Webbijbel
Gert-Jan Van Zanten
My trip to Suriname
08-01-2012- 27-01-2012
Our trip to Suriname was very good and very profitable.
We had a gospel-meeting four nights with the English speaking
church, besides that we made a lot of personal visits with a number
of Christians and Christian families.
During these studies the Bible would be opened and wonderful
discussions were the result. The brethren were very open to the pure
gospel.
I travelled together with my good brother in the faith, Peter
Vandebuerie,
from
Houthalen
in Belgium.
Peter from Houthalen , Belgium
During our time in Suriname our hosts were Wes and Titia Kroezenga.
We have known Wes and Titia for about 3 years now and they were very
good hosts.
We enjoyed being in their home and we are very thankful for their
hospitality.
Wes and Titia Kroezenga
Sunday, January 8th,
We left early in the morning at about 7.00 AM to travel to the city
of Haarlem, where a brother from the church lives, we parked the car
at his place and he took us to the airport.
We departed Schiphol airport at about 13.00 in the afternoon. We
arrived local time 18.30, at Zanderij (Joseph Pengel airport) in
Paramaribo, Suriname.
We took a taxi and arrived safe and sound at brother Wes and sister
Titia’s house at about 21.00 local time.
It was good to see them again, the last time I was here was back in
March of 2011.
Monday, January 9th,
This day we took some rest and to do some little errands.
We went to the local mall, did some small groceries and walked
around and enjoyed the wonderful weather.
Tuesday, January 10th,
We went out to evangelize in the morning, inviting folks to the
meetings and in the late-afternoon and night we did three visits
with the local preacher, Dhan Ramkelawan.
We visited one girl, Kimi a Christian, who had not been coming out
to services, we encouraged her to come out and be faithful
in her attendance.
After that we visited a lady, Bibi, who had lost her husband a year
ago and whose son was in prison waiting for trial. We were with her
to encourage her.
Then we went and had a study with the Ramrattan family who had also
invited friends for a good study. Both Peter and I spoke that night.
Peter spoke about the story of Asa from 2 Chronicles 13- 16 and I
spoke on Psalms 121.
Dhan Ramkelawan, the preacher for the English speaking group
Wednesday, January 11th,
We took the morning to pass out flyers for the meeting again.
We went to the market-place. Later in the afternoon we did some
visitation again.
We visited with sister Datsy, a woman of 59 years of age who became
a Christian last year in April. She was one of the contacts
that we made on my last trip here back in March of 2011.
It was great to see her again, especially now that she had become a
Christian.
At night we visited with a family for a short visit of encouragement
and after that we went to a place where several families had met to
hear the gospel.
Peter spoke about king Asa of 2 Cron. 13- 16 and I continued that
study with thoughts from Colossians 3: 1- 10.
During our time of study we learned that one of the ladies that was
present in the study had lost her husband, he was a fisherman and
their boat had been robbed by pirates.
All were killed except one. All that happened about three weeks ago.
Because of this we also looked at Psalms 23 to encourage this lady,
we also prayed with her, in the study and after the study.
It was a long day, but it was good.
Thursday, January 12th,
In the morning we helped out Wes and Titia with some things around
the house.
One of the sisters, Henna, came for lunch and we had a very pleasant
time with her.
This day was also the first day of the meeting.
Peter spoke on “the fear of God is the beginning of faithfulness”.
Peter used Exodus 19 as his starting point and showed how the fear
of God stands at the heart of our lives and relationship with God.
We had a great meeting, we had a total attendance of about 70
people.
The English speaking church meeting
Friday, January 13th,
In the afternoon we visited with a way-ward sister who had not been
assembling with the church for about two years. It was the second
day of our meeting.
I spoke and presented a lesson on “Faithfulness in assembling with
the saints”.
I spoke about the importance of meeting when the church meets, this
to provoke one another to greater service and love for God and one
another.
Saturday, January 14th,
In the morning-hours we had a study with the young Christians of the
English speaking church.
We enjoyed a good study on the decision of Rehoboam to listen to the
younger instead of listening to the older. (2 Chron. 10)
We made application to our lives and how we all need to listen to
the older.
This was the third day of our meeting and Peter did a lesson on
“Moses and his leadership”. Peter spoke about the concept the
leadership is important and with Moses as an example of leadership
Peter encouraged everyone to stand up and be counted.
Sunday, January 15th,
In the morning we went to the English speaking church.
Peter did a lesson on parable of the sower from Luke 8.
I spoke during the worship-service, my lesson was on “Faithfulness
in prayer”. I focused on how God is the avenger of them that pray to
Him day and night, Luke 18: 1- 8, and how God answers prayer from
Revelation 5- 9.
In the afternoon we met with the Dutch speaking group and Peter
spoke on “The Christian and forgiveness”.
The city of Paramaribo has two Dutch speaking churches.
One meets in the afternoon in the building of the English speaking
group and the preacher, Dhan Ramkelawan, also works with this group.
