Lesplansie

Last week around this time I went to the interior of Suriname. As stated in a previous post the organization I work with, NAPS, has built a church in the village Lesplansie where we are committed to developing.  From Lesplansie we will branch out to other villages and lend a helping hand where needed. Everything is pretty much done with the church except the windows that need to be put in, a toilet needs to be dug out, and the church needs a good paint job. I think we will do some electrical work, but I don't know much about the details. I was there to cook. While the men were doing the digging I was in the kitchen preparing some good meals. The facilities weren't the best, but you use what you have. 

The Kitchen

The Stove

The kitchen got a little smoky at times, but I step out and get some fresh air so that I can breathe. The villagers work in this kitchen 24/7 and don't seem to be affected by the smoke that flares up from the firewood. The stove was obviously not conventional, but I learned the way to put the fire on high is to add a lot of firewood and fan really good. The way to turn down the fire is to pull out the firewood where just the embers are in the middle and the ends are not touching each other anymore. Life in the interior is simple, sometimes too simple. Over time hopefully through technology and education there will be advancements for the villages.

Enjoying the simple life...

Foto Friday

Saramacca Connect The newest bridge in Suriname is only 2 minutes walking distance from me. As of June 27th there is more traffic but now the people living only 50 minutes or so from town won't have to take the extra hours to get there. Further Reading

Hot Road

Today I just came back from the interior and it was such a beautiful experience. It was hot, but the trip was definitely worth it. About 90% of Suriname is comprised of "bush". Leaving only about 10% developed. To me if you come to Suriname and haven't visited the interior then you haven't really visited Suriname. Traveling on the road though is pretty difficult, mainly because of the heat. Where I went was a little village called Lesplansi. To get there, from Paramaribo, you have to drive for about 4 hours south to Atjoni, a little pit stop dock to all the Saramaccan villages. From there you get on a canoe and drive or ride rather for about 40 minutes to Lesplansi. There enjoy the love of simplicity!

Back to the heat...When I said heat the road is HOT! Unfortunately there hasn't been any rain for almost a month now. So imagine the pavement just being beaten by the Amazon sun day in and day out. Depending on the type of tires you have, one of them might give out on you. This trip I experienced just that. As we were driving back this afternoon we saw about 5 tires just give out. Our tire is actually included in the 5. The driver had good control and thank God we were safe. The rubber gets so hot that the tire just explodes. Explodes is a really strong word, but it will give you an idea of the heat. Regardless of the heat I would take that road just to see my friends in Lesplansi.

Praying for rain...

Saramaccan Greetings

Every morning "oo-fa-weki!" was the greeting I received the moment I stepped outside and it means good morning. Every person that you pass on the way will greet you this way and I responded "oo-weki-o!" Then you could be asked, "weki tanga?" which is like did you sleep well? My response could be "weki boon-boon!" (I slept good) or "weki wan-say wan-say" (I slept alright). There were many call and response greetings that really showed me the way the villagers cared to connect with you. In the afternoon the greeting was "oo-day-no!" my response would be "oo-day-o!".

These conversations through the day really showed me the care and interest they had for one another. To show how intertwined an open they are, a grown woman could be on her way to the river, to bathe, and after the call and response without being asked she would explain where she was going and what she was about to do. Simple living really allows you to take time and invest in your neighbor whom you pass by everyday. As a personal addition to my life it would be good to stop and greet people. Be simple and make time to find out what is going on, because just one minute invested could really make the difference in someone's life. Living among the Saramaccan people was really a joy and privilege.

Can't wait to go back...

Where to Begin

I feel like I have been away for so long and with all that has happened I don't know where to start. That is why it has taken me this long to post. As you know I was up the Saramacca river in the interior of Suriname for about 4 weeks. My friends that I told you about, part of an organization called NAPS, came and did a great work. A dentist, medical doctor, and medical assistants came and helped almost 1,000 people. Daily we walked, weather ~rain~ or *shine*, two miles to the school where all the children attended. We taught over 100 children Math, English, Science, and Biblical Morals. The villages where we were working  really were ignorant of biblical truths. Nightly we had meetings that enlightened them of the truths that God has in the bible for them. One of the closing events of this trip was a baptism, where 11 persons were baptized.

Now a village that had no church will meet in our locale to have weekly church sessions. The captain of the village, who by the way got baptized, gave us a portion of land where we could build a church. My husband is actually go back down there this weekend to study the dynamics of the land and assess all the things needed to build the church. This is pretty much all that happened in a nut shell, but as the days progress I will try to share with you more of my experience in the interior.

Ahhh...the ball is rolling again!