M & M in Suriname

While it’s holiday season in the US, students here are working their way through the last few hot days of school. We watch it all from a distance, since it’s been decades since we had school-age children.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve really enjoyed gardening! Our little vegetable garden is expanding. When we moved here three years ago, we planted cassava and bananas because they require little maintenance. We had to pull up the cassava because it was infected with a fungal disease. We peeled all the tubers, boiled them, and then froze them in portions. Now we eat air-fried fries every once in a while.

We now have tayer leaves—a large leaf that tastes somewhat like spinach—and we’ve planted two varieties of beans. One variety is producing plenty of pods, while the other isn’t yielding much yet or has been devoured by grasshoppers or ants. We also bought and planted six eggplant seedlings. One didn’t survive, but the other five are doing their best. One already has a nice fruit, and on the other plants we can see the beginnings of an eggplant forming. Another experiment involves six sopropo seedlings that we grew ourselves from seeds taken from the sopropos we’ve eaten. They’re growing nicely, but here too, one seedling has already fallen victim to the appetite of some little creature.

Our latest additions are just under 40 pineapple plants that we received from friends in the neighborhood. We live on sandy soil, and pineapples thrive there. We just have to be patient, though, because it will take two years before we can eat a pineapple “of our own.”

One of our regular doctor’s appointments is a checkup with the dermatologist. Before we can be seen by her, we first stop by our primary care physician to request a “guarantee letter.” The specialist needs this letter to submit a claim to our health insurance. We find it cumbersome, but that’s how it works here, and you get used to it. During our last visit to our kind, capable dermatologist, it happened again. We both needed to have a biopsy taken from a suspicious spot. For both of us, the suspicious spot was on the nose. Now, a biopsy like that is only about 3 or 4 millimeters in diameter, but when you leave the treatment room, you look pretty “battered.” The results of our biopsies have since come back, and tomorrow we’ll be referred to the plastic surgeon. The dermatologist will give us a referral letter specifying where he needs to make the incision and what needs to be removed. We’re curious to know when we can be treated by the plastic surgeon. Hopefully before our trip to the Netherlands is scheduled.

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to help out again with a Foundations for Farming training session. It never ceases to be inspiring! There was a great group of 14 people who actively participated. This time, there were also two teenage boys, and on the hands-on day, an 8-year-old girl. First, two evenings of theory, followed by a practical day on Saturday covering various aspects of the theory. After four hours of intensive work, lunch tasted especially good. The training concluded with the presentation of certificates.

On the last Saturday of June, friends from Paramaribo came to visit us. We’ve known Bart and Marja Wassink since the ’90s. Bart is the son of missionary friends in Suriname, and Marja helped us out for a few weeks back then when our family was filling in for friends at their family home. Life took them to Australia, but this year they’re back in Suriname for a civil engineering project. It’s always remarkable how some people are around for a while, then go their separate ways, life goes on, and years later you run into each other again. We really enjoy that.

During the second week of our stay in Lawa, Marja led Bible studies for the women, and Marjolein, with the help of Melissa and Molion—two Wajana women—translated for her. For five mornings from 9 a.m. to noon, 17 women came to listen attentively. Many came back in the afternoon from 5 to 6 for another hour to crochet or do crafts.

While only Marja’s and Marjolein’s voices could be heard in the morning, the afternoons were filled with a cheerful buzz of conversation. The crafts were a way to process what we’d learned in the morning; the crocheting was wonderfully relaxing for those who already knew how to crochet and quite challenging for those who had to learn. The most important thing was that we had fun together.

On Sunday, we wanted three women to share the content of the past week with the entire congregation, using the reflection assignments as a guide. Naturally, they wanted to do a great job. On Friday evening, Marjolein sat down with Anna to go over all three assignments again. Everything was carefully written down in a notebook so that she could pass it on to her grandchildren later. On Saturday evening, I went over the material again with Folida and Molion. The women wanted to be absolutely sure they had understood everything correctly. On Sunday morning, Marjolein sat listening to the women’s presentations like a proud mother. They did such a great job!

The next day, we packed our bags again and flew back to Paramaribo on a MAF plane together with Bart and Marja. We look back on two intense, challenging, and very rewarding weeks. We’re really enjoying our lives! We’re grateful people.

