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Accompanied by his wife, Kate Bridgefort Guthrie, with whom he married on June 12, 1890, embarked for Brazil in Newport News, in his native state, when he saw the sea for the first time. He arrived in Maranhão on November 21, 1890, to help and later replace the Rev. Dr. George W. Butler, who, after a period of rest was transferred to Pernambuco in 1893. The two missionaries planned the construction of a boat for the evangelistic trips in the rivers of Maranhão and Piauí but did not use it. Experience has shown that it was preferable to pay for transport on career boats. Rev. Thompson resided in São Luís for several years as a missionary, the local church is, since the end of 1893, under the care of Rev. Belmiro de Araújo César. In São Luís were born their first children: Prentice (03- 05-1891), who died in France during World War I, and Lily, born on 22 January 1895.

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With the arrival of a new missionary, Carlyle R. Womeldorf, in July 1895, Thompson would turn more to the interior of the state. In the same year, he traveled to Caxias accompanied by a colporteur, with whom he distributed literature on the rise of the Itapicuru River. There was such persecution in Caxias that the missionary, instead of going to Teresina, as he intended, remained there for the defense of the believers. O colporteur was probably Francisco Filadelfo de Souza Pontes, who had already preached in Caxias in March 1894. Accompanied by Rev. Belmiro César, Thompson organized the Church of Caxias on September 22, 1895. By the middle of the following year,

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residents in that city, at the time the second of Maranhão, where remained until 1905. He made missionary trips to Piauí and the center of Maranhão, going to Barra do Corda. He sent a colporteur through the Rio Parnaíba to Amarante and São Francisco, cities two states. In January 1902, he baptized the first Piaui believers in Teresina. In Caxias, the Thompson couple had their third son, Franklin, born in 1900. 

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Thompson assisted the Rev. Womeldorf in organizing the Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem on November 9, 1904, and the Rev. Lourenço de Barros in the organization of the Manaus on November 18 of the same year. In Manaus, forty-three baptized several children, as well as two elders and a deacon. When Rev. Womeldorf left Bethlehem and returned to the United States,

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Thompson lived in the capital for a few years (1905-1908). His field went from Manaus, 1600 km from Belém by the Amazon River, to Teresina, 1000 km in another direction. Once he climbed the Solimões River up to 600 km above Manaus. In 1908, he followed on vacation to the United States, conducting post-graduate studies at the Seminar Theological Union in Richmond. Returning to Brazil, he continued his work in Belém and Manaus.

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In 1910, Thompson was transferred to Garanhuns, where he resided for many years. Was professor of mathematics at the mission school, the College November 15, 1910-1913 (Kate or Catarina taught English), and director of it until 1921, when it was replaced Rev. Dr. George W. Taylor. In 1919, the college had 140 students enrolled and had the collaboration of Professor Eliza M. Reed. Thompson returned to occupy the direction after the death of Rev. Taylor, which occurred on January 1, 1936. In addition to the classes, he took care of the administration and welcomed the students home, with his wife Kate his immense family of students, many of whom came in hours of need. He excelled as a teacher of living and dead languages. Although his only teacher of Portuguese was Dr. Butler, he came to be a great connoisseur of the language teaching Brazilians. It revealed a perfect identification with Brazil.

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Thompson was characterized by his dedication to work, being very austere in obedience to the laws, and respect for the authorities. His honesty and probity were and his punctuality became proverbial in Garanhuns. Got to the point some people who lived in the vicinity of their residence the days when he passed towards the college, always at three-thirty to eight. Others, residents of the traditional Rua do Recife (now Dr. José Mariano), said: "It's four o'clock pm. Dr. Thompson is already moving to the post office. " This he did daily to pick up your mail at PO Box 15 and send letters to the many friends, relatives, and authorities of his mission in the United States. He never stopped responding to a letter, from whomever it was. D. Kate was an educator by training and some people for their great frankness. However, the students were unanimous in affirming which was extremely charitable.

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From 1911, Thompson was in charge of the mission graph and the newspaper North Evangelical, replacing Rev. Jerônimo Gueiros. A report from that year said that he was a born publisher and there was nothing that did not do well, whether it was teaching, preaching, or running a newspaper. It was also the founder and editor of the Expositor, similar to the Evangelical Pulpit, facing the church and the Sunday school (1914). In 1915, he began to write Sunday school lessons for adults, which he did for many years. He also taught at the Seminary alongside Rev. George Henderlite and the Church of Garanhuns. At the age of sixty, he taught Sunday school at church and preached twice a month. He ran the college with his hundreds of students and directed the same. He also directed the publishing house "North Evangelical", wrote for this periodicals, for the Exhibitor and other publications, and was the treasurer of the Pernambuco. He had the respect and affection of the whole city of Garanhuns. He was a founding member of the Southern Presbytery of Pernambuco in 1927, being the only American missionary alongside seven national pastors. Received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity (DD) from Washington University and Lee. After almost fifty years of service, the couple retired in 1939. In the following years, 15 November was created in his honor the Agricultural Club WM Thompson. His son Franklin Thompson, married to Ruth Furtado Gueiros (daughter of Rev. Antônio Gueiros), resided in Virginia. When she learned of the worsening in-laws of her in-laws, Ruth Brazil with her children in December 1950, followed by her husband in April 1951. Kate died in 1953 and Rev. Thompson died on March 8, 1955, at the age of 90. age. Franklin was a professor at the College on November 15. His sister Lili lived in Virginia with his family.

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Bibliography:

• Lessa, Annaes , 351.

• Ferreira, History of IPB , I: 302-304, 454s; II: 104s, 110, 112, 136, 210, 217, 252, 327s.

• A General Catalog of Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, 1807-1924 .

• Cortez, Presbyterianism in Northern Brazil .

• Evangelical North (11-08-1928).

• "Historical Summary", Memories of 15 (Garanhuns, 1944), 5. Presbyterian Archive.

• JM Wanderley, "Rev. Dr. William M. Thompson, " North Evangelical (April 1955),

1s, 4.

• Bear, Mission to Brazil , 46s, 54, 63, 67, 78.

• Domingos Borges de Padua. History of the Presbyterian Church of São Luís: 1886-1986 .

• Serra, History of the Presbyterian Church of Caxias , 23s.

• Piglet, Testimony of Faith , passim.

• Silvandro Cordeiro Fonseca. Centennial of the IP of Garanhuns: 1900-2000 .