. Elder Jeffrey M. Vernes - West Indies Mission 2008 - 2010

God be with you, till we meet again

2010-07-04T23:01:00.002-04:00

This is a short video clip of some of the people our son met on his mission in the West Indies. We as parents are very grateful for all your kindness towards our son.

Even though two years is a long time and we look forward seeing Jeffrey again, we also feel richly blessed by his mission. We have been uplifted by his weekly e-mails and how he has shared his love for the people and the gospel.

We also know that the church of Jesus Christ was restored and that we have a living prophet. Heavenly Father created a beautiful plan of hapiness. The choice is ours weather we want to accept this plan and receive the blessings of the gospel.

We thank all those people that listened to the missionaries and joint the church of Jesus Christ. If you have not listened to the missionaries, please take a moment and invite these missionaries to share the joy of the gospel to you. It will change your life!

Thank you!!!

Gods huis is mooi...

2010-06-28T12:20:00.001-04:00

Elder Freeman en ik hebben een doopdienst gehad!!! We hebben een geweldige zuster kunnen dopen die al een paar weken naar de kerk komt. Ze heeft echt het verlangen gehad om haar leven te veranderen. Toen wij haar gisteren na de kerk bezochten, zag je gewoon een verschil in haar. Het leek wel alsof ze straalde. Ze is echt gewillig om te leren en leest alles wat wij haar geven. Ze heeft in ongeveer een week het boek van mormon uitgelezen en leest nu (omdat wij geen tripple combinations hebben) Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Als wij haar een Liahona geven, is het binnen een paar dagen uitgelezen.

Elder Freeman en ik zijn zo blij dat wij deze maand toch nog konden dopen. Deze zuster was Elder Freemans eerste dopeling en mijn laatste. Het doel van de zending was om alle collegaschappen te laten dopen en Elder Freeman en ik hebben een doel gesteld om dat te doen. Wij wilden niet de reden zijn dat dit doel van de zending niet werd behaald.

Op zending ben ik beter te weten gekomen, dat God het is, die ons de vele zegeningen geeft die wij elke dag krijgen. Ik heb bijvoorbeeld de afgelopen paar weken toespraken in de kerk moeten geven. Ik had elke week niet echt een idee waarover ik het zou moeten hebben. Nadat ik had gebeden en gevraagd wat ik zou moeten zeggen, kwamen de schriftteksten één voor één in gedachte. En toen ik begon te praten, leek het echt alsof mijn mond gevuld werd en de woorden gewoon uitgestroomd kwamen. Ik ben dankbaar voor de Geest die mij heeft geleid om goed te doen. Ik ben dankbaar voor mensen die mij hebben ondersteund en die samen met mij zulke geestelijke ervaringen hebben kunnen meemaken.

Ik zat zondag vlak voor mijn toespraak naast een klein meisje van ongeveer 5 jaar of zo. Ik hield haar een beetje bezig zodat haar moeder naar de toespraken kon luisteren. Ik dacht er niet veel over na maar gaf haar een kaartje met een foto van de Salt Lake Tempel. Ze nam het en bleef ernaar kijken. Toen wees ze ernaar met haar vinger en zij, "Dit is Gods huis. Gods huis is mooi." Het lijkt gewoon op een klein ding maar deze woorden van het meisje had voor mij op dat moment zo veel waarde. Ik heb kunnen zien hoe rein en schoon wij als mensen weer moeten worden. Ik kon niet veel met haar erover spreken omdat ik toen mijn toespraak moest geven maar als ik eerlijk ben was dat één van de meest geestelijke momenten van de week. Ik gebruikte wat zij zei in m'n toespraak. Ik sprak over gezinnen en het belang van sterke gezinnen. Ik legde aan de mensen uit dat wij alleen sterke gezinnen kunnen hebben als wij;

1. Bidden als gezin (3 Nephi18:22)
2. Over de Verzoening spreken met ons gezin (Jakob 4:12)
3. Als gezin naar de kerk gaan (Joh. 6:51...) om door het avondmaal samen eeuwig leven te krijgen.

Er waren mensen in de gemeente die begonnen te tranen toen ik dat aanhaalde wat het kleine meisje zei. De Geest was tijdens de avondmaalsvergadering zo sterk.

Ik ben dankbaar voor al die geweldige ervaringen. Dit is het werk van de Heer. Ik weet het omdat ik het heb kunnen zien en voelen.

Jeff

P.S. Hup Holland Hup...Ik hoop dat ze winnen. :D

Alles is goed...

2010-06-24T03:13:00.000-04:00

Wij waren maandag en dinsdag in Paramaribo en hadden de gelegenheid om de familie Kromopawiro bezoeken. Ze zijn echt geweldig. Ze waren zo blij om me te zien. De Elders hadden hun niet verteld dat ik zou komen. Toen we daar annkwamen en ze ons zagen, begonnen ze gelijk eten te koken. Ze zeiden allemaal dat ik was afgevallen :D.

Lekker Eten

Ik vind het zo geweldig dat ik een goede band met zo veel mensen mag hebben, die ik hier op zending heb mogen helpen.

The Joy of the Gospel

Ik ben al begonnen om een paar dingen te sorteren en alles in een koffer te leggen. Ik zal niet veel hebben om mee te nemen. Er zijn niet veel dingen die wij kunnen mee nemen. Ze raden ons ook af om veel te kopen en naar huis te brengen omdat je dan ook door de douane moet. Elder Koenen had echt veel en heeft veel in een doos naar huis moeten sturen of achter moeten laten en dat wil ik dus niet.

Alles is goed en ik zal mijn best blijven doen om nog zo veel mogelijk mensen aan te spreken. Ik heb zo veel wonderen gezien en ben dankbaar voor de vele zegeningen die ik heb ontvangen. Bedankt voor alles wat jullie voor mij doen.

Love, Jeff

A mission is an amazing experience

2010-06-17T05:40:00.002-04:00

The Lord is really blessing us in Nickerie. We did not have a baptism as planned because our friend moved and we had the hardest time finding his house, but he came to church and we will be having his baptism this coming Saturday. That way we can help the mission with our goal of all companionships baptizing this transfer.

My new companion, Elder Freeman is doing fine. He is still adjusting to the new culture and does not speak a lot. I still do a lot of the teaching. I try to get him to speak more, but he get nervous and stutters and shares something really short and looks at me to continue. I think he'll get the hang of it soon. He is a good kid. He does not complain and he works hard. He is just still very new. I remember when I first came out. I think I might have been the same way to some extent.

Elder Freeman and I are now in Paramaribo because he had to get a visa extension, so we are spending 2 days here in Paramaribo. We were able to see one of my favorite families and share a lesson with them. I was very happy to see them again. we had a very spiritually uplifting lesson. Elder Lake, Elder Koenen and I have had some of the most amazing experiences with them. I am thankful for their faithfulness and their testimonies.

It's great to hear that Holland did well in the first match of the World Cup. We don't watch the games, but people tell us the scores all of the time. They even printed a schedule for us, so we would know who played who and when. The world cup really takes over the lives of these people sometimes. When there is a game there is no way people will let us in to talk.

The mission is an amazing experience, but I am a little excited about what's next. I will work hard for the last few weeks, but I sometimes find myself thinking about my student life at the University of Kent. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to be here and the opportunity that I still have to serve.

Thank you for all you have done for me and for your prayers

Love,

Jeff

Ik vertrouw er op....

2010-06-12T08:10:00.003-04:00

Deze week was echt geweldig. Het Districtpresidiums was zaterdag en zondag in Nickerie om een nieuwe gemeentepresident te roepen. We hebben nu een broeder als gemeentepresident die pas 4 maanden geleden is gedoopt. Hij is geweldig. Hij doet z'n best en wil echt veranderingen in de gemeente zien.

Wij hebben samen met hem en het Districtspresidium gebeden en gevast. Als resultaat hadden wij 36 mensen in de kerk. Elder Freeman en ik hadden 5 onderzoekers in de kerk. De geest was zo geweldig sterk en ik weet zeker dat de leden en onderzoekers dit konden voelen. Ik ben zo dankbaar dat er een Hemelse Vader is die gebeden hoort en wonderen laat gebeuren.

Om deze broeder te helpen werden twee raadgevers gekozen. Elder Manwill als 1e raadgever en ik als 2e raadgever. Wij moeten er gewoon voor zorgen dat alles goed gaat en hem een beetje trainen. Wij zullen woensdag een Gemeentepresidiumsvergadering hebben. Ik ben echt dankbaar voor de gelegenheid, die ik mag hebben om hier in Nickerie te dienen. Het is echt heel anders dan de stad maar het is hier toch wel leuk.

Ik werd ook weer gevraagd om in deze laatste paar weken pianoles te geven omdat hier niemand is die piano kan spelen. Ik hoop dat het zal lukken omdat ik niet echt mensen in de gemeente zie die verstand hebben van muziek. Ik zal gewoon m'n best doen en hopen en bidden dat ik iemand zal vinden die het snel zal leren.

Ik zou heel graag in Dordrecht willen spreken. Het lijkt me wel leuk om ook in Nederland een toespraak te geven.

Ik weet dat dit het werk van de Heer is. Ik heb gezien dat Hij dit werk leidt en dat Hij ervoor zorgt dat wij succesvol zijn als wij zijn geboden onderhouden. Hij houdt van al zijn kinderen. Die liefde heb ik kunnen voelen voor de mensen die ik heb kunnen onderwijzen. Ik heb geweldige wonderen mogen zien en weet dat jullie die wonderen ook kunnen zien in dienst van de Heer. Ik ben dankbaar voor de gelegenheid die ik nu heb, om hem hier in Nickerie te dienen. Ik vertrouw erop dat wij nog veel succes zullen hebben. Als alles goed gaat, zullen wij komende zaterdag een doopdienst hebben.

Ik hou van jullie en ben dankbaar voor alle gebeden die jullie voor mij spreken. Ik bid dat onze hemelse Vader jullie zal zegenen en leiden.

Jeff

Onverwachts naar Trinidad

2010-05-31T14:57:00.001-04:00

Ik heb een hele bijzondere week gehad. Ik moest onverwachts naar Trinidad om mijn visum voor Suriname te vernieuwen. Het zendingskantoor heeft het me niet echt op tijd laten weten waardoor ik dus niet echt mijn spullen kon inpakken. Ik zat dus plotseling met alle departing elders in Trinidad. Ik voelde me toch wel een beetje raar omdat ik wist dat ik ook in 6 weken naar huis zal gaan. Elder Swart, Elder Holtz, Elder Mecham en Elder Schroath gingen allemaal terug naar huis. Een paar van die Elders spraken alleen over thuis en dat maakte het voor mij ook een beetje moeilijk om niet aan thuis te denken.

Uiteindelijk kreeg ik een bericht van President Gamiette dat mijn nieuwe collega die avond in Trinidad aan zou komen en dat ik hem mocht gaan ophalen. Rond 10 uur in de avond reden President Gamiette, de APs en ik naar het vliegveld in Trinidad. Daar stonden we bijna 3 uur te wachten omdat de marechaussee hem niet het land in wilde laten. Toen hij er eindelijk uitkwam zag hij er zo bang uit. Hij was aan het trillen. Hij zei dat hij de mensen in Trinidad niet kon verstaan en wist niet helemaal wat ze van hem verwachtte. Het was best wel een beetje grappig om dit te zien. Gelukkig is toch alles goed voor hem gegaan.

Hij heet Elder Freeman en komt uit Blackfoot, Idaho. Hij is 19 jaar oud en is heel z'n leven lid van de kerk. We zijn samen terug naar Suriname gevlogen en werden gelijk naar Nickerie gebracht dat zo'n 200 km van Paramaribo vandaan is. We begonnen gelijk hard te werken en ik moet eerlijk zeggen dat de eerst paar dagen op de fiets best wel moeilijk waren nadat ik 6 maanden in een auto heb gezeten. Ik kon gelijk opmerken dat de mensen hier in Nickerie een andere denkwijze hebben dan in de stad. Van 2 tot 5.30 uur is alles dood. Er is geen hond op straat. Als je rond die tijd geen afspraken hebt, zit je op je fiets en rijdt rondjes om Nickerie. De mensen slapen hier gewoon rond die tijd. oh...en als je ze wakker maakt worden ze boos. Ik zorg er dus voor dat we rond die tijd altijd afspraken hebben. Elder Freeman doet erg z'n best. Het is gewoon voor hem een beetje moeilijk omdat hij nog niet echt Nederlands spreekt. Het zal hem wel lukken.

Maar goed, Zondag kwamen we naar de kerk. Er was om 9 uur nog niemand (de kerk begint om 10 uur.) Ik stapte binnen en werd gegroet door een plas "geel water" (ik wil liever niet weten wat het was). Toen wij het hadden opgeruimd, was het al bijna half 10. Rond die tijd kwam ook Broeder Fisher, die de leiding heeft. Hij begon dingen voor te bereiden voor de vergadering, die om 10 uur zou beginnen. Om 10.05 was er nog niemand. Om 10.15uur was er een zuster met twee kinderen. We begonnen de dienst met 9 mensen waarvan 4 zendelingen waren en 2 volwassen. Ik hoop niet dat dat normaal is, maar de tijd zal het leren.

De Heer heeft ons wel laten zien dat Hij ons zal leiden. Elder Freeman en ik waren opzoek naar een meisje die was weggelopen van huis en niet meer naar de kerk komt. Ik had haar maar één keer in de stad gezien en wist niet eens meer wie ze was. Zondag middag zaten we na de kerk op de fiets en fietsten langs een winkel en zagen een meisje en blijkbaar haar vriend bij die winkel staan. Zoals ik altijd doe, zei ik "hallo" en ging door. Op eens zagen wij een onderzoeker op zijn brommer om de hoek komen en naar de winkel rijden. Iets zei me om hem te groeten en dus draaide ik om en fietste naar de winkel. Toen ik daar aankwam was hij al zo goed als weg en stopte ik vlak voor dat meisje die mij aankeek. Toen op eens kwam de naam Jennifer in mij op (de naam van de jonge dame die wij zochten) en ik zei,"Hey, jij bent toch Jennifer?" Ze zei, "ja". We hadden haar dus gevonden. Ik weet zeker dat dat niet mijn doen was maar dat de Heer ons heeft geholpen. We hadden haar nooit alleen kunnen vinden. De Heer heeft mij daardoor laten zien dat hij weet wie ons nodig heeft en dat ik mijn vertrouwen op Hem kan leggen.

Ik ben dankbaar voor zulke ervaringen en dat ik deze laatste 6 weken nog hard kan werken. Ik weet dat de Heer mij zal leiden en ook jullie zal leiden als wij Hem vragen.

Bedankt voor jullie gebeden.

Liefs, Jeff

On my way to Nickerie

2010-05-25T00:06:00.000-04:00

I did get a call from President Gamiette last week. He told me that I would be serving in Nickerie. It is about 3 hours from Paramaribo. I will be training a new Elder. His name is Elder Freeman. I think he's from Utah, but I do not really know. I will meet him on Wednesday. I am excited about training. I remember when I first came into the mission field. Everything was very new to me and I did not know what was going on. Now, almost 2 years later we're doing missionary work like it has become part of us.

The missionaries I came out with (Elder Holtz, Elder Schroath, and Elder Mecham) are going home in a few days. They go home one transfer before I do because they stayed longer in the MTC. Elder Swart is also going home with them. I can't believe that I now only have 6 weeks left. It's just amazing how fast time has flown.

This week was great. We had two baptisms in the Zone. Things are really going well in Suriname. I really believe that if the members and missionaries work together we will be able to see so many great miracles and have a stake here in no time, but only if the members work together with the missionaries! That requires humility on our part as missionaries. We need to help the members. It is their work. I have seen so much success by doing that. The members WANT to work when THEY see the success and it is THEIR success. I love missionary work. I just hope to be able to help this new Elder become a great missionary. Trainers have so much influence on their new missionaries. I am grateful that the Lord would trust me enough to train a new Elder. I will not be zone leader anymore which will allow me to focus 100% on missionary work and "go out with a bang", as President Gamiette says.

