Happy Halloween 10-31-2016

Goededag iedereen! Het heeft een ander geweldig dag geweest!

Happy Halloween! I forgot it was Halloween until like an hour ago. They don't celebrate Halloween here. Halloween is an American thing. The Hindus here just celebrated what they call Duwali. It's a holiday where Hindu's celebrate the event of good overcoming evil. They celebrate it by making really good food (nice for missionaries ;) ), lighting candles and putting them in their yards at night, and lighting off fireworks.

We've had some really exciting things happen this last week. Chandra is still doing really well. She has a REALLY strong desire to get baptised and her baptismal date means everything for her. We haven't been able to meet with Ritchelle this week. She's been really sick, but hopefully we'll be able to get back in touch with her this week.

We found a really cool new investigator this week named Marlien. We met Marlien through door to door contacting. She recognized us and was very happy to talk with us. We had a lesson with her, and she proceeded to tell us about how she investigated when she was in the Netherlands visiting her sister. She went to church there and has even visited the Dutch temple in Zoetemeer (the Hague)! She didn't know the church had a presence here until we showed up. We're excited to meet with her. We've only had a get to know lesson with her, but we're still really excited to teach her. She's already promised us she'll come to church.

The Wanica branch primary program was this last Sunday. The Primary president asked me to accompany for the children, so it was fun to have a part on the program :) It was very sweet to hear the testimonies of the Sabajo kids as a part of the program.

I've been reading about the story of Lachoneus and the Nephites this week. Lachoneus has become one of my most favorite Book of Mormon prophets. He was the chief judge for the people at the time. The people were sort of righteous, but a little loose on their standards. He receives a threatening brief from Giddianhi, but instead of falling for the pressure of Giddianhi, he prepares his people. The detail given of how he does that is some of my favorite scripture to read. In 3 Nephi 3:25 it says And they did fortify themselves against their enemies;and they did dwell in one land, and in one body, and they did fear the words which had been spoken by Lachoneus,insomuch that they did repent of all their sins; and they did put up their prayers unto the Lord their God, that he would deliver them in the time that their enemies should come down against them to battle.

The principles that Lachoneus gives to "call them to repentance" in essence apply to each one of us. The future seems scary, but we can react the way that Lachoneus acted, and create an armour in our lives through prayer, gospel study, surrounding ourselves with those with our same moral standards, and so forth, as outlined in 3 Nephi 3.

Have another great week! I can't believe that October is already over, and my birthday is in a month! Time goes by so fast.

Ik hou van jullie!!!

Elder Hunt

What we do everyday, here are the cobblestone roads

Taxi in Suriname

Sunset on the ride home

Fun cottage in the Jungle

October 24,2016

De tijd is zo snell, voorbij gegaan! The weeks keep getting faster and faster. We've been working very hard this week and we're excited for our investigators.

We've finally found more investigators that have committed to coming to church. We're working on bringing members by to help them progress. Chandra is still doing very well. We showed her a picture of the temple this last week and it really got her excited to go. It's awesome how strong of a desire she has to get baptised. We had a really spiritual lesson with her about baptism that will really help her progress. She's doing very well.

We're also got back in contact with Ritchelle this week! She had been house sitting somewhere else for a few weeks so we didn't get the chance to visit her until this last week. We reviewed the Restoration and SHE asked us for another baptismal date! She even remembered her old one which is cool. We've started making baptismal calendars to give to our progressing investigators so they can see everything that needs to happened before they get baptised. Ritchelle is very excited to start following the lessons again.

We also found another really cool investigator this week named Peter. He's a native English speaker which is weird to give the lessons in English. We were worried at first about how he'd react to the Book of Mormon, having a very active Christian background. He loves it though, and is almost done with 1 Nephi. Another one of the countless miracles the Book of Mormon has wrought. The spirit is always very strong in the lessons we have with him, and he gives us the best answers too. In talking about the Plan of Salvation, we asked him where he thinks we can from, and he responded by saying "Well, we came from where we want to go"! I never thought of the Plan of Salvation like that haha.

We're working to get the members in our area more active in the conversion process of our investigators. We had a fun experience this week after the Primary President for Wanica branch asked me if I could accompany the Primary for their Primary program here in a couple of weeks. Me, Elder Voigt, and our branch mission leader spent second hour of church with the primary, helping the primary conductor teach the children a new Dutch primary song.

A new scripture that I've been pondering about this week was in Helaman 15:7, saying And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth.. and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them.

The more I think about the power of the Atonement and the joy of the gospel, the more I think about change. Change is wrought by repentance, which is one of the largest and most difficult steps of the gospel. Lasting change comes from listening to the prophets and the scriptures, the sources the Lord has given us to learn the gospel. I know it is the role of the scriptures and the prophets to convey the gospel in a way that will enable us to understand the gospel.

Have another great week! Wees netjes!!

Ik hou van jullie!!!

