Here we were in a foreign country, the former Dutch Guiana. For some it may not have seemed a long journey, but to us it seemed as if we had traveled to another world. Having flown from Belém do Pará, Brazil, to Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, when we arrived, we did not know anyone.

While my wife slept the rest of the night, I spent the remainning hours of that night until daybreak awake, worried, thinking of the future, and asking God to prepare a place for us.

When morning came, I noticed the presence of fellow Brazilians. Some employees of the hotel were Brazilians. This was a relief. On the other hand, we soon became worried because, through some information, we learned that it wouldn’t be easy or cheap to find a house to rent in Paramaribo, especially since we were Brazilians.

Soon our comrade, brother Welison, arrived, and his wife would be arriving a month later.

After three nights at the hotel we found a house to rent. It was hard but we were able to convince a Hindu man to rent his house to two Brazilian couples to live in. He wanted to rent but only to one couple, even though the house has three small rooms. In the end he relented, but only on the condition that no religious meetings for the public would be held in the house. Having no other option, we accepted.

So, now we have a house to live in. It is a relatively primitive home; my wife and I still live there without any bathrooms or showers. We don’t have running water. There is only a shared faucet where everybody gets water for the necessities of the house. But despite this, we like our little house.

We started our colporteur work among the Brazilians. This way we came in contact with many of the Brazilians that live here. The majority are people involved with the extraction of gold in the jungles of Suriname. The ones that don’t work directly with prospecting have activities related to it. The prospectors come usually from Maranhão. The women are from Pará.

We have made many contacts with Brazilians. Some have accepted Bible studies, but not all that start the studies persevere to the end. They are more concerned with finding gold and returning to Brazil than they are with their soul’s salvation. It is a pity that the majority of them spend everything on drinking and prostitution. This is the sad reality of the majority of the Brazilians here.

Today we have a small family of interested Brazilians. One lady, sister Francisca, even tithes. She is SDA. She was the first person we have found that is genuinely interested in the message. We even started a small Sabbath School in her house when we first arrived, but the Hindu owner forbade her from continue to hosting the meetings.

Coincidently, while at the market we met another Adventist Brazilian. He even became our friend, so we began to share Bible studies with him. He has not made his final decision yet but has shown himself to be convinced of the present truth.

Through this brother, we met his grown children that also live here. They are Pentecostals. By the grace of God, even though one brother is a deacon in the Assembly of God church, he now understands almost all aspects of the present truth. He still has to make his decision.

He even contacted brother Welison’s wife and took the couple to live in his house so that our sister takes care of the house and his children. He also lent us his garage, where we have been holding Sabbath morning and Sunday evening meetings for some months now.

In truth, the building is only a garage, but we have adapted it nicely for more extensive use. Our meetings often attract many visitors and curious people that come to watch. A few souls have begun to attend the meetings on a regular basis. Some Brazilian friends visit us but without demonstrating any real interest. At least they are listening, and the seeds of truth are being sown.

There is a logical barrier to our efforts because of the language. We speak Portuguese, but the language spoken here is Dutch. In the street they speak a dialect called Taki-Taki or Sranen Tongo. English is spoken and largely understood, but not all know it. In general a Surinamese speaks four languages: the native language (Hindi, Javanese, Chinese), Dutch, English, and Sranen Tongo. There is a confusion of languages. Just to give you an idea: I recently visited a Hindu couple. They spoke to me in Dutch but among themselves in Hindi.

TV programs and the radio alternate between one hour of English (films and documentaries), another hour Hindi, another of Dutch, Taki-Taki . . . and so on.

My wife and I have been studying Dutch from the time we first arrived. It is a difficult language, but I can already communicate in it. Before, I had to communicate in English, but not everybody understands that language, and my English is still very poor. At this point in time, although I can now communicate somewhat in English and Dutch, I’m still far from being able to hold an elaborate conversation in either of these languages. But I have already given some Bible studies in both.

Brother Welison also started studying Dutch but has dedicated more time to English.

In spite of the initial language barrier, we have already found some native friends here. This is the main objective of our mission - to gain the Surinameses. They are the aborigines in this country and won’t leave; they are the future of the work here. We have made friendships with some of them. This is the first important step.

What we are missing is literature in Dutch or even in English. I think that this is an excellent field for colporteur work among the natives. Our greatest desire is to produce literature on natural medicine in the Dutch language. This will be a great step in advancing the work here.

The colporteur work among the Brazilians here is not particularly effective at this point. The Brazilians here are not very interested in books. In reality, they are just seeking gold - and for this they are willing to risk their life in the face of hardship and disease in the Amazon forest. Seeking to provide for their need, we have introduced natural remedies to them. We have been selling books and natural remedies - this has been our only option. The brethren from our church in Brazil have been very supportive of our efforts here and have helped us in every way possible.

I, together with brother Welison, thank God and brother Helenilson for motivating us to pursue the wonderful experience that we are having here in Suriname. I thank also the brethren that have helped us up to now. We are thankful also for the support that the South Brazilian Union has given us.

So far our work here has only just begun; there is much to do. These circumstances verify the words of Christ: “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few” (Matthew 9:37).