor, even in their 80’s.
On our last day in Thompson, we stopped to bid the Spies family farewell and had a wonderful talk. We first met Edward and Elizabeth several weeks earlier, but could not match up his busy schedule with ours. So we just popped in today to deliver cookies.
Elizabeth was there with her children but Edward was still at work. Esther is seventeen and is very educated about our Faith. She has done extensive study online and knew more than anyone we’ve ever met about missionaries, tithing, temples, apostles and prophets.
We shared a tabbed copy of the Book of Mormon and explained its purpose.
This unique Thompson Mission Church is the strongest we may have ever seen. And they share so many similar beliefs with us. We delighted to visit and answer Esther’s many sincere questions. She’s a jewel and so is her whole family.