Our time in the Netherlands went by in a flash! We really loved our time with our (grand)kids, friends and supporters. It was so special to visit lots of them. Our rental car from Foundation Hand, an organization that supplies missionaries with good cars for a reasonable price, brought us everywhere without problems.

Saturday evening December 7th we landed safely in Paramaribo after a pleasant flight. Sunday morning Marco had the privilege to share from Gods word in Beth Shalom, one of the churches outside Paramaribo. Afterwards we could visit a Dutch missionary family from our home church, Rogier and Willine Andes.

Normally we are very busy to get our to-do-list done in just a few days. In between we like to visit our WT colleagues and friends and of course our daughter and her family. When we flew with MAF last Friday to Lawa/Kawemhakan, we did succeed in getting everything done. It is so good to be home again, meet the people and get into our daily routine. Our house was nice and tidy because Anneke Kempeneers, our worker for the Wayana youth, had just a few days before left for Maripasoula.

This week 3 Bible school students came every morning to our house to prepare for their Christmas sermon. This morning two of them had to be called out of their hammock. They had been hunting all night, so they involuntary overslept. We studied the Bible verses from Matthew and Luke about the birth of Jesus Christ. They learned at the Bible school how to study their Bible, but this method needs thorough practicing, so that’s what we’ve been doing these past few days. We enjoyed ourselves. It is so good to see what these young guys already know.

The people in the village are preparing for Christmas, not with decorating their houses and the church, but with organizing which men will go out to hunt for everybody so there will be enough food during the Christmas celebration of two or three days. The treasurer will visit every hut to ask for a contribution for shotgun shells, gasoline for the outboard motor and for other needed groceries like rice, salt and sugar.

Monday, December 23th, Anneke Kempeneers will come over for a week or two. She will assist Melissa and Susina with childrenswork during the Christmas celebration and with a game afternoon December 26. We think we will be part of that too.

Still enough to do here.

We thank you for your prayers for us and for the Wayana’s.

We wish you a Merry Christmas with your loved ones. May the Lord of the harvest bless you.