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.

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.

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.

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.