I just love sharing the gospel - May 29th

This week was honestly amazing. Being able to go to MLC. It kind of just felt like a very long EFY/YSA Conference/ General Conference all in one.

I haven't been able to go teaching very much this week as I came back to my area Friday morning. But I did get to share the gospel in the plane with two people which was super awesome! 

I honestly just love sharing the gospel. It makes me so happy even it they don't quite accept the gospel yet. During the plane ride back to Suriname I had the chance to talk to a Trini (man from trinidad) I think I basically taught him all of the lessons. He was super interested and has seen missionaries before just has never spoken to them. Between the plane seats Zuster Baker was able to pass me an english Book of Mormon which I was then able to give him. He was so excited to start reading it. 

He even said whilst he is here in Suriname for 2 weeks that we can stop by and teach him. 

Yesterday after church we stopped by at investigator´s house. She started to open up to us and told us that she needs to move out of her difficult relationship. But she is stuck there as she doesn't have anywhere else to go with her son and doesn't have enough money yet. She then just kept repeating how she only needs to survive one more month there and by then she will hopefully have enough money. 

We then said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to let her know that she is His daughter that she can have peace in knowing that He loves her, knows her and cares for her. That He has a better life planned for her. She then hugged us and started to cry which really touched me. 

I can testify that Heavenly Father really does knows us and He just wants the best for us. 

This week we also got to see Arthur in the hospital which was good. He has been really depressed as he is really sick. When we visited him we were able to help him see the positive things in life. We made a list together of what we are grateful for. I think that helped him a lot as he was able to recognize the blessings that God has given him in his life. 

The theme of this week was for sure Romans 8. It's  one of my favourite chapters in the New Testament. 

I love you all so much, 

Zuster Vernes

One look and we know - May 22nd

This week literally flew by!!!

So tonight I will be biking to Kwatta and then tomorrow morning I'll be heading to Trinidad for MLC. I will return to Paramaribo on friday. I'm excited but not looking forward to stay out of my area for that long. But I am confident, in my companion Zuster Jordan, she will do great. 

Zuster Jordan and I have just been on the same wave length which is great. 

We just give each other one look and we already know what the other one is thinking. 

We invited our investigator Micky to be baptized which he accepted. Later during the week we also taught him Word of Wisdom. And it went really well. I was slightly concerned as he has clear Word of Wisdom problems. As we explained to him why the Word of Wisdom is so important. He was quiet for a while. He then looked at us and just said:" I will try. No I will stop. I feel like I need to stop." 

Sometime during the week we had a lesson with a new investigator named Olga. She is an old woman and can't walk very well. Anyways we get there and she just starts talking about random stuff. Then her phone rang.
And she asks us if it be alright for her to pick up. 

We say yes. And she was literally on the phone for 35 minutes!!! 

I was just so confused. And it was hard to interrupt her to say that we need to go. 

Hopefully our next lesson will be better. 

Our investigator Wendell wanted to fast to receive an answer whether he needs to stay here in Suriname or go back to the Netherlands so we fasted with him. We had to run in pouring rain to get to his house, completely soaked we read in Omni (I think) and started our fast. We were just continually praying for him during the day as he smokes like 30 cigarettes a day. But for the whole two meals he didn't smoke and later he only smoked 2 which was really amazing.

We are still meeting up with Stephanie. (investigator) She still wants to know if this is true. She has been reading in her Book of Mormon every day and has been marking in her scriptures. We invited a member to come with us (Sister Salik) we made sure to be there 15 minutes early because Sister Salik tends to just make herself feel like home at our investigators houses :) 

We klop and guess who answers the door... Sister Salik!! Anyways we had a good lesson with Stephanie, we watched a General Conference talk by Pres. Monson to strengthen her testimony of a modern prophet. 

Yesterday during a LONG day of contacting we started talking to a man who was drinking a beer. As we tell him that we are here to speak about God and helping others to come unto Christ. He looked at his beer and then said:" Should I throw this away? It isn't good to drink is it?" 

He then throws his beer away and we had a great lesson with him. 

Hope everyone's week was good. 

I love you all 

Speak to you soon 

Zuster Vernes

So this book fills in all the gaps from the bible? - May 15th

We had a really good week. Saw and met some amazing people who I hope to always remember. 

We had a lesson with a new investigator which is Manisha. She is 18 and has two kids. When we got to her house her boyfriend came out and started talking to us unfortunatley he wasn't very interested. At some point Manisha came and we started teaching her about Prophets and the Priesthood. After our prayer she then says: " I am really happy that you came, I was feeling a little down the whole day but I feel a lot happier now" 

I feel like Zuster Jordan and I have just been having so many spiritual lessons this week with our investigators and people that we talk to on the street. And I think it's amazing that they recognize that as well. 

with Loes

One of the highlights this week was with Wendell (investigator). He told us some pretty sad news. He will be going back to the Netherlands on the 3rd of june which is baptismal date. During our lesson he expressed how grateful he is that he met us. That we have been teaching him the gospel. He said: " I was in complete darkness and I didn't know how to get out. I don't know what I would've done if I wouldn't have met you" 

He then looked down and wept. 

