Vrolijk kerst! De kerst tijd is al gekomen! Merry Christmas

Vrolijk kerst! De kerst tijd is al gekomen! Ik kan me niet voorstellen hoe snel alles is gegaan!

Merry Christmas everyone! The Christmas season is flying by. I just seems like yesterday that we were celebrating Thanksgiving, and now we're nearing the end of the year.

Our primary focus this week was to find new investigators. We didn't have too many progressing investigators so we really worked to find some more. A lot of people are busy during the Christmas season so it was a bit difficult to find people. Towards the end of the week however we were able to find some really cool investigators. We found this young couple as we were contacting in one area. They talked to us about how they always see us biking around in the area. The wife thought we were Jehovah's Witnesses which is something we get a lot in Suriname. As we got talking with the husband, he was telling us about how he saw me and Elder Fleming biking home the other day in the pouring rain. He then told us that he told himself, "what ever message it is that they share, it sure must be important". It's nice to hear someone else complement you after an experience like that. People notice things that we do, even when they don't realize it. It may open their heart to hear the restored gospel.

We've been teaching this family, called the Dolaini family. We've been having a lot of success with them. We've been teaching them for several weeks now. We've been having awesome lessons with them. They're all so willing to learn. We were able to get two of them, Stephen and Luciel to the Branch Christmas party this past week. We were then able to introduce them to some of the members. That really helped them come to church as well. They're asking the right questions and are catching on to the lessons really well. We were shooting for the end of December as a baptismal date for them but it looks like we'll have to push it into January. They're progressing really well though. We're really excited for them.

We all have the wonderful chance to celebrate the Christmas season every year. It's a special moment that we all have to reboot and recommit to becoming more like the Savior. Just like in the Church's campaign, it is through the example of our Savior that we truly can light the World. My personal favorite prophesy of the coming of Christ is in 2 Nephi 19:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Approaching December 25th gives us the chance to see what we can do to make the Savior more central in our lives. As we all do this, it will rekindle those precious moments we have each experienced in building our testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Ik wens jullie allemal een gelukkig Kerstfeest!

Ik hou van jullie!!! Vrolijk Kerst!!

Elder Hunt

Branch Christmas Party

homemade snowballs

pet birds they see everywhere

Hanging out with the monkeys

Birthday gifts

Beautiful sunsets

Goedemorgen en vrolijkekerst (Merry Christmas)! Dec 12,2016

Goedemorgen en vrolijkekerst (Merry Christmas)!

Where has the year gone?!? Time is going by so quickly! It's been really rainy here lately. It's like that in December. We've been doing more service this week as well, and we've been able to have some awesome appointments with our investigators.

This week we had an anaconda encounter. We were biking back from doing service for someone. We were biking along this dirt road and as we came around a bend there was a good 6 foot long anaconda crossing the road. We don't have any pictures because Elder Fleming forgot his camera and I chickened out pretty quickly and started in the opposite direction.

Anyways, on a more jolly note we're getting closer and closer to Christmas! Surinamers are busy just like the rest of the world to celebrate the Christmas season. Christmas is very big in Suriname, and what is just as big if not bigger is New Year's. Here in Suriname they just celebrated what they call Kinderdag, originally a Dutch holiday, which is when Sinter Klaus (Santa Claus), comes and visits the children. He brings gifts for the children with his helpers, who look similar to elves. Instead, their faces are always painted or soiled black because they go up and down chimmies all the time. Sinter Klaus is a bit different than the American Santa Claus because Sinter Klaus looks more like the Pope, being dressed up in a red robe with golden trimming and a big long white beard. We saw a Sinter Klaus on our way to an appointment, but didn't have time to get a picture. A famous tradition is when the children leave their shoes outside their door and Sinter Klaus or his helpers will come and fill them with cookies and candy.

In terms of investigators we've been teaching this really cool investigator family. They're super active in the lessons and are excited with the Book of Mormon. One of them made it to church this week, and we're hoping to get the entire family to church this next coming week. 

This week I've been pondering about a scripture in Ether 4:12 which says 11 But he that believeth these things which I have spoken,him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good.

 12 And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. The church is busy with it's Light the World campgain. As we get nearer to the Christmas season, we should be "lighting the world", and that is through the spirit of Christ, "for good cometh of none save it be of me". Merry Christmas! Vrolijkkerst!

Ik hou van jullie!!!

Elder Hunt

the difference of new shoes ans 16 month old shoes

We had fun buying a tree and decorations for Elder Josh and his Comp

goedemorgen ik ben op! December 5, 2016 Turned 2o this week

Het heeft een ander geweldig week geweest! Soms denk ik over hoe bijzonder het is om hier in Suriname te zijn! Wat een leuk roeping van de kerk te verkrijgen! Zendings zijn het beste!

Hello hello! It's been another great week in Paramaribo! The weather here is finally calming down! From about August to November is what Surinamers call de drooge tijd, or the dry season. Every Surinamer says that the best time to be in Suriname is in December. And it's true! All those Surinamers who live in the Netherlands stay in Suriname during the Christmas season. They call December de kleine regen tijd, or the small rainy season, meaning that it rains, but it's not those crazy Amazon-rainstorms that back up all of the city's canals. The weather is very temperate. And better yet, the people love preparing for Christmas and New Year's. In America they have spring cleaning, in Suriname they have "Kerstmesopruimen" or Christmas cleaning. So we've been doing a lot of service this week, helping people clean up their yards for Christmas.