On a rainy day late June in Lawa Kawemhakan, we started working on a small vegetable garden. We dug, hauled water, and when the rain came down too hard, we moved under a shelter to continue talking about all the plants around us.        That’s how the conversation turned to our trip to Canada. Melissa told us that back then, as Wayana, they were very surprised that we liked raw vegetables. Just the idea of us eating raw carrots made her cringe. The Wayana know carrots as baby carrots and canned peas—but raw? No way! Lettuce was also something they wanted nothing to do with. Tomatoes and cucumbers are fine, but raw leaves? Never seen them. It was so nice to chat about all that together for a while.

After that, we just carried on working in the drizzle, because we had to finish the model garden with its own water reservoir made from 80 empty soda bottles! We hope this garden will help the plants get through the dry season without any problems. Filling the small pipe with a bucket of water once (or more) a week keeps the water reservoir sufficiently full to continuously supply the plants with moisture. During the dry season, they always ran out of chili peppers. Now we’ll see if this system works well. Eight families have received the tarp and root barrier fabric. Now they first need to save up empty bottles so they can replicate the setup properly.

The day before, we reviewed or re-explained the principles of the Foundation for Farming. We brought seeds and seed trays from the city so the women could start sowing right away. In the village hall—which consists of a corrugated zinc roof—it was a cozy atmosphere with the women all together. They shared stories of their previous (successful) attempts, and, full of anticipation for when the seeds would sprout from the soil, the women headed home at the end of the morning.

We really enjoy working together on practical projects like this.

This week, Maria Wassink and Marjolein are leading a Bible study for the women, but in the afternoon they’ll spend an hour together doing crafts or crocheting. We’ll share more about that in our next blog.

Last Wednesday, we returned to Suriname after spending a month in the Netherlands and Cambodia.

But first, we’d like to catch you up on our visit from March 31 to April 11 to our team in Manaus, a jungle city of 2 million people on the Amazon River.

We were warmly welcomed by Micah and Nyssa and their three children. We were able to stay in their apartment for 11 nights. This gave us a wonderful glimpse into their lives. Micah and Nyssa have been living in Brazil for two and a half years now and are still fully immersed in studying the language and culture. We reminisced with them about our early days in Suriname in the late 1980s: getting used to different customs, temperatures, and food. Making new friends—for both parents and children—in a new language, and so much more. The frustration and sense of loneliness that sometimes comes with that. How precious it is, then, to experience mutual recognition and support and to be able to pray for one another. We were able to spend time with them and see a bit of their ministry among the indigenous people in the favelas. We were welcomed so warmly each time—it was truly heartwarming.

Of course, we also made time to get out of the city for a day together and enjoy the beautiful nature.

After 11 days, it was also good to leave again, but we look back on a wonderful time. We thought back to the time when we were going to return to the Netherlands in 2000 after eleven years. Back then, we expressed to each other and to God that it was our desire that, if we were called to missions again, we would love to encourage young leaders and, just like Paul, visit the churches. That happened in Paraguay and again in Brazil. God is answering the desire we had some 25 years ago. Who placed that desire in our hearts? Exactly, that same God.

Upon returning home, we had one day to do the laundry and pack our bags for the Netherlands, as we were flying there on April 13. After two weeks, Marco traveled on to Cambodia for a week to meet with the other leaders within World Team and brainstorm what mission work means for our organization in these turbulent times.

We enjoyed spending time with our children and grandchildren, Marjolein’s brothers and sisters and their families, and a number of cousins we had the chance to meet at a family gathering. There we also celebrated Marjolein’s father’s 92nd birthday. As in many families, we too have concerns about the health of family members. A small part of the suffering amidst the great suffering worldwide.

We were also able to attend the funeral of a friend of ours. It remains remarkable to experience how often the passing of a loved one coincides with our visit to the Netherlands. Then we can close the circle of life together.

Today Marjolein will bake an apple pie…

What amazing people and places we’ve encountered over the past three weeks! The team building relationships here with Muslims from the Middle East and Asia consists of five nationalities, all from Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas. This was Marco’s third visit here, but for Marjolein, it was wonderful to finally put names and stories to the people she met. The little Spanish Marjolein knows came in handy. It was a bit of a shock to realize that almost the entire team is younger than our own children :-).

