Thompson shares China story
LAUREL — The Friendly Corner turned into the Heavenly Café June 13 when Alli Thompson hit the stage, strumming her guitar and singing praises to God with all her might.
A large audience of friends and family joined in to sing, worship and hear about her adventures in Hong Kong.
The 2007 Laurel-Concord grad, the daughter of Steve and Jodie Thompson, is a missionary.
She grew up in the Laurel United Methodist Church.
After high school she enrolled at Nebraska Wesleyan University to pursue a degree in Elementary Education.
Thompson said her mom told her she always had a heart for God and other people since she was a young child. She was involved in Awana and youth group at Concord Evangelical Free Church.
She became involved with Crossroads Interdenominational Teens Encounter Christ in high school.
“That is really where my relationship with God became even more real and personal,” said Thompson.
In December 2009, Thompson took a short-term mission trip to Hong Kong with Youth with A Mission called Christmas Outreach (COR).
Her mother and friends from Randolph accompanied her on this trip. While in Hong Kong, Thompson felt God leading her to Discipleship Training School (DTS) with YWAM. Thompson said she thought that would possibly be something she would do after graduation from college.
Two days after returning from Hong Kong, she felt God telling her to enroll in DTS in Hong Kong. In January 2010, she left for Hong Kong for six months.
“In that time, God gave me a heart for the nations and I was ruined for the ordinary,” she said.
After finishing DTS, she returned to Nebraska to finish her degree at NWU. She finished her degree in December 2011 knowing she should search for a teaching job, but thoughts of Hong Kong remained. That is when she took a team of eight people to Hong Kong for another Christmas Outreach.
Thompson tucked her feeling for Hong Kong away and turned her passions to teaching. She started as a substitute teacher for Lincoln Public Schools and accepted a teaching position at LPS in 2012. Halfway through the school year she sensed a longing in her heart to be back in Asia. Even though she loved her job, and everyone involved, there was an emptiness in her that she couldn’t explain. “I just knew I was made for something different than what I was doing,” she said.
Prayers and discussion with friends and family ensued. Thompson felt she had confirmation to join the staff at YWAM in Hong Kong. She finished her year of teaching, and moved back to Laurel for the summer to prepare for the next adventure of her life with God.
In September 2013, Thompson launched her new career in Hong Kong, serving on staff with YWAM Harbour City. YWAM is an international, non-denominational organization that has a mission to promote God’s word.
The village she lives in is 800-900 years old. Most people speak Cantonese and do not worship God. They practice Chinese folk religion.
Thompson co-leads a ministry call Community Connections. Their vision is to foster and empower a growing God-loving community that recognizes the value in one another. That can also create bridges across various generations and cultural differences. Thompson said they do this by building and learning within the relationships with locals by loving them and showing them the love of Jesus. They host a playgroup on Saturday mornings, share bible studies, teach ABCs and 123s, host a baking club, help with tutoring and serve with other ministries in the area. Alli asked for prayers for this ministry.
Thompson told a story about an elderly lady she met digging through garbage. She made her money by selling recyclable garbage. Every week Thompson with other missionary’s take their recyclable garbage to her so she can sell it. This is just one-way God has opened her heart for the refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong. She has developed friends with them. “I’m excited to see how else God wants me to serve and love them,” said Thompson.
On the Hong Kong base, they live by faith, trusting in God to provide everything they need. God does that in so many ways as Thompson has witnessed. Her favorite bible scripture explains how big of a God she serves. Isaiah 40:12 who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighted the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Everything Thompson does as a missionary in Hong Kong is self-supported. She truly relies on donations to serve the people of Hong Kong in the way God wants her to. Thompson said if anyone feels led to provide for her, or the ministries she is involved with they need to let her know. She can be contacted through Facebook, Instagram and email athomps925@gmail.com. Mailing address: YWAM Hong Kong Alli Thompson PO Box 1453 Yuen Long, Hong Kong China.
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