David & Hanzi Thompson

David´s Testimony

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I was born in the US, but before I could even walk, talk, or simply sit up, my parents (Doug and Debby Thompson; pictured left) moved our family to Honduras to begin their service as church-planting missionaries. I had the opportunity of growing up learning two cultures and languages, and being exposed to a lot of preaching and teaching of God’s Word. When I turned five, I became aware of my need of forgiveness for my sins and trusted Jesus as my Savior. Through my early years of growing up on the foreign mission field, I had the opportunity to observe how the Lord transformed many lives through the power of the Gospel, as new believers began to apply the Biblical principles that they had learned to their daily practice. Seeing God’s Word in action in the lives of hundreds of people made a lasting impression on my life even at a young age.

 

When I was thirteen, my dad was diagnosed with skin cancer and was told he would have to move to a country where the sun was not as intense. As a result, our whole family (by then, the seven of us) moved to Chile to continue in church-planting. One summer at a youth camp in Chile, I met a national pastor’s daughter who made quite an impression on my life. Though we lived in separate cities, we developed a very special friendship together.

 

After graduating from home-school at the age of seventeen, I returned to the US, still undecided as to what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. At first I had not planned on going back to the mission field as a missionary – I couldn’t see myself getting up in front of people and preaching or teaching. I thought instead of becoming a pilot and living out my childhood dreams or perhaps of trying to become a successful businessman so I could support a lot of missionaries myself. But the Lord began to burden my heart for missions and before long I could think of doing nothing else. I told the Lord, “God, I’m not much, but if you can use me, here I am.” I surrendered my life for the Lord’s service and enrolled at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO, where I received my formal theological education.

 

During most of my time in college the communication lines between me and my Chilean friend, Hanzi, were interrupted, but one day she called and when she told me that she would go wherever the Lord led – nobody had to tell me that was my cue… I didn’t waste any time! I returned to Chile and had the privilege of being united in marriage by both my dad and Hanzi’s dad. A year and a-half later, Hanzi and I were blessed with our first little girl, Katelyn; and four years later, with our second, Emma.