Thank you for the many prayers on my behalf.

Love, Jeff

Just do it...

2010-05-22T00:33:00.002-04:00

We had Zone Conference this las week which was great. I heard a lot of things to think about and to apply to my life. President Gamiette is amazing. At Zone conference I met Elder West and Elder Williams. Both of them are from england. Elder West is actually 30 min away from Kent and says it is a great uni. Elder Williams is from London. They were excited to hear that I was going to go to University in England after my mission. They both agree that Kent is a great uni. I am excited to go.

We are really being blessed in this work. Elder Lake and I were not able to work a lot due to zone conference preperations, but we were able to teach a few good lessons. The spirit was strong during the lessons and the people that we taught felt that spirit. It is so amazing how the spirit works. I love this work.

I had an interview with president Gamiette, who told me that I am doing well as a zone leader and then showed me some of his plans for the coming transfer. He asked me what I would think about not being a zone leader for my last transfer. I said that that would be great. I love this area and I love the people. I love Elder Lake who is just a great missionary. I would enjoy staying in this area, but I would not mind leaving. We talked about me going to Nickerie which is about 250 km away from Paramaribo. I don't know what's going to happen, so we'll have to wait and find out. All of the Elders that are leaving have said that this last transfer will just fly by really quickly. I just want to do my best wherever I am for these last 6 weeks.

Thank you again for all that you do for me and all of your prayers. I love you all and pray for you. see you in 7 weeks.

Love, Jeff

Music can say more than a thousand words

2010-05-15T16:15:00.002-04:00

Please watch this video and listen to the beautiful music and feel the love of the Lamb of God. As a dad, I am so grateful for the missionary work our son Jeffrey Vernes is doing in the West Indies Mission by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teh restoration of His church.

If you haven't listened to our missionaries, please take the time and invite them to your home and let them share a message of joy. You will love it!

In only a few weeks he will finish his two year mission. He has truly come to love the people in this area.

We are enjoying the work

2010-05-11T14:37:00.000-04:00

This week was great. We had 2 investigators at church and are hoping to baptize them in a few weeks. They really liked church and have a great bond with some of the members. Member/Missionary work is so important and the work is so much better with the support of the members. There is a family that helps us a lot. It is the Kromopawiro family. They are solid members and help us so much. They take care of us very well, too. I think they found Whitney and Amy on face book. I am not sure how, but they did.

Elder Lake and I are working well together and are enjoying the work. There are some elders that will be leaving soon which includes Elder Swart and some others. Soon after that I will be leaving and I cannot believe it. Time has flown so fast.

We will have a very busy week. We need to go to Nickerie and do a lot of other exchanges and to support the missionaries out.

Love, Jeff

The Lord blesses me with so much...

2010-04-27T01:29:00.000-04:00

Dear family,

Wow!!! Thank you for the good news. I was so happy to hear that I was accepted at the University of Kent and also the University of Leiden. I will fast and pray and let you know how I feel. I just think it is great that the Lord blesses me with so much.

Elder Lake and I had a good week. We are seeing so much success with the returning members and the less actives. We taught so many good lessons. The spirit was just so strong during a lot of these lessons and you could just see the faces of the people lit up when we were teaching. I feel that the Lord is using us as His tools to bring light back into the lives of these people.

There is a family that was less active last year and they are making changes in their lives accept callings to serve in the church. Every time we go there we just have a great spiritual experience. They are so amazing and I enjoy teaching them because they are just so willing to learn. As they are making the needed changes in their lives, they have been able to bring three people into the church with them. These three new members are strong and one of them is preparing to go on a mission. He is such a good kid. You can tell that he loves the Gospel and that he will be a great missionary. He shares the things he learns with those around him and they too are making changes in their lives.

I just feel like the Lord is speaking to them through my companion and me. I love that feeling and I am thankful for it. I try to thank the Lord for every time that feeling comes. I always want to have that feeling in my life and I know it will be there as I keep on reading my scriptures and praying and thanking the Lord for everything I have.

I love the Lord and he has made such an impact in my life. Every time I teach I want to give others that feeling. I want to make them feel that God loves them. I was able to teach Elder's Quorum yesterday and I explained that each member had a calling to bring the Gospel into the lives of others. I told them that the people could feel the love of God through them. I am completely convinced that that is true. This church is a missionary church and The Lord uses us (the members, not the missionaries) to reach out to people. "The members are full time finders and the missionaries are full time teachers", said Elder Bednar.

I love this work and the people here in Suriname. I am so grateful that I am a part of this gret work. Thank you for sustaining me in it through your faith and testimonies and prayers.

Love, Jeff

Not even the Volcano in Iceland can stop the work...

2010-04-19T23:54:00.001-04:00

Trust me, we know all about the volcano. Elder Koenen should have been home a few days ago, but cannot leave because of the ash in the air. We do not know when he will leave and we do not know how, but right now he is here with us. He is in good spirit and doing well, however he does want to go home soon.

I know that God answers payers. Elder Koenen, Elder Lake (my new companion), Elder Manwill (a new elder), and I had a great moment together. We were able to come to help a recent convert when he was sick. I will not be able to tell the entire story, but I will tell you that we gave a blessing and we saw how God answered our prayers instantly. I have seen the hand of God so often and so clearly during my mission. I know that my Savior lives. I know that he suffered and died for me and that I can be forgiven of my sins. I love him and cherish the miracles I see.

We have had a rough week. We needed to go out to Nickerie which is about 250 km from where we are. We had to drop off some new missionaries and bring them to their companions. We also had to figure out how to get Elder Koenen out of here. We have had to go to the airport a few times. The last time we went we saw an empty airport. There was not a soul to be found. The airport is about 1 hour away, so we wasted some time going out there. The funny thing is that we still do not know anything about when he is leaving. I guess we will just need to wait. I just hope that my home coming will be a little easier. :D

Anyway, thank you for your emails. I love you all and pray for you.
Love, Jeff

What a great Conference

2010-04-05T16:00:00.001-04:00

What a great conference it was. I noticed that they talked a lot about families and establishing the church. I was able to learn that families are key to the growth of the church. I hope we will be able to implement that into the work here in suriname.

During conference I was able to learn so much about the priesthood and the importance of missionary work. I am thankful for the success that the Lord is giving us.

Elder Koenen will be leaving in the coming week. He is sad and excited to go home at the same time. I cannot imagine that my turn will come soon as well. We are going to have a great week. We will be baptizing a sister this week that is really looking forward to baptism. She is so excited. She read all the way up to the middle of Alma in jst about 3 weeks. She is ready to get baptized and willing to learn. At the same time we are helping a less active family because we are asking them to fellowship her. The work is amazing.

No, I did not get any package. It may be in the mail, but I did not get it yet. The system here is a little slow.

The picture here shows us after a good game of soccer with some members. It had just rained and we were basically playing in the mud, so we were no very clean when we finished.

Thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts.
Love, Jeff

The promptings of the spirit

2010-03-04T01:39:00.000-04:00

I have had a great spiritually uplifting experience this last week and the week before. When Elder Koenen recovered and got out of the hospital we got a call that very same day. A Member asked us to go to the hospital and visit a man that had just gotten hit by a car and was in the ICU. Elder Koenen and I dropped everything and drove to the Hospital. We asked the nurse to show us the man in question and we gave him a blessing. He is still in a coma, but his health improved a little.

As we were walking out of the ICU Elder Koenen and I were standing by the door and Elder Koenen was talking to one of the nurses about that man. I was looking around and saw a girl of about 18 years old looking at me. I saw her and waved at her. She looked really bad, but she slowly lifted her arm and gave me a little wave and slowly put it back down. We then left the ICU and went to another part of the hospital to visit one of Elder Koenen's old "roommates" who expressed that he wanted to learn more about the Book of Mormon. As we were teaching this man I was continually thinking about this girl. I had the feeling to go back, but I did not know what to do. When we walked out of the lesson and down the stairs of one of the hospital buildings, I told Elder Koenen that I felt that we needed to go back. He said that we could and we did.

I asked the nurse if I could give her a little book. She said that it was ok and I walked over to give her a little leaflet about the plan of salvation. She was sort of sleeping and not looking very good at all. She seemed completely drugged. I put the book by her bedside and left thinking I had done everything.

Throughout the day, I caught myself thinking about her. I did not know what to do. I felt that I needed to do something, but I did not know what. I decided that I was going to fast and pray about it and for her. I fasted to know what to do and for her health to improve and decided that we were going back to the hospital the next day.

We did. I knew exactly what to do. I was to give her a Book of Mormon. We went to the ICU and to my surprise, she was not there. Her health improved overnight whether it was because of my prayer and fasting or something else, I do not know. The nurse told us her name, I did not even know that, and told us where we could find her.

We went to the ward and found her sleeping. I put the Book of Mormon next to her bed on the table and left. This happened last week. A few days ago we went back to check up on one of Elder Koenen's "Hospital Friends" and walked across the hall to check up on her as well.

She was sitting in a chair. She looked a lot better and was not connected to ant pipes and IVs or anything like that. I asked if she had received the Book and she said that she had. I promised her that the Book would help her. We said a little prayer and left. We will not be able to visit her because she does not live in Paramaribo. She lives in an area where we do not work as missionaries yet.

I may never know the effect the Book of Mormon will have on her and if she will ever read it, but I do know that that is what I was prompted to do. I know that prayer is real. I am so thankful for it. I have been able to see the effects of it so quickly. Our heavenly Father really does hear and answer prayers and he does love his children. Sometimes he will use us to help others. I do not know what would have happened if I had not fasted, but I do know what happened because I did. I think heavenly Father gave me this to learn of the importance of prayer and I am so thankful for it. I do not think I will ever see that girl again, but I sometimes wonder about how far that Book of Mormon will make it and how many people it may help. I am so thankful for all of this.

Elder Koenen is doing well. He ate something that was not good and he got sick. The funny thing is that I ate the same thing and I did not have any problems. Doing things alone as a Zone Leader was not easy and I am glad that he is back, so we can handle these things together. The transfer is almost up and Elder Koenen and I will work together zntil he returns home in 6 weeks.

I love you all.
Jeff

Who are the Mormons?

2010-02-17T03:47:00.000-04:00

Very busy...

2010-02-17T01:18:00.002-04:00

Thank you for your e-mails this week.My companion has been sick and I had a very busy week, running around. I would love to write everyone e-mails, but I just do not have the time to do that. We have 30 min to write a weekly report to our mission president and 30 min to write the family at home. I wanted to write letters, but I just do not find the time to do that on P-Days because there is always something to do. As Zone Leaders, we need to provide support to the other missionaries, and there are always Elders that need something and we often do not get home on our p-day until 5:30 or 6pm and then we need to start our missionary work again. I am grateful for alll the love and support I receive from my family and friends at home. You are great and I love you all.

Things are going really well. We have been having a lot of success. I will have to keep my message very short today. You are great and I love you all.

Love, Jeff

Love One Another

2010-02-13T12:22:00.001-04:00

We are accountable for our goals...

2010-02-13T01:10:00.001-04:00

As you might have guessed, we had another great week. We were able to baptize 2 people and 3 new members were able to be ordained priests in the priesthood. Sacrament Meeting was amazing. We did not have as many people as last week, but the meeting was great anyway. With the confirmations and things like that the spirit was very strong.

Zone Conference was great as well. We were able to pick up everyone on time and get them to where they needed to be. President Gamiette is an amazing man. We had planned for him to do interviews with the missionaries on Wednesday. And we told him that we were going to pick him up at noon or so. When we got to the hotel he was not to be found. We asked the people at the front desk, but they did not know where he went and we went up to his room, but he was not there. We decided that we were going to walk around in the back of the hotel to see if we could find him by the pool or anywhere else. As we were walking around the garden area I saw what looked like President Gamiette in the gym. We walked in and he said, "Argh...I just needed 10 more min.", than he looked at his watch and said, "Alright, I'll come." He is in such good shape. He had decided to work out a little to relieve himself from some stress. And then he went and did some of the most spiritual interviews with the missionaries. He is a great man and wonderful leader! He works very hard and really loves the missionaries and members.

Our Zone Leader Council Meetings are done via LDS Meeting point. This will save a lot of time and money. It is quite a good program. Then once a quarter we have to go to Trinidad for more training and instructions.

I was very happy to learn about the goal for the Europe area to double our sacrament attendance by inviting less active people back to church and others to come unto Christ. I am sure if we as members do all we can, we will be able to reach that goal. I have been able to learn that on my mission. If we set a goal we are accountable for it and we need to report to the Lord. It will take every member's efforts.

Love, Jeff.

I love it how the gospel can change lives...

2010-02-04T00:54:00.007-04:00

Thank you for your e-mails and prayers. This week was amazing. We had 3 baptisms in our district two of which were from Elder Koenen and myself. We baptized a young man named Gilliano and a girl named Gail.

Gilliano is about 22 years old and is such a great person. We found him through a member who lives in one of my old areas in Suriname -Wanica. He is actually her boyfriend and just sat in on one of the lessons. During the first lesson we had with him he said that he had been coming to church for one year every Sunday. His family was against him joining the church and he could not get baptized and stopped coming because of problems at home. Now, he moved out and wanted to come back again. He said, "I want to join the church. I just do not know how." His girlfriend, Kim, was beaming. He has been living and keeping all the commandments. When he reads the Book of Mormon he studies everything until he gets it. He will spend 2 hours reading and read 10 verses because he reads and ponders until it clicks. He even wants to go on a mission and so does Kim. He asked Kim's father to baptize him.

Gail is about 10 years old and is one of the daughters of the Kromopawiro family. They have been less active for years and we were able to invite them back to church. They are now great and strong members. They bring investigators to church and introduce the gospel to their friends and those around them. They all have callings and are completely active again. They want to go to the temple and prepare for further covenants. They are an amazing family. They invited us over for dinner today to celebrate the baptism of Gail.

Elder Kempenaers, who is our district leader baptized Karina, a young lady of about 20 years old. She completely turned around her life. I was able to have a baptism interview with her and I was so amazed at the person that I saw in front of me that day. When I met her for the first time (more than a month ago) she did not want anything to do with the gospel. Now she finds so much strength and energy from reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church.

This week really strengthened to my testimony. I love the way the gospel changes lives and that I can be part of that as a missionary. It change good people to better people. Those that lost their way, will find it again. It changes grief and pain to joy and happiness.

Thank you for the pictures. I cannot believe that there is so much snow. It looks like it is really cold. I cannot imagine being in that cold. It is very hot here most of the time. Right now we are enjoying some light rain and cloud cover.

How far is Paramaribo from here?

I really miss you Jeff :-)

We are having zone conference on Tuesday. Things are going to be a little stressful for Elder Koenen and myself. We need to make sure we pick up everybody at the right time and bring them to where they need to be. President Gamiette will be flying in tonight and leaving on Wednesday.

Whitney, Happy birthday tomorrow. I cannot believe you're now 19 years old and that you're so grown up. I tell everybody that asks about my family that my sister is studying in England and you should see the faces of people. I am proud of what you have achieved. Continue to work hard and do your best. Have a great day tomorrow. Thanks again for your emails.

Love, Jeff

Some fruits are saved for a different season

2010-01-26T16:05:00.000-04:00

Monday 25 January 2010

Things are really going well. Elder Koenen and I are really seeing the hand of the Lord in the work. We have so much to do for other Elders and it often seems like we do not have time to work in our own area, however, the Lord knows that we are doing our very best. He is blessing us in so many ways. People are getting baptized and less actives are coming back to church. We should be having 2 batptisms and Elder Kempenaers and his companion should be having one baptism which means 3 baptisms in our district.

