Wanica--language barrier

Oh boy we had such a good week! I absolutely love it here in Wanica! It's so fun working in a new area. It's so different here, it's such an adventure! And this week we had one of my favorite members from Tammenga (my old branch) come on a mini mission with us. Her name is Monica and she is amazing. She is almost 17 and she has been baptised for about a year and she is so excited about missionary work. She always says she just wants to be older so she can leave on her mission! She had a vacation from school and she begged her mom to let her come out and work with Zuser Wood and I for the week. I'm so impressed with her. I don't know if I would've wanted to give up my vacation to go out with the missionaries when I was 17! She's a boss!

So suriname is crazy. There are so many different Languages that people speak here. So you have Dutch, which people learn in school, then there is Sranan-tongo which is the street language everyone speaks, then Saramacons and Ocons which are the jungle languages. Those are the languages that people speak who live in villages out in the Jungle. It's crazy right? Well Zuster Wood and I are teaching a couple who only speak Saramacons, they know a little Dutch but not much. So we have to bring a member who knows Saramacons who can translate. So this week we had my first lesson with them and it was so cool! I was speaking to the member in Dutch and then he would translate what I would say into Saramacons. We were talking to them about the plan of salvtion. And the women, Jackie told us that she had 2 children who died when they were very young and how it broke he heart and all she wants to be is a mother. When she told us that the spirit hit me so strong. And I testified to them (in dutch) about how she would be able to be a mother to her children one day and that she would be able to live with them forever. The spirit was so strong in that lesson we were all in tears. It was so cool because even though there was a language barrier and we couldn't really understand each other the spirit was the same. And we were all able to feel it! It's so awesome! 

Well I hope y'all have a good week love you

-Zuster Christiansen

WANICA

It's been such a crazy good week! This was my first week in my new area with my new companion, Zuster Wood. Zuster Wood is amazing! I am so excited for this next transfers I just know God has some miracles in store for us!

So for the past 6 months I have been serving in the same branch in the city. It was really hard to leave all the people there, they had become my family. But I was so excited for the next adventure Heavenly Father had waiting for me. My new area is Wanica and it's out in the country/jungle. It's so different from where I was serving before. There is long dirt roads with fields and jungle on the side. It's such an adventure, I love it :) And we bike so much! haha our area is huge! Oh boy I am getting buff legs! Ha but I love it here. It's crazy how I just feel at home where ever I am. I just know that God has placed me here in this area at this time for a reason. And that there are people in this crazy jungle country that I need to meet and bring the gospel to! Gosh it's seriously the best. I know this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. And I can't wait to give my heart and service to the people here in Wanica. I love them so much already it's crazy. 

We had a good week! The area here is super new to sisters so it's basically like we are starting out with a fresh area. I'm so pumped to go out and find the people God is preparing for us to meet! We don't have too many investigators so we are gonna be hitting the streets this week to find some awesome people ready to accept the gospel. I'm excited, it'll be really fun to go on an adventure through our area. 

I've got a funny story for y'all this week. So in sacrament meeting yesterday I was sitting in between a bunch of little girls. (whats new all girls here are obsessed with my hair) .They were playing with this rose and in the middle was a bud fabric type thing. One of the little girls starts pulling out the fabric in the middle. And it's like a string. All of a sudden one of the little girls holds up this string in front of her and I realized that she's holding up a red lingerie thong!!!!  The girls were just wondering what it was and I was dying laughing. It was so funny. Good times in the Wanica Branch. I love y'all have a good week! 

Met liefde,

Zuster C 

Easter//Transfers

Happy Easter :) Wow what  a week! I don't have a lot of time to email this week so my letters going to be short, sorry! I'm at a members house right now and they are about to take me and my comp to this really cool place in the city. We got transfer calls and after 6 months here in the tammenga branch I'm being transferred to wannica. It's really bitter sweet! I'm so excited for the new adventure ahead in wannica but I'm going to miss everyone here so much! I've fallen in love with the people here. I love all my investigators and members and I've had a blast serving with them.. It's going to be hard to leave. But I really am excited for all the new adventures that await me. My new companions name is zuster wood. She's awesome. I'm so exited to serve with her :) 

General conference was amazing! Oh boy it really is like the super bowl for us missionaries. I just absolutely love hearing from those amazing and truly inspired men and women. I can't wait to get the ensign with all the talks so I can read them again! Hahah I learned so much. Well I love yall sorry the email was short. But I'm happy and absolutely loving it here in Suriname. Have a great week! Love you :) 

Zuster C