The team wanted to explore whether they could expand their work to include various indigenous groups living in the area. So, we spent quite a few days driving around to visit different communities. The first few days were in the vicinity (about a 3-hour drive) of where we were staying.

The following week, we drove to the Chaco, the province where a group of Mennonite families moved from Canada over a hundred years ago. We stayed with a young couple of Mennonite descent. It was easiest for us to speak with them in German, since our Spanish isn’t great yet and their English didn’t really keep the conversation going either. That required a bit of digging into our memories, but it got better every day. After five days and quite a few visits to indigenous villages of various tribes, it was a real shame to drive back. Fortunately, we were able to do that in two stages, because driving straight through for 12 hours is quite a challenge for Marjolein.

During the third week, we spent a few more days with the team doing training in evangelism. It was fun to do and to discover how much great material there is to help us engage in conversation together. Even after so many years of experience, we came away with some fresh ideas.

On the last Sunday of our visit, we were invited to attend the ordination of two new pastors in a church in the capital, Asunción, so on Saturday we spent another five hours in the car and arrived just in time for a fantastic barbecue—they’re good at that here. Everything was delicious, but Marjolein did miss the vegetables, salad, and fruit. They were nowhere to be found. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Now the process begins for World Team to pray and discover whether and how God wants to use the team in Paraguay to reach out to one or more tribes.

In our previous blog, we wrote about Nutrilon baby formula. To our horror, we read about a recall of Nutrilon cans in both a Dutch and a Surinamese newspaper. We went to the clinic and inspected all the cans. Unfortunately, three boxes were “contaminated” and had to be exchanged in Paramaribo. Through various channels—Medical Mission, the government, and others—we tried to get more clarity, because, well, we’d have to bring back an extra 35 kg. Eventually, we ended up at the importer… where we received good advice. The boxes had to be returned and could be exchanged. Now the good cans are waiting at MAF for an opportunity to arrive back in Apetina. Fortunately, all the cans for the smallest babies were fine.

Learning how to fix the hammock

Now Marjolein can fix one of our own

Together with Johan we are watching the Wayana to Canada video

Trans World Radio is working on a major project for the Wayana and Tareno peoples deep in the interior. The studios are almost ready. They are equipped with advanced technology, and several people will be trained further in the coming months to operate them. For this purpose, Tom Schoen, son of the first missionary in Apetina, will be staying with us again soon. In Apetina, people can now listen to Christian programs in their own language during certain hours of the week. It’s wonderful to see how much they enjoy it.

I made this. What is it for?

To carry stuff

One afternoon, we had a special encounter with Petra. We were enjoying our “jacuzzi” in the river when she suddenly jumped into our “bathroom” and asked for prayer. We listened to her, prayed for her, and referred her to a few women with whom she could talk further. Marjolein also informed the ladies about our encounter, and we sincerely hope that Petra and other young women like her will once again dance for the Lord in church during the upcoming Easter conference.

After returning to the city, we immediately got to work preparing for the next Foundations for Farming training session on the last weekend of February. The fact that the group of interested participants was a bit smaller this time didn’t dampen the fun. We’ve now expanded the training to include an extra evening. That turned out to be a success. Now there was enough time on Saturday to include building the compost pile as a regular part of the training.

Theory to start with

Practice

Compost accomplished

Those weeks in Apetina and the city are now behind us. We’re writing this blog from our apartment in Paraguay. You can read about our experiences on this trip in our next post. There’s plenty to share again.

Do NOT touch

January 30, 2026, was one of the few “drizzly” rainy days in the jungle of Suriname. On Wednesday, the 28th, we flew to Apetina with MAF. Johan had cut the grass around our house beautifully short again, but there was nothing he could do about the damage the bats had done inside the house. So, there was work to be done so we could sleep in a reasonably tidy and clean house. Fortunately, we had an extra pair of hands, because Janna, a friend from our time in Suriname in the 1990s, is spending three and a half weeks with us.

Before departure from Zorg and Hoop Airport

It remains touching to see how happy people are to see us again, even though we are not doing anything special. “You are staying for almost a month, how nice! One week is too short,” said a few women. We are curious to see how we can be a blessing during these weeks.