I got an email from Elder Muse who was my companion on St. Maarten. He finished his mission a few weeks ago, right before Christmas. He is still in contact with some people we worked with. There was one Sister that we were working with that was a little less active, but started coming back to church. We did not baptize anyone on St Maarten and did not really see success that way, but I was able to read in his email that this sister is now active in the church and that she is really doing her best to strengthen the church in St Maarten. It was great to hear that. I realized that you do not always see the fruits of your work immediately. I have seen plenty of situations like this in the last few weeks. We cannot always see the fruits of the work we do right away. Some fruits are saved for a different season.

Monday 18 January 2010

We had a great fireside yesterday with an Area Seventy. There were a lot of new members and investigators there and the Spirit was very strong. The meeting confirmed to me how important this work is and how important it is to always strive to do our best to always come closer to Christ.

I just met a senior couple from England who are working in Guyana. Their name is Elder and Sister Weedon. They asked where I was from and I told them Frankfurt, Germany. They then asked if I knew the Carmichaels and I said that I did. They are good friends of the Carmichaels. It was great to see how small the world is. :D We will be going out with them on Tuesday to find less active youth that should be going to seminary and institute, but are not. They are really funny and very "English" :-)

Transfers are coming up, but nothing is changing in Suriname because we did all of the transfers early. We are waiting for a new Elder to come in. Because he has some problems with visas and immigration, he will be working in Trinidad until they get his visa ready.

Thanks for your support.

Love, Jeff.

Count your blessings....

2010-01-14T01:01:00.003-04:00

We picked up 4 new missionaries from the airport and had to handle the transfers of other missionaries. We did not have a lot of sleep these last few days because we have been driving to the airport in the middle of the night. The new missionaries are a little shocked at what Suriname is like. I don't know what they were expecting, but they seem a little quiet and uneasy. They will settle in and everything will be fine in a few days. One of the new missionaries is staying in our home with his companion, Elder Kempenaers from Belgium. They are doing a great job.

We are hoping to have a few baptisms in a few weeks and are planning on a few in February. We are seeing so much success in our area and things are going really well with the branch and the entire Zone. We had a so many people at church all over Suriname. We are experiencing an upward trend and the Lord is blessing us in so many ways. I hope we can all continue to do better and provide lots of service and love to people.

I was asked to prepare another performance with the district choir for district conference in February. This time I will not do as much as I did with the Christmas program. The members are doing very well on their own, but I will help them where I can. I am excited to prepare this performance with them. I have so much fun with the people from the choir every time we practice. I am sure this performance will be as good as what we did for Christmas. People are still talking about it.

That's about all from me. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Love,

Jeff
_____________________________________________________________

4 January 2010

I was shocked to hear about the dad’s car accident and all of the things that happened. I am so glad that our Heavenly Father protected you and that everything will be alright. I pray every day that all may be well with all of you and that you may be protected. It is a great feeling to know that my prayers are answered. God is our Heavenly Father and He loves us so much. I am thankful for the many blessings that we receive every day. I realize now how important it is to thank him for the things that he gives us. I really do pray every day for your safety and wellbeing.

We had such a successful and exciting week. We had one baptism and the mission had 11 on January 2nd. Elder Koenen and I are working with more people that are ready to get baptized. This week at least five people simply told us that they knew the church was true and that they wanted to get baptized. It is such a great feeling to hear that from an investigator. What also made the week great was the fact that we had an entire family come back to church that was less active. Some of the members of the family including the person that we thought was most less active shared their testimony. They said that they knew the church is true and that they want to be back. The members embraced them and welcomed them back. It is so great to see the work of the Lord move forward. Things are going well for us in Suriname.
I am so grateful for the blessings of the Lord. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He loves us and know us. He knows what we need. I am so thankful for the atonement. I know that that is the power that saved dad. I am so thankful for prayer and faith. I will continue to pray for all of you. Please pray for me as well. I think we all need to count our blessings.

I love all of you.

Jeff

There are so many good people...

2009-12-30T07:05:00.000-04:00

Things are really exciting for us in Suriname. We have set a goal to have a baptismal service on 2 January for our zone and baptize many people. Elder Koenen and I are working with some great people ourselves and hope that they will be baptized that day.

I got a letter from Vocalis. In the letter they put the CD we made before my mission. It is great. It sounds really nice and it brings back good memories. It would be great to sing with them again.

Anyway, we are working hard with new investigators and less active members. We are trying to find a new balance between finding and reactivation. The focus of the mission is reactivation. We are seeing a lot of success in that area. There are so many good people that have been baptized in the last few years that have gone less active and we want them back. We have started a big joint effort with members and missionaries to get these people back. The goal is to invite them back and to teach their families and friends, so we will still be able to increase membership and church attendance. President Gamiette was inspired to make these changes and they are working.

Sacrament Meeting was good. We had very good speakers and they all did very well. I have started a habit that I want to continue. I have started taking notes in every meeting that I attend and I was amazed at how much I can get out of meetings and other gatherings. The Spirit just teaches you more because you are showing God that you are willing to remember and write it down. You should try it. It really works. I have learned so much.

I love you all,

Jeff

Greetings from the Mission Field

2009-12-24T10:54:00.000-04:00

Mr. Krueger's Christmas

2009-12-24T05:51:00.000-04:00

When I (Pieter Vernes) was a missionary in Ireland I first watched this video. I think it is a nice Christmas Story.

Joy to the World

2009-12-21T17:16:00.002-04:00

The choir sounded amazing

2009-12-21T15:43:00.002-04:00

This week was quite a busy week for us. We drove out to Nickerie through the jungle to visit Elders Croese and Roepers. They are doing really well out there and are working hard. We had a short exchange and drove back on Wednesday.

Elder Vernes and Elder Koenen

Elder Koenen and I held a Zone Meeting with the entire zone about the new vision that President Gamiette has for the mission. When we were in Trinidad, we were able to hear firsthand what this new vision encompasses. We tried to make it as clear to the zone as possible, so that there would not be any confusion and we would be able to work together in unity and see success. It ended up being a very uplifting meeting.

After that Zone Meeting we worked for the rest of the day and at 8.00 pm drove around moving around some Elders, so we would be able to put the new Elder in the right place. There were some last minute transfers that we had to take care of. Around 10 pm we left to the airport to pick up Elder Bytendorp. Elder Koenen and I decided to take Elder Holz who is training Elder Bytendorp. We also decided to play a little trick on the new elder. I ended up being Elder Koenen and Elder Koenen was Elder Holz and Elder Holz was me. It was very funny and Elder Bytendorp had to laugh after we finally switched nametags again after half a day of playing the other person.

Then there was the Christmas party at which the Choir sang really really well. They sounded amazing. We are now working on keeping this alive so that they will be able to have a District Choir. We got a lot of compliments from the people that were there. There were about 350 people at the party.

President Gamiette will be coming in for Zone Conference today. We will have Zone Conference tomorrow. I am excited because it is always such a spiritual and uplifting time.

Thank you for that great package. I left to gifts wrapped and will open them on Christmas Day. We have received instructions on what to do for Christmas. We want to do a lot of service that day and have a good time as a zone. The phone calls will be around 5 pm Suriname time. I look forward to talk to you all.

Thank you for everything. Love,
Jeff

Driving through the Jungle.

2009-12-18T03:02:00.001-04:00

We received this week 2 CDs with pictures from Jeff. Below you can find a few pictures from the mission field and his weekly message.

Elder Koenen and I had a great last week. We flew to Trinidad for a Zone Leader Council with president Gamiette. The Spirit was so strong during that meeting. I have never felt the spirit so strongly on my mission as in that meeting. I really felt that the things we had discussed were from God and I have never received so much inspiration at one moment in my life. President gamiette is an inspired leader for us as missionaries in the West Indies. I felt that so strongly as he testified about the new course the mission is taking.

Being a Zone Leader is not as easy as it sounds. We need to drive around a lot and do a lot of things that are not always related to the actual work. On Wednesday we need to drive to the airport to pick up new elders. Tomorrow we will be driving to Nickerie to go on exchanges with the elders. That's 4 hours away. The road goes right through the jungle. I am excited to see what it is like.

That's all for today. I hope all is well.

Love,

Jeff

Nieuwe Uitdaging

2009-12-08T00:48:00.004-04:00

Bedankt voor jullie emails en opbouwende woorden. Deze laatste paar dagen waren heel anders dan de rest. Het was weer tijd voor transfer calls. President Gamiette heeft vrijdag met de Elders gesproken en ik kreeg dus ook en transfer call. Toen president Gamiette belde zei hij, "Good afternoon Elder Vernes, how are you?" Ik zei dat het goed ging en hij vertelde mij, "you are going to be the new Zone Leader." Toen ik dat hoorde, wist ik niet echt wat ik moest zeggen en er kwam alleen een "Oh...ok..." uit mijn mond. Het moet zo raar hebben geklonken omdat hij vroeg ofdat alles in orde was. Ik zei dat alles prima was en hij zei gewoon, "Great. Have a great day. Bye."

Ik kon het niet geloven. Alle Elders wisten dat er een nieuwe zoneleider deze of de volgende transfer zou komen omdat de huidige zoneleider over 6 weken naar huis gaat. Ik had alleen niet gedacht dat ik het zou worden omdat er elders zijn die veel beter zouden zijn, die goede kwaliteiten als zendelingen hebben, waaraan ik nog moet werken. The Lord calls us in our weakness, I guess.

Met die nieuwe roeping als zoneleider zal ik ook een auto ofwel een bus moeten rijden. Mijn nieuwe collega, Elder Koenen, heeft geen rijbewijs en daardoor zou ik dus altijd die bus moeten rijden. Het is heel anders dan op de fiets en ik ben benieuwd hoe dat zal gaan. Het zal wel goed gaan.

Onze onderzoekster werd deze week nog niet gedoopt maar zal komende Zaterdag gedoopt worden. Ze kijkt er erg neer uit en kan niet wachten. Ze leest iedere dag het Boek van Mormon en vindt het geweldig. Het is altijd goed om te zien hoedat iemand verandert door het Boek van Mormon te bestuderen. Een van haar zusjes kwam zondag ook naar de kerk en vond het geweldig.

De leden van het koor doen werkelijk hun best. Vorige zaterdag hebben zij geweldig gezongen en ik ben ervan overtuigd dat het een geweldige avond wordt.

Nou met mij gaat het goed. Ik heb gelukkig lang geen klachten over mijn mond gehad. Daarover ben ik ook heel blij. Ik leer iedere dag veel door mijn schriftstudie en die dingen die wij als zendelingen iedere dag doen. Ik wil het voor de rest van mijn leven zo blijven doen. Ik wordt er telkens weer van opgebouwd.

Love,

Jeff

Nog maar 7 maanden

2009-12-04T00:37:00.001-04:00

De week is erg goed gelopen en we hebben toch heel wat succes gezien. We zullen deze week een doopdienst hebben en we hebben nog een paar andere onderzoekers die vooruitgang maken.

Het koor gaat heel goed vooruit. De leden van het koor zijn gemotiveerd om hun best to doen en we hebben samen een leuke tijd. Ze hebben geweldige stemmen en het klinkt erg mooi. Er is nog veel werk te doen maar ik denk dat we het halen en dat het goed zal klinken.

Ik ben blij dat mijn brief met de post is aangekomen. De foto's zijn onderweg. Ik heb ze gestuurd. Het probleem was alleen dat ik die foto's niet in het zelfde postkantoor kon versturen en daardoor naar een post kantoor moest gaan dat buiten mijn gebied ligt. Ik heb Elder en Zuster Dirkmaat gevraagd om dat voor mij te doen en zover ik weet zijn die foto's dus onderweg. Ik hoop dat ze goed aankomen. Ik zal die foto's dan pas van mijn toestel wissen als jullie ze hebben.

Ik kan amper geloven dat ik nu nog maar 7 maanden op zending heb. De tijd gaat echt snel voorbij. Het is toch wel een beetje raar om erover na te denken dat thuis het leven gewoon doorgaat. Whitney is in de UK. Amy wordt langer en langer. Ik heb vorige week een brief van iemand uit het Vocalis koor gekregen en heb gelezen dat sommige vrienden van het koor gaan trouwen of verloofd zijn. Als zendeling heb toch wel een beetje het idee dat thuis alles stilstaat totdat je zulke dingen hoort. Ik werd gevraagd ofdat ik als begeleider bij het EFY wilde deelnemen. Ik heb erop geantwoord en zei dat ik het op dit moment nog niet zal weten aangezien er nog heel wat dingen te regelen zijn voor mijn studie na mijn zending.

Ik ben met mijn studies van het Boek van Mormon in Mosiah. Koning Benjamin heeft net zijn toespraak beeindigd en het volk heeft zich bekeerd. Ik heb uit mijn dagelijkse studies zo veel kunnen leren en mijn getuigenis is enorm gegroeid. Ik ben dankbaar voor het Boek van Mormon.

Wat leuk dat jullie een berichtje ontvingen van Broeder Davidson. Ja, ik ken hem goed. Hij is een geweldig persoon. Hij helpt ons veel en is ook een grote hulp voor de gemeente hier in blauwgrond.

Zo dat was die weer. Ik hou van jullie. Bedankt voor jullie gebeden.

Jeff

Dankbaar - Thankful

2009-11-24T01:26:00.002-04:00

Elder Vernes wrote another e-mail in Dutch. It is interesting to see how he has developed a love for this language. He never went to school in Holland nor did he have any official Dutch lessons. The only Dutch he heard was at home. In matter of fact when he was a little kid and we drove to Holland, he was amazed that so many other people spoke the same language we spoke at home. Below you can read his weekly message. Thank you for your love and friendship. Elder Vernes is alos very pleased for all the mail he received from all of you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ik ben zo dankbaar dat ik in een gezin kon opgroeien waarin het evangelie geleerd werd. Ook de mensen hier in Suriname zijn geweldig. Ze hebben zo'n sterk geloof. Ze zijn werkelijk bereid om alles te geven. Ik heb zoiets nog nooit eerder gezien. Ik ben ook werkelijk van deze mensen gaan houden en ik ben ook zeer dankbaar voor hun.

Elder Baantje en ik hadden een vrij goede week samen. We hadden een onderzoekster in de kerk. Ze vond het geweldig. Het leuke is dat zij iemand in de kerk kent. Haar schoonmoeder is namelijk lid van de kerk en ze waren blij om elkaar in de kerk te zien. Ze wil volgende week ook komen en op 5 December gedoopt worden.

De kooroefening was Zaterdag geweldig. Deze mensen kunnen zo mooi zingen. Ze zijn geweldig. Ze zijn gemotiveerd en ze houden van muziek. Ik vind het geweldig om met hun samen te werken. Ik denk echt dat het op 19 December een geweldige avond zal worden en dat de andere leden van de kerk en bezoekers het ook geweldig zullen vinden. We hebben een paar solisten die echt geweldige stemmen hebben. Ik heb een paar van de Ritfelds gevraagd om solo's te zingen. Hun hebben echt geweldige stemmen.

Zoneconferentie was geweldig. President Gamiette heeft erover gesproken hoedat wij het Boek van Mormon meer moeten gebruiken tijdens het zendingswerk. Doordat het een tweede getuige is van Christus een een belangerijk onderdeel van ons evangelie is, is het verstandig iedereen aan te moedigen het Boek van Mormon te lezen zodat zij een getuigenis van het boek kunnen krijgen. Wij als zendelingen moeten ook iedere dag in het Boek van Mormon lezen. Ik ben ermee bezig het Boek van Mormon in het Nederlands te bestuderen. Ik ben nu in Mosiah 4. Ik leer zo veel en ik weet dat het het woord van God is en dat wij door het te bestuderen betere mensen kunnen worden. Ik ben echt een sterker getuigenis van het Boek van Mormon gaan ontwikkelen en daar ben ik heel dankbaar voor.

