Wanica---Suriname

Another great week here in Suriname! I know I say this all the time, but I really do just love it here so much. Being a missionary is the best! This week I got to go on exchanges for a day with Zuster Johnson out in Wanica. It was so fun to work in another part of Suriname. Wanica is more out in the country so it was fun to see how different it was. The people there were so nice! I was a little sad to leave but super happy to get back to my peeps in my area :) 

The Lord is really blessing us so much right now! Shanice is still super excited to be baptized on Saturday. She is such a miracle and evidence that the Lord is preparing people to hear the gospel. I feel like teaching her is so easy. She understands so much and then the new things she learns she applies to her life right away. We taught her the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy and then that next Sunday she told us she switched her work schedule around so that she wouldn't have to work on Sunday's anymore! Yeah... she's awsome :) 

We also have been teaching this old man, Brother Etnel for a little while now. He comes to church every week and loves the book of mormon but he is super addicted to Cigarettes and he's an alcoholic. But he knows that our church is true and that God will bless him and help him if he keeps the commandments. So this week when we saw him he told us he is going to be baptized March 13. He has the faith that God will bless him and give him the strength to over come his addictions by then. He is so awesome. I love him!

Haha really quick funny thing that happened. Zuster King and I were biking down the road and this guy starts yelling at us "Sisters come pray for me. I'm ready to change and follow God. Sisters come pray for me!" Hahah he was saying this as he was waving a beer in his hand. We told him after he stops drinking we will come by and pray for him. Crazy people gotta love them :)

Thank you so much for all the emails and love y'all send me! Means so much. Live and love life to the fullest and remember that God loves you :)

Met liefde, 

Zuster C

I LOVE IT HERE

I've learned so much since I've been on a mission. I mean I expected before I came that I would learn about the gospel and my testimony would be strengthened and it has so much but I didn't realized I would learn so many other things! Haha everyday is such an adventure and I'm always being pushed outside of my comfort zone so it's kinda cool to think about all the things suriname has taught me. I can fix bike tires and screw on head lights, and pump up my bike tires when they are flat on the side of the road... all in a skirt I might add. That takes skill. I've also become pro at riding my bike with out handle bars. Haha something new me and Zuster king learned the other day was that people like to feed us because they think God will bless them if they do. So sometimes people will have us over and give us a whole bunch of food and make us eat it... Even if I feel like I'm gonna roll over and die because I'm so full. They are so sweet though and just don't want us to starve. I love them! That's something else I've learned, is to really love and serve people. I've given my heart to the people here in Suriname. I love them and hold them close to my heart.I am so grateful Heavenly Father sent me to be with them. They're my family for the next 18 months :)  

It's been such a great week! Heavenly Father really is there and he cares so much and just wants to help us be happy! This past fast Sunday me and Zuster King fasted that we would find someone who would be prepared to be baptized in January. We made it a companionship goal to have a baptism every month that we were together but we didn't have anyone who was ready for the month of January. So we fasted and had the faith that if we were diligent and obedient the Lord would bless us. And he did :) We had a lesson with one of our investigators that we had kinda lost contact with over the Holiday season. We talked about the restoration with her and the spirit was so strong as we were bearing testimony of Jesus Christ and the book of mormon. After that lesson we were able to commit her to a baptismal date for January 31! And she is so excited :) Her name is Shanice and she is 20 and me and Zuster King both know that we were friends with her before this life. And that we had promised each other that we would find her in Suriname and bring her back to the gospel. I love her so much and it's so amazing to see how much the Lord has prepared her for this. 

I am so grateful for the gospel and the light and happiness that it brings into our lives :) I'm so happy that I get to be a missionary and that I can share this happy message with everyone! I hope y'all have a great week! Thanks for all the love! Doei!

Met Liefde, 

Zuster C 

Series of Unfortunate Events: Suriname

Waah Gwaan Marrry!

Hahah that is what this crazy Jamaican guy we are teaching calls us! He is hilarious, he is teaching us how to speak Jamaican. We are starting a new transfer this week... and me and Zuster King are staying together for another one! I am so happy :) I love her! 

We are starting to get out of that crazy funk of unfortunate events. Zuster King's lice is gone, our bikes are fixed, and my ringworm is getting better! The past couple of weeks were insane but looking back I can see how the Lord really blessed us. I'm so grateful for Him, he really is the best and knows just how to make you feel better. All you have to do is remember to ask him for help :)

Right now we are really focusing on member missionary and working more with the members. So this week we had a lesson with our Recent Converts, Sherijl and her son Vaizel. And we asked Vaizel if he knew anyone who was struggling and needed the gospel that we could teach. And he said YES! (Vaizel is the coolest kid ever!) He said that there was a boy at school who all the other kids picked on. So he is going to invite him to FHE tonight so we can meet him. I just love seeing that light in Vaizel and Sherijl's eyes and how excited they are to share the gospel. They know how happy it has made them and how it has changed their lives and they want to share it with other people. 

I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and that sense of peace and knowledge it brings. I love how the gospel pushes me to be my best self. There is always room for improvement and a way to be better. Through Jesus Christ we can be made perfect and receive eternal happiness how cool is that? I just love it so much :) 

Thank you for all the love and emails y'all send! Have a great week! Tot Ziens :)

Met liefde, 

Zuster C 

Happy New Year!

I hope y'all all had a Happy New Year and a fun Christmas break! I can't believe we are starting a new year, this one flew by! But I'm excited to see all the amazing adventures that await me in 2015 :)

My new years was a tiny bit insane! Haha people here take fireworks to a whole other level! It's ridiculous! They light them off the whole day long, it's so funny. Even when it is still bright outside. Then at midnight on New Year's eve it sounded like a war zone! It was crazy! Me and Zuster King couldn't sleep so we went out side and climbed on our roof and watched. It was really cool, but I feel like I would've enjoyed it more if I wasn't an exhausted missionary. 

This week Heavenly Father definitely blessed us with some miracles. President and Zuster Mehr came here this weekend for zone conference. It was so fun to have them here, I love them so much! They came out teaching with us and we went and saw one of our investigators Consuella. She has a baptismal date for February 28. It was such a good lesson. President and Zuster Mehr don't speak any dutch but we brought a member with us to help translate. Recently Consuella has gotten super excited about reading the book of mormon and so we talked about how she can be a missionary and share the same happiness the book of mormon brings in her life with her friends. She loved it and we were able to role play with her and help her feel more comfortable with missionary work! She's so cute, she loved it! And we left her with the challenge to write her testimony in the front of the book of mormon and to give it to a friend. 

Then on Saturday we had a huge contacting activity in the city with all the missionaries and members. It was so fun, we were able to meet tons of people! And one of the Elders is a super good artist so he drew the plan of salvation in chalk on the side walk. It was a blast to meet people on the street and share with them the message of the restoration and The book of mormon. Gosh I just love missionary work, it's the best! It makes me so happy and I'm so excited I have this special time to give my everything to the Lord! Nothing gets much better than this!

Well I hope y'all have a great week! Thanks for sending me so much love every week! Tot Ziens! :)