Janna collects spider bodies, strange hobby

Several mothers are happy that we brought 80 kg of cans of Nutrilon babymilk. Marjolein will talk to the clinic in the coming weeks. How many children are helped in this way, but more importantly, is it being carefully monitored so that it only goes to those mothers who are not breastfeeding? It remains a constant search for the golden mean.

Sunset on our way to bible study in Matta, a tribal village near the airport

Bible study in Matta church

Since last September, there has been no electricity in the village again. The new village generator is no longer working, apparently due to a broken battery. Fortunately, we have solar panels, which provide enough power to keep our freezer running, but we feel very sorry for the village. We have asked MAF to buy a battery for us in the city next week and bring it with them on Friday’s flight.

Apple pie as it should be as part of Marjolein’s birthday, January 22

In the coming weeks, we hope to visit the gardens of the local trainers of the Foundations for Farming project again. This will allow us to see whether they are still applying the principles and in what way they met some problems. It was very encouraging to hear from the father of one of the trainers that he already applied, and now he has a better yield from his garden.

Ipomadi and Meilssa see the first draft of the Wayana to Canada video

The bridge in Berlijn, nostaglia from the 90s

We can also see that we haven’t been home for a while. At the bottom of the duffel bag with my clothes, everything was completely damp. The next morning, I saw that there was a hole in the outer wall of the dry room. Marco investigated and was able to remove a large piece of rotten wood from a few planks. We will repair that in the coming week. Fortunately, we still have some leftover paint and pieces of wood, so we’ll be able to fix it. Next to this, we saw that wood lice had started building their nest at the top of the house. We put a stop to that immediately and cleaned out their nest.

In just a few days, we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. For some, this is a beautiful story. For us, it is one of the highlights of the year, commemorated and celebrated with many believers worldwide. We wish you all a very blessed Christmas and, one week later, a happy New Year. In Suriname, we expect a lot of fireworks marking the change of the calendar into 2026.

In Paramaribo, shooting fireworks starts mid-December and often continues until after New Year’s Day. Our daughter Elisabeth’s smallest dog is terrified of all the loud noise, so she has asked if Storm, as the little lap dog is called, can stay with us until after New Year’s Day. This guest will be picked up by his owners on January 2nd, and that same afternoon we will pick up our old friend Janna from the airport, who will be staying with us for a while. We met Janna in the early nineties when she worked at the Samuel children’s home. We are looking forward to her arrival.

Preparation meeting with Ame and Susina

Meeting with the Church leaders in Lawa

On Monday, December 15, we flew out of Lawa after a visit of more than two weeks. The visit of the Canadian couple from NEFC was special and successful. Every day, Conrad encountered a situation where he said, “How similar our ways of life are!” They enjoyed canoe trips, fishing adventures, walks through the jungle where every tree was named, meetings with church leaders from the village, and a presentation evening where they showed photos of the area where they live and how they live.

Special gift for Grand Chief Ipomadi

The big difference, of course, is the temperature, which ranges from minus 30 to plus 30 degrees. So, it was very hot and tiring for them. Ame and Susina have been invited to visit them in the reserve in 2026.

Many necklaces and bracelets were made to show the appreciation of the people

First, Ame must apply for a new passport in early January. Then we will apply for a new visa for him and hope that his fingerprints are still valid, which will save us another trip to Georgetown in Guyana.

Annual planning meeting for 2026 with all the churches on the Lawa river

One of the trips into the jungle took us to a location where 12 men from the village were cutting down trees with a mobile saw. The trees were then cut into beams and planks to build a new roof for the church at Lawa. They spent 17 days cutting lumber. Now it must rain substantially before they can transport all the lumber to the village by canoe.

Lucas Sawmill in action

Visiting the team in the jungle, cutting planks and beams

If the water level in the river is still low, they can first scoop sand and gravel from the islands into bags and transport them to the village by canoe. They still need about 2,000 bricks for the construction of the walls. The people of Lawa will make these themselves in the first few months of 2026, when they have money for cement. On behalf of the Wayana community, we have written a project dossier to send to various churches in the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada, with a request to contribute financially to this plan.