Liefs,

Jeff

Blauwgrond is very nice.

2009-11-11T00:57:00.001-04:00

This past week was better than the week before, except that none of our investigators came to church. Many of them said that they would come, but they just did not show up. We don’t know why they would not come. We are teaching many good people, they read the Book of Mormon, they pray and are searching for answers, but they are not taking the step to come to church. It is really sad, because we need to let them go when they are not making progress and find other people to teach. We are contacting new people that are willing to take those steps.

The choir is making great progress. We have about 15 people come to our weekly rehearsals. It is challenging but also very enjoyable. We are learning fast and it start to sound pretty nice. We still need to work on some details before we can perform, but I am confident that we’ll succeed. Elder Dirkmaat, a senior missionary is also singing with the choir and he really enjoys it.

The Blauwgrond district is very nice. There are many rich people here that are not willing to talk to us, but there are a few that are humble enough to listen to us and are willing to pray and ask if the message we share is true.

The unit in Blauwgrond is very small they have a many less-active members. We are visiting a less-active family that have not come to church for many years. It is sad to see these people when they don’t realize what they are missing out. They all say; “We will come again when we are ready for it. When God want us to come, we will come.” I wish they could feel the love of the savior and understand the atoning sacrifice of Christ, and how important it is to renew our covenants by taking the sacrament each week.

I am grateful for my testimony. I am so grateful for the church and the sacrament. When we repent, attend our sacrament meetings and partake of the sacrament, we can be forgiven of our shortcomings through the atonement of Christ. I hope and pray that we as missionaries can always reach out to people and have them understand the joy the gospel can bring to each of us.

By the way, I just received a call from the senior missionaries that a package arrived for me. I will pick it up today and I am anxious to find out what is in it. Thank you dad for the music you sent me. I can really use it.

Love you all,

Jeff

I really enjoy working with these great people

2009-11-02T14:26:00.001-04:00

Last week I mentioned that I may have to go to Nickerie, well I received a call that I have to stay in Paramaribo to assist with the choir. I am now staying in Blauwgrond which is located at the north side of Paramaribo. My new companion is Elder Baantje. He is from Utah and a great missionary. His Father is Dutch and his mother comes from Indonesia and also lived in Holland.

We had our first choir rehearsal on Saturday and during this time we were visited by President Nazier from the District Presidency, President Hymas, counselor in the Mission Presidency and Area Authority Elder Averado. They were just interested to see how I was doing with the choir. After the rehearsal they told me that they enjoyed it and that they look forward to the Christmas concert. I personally think that it will be a great success. The choir has excellent singers from the Paramaribo area. There are also members from my former area in Wanica. We will have a rehearsal each Saturday at 6:30 PM and I really enjoy working with these great people. We have to be finished on 19 December.

We had a very good week. The sacrament meeting was very uplifting. The spirit was very strong and I felt edified. I feel so blessed to learn from the members here in Suriname. They work so hard and they have a strong desire to grow. I have never seen so many faithful and dedicated members and they are so focused on achieving their goals. I am sure that the Lord will reward their faithfulness and hard work.

I was very happy to hear that mom gave a great talk at the Stake Conference. I am sure that she spoke with a strong spirit when she talked about the atonement of Christ. I am also very grateful for the atonement and I am especially grateful for parents that taught me the gospel. I realize that I have learned a lot from your testimonies.

Well that's it for this week. I love you all.

Love, Jeff

We cannot be without Christ...

2009-10-22T16:45:00.000-04:00

99 new contacts in one week

2009-10-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

We received another e-mail in Dutch this week from our son. He wrote many personal things that would not be appropriate to publish in this blog, but he is doing well and he enjoys his mission. He had a very uplifting week and had a great discussion with his mission president. His love and testimony of our redeemer Jesus Christ has grown and he loves to share the gospel and musical talents with the people in his mission field.

He and his companion Elder Roepers had set a goal to get 100 new contacts this week and they achieved 99 in one week. They also have another baptism scheduled on Saturday of young man that studies in Paramaribo.

If you have some time, please send him a letter and let him know how you are. Missionaries always love to receive mail. His mailing address is posted on this blog.

Love,
A Missionary Dad

Video created by Davidkat99 (youtube)

Happy Birthday Dad

2009-10-05T23:52:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday, Dad. As I was sitting in Priesthood meeting I could not help but think about all of those times that we sat in Priesthood meeting together and listened to the words of the prophets. I am grateful for you as my father. I love you very much. Thank you. I hope you have a great and successful day.

I was able to learn so much during this last weekend. The words of the Lord's anointed have touched me deeply. I have been thinking a lot about personal revelation and charity and that is what conference was all about. (At least to me that's what it seemed like. I think it is amazing that different people get different things out of conference.) Service through charity is really the key to success and I have been able to see that in my life and in the lives of others as I have worked as a missionary. I am grateful for the fact that I was able to listen to the prophet and the other leaders of the church.

We were able to baptize sister Williams after the first session of conference and confirm her on Sunday after the first session. She is a great sister. She has such a strong testimony of the restored gospel and she shared that with the people at her baptism.

At conference I was able to see some of the great members of the Wanica branch. I was happy to see the Ritfeld family, the Druiventak family and some of the others that sang in the choir and they have become great friends. I was even able to see some of the recent converts. It is always great to see the people you baptized that are active in the church. The members were proud to report that they had kept the choir going and that they had performed during a district conference just before I came back. I have heard many people talk about the choir and their performance and they were amazing. Now that I am back they want me to teach piano and start another choir in the branch I am serving in currently.

I know our Heavenly Father lives and loves us. His Son Jesus Christ did in fact die for us. He engraved our names in the palms of his hands, and I am thankful for that. I am thankful for parents that have taught me that and have made it possible for me to teach others about what I know to be true.

Love, Jeff

For those that missed seeing general conference, you can still watch it @ http://www.byu.tv/

Someday...

2009-10-01T20:43:00.002-04:00

This blog posting is in Dutch

2009-09-28T15:27:00.000-04:00

Ik zal proberen om deze email in het Nederlands te schrijven. Ik schrijf iedere avond in mijn dagboek en dat doe ik dus in het Nederlands. Door hier in Suriname te zijn is mijn Nederlands veel beter geworden.

Bedankt voor de emails die jullie hebben geschreven. Het is altijd geweldig van jullie te horen. Ik ben blij dat het goed gaat. Deze week was niet zo geweldig. We hadden gehoopt dat wij zaterdag een doopdienst zouden hebben, maar dat is dus niet door gegaan. Een jonge dame van 17 jaar wilde heel graag gedoopt worden, maar er zijn zo veel dingen er tussen gekomen, dat ze uiteindelijk niet gedoopt is. Wij hopen dat ze komende week gedoopt kan worden. Zij heeft echt een sterk getuigenis en weet gewoon dat de kerk waar is. Wij proberen alles te doen om haar wens in vervulling te laten gaan.

Voor de komende week hebben wij ook nog een andere persoon, die gedoopt kan worden en gedoopt zal worden. Ze heet zuster Williams. Ze onderzoekt de kerk nu al 4 weken. Wij hebben haar gevraagd ofdat ze op 3 Oktober gedoopt wil worden en ze zei eerst "nee". Toen wij zaterdag terug kwamen zei zij dat zij had gebeden en dat ze voelde dat het toch een goede stap was omdat zich te laten dopen. Ze zal een geweldig lid van de kerk worden. Op 3 Oktober wordt zei dus om vier uur gedoopt. Dat is tussen de sessies van algemene conferentie.

Ik ben blij dat het weer tijd is om naar algemene conferentie te gaan. Ik vind het altijd een goede ervaring. Hier op zending heb ik het gevoel dat ik zo veel meer leer dan dat ik voor mijn zending deed. Wij zullen een paar onderzoekers bij de sessies hebben en ik weet dat zij zullen weten dat deze kerk waar is zodra zij de profeet horen spreken.

Ik kan niet geloven dat ik nu nog maar negen manden op zending heb en dat de tijd zo snel is voorbij gegaan. Er zijn nog zo veel dingen die ik op zending wil leren. Ik heb de laatste paar weken het onderwerp naastenliefde en geduld gestudeerd. Ik heb zo veel door de schriften kunnen leren over die twee onderwerpen. Ik heb gezien dat ik echt een beter mens ben geworden door deze onderwerpen te studeren en om te zetten. Ik probeer ze echt beter te ontwikkelen. Ik heb het gevoel dat ik door gebed een studie echt vooruitgang aan het maken ben. Ik ben heel dankbaar dat jullie als ouders mij zo ondersteunen en dat jullie als familie zo voor mij bidden. Ik hou echt veel van jullie en ik ben dankbaar dat ik jullie als familie mag hebben.

Dat was het weer van mij. Ik hou van jullie en ik bid iedere dag voor jullie.

Liefs,

Jeff

P.S. Was mijn nederlands goed? :D

From St. Maarten to St. Kitts, Antiqua, St. Lucia, Trinidad and finaly Suriname.

2009-09-21T13:44:00.002-04:00

My flight back to Suriname was quite the adventure. I flew from St. Maarten to St. Kitts and on to Antigua where I had a two hour lay-over. From Antigua the plane flew to St Lucia and then to Trinidad. When I arrived in Trinidad, the lady at the customs counter would not let me in the country. The couple had not given me any contact information of anyone in Trinidad, so I did not know who was coming to pick me up and who I was staying with. That information needs to be put on the entrance form, but I left it blank because I did not know what to do.

When I got to the immigrations counter the lady sitting there would not let me in. I told her that I did not intend to stay, but that I needed a visa to get to Suriname. I showed her the ticket and all of the information and that I was on my way to Suriname, but she would not let me in. She was quite rude, and sent me off back to the arrival hall. I had to wait there until she called me, which she didn't.

As if someone knew I was going to be in trouble, my very first companion, Elder Moala, who was going home and on his way to the mission home walked right past me in the arrival hall. I stopped him and asked him for the information that I needed and I was able to get in. It was great to see him. He should be home by now.

After one day in Trinidad, I was sent to Suriname at 9.30 pm. We arrived in Suriname after midnight. It was a long trip. I saw some members from the other area and they were so happy to see me and so was I. They were proud to report that the choir that we had started was still going well and that they had sung for District Conference. It is great to be back. I will be serving in Paramaribo South, which is close to my old area.

My new companion Elder Roepers is great. He has been on his mission for one transfer, and he is really motivated to work hard and to do his best. We should be having 2 baptisms on Saturday and a few more in the coming weeks. We have been teaching some great people that are ready to accept the gospel and get baptized.

Love, Jeff

Come to Jesus

2009-09-19T14:17:00.000-04:00

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is beautiful. If you ever wonder what those missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are teaching, please take the time and listen to their message. It will change your life for good. These missionaries are witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ and they invite all to come unto Him. Our son is currently serving in Suriname as a missionary. As parents we pray each day for his safety and that many people will listen to this glad message.

Here I come again....

2009-09-15T00:18:00.000-04:00

We had Zone Conference this last week. We had to fly off Island and go to Guadeloupe. It is a really nice island. It is part of France and because of that it looks a lot like France. The people only spoke French and they have a hard time understanding English, so we were not able to communicate too well with the people. Zone Conference was quite good. It was in French, but we had translation. However, I was able to understand quite a bit of what was being said.

At the end of Zone Conference President Gamiette told us about transfers. I found out that I will be going back to Paramaribo in Suriname. I will be serving with an elder named Elder Roepers from Holland. He has been on his mission for 6 weeks and I will be his second companion in the field. I have only met him briefly when I left for St. Maarten. As always it is hard to leave, and there are sort of mixed feelings. I hoped that I would be able to spend a little more time here, but I guess I am needed in Suriname. As far as I know I will be leaving on Wednesday.

Thank you for the package you sent to Trinidad. I was able to get it on Saturday. Thanks for that DVD. It really is a great documentary about President Monson. I enjoyed watching it.

This week we were not able to work in our area much, due to the fact that we were off island for a few days. We were able to have two investigators at Church on Sunday and the missionaries should be able to baptize them this coming transfer. I am in a way quite excited to see what my new area is like. I hope we will be able to help people get baptized.

We were not able to baptize anyone this transfer, but we did see success. We were able to help less active members of the church come back to church and help them stay. There is still a lot of work to be done in this area, but I am sure the missionaries that are coming will do a good job.

Well, I am about ready to get going. I still need to pack a few last things, but other than that I am ready to leave tomorrow or Wednesday, or as soon as I get a visa.

I love you all.
Jeff

Then you're Caribbean!

2009-09-07T14:13:00.000-04:00

This week was fine and we had some success, even though we will not be able to baptize during this transfer since the transfer is coming to an end and we do not have any baptism dates because people are not ready to commit. I know that missionary work is not only about baptisms, but it is also very rewarding to serve the people. I love this work.

The people in St Maarten are really nice people. I enjoy working with the members and they feed us well. :D People are always excited when I tell them that my dad is Dutch and my mother is from Aruba. They always say, "OH! Then you're Caribbean!"

I will have to keep this email short this week.

Love, Jeff

The fence or the ambulance

2009-09-05T01:53:00.002-04:00

The Fence or The Ambulance
by Joseph Malines - 1936

‘Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant:
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke and many a peasant;
So the people said something would have to be done.
But their projects did not at all tally:
Some said, "Put a fence around the edge of the cliff"
Some, "An ambulance down in the valley."

But the cry for the ambulance carried the day.
For it spread to the neighboring city:
A fence may be useful or not, it is true,
But each heart became brimful of pity
For those who had slipped o’er that dangerous cliff,
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave pounds or gave pence, not to put up a fence,
But an ambulance down in the valley.

"For the cliff is alright if your careful," they said,
"and if folks even slip or are dropping,
it isn't the slipping that hurts them so much
as the shock down below-when they're stopping,"
So day after day when these mishaps occurred,
Quick forth would the rescuers sally
To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff,
With their ambulance down in the valley.

Then an old man remarked, "it's a marvel to me
that people give far more attention
to repairing results than to stopping the cause,
when they'd much better aim at prevention.
Let us stop at its source all this mischief, cried he.
"Come neighbors and freinds, let us rally :
If the cliff we will fence, we might almost dispense
with the ambulance down in the valley."

"Oh, he's a fanatic." the others rejoined:
"dispense with the ambulance Never!
He'd dispense with all charities, too, if he could:
no, no! We'll support them forever.
Aren't we picking up folks just as fast as they fall?
And shall this man dictate to us? Shall he?
Why would people of sense stop to put up a fence?
While their ambulance works in the valley?"

But a sensible few who are practical too,
Will not bear with such nonsense much longer
They believe that prevention is better than cure
And their party will soon be the stronger
Encourage them, then with your purse, voice and pen
And (while other philanthropists dally)
They will scorn all pretense, and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.
______________________________________________________________

Our life is full of choices and it is not always easy to make the right choice, when the wrong choice seems to be so much easier to take and at times it might even be more attractive or easier. The easy road will take us nowhere. God gave us commandments and the Holy Ghost to stay on the right path. He warns us for danger and He will bless us when we make the right choice. If we make the right choice, we experience true happiness. Stay away from the edge of the dangerous cliff. Someone daid; "It is easier to prepare and to prevent, than to repair and repent."

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom shared the following words in a talk.

"Many of us want the simple way—the process that will not require serious work and sacrifice. Well, I once thought I found it. Driving in the back of a verdant valley above the city of Honolulu, I looked up, and there it was—Easy Street! As I was dreaming of the life-changing benefits of my discovery, I took out my camera to record the blissful moment. As I looked through the viewfinder, however, my focus literally and figuratively became clear. A large yellow sign returned me to reality—Easy Street was a dead end!