Elder Hunt

Jungle in the Amazon

Crazy Rain 

October 11, 2016

Goedemorgen uit Suriname! Deze week was een beetje gek met alles dat was gegaan, maar ja, alles komt goed en wij hebben goede plannen voor deze volgende week gemaakt!

We've had a fun week this week. We moved apartments again this week. We've moved in with another set of missionaries for a week before we can return to our original apartment (the apartment that was two moves ago haha). Living with the other missionaries is fun but at the same time a bit crazy and disorienting because the apartment is not made to support 4 missionaries. It's comparable to living in a hotel room, that's what it feels like. Doing missionary work from a hotel room. We're moving back to our own apartment this week, and I am SOO excited.

We've had a lot of success finding new investigators this week. We had a cool miracle last Tuesday. We were going through our contacting area (equivalent of going door to door trackting in Suriname), and made sure we had covered every house on this street. Then for some reason we contacted this one house. We had already contacted it, and a girl came outside, telling us her family wasn't interested. But we contacted it again, and another lady walked out. We got in conversation with this lady. It turns out she is from the Netherlands, and hadn't been to church for 14 years. We started talking to her about our purpose as missionaries and the Restoration. Then we asked her if she'd ever wondered why there were so many different Christian churches. She thought for a bit, and then told us "yes, in fact that's why I haven't been back to church in 14 years". That was such an inspired question because it helped us transition into the Restoration. We're teaching her now and she's an awesome investigator. It's cool experiences like that missionaries have that make missionary service all worth it and so much fun. Chandra's doing well. She brought her sister to church last week which was cool. It's awesome to see the change that the Book of Mormon brings when people read it.

I read an awesome scripture this morning in Matthew 11:29 saying Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

It's fun to think about what sort of yoke brings rest to the soul. That doesn't seem like that's what yokes would do. But when we follow the Saviour we learn and find peace to the soul, even in times of the worst trials. That sense comes because of hope that the gospel brings us. Ether 12:4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and stead fast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God

I wish you all the best! Have another great week!

Ik hou van jullie!!!

Elder Hunt

Oct 17, 2016

Alles is zo snell gegaan! Ik kan me niet geloven dat wij zijn door de middel van oktober gegaan!

We've had another great week this week. We finally moved back into our normal apartment, finally. It's almost been a month since we were there. It feels so good to have a nice, organized apartment again. This week has flown by so quickly. I guess I'll keep saying that for the rest of my mission (since I have been saying that for weeks).

We've had some awesome experiences this week. We've been doing a lot of finding, to build up our teaching pool again. Our mission president had the mission split all their areas up into 6 or 7 smaller areas. He then had us prayerfully choose one area to make our 'Designated Contacting Area'. He then told us to go through the entire area and contact every single house there, the promise being that the Lord not only has people prepared to receive us in that area, but that the Lord has people that are ready to be baptised. It's cool because we've seen a lot of success from it. What's also cool is that it helps the members in that area. We tell the members that the Lord has inspired us that this specific area that we've chosen has people that are prepared. That'll help the members realize that there are people around them that are prepared, even people that they know.

One cool investigator we found is Joey. What's cool is that we've contacted his house twice before, and no one was home. We contacted it a third time, and we met Joey. We taught him the Restoration, and WOW, he has soooo many good questions. We taught him about the Book of Mormon yesterday, and he was asking us questions like "Did Joseph Smith have the priesthood while he was translating the golden plates?" and even asked us "How has the Book of Mormon impacted your lives"? He is totally prepared and we're very excited to continue teaching him.

We've also been teaching a lady named Seeta. She's a member referral, and we had taught her in the past, but she hadn't really made progress. We hadn't taught her in over 3 weeks, during the whole apartment drama, but we've started teaching her again. We've had very spiritual experiences teaching her the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. She said she'll be baptised and that she'll attend our church. Those were two worries that we'd had before, since she's comfortable going another church. But, after having these spiritual lessons with her, she's opened up a lot more, and we're very excited to continue teaching her.

The more I read the Book of Mormon, the more stronger testimony I receive of it. I was reading in Helaman 3 the other day, saying  29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—

 30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

There is such power in the Book of Mormon. It's the foundation of all that we do. Thorough, continuous study of the Book of Mormon helps us understand how 'quick and powerful' the Book of Mormon is. It's a compass for us (Alma 37), and when we look to it as a compass, it will guide us in our day to day lives.

Have another great week!

Ik hou van jullie!!!

Elder Hunt

Sunset behind the trees it looked like it was on fire

Purple colors in the Sunset

Building in Suriname

Schurtolschotel, a Dutch dish that is delicious. A member fed it to us this week. It's a cross between lasagne and Shepard's pie.

Pictures of Suriname

Countryside in Suriname

Sunset

Amazing Sunset colors

Gold Sunset

Hanging out with other Elders

First of the Month...

Landscape at dusk

Streets of Suriname