The Dutch group meeting
At night I spoke for the English speaking group and I did a lesson
on “Faithfulness in clothing”. It was a confrontational lesson, but
it was well received.
That night we also went with the bus to take people home.
The English speaking group picks up people at their home, bring them
to services and also takes them back home again, they do this with a
bus.
Some of the members that are picked up first travel about 1.5 hours,
then have services and then travel again for 1.5 hours. It was so
good to witness this dedication.
Later that night, we also enjoyed some good conversations about the
role of women in the church, with two of the leaders of the English
speaking group.
Monday, January 16th,
This day, late afternoon and night, we were able to visit
with a family from the English speaking church.
We were invited for supper, Shirley and John, we enjoyed good food
and a good time with them. We prayed, we sung and the gospel was
shared with a young mother from the neighborhood.
We also enjoyed some good study as how to use the money of the
church.
Tuesday, January 17th,
In the morning I visited with two people, that were friends from
Christians in the Netherlands, they had given me some presents to
give to them, I took some tracts from the church and gave them to
these folks.
Wednesday, January 18th,
At night we had a wonderful time and study at the home of the
Ramrattan family. I did a study on thankfulness. Dahn had asked me
to do a study on thankfulness since one of the families was married
for one year and also they had been baptized on that day.
We enjoyed good study-time and wonderful conversations.
Study with the Ramrattan family and friends
Thursday, January 19th,
In the morning we visited with three different families, one was a
young Christian girl who had not attended services for a number of
weeks, Kimi, after that an older lady, Bibinisha, she is not yet a
Christian, one of her daughters is a Christian and she also shared
an interest.
After that we visited with Debbie and William, Debbie is a Christian
and we had a wonderful time together.
At night we had Bible-study with the English speaking church.
Peter spoke and did a lesson on “Why do marriages fail”.
Friday, January 20th,
At noon one of the sisters came, Henna, to make lunch for us and we
visited, studied and had a wonderful time with one another.
Late afternoon we had a study Imro, he is a Seventh Day Adventist
who we had met while evangelizing.
We had a very good study with him, he invited us to come back, so we
made plans to get together on Tuesday the 24th.
Imro, myself, Wilma and Peter
On Thursday a lady had died, she was the mother and grandmother of
members of the English speaking church.
This lady herself was not a Christian, but we were all invited to
come to the wake.
Dahn, the preacher for the English speaking church, had an
opportunity to speak and he spoke words of comfort and he also
preached the gospel and he did so very eloquently.
Saturday, January 21st,
On the morning of this day we had a study with some of the young
Christians of the English speaking church.
We taught them some new songs and Peter did a short lesson on “Lot
and his choice” from Genesis 13- 18.
Sunday, January 22th,
On the morning of this day we went to the other Dutch speaking
church.
Peter spoke in the Bible-study and he spoke on unity.
I did a lesson on Nehemia
6 and the relation to the glory of God, how it was manifested
in his life and how it serves as an example for our lives.
At night we were with the second Dutch group, they meet in the
building of the English speaking church, and I spoke on the life and
example of Mefiboseth.
Monday, January 23th,
In the morning we went out to a place just outside of Paramaribo,
called Commewijne, we did some sight-seeing together with Wes and
Titia.
At night we were invited by a couple, Patrick and Christine, they
invited us for supper and we had wonderful visit with them.
They had some problems with their marriage and we were able to have
a wonderful and good discussion with them about these matters.
They invited us back, and so we decided that we would go back on
Wednesday-night the 25th.
Tuesday, January 24th,
On the morning of this day we visited with Debbie and
Williams.
We had visited with them before on our trip and they invited us
again. They had some questions for us, among others we discussed
questions in relation to the Lords supper and the re-birth.
In the afternoon we visited with sister Lovin, she turned 65 years
of age and invited us to come and visit with her.
Later in the afternoon we had our second study with Imro. We had a
very pleasant time with him. We discussed several questions, his
sister Wilma, also joined us in parts of the conversations.
Dahn, the preacher for the English speaking group would continue
this study.
At night we were invited for supper at the house of a sister named
Bibi, she had a wonderful meal prepared and we enjoyed some good
singing too.
Wednesday, January 25th,
Later in the afternoon we visited with one of the families
of the English speaking church, we had supper with them, after that
we went to another family to have a Bible-study.
Peter taught a lesson on several aspects of raising children.
After that we visited with Patrick and Christine, they had invited
us to come again and talk about their marriage and to have supper,
so we did.
Thursday, January 26th,
This was our last day in Suriname, in the morning we had a
study with Dahn, the preacher for the English speaking church, Dahn
wanted to discuss some questions in relation to marriage. In the
afternoon we were picked up by our taxi, he took us to the airport.
Friday, January 27th,
We arrived safely at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam at about 8 in the
morning.
Jim Krumrei, a brother in the church, took us from the airport and
took us to his house.
He lives close to the airport and we had parked the car at his
place.
We had coffee together and then we went to my home.
Peter had parked his car at my place when we came to my house, Peter
left to go to his house
to meet his family.