Procrastination may seem the easy way, as it momentarily removes the effort required to accomplish something of value. Ironically, in time, procrastination produces a heavy burden laced with guilt and a hollow lack of satisfaction. Temporal and, even more importantly, spiritual goals will not be achieved by procrastination."

I pray that each of us will notr slip from dangerous cliffs, but if you have slipped there is a way back that will lead you to safe ground. Jesus Christ atoned and died for all mankind and if we trust in Him and accept Him as our savior, keep His commandment, we will experience true happiness.

I invite all those that read this message to take the time and listen to our missionaries of the Chrurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it will change your life.

-- A Missionary Dad --

Ps. we did not receive a message from our missionary son this week.

We can all reach the finish line

2009-08-24T15:39:00.004-04:00

Derek Redmond was running in the 400-meter race in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He already held the British record in this event. In the previous Olympics he had been forced to withdraw 10 minutes before the race because of an Achilles tendon injury. Now four years later he was here, ready to compete, determined to win a medal in the 400. His father was in the stands watching.During the semi-final heat, Redmond was only 175 meters away from the finish line, when his right hamstring suddenly popped and he fell to the ground. As all the other runners raced past him, Redmond knew that once again his Olympics dream had been snatched away from him. But Redmond was determined to finish the race, so he got back on his feet and started hobbling towards the finish line. He was in visible pain with each step, and it was unclear whether he could even make it.Suddenly, his father gets out of his seat and jumps onto the track, running around the security guards, and comes alongside his son on the track. He puts his arm around his son’s waist and encourages him to keep going. And as 65,000 people in the stadium rise to their feet in applause, father and son make their way around the track to the finish line together. Redmond did not win his Olympic medal. But with the help of his father, he finished the race.

One day each of us will cross the finish line. Will it likewise be to the cheers and encouragement of those we have loved and served? Hopefully it will be to the approbation of our Savior, who because of our faith and good works, will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Heavenly Father created a beautiful plan. He wants us to succeed and have joy in our life and become like Him, however he allowed us to experience trials in order to gain strength. Sometimes those trials can be painful. He wants us to reach the finish line and return back to him. If you ever wonder how you can gain that strength and reach that finish line, please visit with our missionaries. http://www.lds.org/

Our son Jeff is trying to help people in the West Indies understand the great plan of happiness that God created for us and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in its fullness. God has sent his Son Jesus Christ to redeem the World from sin and bless us with eternal life. We need to have faith and work hard to reach the finish line and if we cannot make it on our own, He will give us strength when we ask for it and Jesus Christ will be the finisher of our faith.

I like to thank all those people that support Jeff with letters and the local members in the West Indies for their love.

What did I get myself into?

2009-08-24T13:54:00.000-04:00

Things are going really well here. The storms passed us by and are on their way to Barbados and other islands. All we got was a little rain and wind, but nothing too bad.

We were able to have a great week. We had 4 people at church and they liked it. We have some investigators that only speak French, but I do not speak French and neither does elder Muse. I decided that I was going to try and pick up some French from the little booklets about the restoration that we have in the apartment. When we went over to teach the people things turned out really well. We were able to communicate and they understood the message of the restoration. We also have a young man helping us. His name is Frantz and he is a little less-active. He is about 17 years old and speaks both English and French. Because we are working with him and he is helping us teach people he has started coming back to church. It is great to see how the Lord works and how people's lives are blessed through missionary work. I have seen people receive blessings and stronger testimonies because they have been doing missionary work. This includes me of course.

We will be having a talent show on Friday in which I will be playing piano. I will play a duet with Sister Oliver. Elder and Sister Oliver are the senior couple here on St Maarten. They are great people. Sister Oliver has a Ph.D. in Piano Performance. We played together yesterday and I thought it was horrible. I thought, "What did I get myself into?" She was able to read and play the music without any problem and I was trying to keep up while making so many mistakes. I was discouraged at first but then I realized that she has a Ph.D. and I do not, so I do not need to be as good as her. I will spend some time today to practice and everything will go well on Friday, I hope.

Well, that's about all for this week. All in all I really love St. Maarten. It is a beautiful place. The people are great.

Love,
Jeff

We are prepared for the hurricanes

2009-08-17T15:26:00.001-04:00

This week has been great. We were able to teach lessons with members present and many other lessons. It has only been our second week, but we are seeing great success in the area so far.

People are a little scared over here because they say that there is a tropical storm coming and that one was due this morning. We had a small storm in the middle of the night, but right now the weather looks fine. The people from the hurricane watch say that there is another tropical storm coming our way which is due thursday. The schools are closed today, and we were advized to fill up all of the bottles that we have with water just in case the water is cut off during the storm. I do not know much about storms or anything like that, but we bought enough food to last us a while and we have enough water to take care of ourselves. Who knows, this storm might just pass by. We'll have to wait and see what happens but we are prepared.

We were able to have 3 investigators at church and they all liked it. One of them is a referral that we got from a member and the other two are family members of a member. We were not really able to set any firm baptism dates with them, but they all felt good about the church and will be coming again. In total I would say that we had about 40 people at church, so it was not a bad week, but we can do a lot better. Elder Muse and I are working hard to get some less-active members back to church. We were able to have 3 people that we visited that are less active come back to church on sunday. It was great to see that our efforts are bringing forth results. I really hope we can help this branch grow.

Thank you for your prayers and your emails.

Love,

Jeff

Message in a bottle arrived from St. Maarten

2009-08-10T12:16:00.003-04:00

Travel distance from Suriname to St. Maarten is ~ 2,000 km (~1,200 miles)

We left Suriname on Wednesday morning. We arrived at the Paramaribo airport at 11:30 pm on Tuesday evening and waited for the new elders to come in. They then left us there to wait for our flight which was to leave at 6:30 am on Wednesday. Elder Muse, my new companion; Elder Jestice, a missionary that is finished with his mission; and Elder Ritchey, a missionary that was heading to the MTC to start his mission; and myself spent the night at the airport. It was not the most comfortable thing to do, but we managed.

We flew to Trinidad that morning, but we did not leave the airport. We had less than 2 hours in Trinidad. The other two elders left us there and Elder Muse and I flew on to Barbados. When we landed in Barbados we did not even get off the plane, so we did not see anything. That same plane then took us to Sint Maarten where after the the plane flew on to Jamaica.

St. Maarten is a nice island. The landscape is very dry, but there are plenty of beaches. As you can imagine the beaches are off-limits for us as elders except for baptisms. The people are really friendly. I have not been shouted at or anything like that yet. The people do not seem to care if you're white or not.

Elder Muse and I work on the Dutch side of the island. We have one half of the island as our area. The other half is being worked by Elder Butler and Elder Wright. They work the French half of the island. The interesting thing about all of this is that I have only met about 5 people that speak Dutch. None of the people on the street that we talk to speak Dutch. They either speak English, French, or Spanish. I don't speak French or Spanish, so when we contact someone on the street we try to tell them to come to church in whatever other languages we know. I tried inviting someone to church in very broken and rusty Italian, which seemed to work. :-)

The branch is great. There were not that many people there on Sunday, but we are visiting a lot of less active members and trying our best to get them back to church. We are hoping to find new investigators by working with the less actives. I have seen it work. We set a goal to baptize 2 people this transfer and I am confident about all of this. I think we can reach our goal if we work hard and do our best. The island has not seen many baptisms in a long time.

That's about all for now.

Love,
Jeff

Wanica Bedankt!!!

2009-08-04T14:13:00.001-04:00

Bij deze een groet van de andere kant van de Atlantische Oceaan

Lieve Broeders en Zusters,

Als ouders willen wij u hartelijk bedanken voor de steun en liefde die u onze zoon, Elder Vernes in de afgelopen maanden gegeven hebt. Hij schreef wekelijks over de lieve mensen in Wanica en was erg ontroerd om de gemeente te verlaten. Hij houdt erg veel van zijn broeders en zusters in Wanica.

Groetjes, Familie Vernes

God be with you, till we meet again...

2009-08-03T14:16:00.005-04:00

Well, I am being transferred and weill be going to St. Maarten this week.I am excited to go, but sad to leave. My companion will be Elder Muse from Texas. He is a good missionary and he is serving here in Suriname as well. He has been on his mission for a long time. He will be going home in two transfers, so it is great to be able to serve with him. I will be able to learn a lot from him.

I am sad to leave Wanica. The members have been so amazing and I feel that they have become close friends. I cannot wait for you to meet them when after my mission. Yesterday was one of the hardest Sundays on my mission. The day itself was good. Brother Siegfried got the priesthood and he is now a priest. He is doing well. The thing that made it hard was the fact that it was my last in Wanica.

It is great to know that when I leave, there will still be music because I was able to help Valerie Ritfeld with the piano. She has made so much progress and she has gotten so good at it. I think she plays the piano amazingly well.

I was able to bear my testimony and talk to them about the Book of Mormon I told them that I knew that the Book of Mormon was true. I asked them to read it and to find out for themselves. I told them that they are amazing members. I am amazed at their testimonies and their faith. At the end of the meeting the branch choir got up and sang "Israel, Hoor God Roept U Allen" (Israel, Israel, God is calling) for me in the most beautiful arrangement I have ever heard. You will not be able to find such singing anywhere in the world but here in the West Indies. The harmony was beautiful and they did a great job. I am grateful for the chance I had to work with them as a choir. I thanked them after the meeting. It was an emotional meeting for me.

After church we had one last choir practice together in which I made them promise that they would continue on their own after I leave. They said that they would and we spent some time singing together. I did not lead the music, but left it over to one of the members in the choir they sounded really well. At the end of the practice they sang "God Be With You, Till We Meet Again". It meant so much to me. I had to fight hard not to cry. Some of the members of the choir were crying as well. It is hard to say goodbye to such great friends.

We were invited over to President Druiventak's house for dinner yesterday. President and Sister Druiventak are amazing people. They have been to the temple and they are working on going again. I have been able to learn a lot from them. We are invited at the Tjong-A-Jong's house tonight. That's the man that called on father's day. He is an amazing man with and amazing family. And on Tuesday we will be going to the Ritfeld family to say goodbye. These people and many others have really become dear to me, I love them and I really will miss them. I hope to be able to get the chance to serve here in this area again. I told them all about my family and they cannot wait to meet my parents. I took a lot of pictures that I hope to be able to send soon.

That's about all for this week. I still need to do a lot of packing. I hope to finish it up today.

I do not know what information to give you for mail in St. Maarten yet, but I will let you know as soon as I know more.

Love,

Jeff

There is no other way for true happiness!

2009-07-28T00:57:00.005-04:00

Things have been a little slow this week, because my companion Elder Swart was sick. Sister Green, the mission nurse said that he had dengue. We were a little shocked about that because that usually means that we would be staying inside for more than a week. I was able to give him a blessing and I realized the power of the priesthood and faith. Within a few days we were outside again. Our numbers were not amazing because we did spend some days inside, but he is now healthy and ready to work again. I am very grateful for the priesthood in my life. I am grateful that I have always had a father that was worthy to use this sacred power.

We had a baptism this past weekend. A brother named Siegfried got baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. We were really excited for him to get baptized because he is a great guy. We were on the street one night and did not have anything to do for the last 30 min. The zone leaders told us to go out and contact some people. To be honest, I was a little discouraged because the only people out on the streets at night are drunk or make fun of us.

Well, I was wrong about that. Right before we were about to go inside I saw a man walking on our side of the road. He was walking right toward us. I decided that I was going to contact him and invite him to church, which we did. He said that he would try to make time. That's what everybody says, and then they do not come. He came, and now he's baptized. It's amazing how the Lord prepares people to receive the gospel.

I know that the gospel is the only way by which we can receive eternal happiness. There is no other way. I have realized that while out here on my mission. I am grateful for my savior Jesus Christ. I heard a story that really impressed me, but I do not have the time to write it up now, so I will send it in a letter this week.

I love you.

Jeff

We consider you as family through the gospel

2009-07-20T17:36:00.000-04:00

Thank you for the birthday wishes and you uplifting thoughts. This week has been great. We were able to have 3 investigators at church and one of them is getting baptized on Saturday. His name is ***. He came to church after we contacted him on the street three weeks ago. He liked it and wanted to learn more, so we continued to go by him and teach him about the gospel. After the first two lessons or so he wanted to get baptized. The members are great in welcoming people to church. They made him feel right at home the very first Sunday that he came. The members here are a great example to me.

Yesterday was a great day for me. We were woken up by a phone call from Brother Ritfeld, who called to wish me a happy Birthday. I thought that was really nice of him. We went to church and people kept coming wishing me a happy birthday and all of that. One of the Ritfeld’s even wrote me poem. It was a beautiful poem. I wanted to type it up and send it to you, but I forgot the poem at home, so it will have to come next week. After church we had choir practice and we sang a few nice pieces. When we were done the choir surprised me with a few Surinamese birthday songs. It sounded great! I love the local birthday songs. You should have been there to see it.

We were invited over to the Ritfeld family for dinner, which was a lot of fun. On our way there it started to rain like crazy. We got soaked. When we got there we were so wet and my shoes were filled with water. Sister Ritfeld had prepared an amazing meal for us. They are such a great family. They really take good care of us as missionaries. Brother Ritfeld said something that really touched me yesterday. He said, "If you were at home, you would be celebrating your birthday with your family. Because you are here on mission and you are far away from home we wanted to celebrate you birthday with you, because we consider you as family through the gospel. Through the Gospel we have become family." I would really want you to meet them. They are an amazing family. They then sang a bunch of birthday songs and one other song (I cannot remember the title of the other song right now) for me. When you come to pick me up, we will need to go visit them. They are preparing to go to the temple and it seems like they are doing everything to reach their goal.

Love,

Jeff

Happy Birthday Elder Vernes

2009-07-19T12:54:00.001-04:00

This young man was born on 19 July, 21 years ago. It was a day full of joy when we held him in our arms. During those 21 years, he surely enriched our life. We miss him dearly, but we know that he loves serving the people in the West Indies Mission and testify of Christ and the restored gospel.

Happy Birthday Son!

I am now a sort of "old missionary"

2009-07-07T00:28:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe that I am now a sort of "old missionary". This last year has flown by so fast, and I have seen so many amazing things. If time keeps on speeding up like this, I will be coming home soon. Time really flies. I have loved every moment of my mission so far. I have learned what it means to apply the atonement in my life. I have felt the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I have gained a stronger testimony of the reality of the Living Christ through the scriptures and through prayer. I have seen the power of the priesthood, and I have learned what it means to hold the priesthood. I would not trade all of this for anything. I feel that I have grown so much in the gospel. There is still so much to learn, which is why I look forward to serving my Savior a further year as one of his missionaries here in the West Indies.

This week was amazing! We were able to have a baptism and a confirmation, we had two people in church, and we found some sweet investigators (those where the two people at church). The person that got baptized is *****. He is a man of about 50 years of age and works as a security guard. He lives in the house of one of our members that is just amazing at teaching people about the Gospel. She tells everyone that comes to her house to change their lives and come to church with her, and people do! I like to think of it that she was able to get 4 people baptized! It's just amazing how strong she is.

The other amazing part of the story is that when ***** was going to get interviewed for baptism, one of sister Dollart's (the person he lives with they are roommates) friends was also there. We ended up talking to her and inviting her to church. She came!!! She even gave a testimony. She told the branch how she likes this church and how she wants to change her life and follow Christ. She stood there for 10 min. bearing testimony. It was one of the best Sundays on my mission.

The other person that came to church was a man that I approached on the street the night before. I did not think anything of it as I was talking to him. He did not seem very interested in anything I had to say. But then he shows up 10 min early for the meeting and he sits there sucking in every word that is spoken. He now wants to come again.

We have been really blessed this last week. I am grateful for all of these blessings. I know that blessings come when we work and rely on the Lord.