Project New Roof for the Church of Lawa

Back to the city after a great visit in Lawa

The last weekend of September was a big celebration in Palumeu, a village deep in the interior of Suriname. They celebrated the fact that about 50 years ago, the first Bible conference for the Wayana and Tareno people was held. Roy Lytle, who was present at that first Bible conference, joined in the celebration again this time. God is faithful! Of course, none of the preparations happened automatically. MAF seemed unable to obtain fuel for their planes. That would mean that many conference attendees would have to stay in their villages because they could not fly to Palumeu. Fortunately, God provided in time, and the people from Paramaribo could also be transported to Palumeu. We were already in the Netherlands that weekend and enjoyed the photos and stories afterwards.

45 years of marriage

We have wonderful memories of the various celebrations we had last October! How special it is to get along so well as a family and later as friends. That is something we have cherished and celebrated for years, but it was nice to reflect on it together and in a larger circle.

Farewell

On November 2, we received the news that Marjolein’s aunt Atie had passed away in her sleep. This gave the last week before we were due to fly back to Suriname a completely different schedule. We are so grateful that we were there and did not have to rush back to the Netherlands to be in time for the funeral. It felt like we were rushing from one thing to the next to get everything done, but we managed. The funeral was on Monday, November 10, after which we said goodbye to our family, packed our bags in Delft, and flew to Suriname on Tuesday, the 11th. We will not soon forget this abrupt farewell.

First Nations

In Suriname, our attention turned once again to preparations for the arrival of Mr and Mrs Flett from Canada. They will be visiting from December 1 to 8 as representatives of the Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada to meet the Wayana people in Lawa. The way of life in the jungle of Suriname is very different from that in the far north of Canada. We hope that Ame, Susina, and the other leaders will give them a good insight into their lifestyle.

Hot Compost

Last Saturday, we made a compost heap with the team from Foundations for Farming Suriname. Two guests from the Netherlands joined in by mowing a lot of green material with a scythe. Afterwards, we all enjoyed a nice roti meal together.

Srefidensi

In the run-up to November 25th, the whole of Paramaribo is celebrating 50 years of independence with various activities. There are many festivities in and around the city. Last night we had to take a detour because several streets were closed. Many churches also paid attention to the 50 years of independence of Suriname last Sunday. We will not join in the hustle and bustle on Tuesday, but will stay comfortably on our balcony in Republiek. On Saturday, we will fly to Lawa for a two-week visit.

We landed in the Netherlands at the beginning of September. For Marco, it was only a brief stopover, because after two days he traveled on to Paraguay. There, he had two weeks of training with a team that specializes in Cross-Cultural Ministry. The city is located at a tri-border point with Brazil and Argentina. A large free trade zone creates a unique mix of cultures and a bustling atmosphere. A visit to the Iguazu Falls in Brazil was a must on this trip. The water crashes down with thunderous force over several plateaus, truly a breathtaking sight.

After a busy week of training, Marco had the opportunity to spend time with each of the participating couples separately, eating together and getting to know each other better.

After returning to the Netherlands, a midweek trip to Germany was on our agenda. A week in the Sauerland together with good friends. The weather was beautiful, we enjoyed wonderful walks, took in the scenery together, and reminisced about more than 45 years of friendship.

Marco then traveled to Canada for the annual meeting with the Global Leaders of World Team. It was a special meeting, as the International Director was stepping down and the new director was being installed. What makes this special for us is that the new director has worked closely with us for the past 10 years as the leader of our team in Brazil. So we know each other well and are grateful that he is now able to fulfill this role. At the same time, his departure from Brazil presents us with the challenge of continuing to guide the team there.

The last weekend of September was marked by the 50th Bible Conference in the interior of Suriname for the Trio and Wayana. It was a big celebration in Palumeu, the village where the first conference was held back in the seventies. With great gratitude, we reflected on the past 50 years during which these meetings have been held.

During Marco’s travels, Marjolein was busy with all kinds of visits in the Netherlands. She gained a lot of driving experience on Dutch roads. She assisted Jiska during the annual meeting of MemberCare Netherlands and, together with her father, attended a special MAF day in Teuge where an airplane was presented that had been purchased to work in Madagascar.

In the coming weeks, we will be celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary (October 3, 2025) at various times. First, a day with brothers and sisters in Ederveen, then a weekend with our children and grandchildren in Vlissingen, and then a special evening with supporters in Veenendaal.

We will also be visiting various people. We look forward to seeing many of our family and friends.