Surinamers are also very hospitable during the Christmas season. People invite us over to eat and are very friendly, "om de gezeligheid en gastvrijheid in Suriname te tonen en delen!" We found a really cool investigator family to teach this last week. They were previous investigators and are very excited to be reading the book of Mormon again. One of them even came to church which was awesome! We're hoping to get the entire family to church this next coming week. It was really cool how we met them as well.

I read a wonderful scripture today in 2 Peter 3:14. When we are diligent in keeping our covenants and remembering the Lord we maintain a connection with the Lord that is a great blessing to us. That connection enables us to have the spirit with us to guide us to know what is right. I don't have much time today, but have another great week!

Ik hou van jullie!!!

Elder Hunt

Birthday breakfast called pannenkoeke

Has always loved pasta for his Birthday

Birthday sunset

when an investigator likes you and gives you a watermelon... rode with it all day

November 28,2016 Goedemorgen! Groetjes uit dit bijzondere land (en ook het beste en groenste land)!

Goedemorgen! Groetjes uit dit bijzondere land (en ook het beste en groenste land)!

Pie kabari?!? Slamit ape aku! That's a Javanese greeting that some members taught me this week. Everyone in Suriname has their native languages in addition to speaking Dutch, one of which is Javanese among the people here from the island, Java, in Indonesia.

It's been another crazy week. We've visited a lot of people this week and have had some cool experiences finding people. This week we contacted and taught a family that were investigators of the church years ago. They were happy to see us! They started talking to us about how they were reading the Book of Mormon and taking the lessons. Then they talked about how they had a tragedy where their house burnt down and had to relocate somewhere else, losing contact with the missionaries in the process. It wasn't until recently that they've moved back and rebuilt a house on the same plot. They were very excited to get a new Book of Mormon.

We had another experience where contacted a guy at his house and made a follow up appointment. We showed up to this guy's house for the appointment later and he ended up not being home (that does happen frequently and at very inconvenient times in Suriname). Just as we were wondering what to do, a lady from across the street walks outside and to start doing some work. We contacted her and ended up teaching her a lesson. She accepted a Book of Mormon and at the end of the lesson told us how she had been resting inside but 'for some reason' felt prompted to go do some work outside. "Not even a minute" later, she told us, we were talking to her. It's cool how the Lord helps guides us in his work.

This week I was busy studying in Mosiah4:3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come...

This week I've been thinking a lot about how real faith in Jesus Christ leads to obedience.  When we see the example of Jesus Christ we want to become like Him; we follow Him. We repent in order to do that. Repentance is correcting ourselves so that we may indeed be obedient to the Lord. True obedience invites the Holy Ghost, and fills us to the center of our souls with joy.

Have a fantastic week! I can't believe it's my birthday again this week. It's so weird to think that it's been a year since I was walking around those rugged streets of New Amsterdam, Guyana!

Ik hou van jullie!!!

Elder Hunt

Sabajo kid's

Caramel Brownies 

Dutch food that we love 

Goedemorgen en groetjes uit Suriname! November 21,2016

With Elder Fleming

Cute boy in Suriname

Pres,. Gonzalez came to the Zone Conference

Normal Suriname food 

Goedemorgen en groetjes uit Suriname! Ik hoop dat iedereen een fijn week hadden gehad!

Wij ook hadden een goed week! This week we had a lot of exciting stuff happen. We met some more cool people, I got a new companion, and a general authority visited Suriname all this past week.

I'll start off with my new companion. My new companion is Elder Fleming, from Layton, UT. He is awesome to work with! He's super excited to be a missionary and loves Suriname! He's played soccer throughout High School, so he'll fit right in with Suriname's top pass time (playing soccer).

We also had a general authority come visit this week. President Gonzales is the area president of the Caribbean area, and he and his wife were in Suriname this past week. We had a zone conference with them and for 4 hours the two of them taught us about baptism, the importance to baptise, and how to extend a baptismal invitation.

...Then President Gonzales announced some very exciting news! He told us about the Caribbean Area's desire to establish a stake in Suriname! It would be the second stake in the Lesser Antilles, or the southern half of the Caribbean. He then told us that the whole purpose of the Zone Conference was to lift our expectations of baptisms in Suriname. He then challenged us to triple the number of baptisms in Suriname in order to create the stake in the next few years. His pep-talk he gave us has us all more ambitious than ever to baptise!

And to go right along with that, we've been able to meet some really cool people this last week. Among which was a young man who randomly came to church without meeting the missionaries. His friend invited him to church and he came! We're going to go over to teach him tonight. Chandra is doing well, we just had to postpone her baptismal date to the 10th of december because of the business of everything lately. Peter is also doing really well. He came to a fireside the President Gonzales gave and really liked it. He's reading in the Book of Mormon a lot. (I think he's finished with Alma now).

Here is a wonderful scripture to go along with that theme. Mormon 9:21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ,doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth... 28 Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God.

Other then that... it's been a pretty normal week here in Paramaribo... haha we had a lot of stuff happen this week. I hope you all have another fantastic week!

Ik hou van jullie!!!

Elder Hunt