Mom and Dad, I am really grateful for your support and the love that you show me and always have shown me. I am grateful for your testimonies that and I could always rely on you. You two were always steadfast in the faith and I am thankful for that. I love you both.

I love all of you. Thanks again for your emails.

Love,

Jeff

I am here to learn and to grow...

2009-06-30T04:49:00.000-04:00

The fireside went really well. The people liked it and they were uplifted. The spirit was strong as Elder Swart spoke about the Creation and the Fall, and as I spoke about faith and belief. I split it up into 3 parts.

1. Believe in yourselves
2. Believe in God, Jesus Christ and the Atonement
3. Believe in work and doing good to others

Elder Swart talked for about one hour and then I finished it off in one hour as well. There were about 10 people there and they looked like they liked it. I shared storied from the Book of Mormon in Alma 46 and 47. I really enjoy reading those chapters and trying to see the reason they are in the Book of Mormon. I really learned that there is a reason for every verse in the Book of Mormon, so I am reading those chapters and trying to figure out the reason behind each one. There is so much we can learn from them.

They also asked me to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting and a lesson in Priesthood. In sacrament meeting I talked about keeping the commandments and in Priesthood I talked about the talk that was given in the Priesthood session of General Conference in October by President Uchtdorf "Lift Where You Stand".

As I have been on my mission I am coming to understand what it means to hold the Priesthood and what it means to use it and the duties that come with it. I have spent a lot of time learning about the Priesthood in Zone Conferences and in personal studies. I sort of wish I had learned these things before my mission. I could have been more effective as a deacon, teacher, and Priest; and even as an Elder. There are some things that I should have done better before my mission, and that I could have done better before my mission had I understood the doctrine of the Priesthood. But I guess that's why we're here - to learn and to grow.

I cannot believe how fast time has flown. Time seems to fly by faster every day. It will have been one year on Wednesday since I entered the MTC. I have learned so much during this past year. It has been amazing. I just hope that this next year on my mission will be even better.

Thank you again for you emails and your support. I love you and hope all is well with you.

Love,

Jeff

A year ago....

2009-06-29T00:10:00.002-04:00

A year ago on Monday morning, we drove to the Frankfurt Int. Airport to say good-bye to our missionary. It was a moment filled with mixed emotions. We were sad to say good-bye, but at the same time full of joy that he went on his mission to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in the West Indies Mission. As parents, we feel very blessed to have such a great son.

He entered the MTC on his mom's birthday, July 1, 2008.

In this picture below you see Jeff, Pieter, Amy and Annelies. His older sister Whitney was attending EFY in Denmark that week.

Some trials...

2009-06-24T14:47:00.000-04:00

This week has been ok for us. We had a few problems because Elder Swart had to stay in for one day because he was not feeling well. He's doing better now, so we can go back to work. We were able to teach 16 lessons and we had 3 people at church. They liked it and they seem like they are progressing toward baptism.

The branch choir sang in sacrament meeting yesterday and it did not go very well. I was not conducting. Instead I was singing tenor with another person. When we stared you could only hear alto and tenor. The sopranos were very quiet. I don't know what was going on. All of the choir members were disappointed that it turned out so bad. I told them that things like that happen sometimes, and that we would do better next time. They really were very disappointed and they did not like it at all. I think that it's great because it shows that they are taking the music we do seriously. They really want it to sound well, and they practice hard to achieve their potential. I really enjoy working with them. They are all very good people. It looks like I will be staying in this branch at least until august. I am excited about that. I really like it here.

Elder Swart and I will be holding a fireside on Saturday. Elder Swart will be talking about the creation and the fall, and I will be talking about faith. I have some good scriptures that I found while reading the Book of Mormon. I started over and I am already in Jarom. I started last week. I am reading at least 10 pages a day. I had a head start because I read for most of the afternoon when elder Swart was sick. I am glad that we have the scriptures.

That's about all for this week.

Love,

Jeff

The work is moving forward!

2009-06-16T15:20:00.000-04:00

Thank you for your emails this week. They were very uplifting and inspiring. Dad, thank you for sharing your final talk and testimony as Bishop. You were a great Bishop and I am also thankful for the service you provided to me during those 8 years as my bishop. I wish you all the best with your new calling. Mom, I enjoy reading your spiritual thoughts every week. They are great.

The pain in my mouth has gotten considerably less this week. It is bearable when I brush my teeth and it does not hurt during the day any longer. I am thankful for your prayers and for the power of prayer in general. I know that prayers are heard and answered. I am grateful for my Savior that makes that possible.

I finished reading the Book of Mormon last week and I am starting over again putting my focus on the atonement. I have learned so much from reading the Book of Mormon and I am grateful for the guidance it provides in life and for the truths that it teaches. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that it brings us closer to God and His Son Jesus Christ that any other book. In my studies I learned that the Book of Mormon is the most powerful resource for conversion, and that missionaries or anyone teaching the Gospel should "persuade people to read and pray" about the Book of Mormon, so that they can gain a testimony of its truthfulness for themselves. Once they gain that testimony they will want to read the Book of Mormon again and again. I do not know how family scripture study is going at home, but I hope you do it often. I honestly believe that the Book of Mormon has the answers to all of the questions of the soul.

The week in general was quite successful. We were able to find 11 new investigators and teach 26 lessons. We also found one young woman that is really motivated and she wants to learn. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she was reading 3 Nephi 11 before we had even left the house. When we came back on Sunday she had read it twice and started reading a different chapter. We hope this excitement will continue and that she will accept the gospel of Jesus Christ in her life.

The work is moving forward! It is great to see how people change their lives. It is great to see how the spirit enters their lives as they make and keep commitments and strive to make covenants with our Heavenly Father. That's what it is all about. It is about making covenants with God that help us apply the Atonement in our lives. Everything we do in the church, every covenant we make, every scripture we read points to the atonement. I realized this and the importance of it when Sister Ritfeld shared her amazing testimony yesterday.

That's about all from me for this week. Thanks again for your prayers and support. I love you.

Jeff

I love them...

2009-06-09T11:15:00.000-04:00

We had a good week. We were able to have a baptism on Saturday and the confirmation on Sunday. The girl we baptized has a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel.

Well, yesterday we had our last zone conference with president and sister Robison's. It was great to hear from them. They are such great people and I am thankful for the things I was able to learn from them. The spirit was strong at zone conference, and my testimony grew. They are great people and they want to stay in touch with the missionaries they served with. They requested that we bring our future wife by their house for approval :D. I love them and I am grateful for the service that they performed for us.

President Robison held a fireside on Sunday and our branch choir was asked to sing at the fireside. They did really well. I was amazed at how well they did. We sang beautiful savior in three parts. They asked me to lead them. It is so much fun teaching them how to sing. I am just teaching them the things I learned while singing with Vocalis and while leading the ward choir. A lot of the people that were present at the fireside came up to me later and told me that it sounded amazing and that I do a good job.

That's about all for this week. I am excited, we should have a good week. I love all of you. Thanks again for your prayers and your letters.

Love,

Jeff

I say it again, I love this branch!

2009-05-25T15:10:00.000-04:00

I am doing well. This week was great. We were able to have 6 investigators at church and we were able to set a few baptism dates. I told you about the sister that just walked into the building and wanted to get baptized last week, right? Well, she is making progress and she is still very motivated. She only speaks Saranan-Tongo which makes it a little more difficult for me to communicate with her, but Elder Swart does great. I am still learning the language, and I am slowly getting the hang of it.

She is really committed to keeping the commandments and she wants to get baptized. She really is a golden investigator.

I think I have already said that I really love this branch, but I'll say it again, "I love this branch!" The people are just amazing! They do a lot of the work for us. The sister that I mentioned above came to church, and we needed someone to sit by her during Sunday School. I went up to one of the Ritfeld girls and asked her if she could sit by her and help her during the class. She said that she would and it turned out to be great. Later that day I called her to thank her for what she did, and she simply said, "Niets te danken, It's part of my job." I was so impressed with that statement that it ran through my head for the rest of the day. She was right. It is part of our job as members of the church to fellowship others and helps them come closer to Christ. If all of the members of the church acted like the Ritfeld family do, we would see so much success as missionaries around the world.

Another example is this; we went to the Ritfeld's house after church planning to stay only a few minutes to ask them about an investigator that is related to them. We ended up sharing a lesson with that investigator, and getting great meal that sister Ritfeld was preparing. Sister Ritfeld said a prayer to bless the food, and in that prayer she said, "Wij zijn zo dankbaar dat de zendelingen bij ons kunnen zijn..." ("We are so grateful to have the missionaries here...") I realized again how blessed we are to be able to work with families like them. Families that are grateful for the work that we do. We can always count on them to help out with investigators in church or to come out teaching with us.

We are going to hold a fireside tomorrow. I will be talking about the atonement while my companion Elder Swart will be doing a practical lesson and the branch mission leader will share his testimony on the atonement and missionary work. I am excited to give this lesson and I hope that the members will be uplifted in their faith in Christ because I know that the atonement is real, and that we can receive so much joy by applying it to our lives. This truly is the work of the Lord, and none can stop the work from progressing.

Love,

Jeff

My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

2009-05-23T07:25:00.002-04:00

Please stop the MP3-player before watching this video

When Elder Vernes was 15 years old, his Bishop called him as the Ward Organist for the Frankfurt International Ward in Germany. He played the piano, but the organ was a new challenge that he was willing to take. In the beginning, we experienced some funny moments as he played the organ very loud or too fast. But he soon was able to manage this instrument with the footwork.

His Russian Piano teacher was quite impressed how he played the organ and asked him if he was willing to play the organ in her evangelic church during their Sunday meetings. He was promised to make some money. :-)

Some years later Jeff was also called as the ward choir director and he loved to direct the ward choir. The first music piece the choir sang was "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need".

Now that Jeff is serving a mission in the West Indies, each time when Annelies and I hear this beautiful piece of music, we get emotional and can picture our son conducting. The words of this song is so powerful and beautiful. I hope you will also enjoy it.

Laat uw Lampen Helder Lichten

2009-05-18T14:02:00.004-04:00

Let you light shine
Things are going well with me. We had a good week. We were able to get 3 people to church this last week and they liked it. We are hoping to baptize this next week. There is a sister that just decided that she would come to church. We had not even met her before and she just walked in and wanted to get baptized. She is really excited about the gospel and she wants to really change her life around.

The branch choir sounds amazing! They sang Beautiful Savior in three parts and it sounded great. They look at me when they sing, they listen to each other, and they really make the piece sound good. We are planning on singing that piece in sacrament meeting in two weeks. We have also started a new piece. In Dutch it is called "Laat uw Lampen Helder Lichten" (174 in the Dutch hymn book) or something like that.

Elder Swart is great. He is a good missionary and he is a hard worker. We are really planning on success this next transfer. I have already learned a lot from him in this one week. He really is a good missionary.

It was great to hear from you and feel your love. Thank you for writing me and supporting me. Congrats on the half marathon, mom. It sounds like you did really well. I do not think that I could have done it, right now.

Love, Jeff

It is amazing how much my Heavenly Father loves me...

2009-05-11T15:09:00.005-04:00

It was great to talk to you yesterday. It was nice to hear all of your voices. I cannot believe that it has already been 10 months. Pretty soon I will have been out on my mission for one year. Time really flies when you're having fun.

Jeff told us that his companion Elder Croese will be transferred this week and his new companion is Elder Swart. Elder Swart dad is a good friend and we both served a mission at the same time. He went to South Africa and I went to Ireland. It is amazing how the next generation of missionaries are coming together. He really enjoyed working with Elder Croese since February this year. They worked well together and will be friends for life.

I guess that everything I could have written today was said yesterday over the phone. There was not too much that happened between yesterday and today.

The one thing that I really did want to say is that I know that God protects his missionaries. Elder Croese and I were on the road just after leaving an appointment. We were riding our bikes on the bike path next to a really busy road called "Pad van Wanica". Scooters and Motorcycles ride on this bike path as well.

Most of them ride amazingly fast and reckless, too. Anyway, Elder Croese and I were riding along on this road talking about this investigator that we just taught a lesson to, whom, by the way, is preparing to get baptized in two weeks, when we decide to get some money out of the ATM at a local gas station.

Just as we turned away from the ATM, we could hear a loud "POOOOW" and breaks screeching and I see a man flying over the hood of a car and hit the ground. After a moment of silence he starts screaming because of pain. I looked over to him and see that his leg was literally cut in half only hanging by some skin and other tissue.

We couldn't really do anything and there were so many people around him in seconds trying to take a look that we decided to go to the police station down the road and get help. To make a long story short the police came and paramedics came to take control of the situation.

I was thinking about how often these scooters were so close to where I was and realized that they never hit me, when the situation almost predicted a collision. I know that we are protected by hosts of angels every day. It is amazing to see how much my Heavenly Father loves me.

I do not know what happened to that man but I hope that he is alright. I am thankful for the Lord’s protection.

Love, Jeff

Those where the days...

2009-05-10T14:28:00.007-04:00

It has been a few years when I took this picture of our son Jeffrey and his Mom. In the mean time, Elder Vernes is quite a bit taller than Annelies and me. By the way Annelíes did change her glasses a couple of times since that picture :-) I just love to watch this picture of those two and realize how fast the years are passing by.

Today is mother's day and we look forward to talk to our son who started his mission more than 10 months ago in the West Indies Mission. We were so excited when we heard about his mission call. Annelies was born in the West Indies on a the island Aruba and also lived with her family in Curacao.

Our son's first area was Guyana and he moved in February to Suriname. He loves the people and his missionary service. It is great to be in the service of our fellow man!

As his dad, I just want to thank everybody for your great support and interest.

You need to add a maggi block, pepper and salt...

2009-05-04T13:08:00.007-04:00

Our week was great. We taught a lot of lessons and we saw a lot of success. We were able to find many new people that are interested to learn more about the gospel and were able to teach 33 lessons. We are seeing success as we plan and also come up with backup-plans and things like that.

Well the branch I am in is very small. There are about 40 people that come every week, but there are over 200 members on the records. The members of the branch are amazing. They have strong testimonies and they are really doing their best to help us out. There are a few strong families that make a difference.

There's the Druiventak family. President Druiventak is the branch president. He and his wife are just great. President Druiventak comes and works with us about every Thursday, and Sister Druiventak works with us when we ask her to. They are just such strong members.

Then there is the Ritfeld family. They are also amazing! One of the daughters is taking piano lessons from me every week and she learns so fast. When we first started she couldn't really read the left hand notes, but now she can play "Come Follow Me" with both hands at normal tempo. She also knows chords very well. She picks up the things very fast and I try to teach her as much as possible. The entire family comes to choir practice each week, and they are among the people that have the nicest voices in the branch. Brother Ritfeld improvises when we sing the hymns and it sounds really good.

Those are just two of the many families that are the strength of the branch. Then there is Lucien. He's the branch mission leader and in the elder's quorum presidency. He is such a great missionary. When he comes out with us he talks to everyone. He teaches great lessons and he is very motivated. He is always talking about missionary work. When there is an issue to be discussed in PEC he always turns it to missionary work and baptism as well as Less-Active work. He says, “Conversion and repentance is a process. It's like cooking chicken. You don't just dump chicken in water and boil it. That's not enough. You need to add a maggi block, pepper and salt. Only then will you have a great meal."

As for the branch choir, they are great. We are working on "Beautiful Savior" and the medley. They sang "Beautiful Savior" in a three part harmony yesterday, which sounded amazing!

Please stop the MP3 Player first before watching this video

Things are going really well. We have some baptism dates that are looking good for the next few weeks. I really hope that I can help the members in this branch. I must say that this is my favorite branch so far as well as my favorite area.

My mouth is doing fine. It is not aching anymore. The doctors here gave me medication and everything is fine.

That's about all for this week.

Love,

Jeff

They all gave great testimonies.

2009-04-27T15:17:00.000-04:00

Thank you for your letters again.

