Some fruits are saved for a different season

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....

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
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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