During this week we had lots of contacting. We klop (knock) at this one house and a man comes out, tells us he doesn't have time because he is making Nasi (rice with meat and veggies really good) we assured him that it would only take a minute. As we are explaining who we are and what we are doing he then tells us that he had been taking the missionary lessons before and even has a Book of Mormon which he has been reading and he is now in Alma. I was just in complete shock. He then told us that we can come back another day so I am excited to see where things will go. 

Oma & Opa love to feed us

On Saturday we had a lesson with Meneer Cederburg. During our lessons he always seems uneasy, he won't really sit still, asks a lot of questions etc. 

That day we taught him the Book of Mormon and explained how precious things were taken away from the Bible and how we need the Book of Mormon to fill in those holes so that we can have the fulness of the gospel. He then says:" So this book fills in all of the gaps of the Bible" Us: "Yes."

Meneer Cederburg then smiles holds the book and was just peace. For the first time he wasn't wiggiling in his chair but we had his attention. He then tells us how excited he is to read it and just kept holding the Book of Mormon close to his heart. 

Zuster Jordans first rainstorm

I hope everyones week has been great. 

I love you all so much.

Zuster Vernes

I need more spiritual food - May 8th

This was another great week, we had many great lessons with members and investigators, I just love this place so much! 

So first let me update you on our investigator Wendell. We almost see him every day to prepare him for his baptism as he some things to work on still...But he has been changing So much!!
He even called us this week and just asked what is a good chapter to read in the Book of Mormon. During a lesson, Wendell stopped us and said: I don't know what it is but I just feel really good. I feel warm in here (points towards his heart) I have never felt this way before"
Zuster Jordan and I: "THATS THE SPIRIT" 
It was really awesome.

We have a new investigator, Brother Cederburg, he´s around his 80s. We were teaching him about the Restoration. When it was time for us to go. He then said:" Why do you always do this to me? I need more spiritual food."

This week we met with another new investigator named Micky/Feliksdal. We contacted him whilst an appointment fell through and it turns out he's actually really awesome. 

We taught him the Restoration and once we explained how the same church as Jesus Christ was restored/brought back. He looked at us and then said:" Now I understand. It's a good thing you girls are teaching me this cause I had no idea." 

He is really awesome and I have a feeling that he will be able to change a lot when he continues meeting with us. 

Sometime during this week Zuster Jordans bike broke down so we had to walk  back home and exchange bike tires which almost took the whole day but I can now say I know how to fix bikes :)

We also saw Arthur this week. We watched the Restoration movie with him. And during the 1st vision he started to cry. The spirit was just so strong. I have never seen any of my investigators react that way. Later in the week we had the Najorda family come with us to Arthur's and the father and son gave him a Priesthood blessing as Arthur is very sick and the doctors can not figure out what is wrong. 

This was only the fathers 2nd time giving a Priesthood blessing as he had been inactive for many years and never received the Priesthood. He is very active now and is a great example to me.

 As we walked them back down. Brother Najorda turned to us and said:" I got goosebumps whilst giving the blessing. Thank you for allowing me to serve" 

That is about it for this week. 

I love you all so much

Zuster Vernes 

I want to live in the light - May 1st

Well...it has been raining a lot and I do not like it one bit! I only like it when it stopped raining and we are just biking through flooded streets.

We had lots of appointments falling through this week but that is okay because we just contacted all day long in the rain. We found some awesome people though which made it worth contacting and get completely soaked.

We actually got talking to this one girl, who at first was a little rude towards us, but then we started talking about God and we then ask her: If God was here, what do you think He would tell you?"
Which took her by surprise...we then all shared about what He would tell us and how He would want us to improve. It was a really good conversation, it softened her heart a lot.

Unfortunately one of our investigators, Jason, moved to a certain place in Suriname where there is no church and no missionaries. Which was really sad as he was progressing a lot. I just really hope that he´ll be able to read from the Book of Mormon and strenghten his testimony.

This week we had a lesson with some new investigators, the Schippers, they are an elderly couple and we taught them about the Restoration and really focussed on the Priesthood. Then brother Schipper said: "I think that my baptism didn't count, they didn't have the Priesthood."
He then looks at us and says: "But I need to be baptised with the Priesthood? Do we have the Priesthood here in Suriname?"
My companion and I both smiled and told him how we have the Priesthood here in Suriname. It was really cool seeing him understand the importance of the Priesthood.

We had a super awesome lesson with Stephanie, we have been doing the challenge of President Egbert which was to teach the 4 keys lessons: 1. God, 2. Restoration, 3. Book of Mormon and 4. the Atonement, then give them 3 Nephi 27 as a commitment and invite them to be baptised.
So we were following up with Stephanie, she read and even marked, then I started saying:
"Stephanie, will you follow in the...
Stephanie: "YES"
Me: "uhh you will bap...
Stephanie: "YES, I will get baptised."

Before I go, I have to share this one more experience that happened.
Zuster Jordan and I were looking through some former investigators and one of them was Arthur.
Not sure if anyone remembers him but he read the Book of Mormon within 3 weeks and was preparing himself to being baptised...but then he randomly dropped us.
I then thought, maybe we should call him. The moment I told my companion...the phone rang...
I looked at the screen and it was...ARTHUR!!
We had a lesson with him yesterday and he told us why he called us: "I felt like I was in complete darkness and I want to live in the light, which I know only comes from the gospel."

This is all for this week, sorry I didn't take pictures.

I love you all,

Zuster Vernes