I was happy to hear from you all. This week went quite well. We baptized three wonderful people this week, which brings the number of people I was able to baptize up to 23 and it is such a joy when you see people receive a testimony and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ in their life. These people were my first baptisms in Suriname. I really think that Elder Croese and I were really blessed for all the work we do together.

It was a great baptismal service. There were a lot of members at the service, which was great. It really showed the newly baptized converts that the members love and care about them. Andrea and her children bore their testimonies at the end of the meeting. They all gave great testimonies. It was just a great meeting with a wonderful spirit.

Well, the choir sang in sacrament meeting on Sunday. They did really well and the sounded very nice. We are now practicing two new pieces (Beautiful Savoir and a medley that I brought from home with The Spirit of God and We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet.) They are really making a lot of progress and they seem to like coming to choir practice.

We also had some bad luck with our bikes this week. Elder Croese's bike broke down. His rear wheel gave up the ghost. I do not really know what happened, but he ended up buying a new rear wheel. It took us a while to get it repaired, but we succeeded! :-)

Besides the little challenges with our bikes, things are going well. Well, that's about all that I have for today. Thank you for your support and your prayers.

Love,
Jeff

The Power of Prayer

2009-04-26T00:50:00.001-04:00

Please stop the MP3 Player first before watching this video

That made me smile...

2009-04-20T16:14:00.000-04:00

Dear Family,

This has been a really great week. We had three investigators at church again, and they are getting baptized on Saturday. They are really excited about all of this and they are looking forward to getting baptized. The Branch President is just as excited about it because it means that there will be new members in the branch to get the other members excited about missionary work and retention. I think that these new converts will be able to have great influence on the other members of the branch.

I was asked to give a talk yesterday. I talked about the Atonement, Missionary work, and the sacrament. The talk was not planned, but they did not have a third speaker, and they asked me to talk. I think it went well. People came up to me telling me that it was a great talk.

We also had a great little choir practice yesterday. We will be singing on Sunday. They will be singing and I will be playing the piano, while one of the members will be conducting. We're doing "Praise Ye The Lord". They sing it really well.

Elder Croese and I have been listening to his MP3 player a lot. He has BYU Devotionals on it and talks from other General Authorities given on different occasions. While I was listening to some of them I couldn't help but think how cool it would be to sit there in a BYU Devotional every week and listen to a General Authority speak. :D

It makes me very happy to hear that you got my letters. I thought it was funny. Amy wrote to me today that she made mac and cheese. She just did not write it in that way. She wrote, "mama hat mir beigebracht wie man mc and roni and cheese macht." That made me smile...mc and roni and cheese :D

I love all of you.

Jeff

Another testimony of a living Apostle

2009-04-19T02:47:00.002-04:00

I was so amazed at the sound of that little choir

2009-04-15T08:50:00.006-04:00

Thank you for your emails. I am, doing great. We went to the dentist this morning and things are going well. Elder Croese just got a package from his parents and oma and opa put some things in there for me too. Could you thank them for me? I don't know when my letter will get there. I will write them again to thank them for the things that they sent.

We had Zone Conference yesterday. It was great. President Robison told us of some experiences that he had as a missionary in France with Elder Anderson (The new apostle) He told us that we do not know now what will happen to us and our companions in 30 years. "There might just be a few general authorities in this room", he said. It was a great Zone Conference. The spirit was very strong. We learned a lot about covenants and commitments and effective planning. We learned that We need to do everything we can to help people come unto Christ.

Elders Kempenaer, Vernes and Koenen

Elders Kinghorn, Mecham, Croese and Vernes

President Robison spoke in our branch on Sunday. They asked me to translate for him. It was not the easiest thing to do. I had to translate for him and his wife from Dutch into English and then when he spoke from English into Dutch. Translating really is not that easy. You have to really focus on the things that are being spoken and on the meaning of those things, so you can get the message across. They were thankful for it.

They were also able to speak to the girl that takes piano lessons from me every week. They were very impressed with the talent that she has. Sister Robison asked me to get their conversion story and email it to her. The Ritveld family is one of the strongest families in the branch. Their daughters run all of the music in the branch. One of them leads the music the other plays the piano and all of them show up for voice lessons and choir practice. I was able to teach the choir how to sing in a harmony last week. It took about one hour, but it worked. I was so amazed at the sound of that little choir of 6 relief society sisters and 3 brethren from the Elders quorum.

The work is going better. We were able to find 9 new investigators and we had 3 people at church. These three people have firm dates to get baptized on the 24th of April.

President Robison asked me how I liked Suriname. I told him that I am having a great time here. I really do love it here. The people are amazing. The branch is great. We are trying to get people excited about missionary work. President Robison emphasized that in his talk. He gave a great talk.

Thank you for your prayers and your letters and emails.

I love all of you.

Jeff

Happy Easter

2009-04-06T17:32:00.008-04:00

Thank you for your mail, and thank you for your prayers. I think I really need them right now. We have investigators and they are great, but they could not make it to conference because they did not have any money to travel to the district center. One of the brothers of the investigator was supposed to give her money, so she could take herself and her kids to conference. Well the brother did not show up, so she could not come. That was really too bad because conference was great.

I really loved every bit of conference. The talks were inspiring and the spirit was very strong. All of the sessions were great. At home we never really got to see the last session of conference on Sunday. Here we watch all of the sessions live. I really enjoy watching the last session. I cannot believe that this is already my second General Conference on my mission. I only have two more left. Time has really flown by. I cannot believe I have been on my mission for nine months already. I think my favorite talk was that of Elder Holland. He is a great speaker.

Please watch this video clip and/or visit http://www.lds.org/

Before watching this video clip, please pause the mp3-player

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Elder Croese and I are doing great. He is a great companion and I am learning a lot from him. He is also a hard worker. We are getting along great. All we need to do now is find new investigators. We have had some bike problems :-) in the last few days that have slowed the work down a lot, but we are getting our bikes fixed and the work will go a lot better and faster this week.

The weeks just seem to fly by. The days just seem so short. I get up in the morning and before I know it, it is already time to go inside. I love being a missionary.

Thanks again for you emails and prayers.

Love,
Jeff

Ik wil wel naar de kerk komen, maar ik heb geen das.

2009-03-30T15:02:00.002-04:00

A few words take from the weekly e-mail from Elder Vernes.

This week was a great week. We had 6 new people at church and they all loved it. This is great! This is the most investigators we have had in church for a while in this area, and we and the branch are really excited. We are really fortunate to have a good group of good investigators. One of the investigators is a 10 year old boy. He said, "Ik wil wel naar de kerk komen, maar ik heb geen das." (Translation = “I would like to come to church, but I have no tie”) I told him not to worry. I gave him one of my ties. He was wearing it when he came to church, and he was so happy.

My mouth is still bothering me. I have some picture of it, but I cannot send them because they are very big...too big for this email. I hope it gets better soon. The mission doctor thinks it is a fungus in my mouth, and he gave me some medication. I hope it works.

I did not write about me being the district leader here in Suriname? I thought I did. So anyway, I was asked by President Robison to be the district leader in the Wanica district. I am district leader over 3 elders and the Dirkmaat’s a senior missionary couple. They are all really great missionaries and nice people. I like being district leader. We are a good team.

It is weird teaching district meeting in Dutch, but it works out fine. I think my Dutch has gotten a lot better. I know how to spell things and express myself correctly. I am still learning the Taki-Taki (which actually means "gossip" in Surinamese) To say "how are you doing?" you say "fa waka?" It's a nice little language. I like it...but it is a little difficult to learn.

Anyway this week was great.

Love,
Jeff

Gods Words ...... Never Cease

2009-03-28T06:19:00.003-04:00

Before watching this video, please pause the mp3 player

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a modern-day apostle and special witness of Christ testifies that the heavens are open.

This is also one of the profound messages that our missionary son Jeff and also more than 55,000 other missionaries all over the world testify of this on a voluntary basis. They give two years of their life to serve and testify of Christ and His restored church. The heavens are open and God speaks to us and His servants like he has always done through living prophets.

We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is the only begotten son. Jesus atoned for all our sins. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

There is a purpose in life. God created us and he wants us to have joy in this life and return to Him. Have you ever asked yourself the following questions;

Where did we come from?
Why are we here?
Where are we going?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has answers to these questions. Please take the time to listen to these young missionaries. The Holy Ghost will testify of these truths. It will change your life and you will experience eternal happiness.

Greetings, Pieter Vernes

Come what may and love it

2009-03-27T16:17:00.005-04:00

Before you watch this video, please pause the mp3 player.

A few words taken from Jeff’s weekly e-mail.

2009-03-24T02:10:00.000-04:00

Elders Vernes & Lubberink

My companion Elder Croese from Rotterdam

Zone conference was great. We learned a lot about committing people to do something. We learned that when we promise them blessings that they will have motivation to keep the commitment that we leave with them. It was a great experience.

Everything is going well. We did not have a baptism this week, but we are planning and working on a few in April. This week was not an easy week. We did not have anyone at church this Sunday. We did everything we could to get people at church, but things just did not work out. One of them got in a fight with some people while he was on his way to church with his niece, and another person got diarrhea on her way to church. We had planned for about 5 people, but none showed up. That was a little disappointing, but this next week will be better.

I started teaching music classes in the area. With the branch president and the music director of the branch I set up a branch choir. The people really like it. I am also teaching separate voice and piano lessons. It is very nice to talk to Elder Croese. We talk about different universities in Holland and what we will study. We get along very well.

Thank you for our emails. I always look forward to them. My finger is doing a little better.

Love,
Jeff

Back in Suriname

2009-03-17T17:03:00.001-04:00

I am sorry I could not write you an email last week. We had computer problems, so it did not work. I am back in Suriname. I got back Wednesday morning at 1230am. I was pretty tired when I got here, but everything worked out fine. My finger is doing a lot better, and it is feeling a lot better. It is still very pink and sensitive, but it's improving.

Trinidad is amazing. Compared to Suriname and Guyana it is like little America. It is very modern and there are so many cars on the streets. Sadly enough I could not take any pictures because my camera was in Suriname. I did not think I would be staying for that long.

The elders I worked with are great. They were really nice and I really enjoyed staying with them. We worked hard and I almost had a baptism in Trinidad. We were teaching this girl that was so close to getting baptized, but she called it off right before I left. I don't know if she got baptized yet. I hope she did. She knew everything was true; she just had a commitment issue.

The members in Trinidad are really really nice. They feed the missionaries about every day. Even the investigators or random people feed the missionaries. It's just how they are. Before Church was over on Sunday I had two pieces of cake in my bag that I got from members. After church a member cooked up a storm for us. It was amazing food.

Anyway, it does feel good to be back in Suriname. The work is not going so well in the zone. Missionaries are getting sick a lot and that is slowing the work down along with the fact that members are not progressing. We just need to continue to work hard and I know we will be blessed with success.

I love all of you. Thank you for your emails and prayers. I don't have a lot of time, so I need to go.

Jeff

Be creative and make a difference

2009-03-14T09:54:00.006-04:00

Before you watch this video, please put the mp3 player on pause.

No news this week

2009-03-10T14:14:00.005-04:00

Somehow we did not receive an e-mail this week from Jeff. This happens sometimes due to the unreliable internet connection. However, it is a luxary to have internet these days. It was a bit different during my mission (100 years ago). We believe that he is still in Trinidad, but we are not quite sure. We received an e-mail from his Mission President last week where he explained that they flew him to Trinidad to have his finger properly treated. Everything will be fine!

Two sisters of Elder Vernes

2009-03-06T06:14:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of Amy (12) and Whitney (18). They both love and miss their big brother. Whitney took over Jeff's room on the day he left on his mission :-)

His Love

2009-03-05T04:12:00.003-04:00

Unexpected visit to Trinidad

2009-03-03T06:40:00.002-04:00

Let me say one thing first, I am doing fine.

I am writing this email from Trinidad today, because I needed a minor surgery on my finger. I got an infection in Guyana, and it started coming up in Suriname. My right middle finger started getting swollen and red, with the tip of the finger really fat with a white spot on it about 5 millimeters in diameter.

I went to the doctor in Suriname and he wanted to cut it and let it heal. I did not like the sound of that, so I called the mission doctor, who had me on antibiotics for a few days to see what would happen. He finally decided that it was best to get me out into Trinidad to get this taken care of, so I flew in from Suriname at 7 in the morning and went straight to the doctor, who decided to cut it open and take the infection out. He did a good job, and it was a quick surgery. I am in the mission office right now, and I will be in Trinidad until probably Thursday. That depends on what the doctor will tell me when I see him again.

We are looking for new investigators, but we just are not finding them right now. Things are challenging for the moment, but it will get better!!! We are looking toward a good week this week...that is, if I get back this week...and that depends on the doctor.

I am running out of time and my finger is beginning to hurt...the medication is wearing off...

I love you.

Jeff

Two Generations...

2009-02-23T16:12:00.003-04:00

They are both called Elder Vernes. One served from 1982 - 1984 in the Ireland Dublin Mission and the other one started his mission to the West Indies Mission in June 2008.

Suriname is Great!!!

2009-02-23T15:39:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone,

Well I arrived in Suriname safely. It was a heck of a trip. I left around 5 am in Georgetown and got here around 7pm. I could not take many pictures because there was not much too see on the side of the roads. It was only fields and thick bush. That was about it. On the ferry it rained like crazy and I got soaked, because the ferry was small and it was not covered.

My new companion Elder Croese is a great guy. He is really committed and loves the work. He works hard and we get along fine. We speak a mix of Dutch and English together. It's quite funny, but we just end up switching languages in the middle of a conversation. He is quite a good cook, and he loves cooking.

As for the people here they are great. I can’t understand some of them, but I am working on learning the taki-taki and all of that.
I love being here. The work is great. The branch wants to see success and so do we. I know this will be a great transfer.

I love all of you. Thank you for your support and for your emails.

Love,
Jeff

Going to Suriname

2009-02-16T15:38:00.000-04:00

Dear Family,

Transfer calls came in for us, and guess what...I am going to Suriname. I am leaving tomorrow. I will be just a little outside of Paramaribo. My companion will be Elder Croese from Rotterdam. I don't know him, but he is supposed to be pretty funny. I am excited to serve in Suriname.

Everything is going well with me. Elder Olsen, my last companion, wants me to play the organ with him today at the big catholic cathedral in Georgetown today. It will be my last time playing that organ for a long time. Before that I need to go back to the embassy of Suriname to get my Visa.

I am really excited to go to Suriname. President Robison told me during my last interview that I might go to Suriname towards the end of my mission, but I guess they need me there now. I am sort of sad to leave Guyana, because this has been an amazing place to serve and I have become very attached to this country. It was the hardest thing to say good bye to the people that I taught and worked with for the last 6 months. I can honestly say that I love them. They are amazing people and I have enjoyed serving them as a missionary.

At church yesterday people came up to me telling me that they will miss my music and that they will miss hearing me speak in sacrament meeting. I spoke in sacrament meeting twice in the last three weeks. The members said that they liked my talks in church.

Anyway, I will let you know next week how the trip went. It is going to be a long trip. I am not flying to Suriname. I am driving...well, I am being driven to Suriname.

I love you and I miss you. I know this is the greatest work on earth and I love it.

Love,
Jeff

Clean up!

2009-02-11T17:21:00.009-04:00

Thank you for your email. I have been looking forward to hearing from you all day. We had a pretty stressful morning. We needed to clean the apartment because the head doctor for missionaries is coming to inspect it with the head of the missionary department. So, we had to clean up really well.

This week was not our best week. We were planning on a baptism for a man, but he did not show up for his baptism. He told us that he is not ready yet. We are telling him to pray about it and all of that, and we hope he comes around soon.

The other Elders in the district are sick. One of them has dengue fever. From what I have seen, I do not think I have ever had that. I don’t know what it was that I had, but it was not that.

Transfers are coming up and I don’t know what is going to happen. I would like to stay in Guyana, but I guess we will see what happens. Maybe nothing will change...maybe everything will change. Who knows?

Well, I love all of you. The people here love the pictures that I show them of you. They always say, "WOW...That's your mom? Beautiful family!"

Jeff

I love Guyana

2009-01-29T00:26:00.009-04:00

Excerpt from Jeff's letter

We had another great week. We were able to have 20 lessons with a member present, 8 other lessons, and 12 lessons to recent converts and less actives, so the week was pretty good. We had Zone Conference on Thursday, as well as interviews on Wednesday.

In the interviews President Robison and I talked about the future of my mission. He says that Suriname will be something that will happen towards the end of my mission. I am having great experiences here and that's where I am needed now. So, don’t worry about Suriname for now, if it comes, it will and if not, I was not needed there. I love Guyana, so I want to stay here for a while.

We had district Conference in which we watched a live session of the Caribbean conference with elder Bednar and Elder Eyering. It was really good. They spoke about prayer and faith. Their talks were very inspired. I learned some things that I need to do better.

The rain has not stopped yet. It is in fact raining right now. We don't know how bad it will get, but we will be getting pretty wet today.

I love this work. I love the people here and I love the gospel. I see miracles every day. It is so amazing.

I love all of you.

Jeff

The Adventures of a Missionary

2009-01-24T03:40:00.000-04:00

What is it.....

Good Night

I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord

2009-01-20T02:43:00.004-04:00

The picture above was taken in 1991 (Jeff was 4 years old) and the other picture was taken in 2008.

(Jeff wrotethe following this week)

I do not know what happened last week. I wrote an email and sent it, but it did not work for some reason.

Well, this week was good. We had a slow start, but we were able to get 8 people to church. We are hoping to have at least 2 baptisms, so we are excited about that.

My companion and I are getting along well. We try to work together as best we can. I now realize how nice it is to have clean apartment. I hate it when things are laying around and the dishes are not done. I hate it so much, but I just keep my mouth shut and clean up. I guess that's a good thing. I am learning to be patient and I am learning to take care of the apartment at the same time. I cleaned the bathroom last week. I was so happy when it was done. :D I did not think I would ever say that. :D

Love, Jeff

No news this week

2009-01-14T14:55:00.005-04:00

Unfortunately, no news from Jeff this week. It may have something to do with the bad weather conditions and floods in Guyana.

We always say; "No new is good news"

We met our goal of 2008 baptisms in 2008

2009-01-06T02:04:00.003-04:00

This week has been really great. We had 2012 Baptisms, and therefore we met our goal of 2008 baptisms in 2008 and even surpassed it. It was a great feeling when the call came that we had reached our goal. At 6:24 pm the 2008th person was baptized. As a mission we did a New Years countdown. Whenever a person was baptized, the Zone Leaders would call the District Leaders and say, "Only 10 more to go."; "only 9 more to go" and so on. We would then pass it on to the missionaries in our district. All of us were so excited and it worked. We saw great miracles this week. Simply amazing.

I did not get transferred and I am still with Elder Mecham. President still wants me to be the District Leader and to help Elder Mecham with the Dutch language. The only thing that will be changing for us is that we will be living in a two-man-apartment from now on and our area will grow. The area of Elder Sookram and Elder Jordan, the missionaries that used to live in the same apartment, is being added on to our area. We are running low on investigators to teach, but I am excited on what is going to happen this month. We have set a goal to baptize 6 people this month and I am confident that we will be able to achieve that goal.

Thank you for the pictures that you sent me in your email. Amy looks great with her glasses. Whitney, congrats with the personal Progress achievement. It is important that we honor the things that we believe, and one way of doing that is by taking part in the activities and programs that the Church offers.

You do not know, neither can you imagine how fortunate we all are to have grown up in an area where the Church is well established and not just beginning. I think sometimes we do not realize the blessing it is and we just take it for granted. I realized that very strongly with something that happened this past week. I realized that the Church is just barely starting in this area and that the people here a like pioneers. I realized that if we want this work to continue, we need to work together. We need to "thrust in our sickle with all our might" and then we are "called [to work]" (D&C 6:4) This work is the greatest work we could be doing. For missionaries it is combined with a lot of stress, but it always pays off. I love this work and I enjoy every minute of it.

I Love you all very much. Take care all of you and I look forward to next week, when I get to write you again.

Jeff

Guestbook

2009-01-01T02:14:00.001-04:00

Leave your comment here...

Christmas was great!

2008-12-29T16:36:00.013-04:00

Another excerpt from Jeff's e-mail.

This last week was very rewarding. We had 2 Baptisms on saturday. The two people that got baptized were really prepared to recieve the gospel. In total the mission baptized 59 people this week. This means that we only need 30 people before the year ends. We will be baptizing a girl on the 31st of December. She is the only person we are able to baptize this week, but I am excited that we can still contribute to our mission goal of 2008 baptisms in 2008. I am confident that we will reach it.

It was great to hear all of your voices and speak to you. I really enjoyed that. At the Evans we ate good food and watched Kung-Fu Panda. The movie was ok. I did not laugh as much as some of the other missionaries because I did not think that it was that funny, but it was ok. One of our recent converts gave us a Christmas present. They gave us each ties. It was a nice thing for them to do.

We are waiting for Transfer calls this week and I am excited to hear whether or not I am going to Suriname. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Well, happy New Year everyone!

Love, Jeff

Christmas phone call

2008-12-25T07:49:00.003-04:00

It is Christmas and we will be calling our missionary today in Guyana. We have been looking forward to this call.

Merry Christmas from the Vernes Family.

Follow-up

It was a real treat to talk to our son on Christmas day. In the beginning we had difficulties getting connected but after many attempts, we were finally connected. Jeff is having the time of his life. He has been out now for 6 months and he loves the people in Guyana. There is a slight chance that he will be going to Suriname.

He is grateful for all your letters and looks forward to many more. Anyway, thank you all for your support. Enjoy the holidays.

The Vernes Family

Merry Christmas to all of you

2008-12-22T16:36:00.001-04:00

Things went pretty well this week. We had a baptism and we are expecting two baptisms this coming week. The week was rough, but still rewarding. I can see the blessings of working hard and diligently. Our District was blessed with baptisms and we are all very very happy about that.

There are a few things that will be going on for Christmas. First off there will be a Christmas dinner at the Senior Missionaries' Homes for which we need to prepare a dessert. I am excited for that. The Senior Missionaries really take good care of us. Then we will be able to watch a movie. The movie needs to be on "the Approved Movies List" I do not know what we will be watching, yet. And last, but not least we will be able to talk to our families.

Playing the organ went well again. The Music Director of the cathedral liked the hymn book and told me again that I could come whenever I liked. I really like the people here. The other missionaries are saying that I will be going to Suriname next transfer. It is not official, but I do not know if I want to leave Guyana yet. I like it here so much and I have seen so much success out here. Not that I will not like Suriname, I am sure that it will be great, but I have mixed feelings toward it. We'll see what happens.

The mission is on its last stretch of getting 2008 in 2008 and we are all working hard to achieve that goal. Please include the mission in your prayers, we need them.

Merry Christmas.

Love,
Jeff

Mary did you know?

2008-12-21T02:07:00.005-04:00

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?

Did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that youve delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?

Did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?

And when you kiss your little boy youve kissed the face of god

Mary, did you know?

The blind will see

The deaf will hearAnd the dead will live again

The lame will leap

The dumb will speak

The praises of the lamb

Mary, did you know that your baby boy is lord of all creation?

Did you know that your baby boy will one day rules the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy is heavens perfect lamb?

This sleeping child youre holding is the great

I am

Singing in the rain

2008-12-15T16:42:00.004-04:00

We had so much rain this last week. It was incredible. Part of the appartment was under water and we were fighting to get the water out. In the papers they announced that there could be a flood like in 2005 where the water would have come up to my waist. The senior missionaries just came by and asked us to prepare for it by keeping food storage. They told us to buy things like rice and flour and to always keep filtered water in bottles and things like that. We do not know when it could happen, but last time it was that bad it happened in january. That's when the rainy season should be over. Because of the rain, things go a little crazy over here. People are scared of the rain and so they do not come to church and things like that. It is a little frustrating sometimes.

The Joy of Missionary Work

2008-12-15T16:41:00.000-04:00

The Joy of Missionary Work

2008-12-15T16:37:00.000-04:00

I am looking forward to Christmas

2008-12-12T00:19:00.004-04:00

This week was quite successful. December is coming to an end fast and we have so much work to do to meet our goal, but I think that if we work hard, we will be able to meet it. We have some really cool people to teach so I am excited to get them baptized.

There have been some changes in my companionship. Elder Olsen was transferred to a place called Allboystown. My new companion is Elder Mecham from Montana. One of the reasons that I am now companions with Elder Mecham is this: he was called to the Dutch side of the mission but he needs some help with the language. President Robison wants me to be his "personal language tutor". We might be going to Suriname at the same time. I don't know if I will want to leave Guyana so soon. I love it so much here and I will miss the people a lot. I am starting to write down the addresses of the people I baptized and taught, so I will be able to keep in touch with them, when I am over there and after my mission. The people here are just so amazing; yes, it is hard sometimes, but I love it.

Some of the members have been asking if we could eat with them for Christmas. I told them that we would need to ask for permission because we are not really allowed to eat with members, but one of the members owns a restaurant and wants to feed us on Christmas, so I think that we would be able to get the approval. I am so excited to be here in Guyana for Christmas. Things are very different over here than at home. We are planning some cool activities for Christmas. We want to do some singing and things like that. Then on the other hand we have Jehovah's Witnesses here that tell everyone that Christmas is bad and that we should not celebrate it, because it is not mentioned in the bible. We had quite the discussion with some of them the other day. The discussions did not accomplish anything, because they were not open to what we had to say. They knocked on our door and I think that they will not be coming back too soon. I was able to disprove everything that they said from my studies in the bible. The other missionaries were also talking with them and proving with scripture that they were wrong. They have been telling some of the investigators we have, "The Mormon Church is racial." I have started carrying pictures of the family around with me. I told the JW's to please stop doing this, because it was not true. I told them that my mother was black and that if they would tell other people that they were racial they would be offending me, my mother, two of the missionaries that live with us, and all of the members at church. They were taken back at that and they realized that they had to leave.

So all in all, everything is going well. We are seeing success as we work hard and we love the work. I am looking forward to Christmas.

Love,
Jeff

This week has been great!

2008-12-03T02:51:00.001-04:00

This week has been great. I am feeling a lot better. (Jeff had another virus again thanks to the a friendly Mosquito) We had a baptism last Saturday and we are working with the daughter of the person that was baptized. She is 21 and she only came to Church once, so we need to wait another week. We are also teaching some cool investigators and we are seeing quite some success. We only need a little over one hundred more people to meet the mission goal of 2008. I believe that we can do it. I am excited, too.

We were not able to write emails yesterday because the computers were down and we did not have the time to come back, so the Zone Leaders gave us permission to email this morning.

I played the Organ in the Catholic Cathedral which was great. I loved every minute of it. It was a big pipe organ and I played for about an hour and a half. When we were about to leave the person that is in charge of the music in the cathedral said that I could come back whenever I wanted, and that he would like a hymn book. I am going to give him a hymn book one of these days and then we might just spend some more time playing the organ. Elder Olsen plays the piano really well, so he likes going there, too.

I am reading the New Testament right now and I am learning so much. There are so many things that are written in the Bible that a lot of members of the church do not know about. I am loving ever page that I read. I read it every morning in Dutch. When there are words that I do not understand, I check the verse in English. It has worked pretty well so far. I am in Mark Chapter 9 right now. I also finished the Book of Mormon again and I have learned so many things that I am using in lessons to teach investigators.

For example: There was an investigator that came to church on Sunday. She did not like it, because there was no loud singing and clapping and all of that. When we met with her on Sunday she told us that she did not like it. I told her to read Moroni 7 and then to pray about the Book of Mormon and the Church. When we left the lesson we thought that we might have to stop teaching her. However, when we came back on Monday she had read the chapter and prayed. She told us that she felt differently about the church now. She told us that her attitude had changed because of that prayer. That showed me again that God does answer prayers and that he does want us to be happy. She will be getting baptized on the 13th of December.

I cannot believe that I have already been out for 5 months. I remember going to the MTC as if it were yesterday. Then I remember coming here as if it were yesterday. Time is going really fast and it only keeps n going faster.

We are having the raining season in Guyana. The rain is making work pretty hard. We have not bought umbrellas yet, so we need to do that this week. it rains really hard for quite some time. It will be like this for the entire month. When it rains everything just seems dead. We had to start sacrament meeting with just 5 people the other day. The people here just do not come out in the rain.

I know that this gospel is true. I love the work. I am looking forward to Christmas. I am excited to see how the people here in Guyana will celebrate Christmas. One of our investigators has already invited us to come and decorate the Tree with them. I love the people here and I love serving them.

I love all of you.

Jeff

Last week before transfer

2008-11-18T16:16:00.001-04:00

This is the last week of the transfer and I don’t know what is going to happen. I might be going to Suriname, but I also might stay here for a transfer. Who knows what’s going to happen. Most of the missionaries in the area say that I will be going to Suriname. I guess I will need to wait until Thursday to find out. Transfers are always exciting.

We had District Conference in the Georgetown Guyana District yesterday. The District President and some other people spoke on some things including the fact that everyone is working on getting a stake in Guyana. There were a lot of people there. I even saw some people from my last area that I baptized. That is the most amazing thing. It brings up a great joy knowing that people that I’ve baptized are still active and are taking the church seriously. On top of that, we had 8 people at Church. They all liked the district conference and so 6 of them can get baptized on Saturday. I really love this work.

The people here are going crazy about the elections in the US. The all think that I am an American and so when we pass them on the street they start talking to us about politics and things like that. The funny thing is that most people do not know what they are talking about. They are just happy about the fact that there is a black President in the US. A lot of the missionaries here are not happy with Obama being the president. They are all republican. There are some funny discussions that come from that.

Greetings from Guyana

2008-11-10T12:12:00.000-04:00

This week was pretty good. We had 9 investigators at church on Sunday and we have 20 people with baptism dates for the next 3 weeks. I hope we will be able to baptize most of them if not all of them. A lot of these people are really prepared to receive the gospel. That is always really exciting and very uplifting. It makes all of us really happy. As a mission we are hoping to get 2008 baptisms by the end of this year and every missionary is working hard to achieve that goal. As for Elder Olsen and I, we got up early and left the apartment early on Sunday to get as many people as we could to church. We really saw the fruits of our labors.

The district meetings I plan help a lot, because I can just focus on the things that my district needs. Basically I stand and teach a lesson for about one hour. I am giving my second district meeting on Tuesday. My first one was about love for your area, your investigators, and your companion. Without love missionary work does not work. Nothing happens without love. President said, “Do ‘Missionary Work’, not ‘Missionary Things’.”

I finally got the package and I was so happy about it. Thank you for all of the things in it. I really like the CDs. I listen to them all the time. The kids love the lollypops. The smiles on their faces are amazing. We took this really poor family consisting of a mother and her two children out last week. We took them to an ice cream store and bought them ice cream. The children (10 and 7 years old) loved it and the mother was so thankful. Things like that are just really amazing. We did not do much, but they were really grateful. The people here really like it when we roll up our sleeves and help them with different things. We moved a pile of sand for a person we did not know. After we were done they gave us drinks and pineapple and all this fruit, because they were so thankful. Just simple things like that make them so happy.

I love this work. It is amazing. It changes people’s lives and it changes the lives of the missionaries. It has changed mine. I know it has.

Anyway, I need to get going. I have just a few minutes left on the computer and I need to write president Robison his weekly letter.

Love,
Jeff