M & M in Suriname

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.

Do you know that feeling? You start at A and then you realize it would be wise to do B and C as well. We wrote in an earlier blog that we had our roof nails replaced with roof screws (in 2012 we would have done that ourselves but now we hired someone to do it for us). Then we discovered that some of the beams under the roof were starting to deteriorate. We decided to tackle that right away. Over the past week and a half, pieces of the beams have been replaced, and we had the roof painted a nice red color. It looks great again.

Monday September first we’re getting on a plane to the Netherlands again. Marco will then have a day to pack his suitcase for Paraguay because on September 4 he will fly back to South America. It’s crazy, but the connection from Amsterdam to Foz is much better than from Paramaribo. If everything goes according to plan, he’ll be back on Dutch soil September 16.

Then we are going to visit Germany, with friends for a midweek break in Sauerland. You can imagine how much we’re looking forward to that!

Next stop (for Marco) is Toronto in Canada for a short week of World Team meetings. This time it will be special because October 1, we will say goodbye to the current International Director and the new director will be installed. We are happy to be well acquainted since we have been working together for the past ten years in the Americas Area. For the first few years, we will support him and his family wherever we can, but there will come a time when we say, ‘the younger generation can take over from us’.

During the fall break, we plan to spend a weekend in Zeeland in the South West of the Netherlands with our children and grandchildren to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary.

Monday evening, we arrived safely back home in Republiek. We look back on a very special week. Last Tuesday afternoon, we landed in Apetina. Then it was a matter of making the house livable again as quickly as possible before dark. We swept and mopped the entire house, put our hammocks in place, and then it was time to cool off in the river. MAF Pilot Joop stayed overnight because he also wanted to learn how to mow with a scythe. That evening, we met with the three students from Palumeu and the four from Apetina. All seven were eager to get started, so we went to sleep in the hammocks full of anticipation, and yes, we needed a blanket again because it was chilly.

The next morning, almost everyone was present at 8 a.m. and we could start assembling the scythes. Of course, several people came by to see what we were doing. They also wanted to know how long we would be staying and whether there was still room in the plane to bring something or someone along…

Afterwards, we practiced next to our house to get the right swing. When you work together, time seems to pass even faster. Soon it was time to end the first lesson and plan to continue practicing the next morning. Joop was able to leave for Paramaribo with a plane full of passengers, and we were able to continue tidying up the house.

Thursday morning around 8:30, the entire team, along with eight scythes and seven rakes, gathered in the canoe to head to the runway. Once there, the real work began. We worked diligently to get the hang of it, and as we did. The parking area for aircrafts was left with nicely trimmed grass. We quickly realized that we had several natural talents in the group.

While we were working, a Gum airplane landed. The pilot immediately got a live demonstration of what a scythe is used for and what it can do for runway maintenance.

Friday morning, we returned to the airport to complete the training. This time, we started at the beginning of the runway. The grass there was very tall. This is particularly dangerous during landing, especially after rainfall. In such conditions, the aircraft’s wheels cannot grip the runway, making braking impossible. On Joop’s instructions, we also mowed the tall grass around the start of the runway a few yards further back. This is important for takeoff because the pilot then turns a full circle and accelerates in that turn to get away quickly.

The men got better while practicing. We also noticed that we still need to improve the equipment. Twice, a scythe handle broke in two. The whetstone could not withstand the vigorous approach of the men, who are used to using a file when sharpening their machetes. So, we will do something about that right away.

As far as we are concerned, this training was a success. Now we must wait and see how the men will continue to work with this. Are they doing it to please us? Or will they get the hang of it to such an extent that they will continue around their homes, in the village, and on the airstrip, and the pilot will see the difference? We’ll have to wait and see…

We are overwhelmed by the positive responses to our blog in the Netherlands about scythes. We sent out this appeal while we were in the middle of an introductory training course for Foundations for Farming in Trinidad. That same evening, we had received pledges for eight scythes, but the responses kept coming in over the following days. The total now stands at 15 scythes and US$2,600 for the flight costs! Many thanks to all the generous donors!

Can you see the differences?

Last Thursday, the package with 8 scythes arrived safely. On Tuesday, August 12, we hope to fly to Apetina and train several people from Apetina itself and Palemeu. We have asked our regular mower in Apetina to refrain from mowing for a while so that we have a test field in front of our house. Later in the week, we will get started on the real work: the airstrip. We are looking forward to it!

Now, back to Trinidad. We were invited to visit the Youth With A Mission base for an introductory training course on Foundations for Farming.

Much to share

practise

the Team

Over two weekends, participants were introduced to various aspects of the theory and were able to see and apply the principles in practice on a small scale. We enjoyed working with this enthusiastic group of key figures who want to develop a vision of how this training can be a blessing for YWAM Trinidad, but also for other islands in the Caribbean.

A small group is now praying and planning meetings with experts in the field of legislation, government regulations, etc. Everything must, of course, fit within the larger framework of YWAM. Since we returned to Suriname at the end of July, we have been in contact several times with Tabitha, the leader of YWAM in Trinidad.

How can we continue?

This day lots of seaweed came ashore

At the end of the training, we were given a word: MoveMent. That touched and encouraged us because this is what we want: for people to get moving and put the principles of Foundations for Farming into practice in all areas of their lives. In addition, people have always seen Marco moving while presenting; they will remember “the Marco dance” for a long time to come.

The Yogis surprised Marco in a redo of celebrating his (lost in the Peruvian bus ride) birthday …

Between teaching sessions, we also had time to explore the island and visit friends and acquaintances. Marco was invited to preach in one of the churches on the last Sunday of July, which was a privilege!

Connecting with Marilyne on the continuation of English classes online again

On the last day of our stay in Trinidad, Ame and Susina arrived from Canada on their way back to Lawa. It was very nice to see them and hear their stories. They enjoyed being able to speak Wayana again when they didn’t find the words in English (yet). That same evening, all four of us were taken to the airport by friends and flew to Suriname together.

Good byes with the Endigeris

The next day, Ame and Susina traveled on to French Guiana, from where they flew back home, arriving on Friday, August 1. We are now working with them to see how we can help them continue to improve their English, even though they are back in the jungle.

After that, we were involved in another Basic Training for Foundation for Farming at our training center in Suriname.

Telling the stories

Practise

This weekend, a construction crew is working on insulating the zinc roof of our house and replacing the old roof nails with screws. We hope this will help us withstand the strong winds and rain caused by climate change.

The Director of Operations/Chief Pilot of MAF in Suriname has asked us, via Foundations for Farming Suriname, to come and teach scything to people in the interior.

Airstrips are regularly ‘closed’ because the grass has grown too long and there are no resources to keep it short. Gasoline for the mowers is expensive and is often not delivered by the government, or delivered far too late. Mowers break down and are not repaired, or are repaired far too late.

When a patient needs to be flown to the city for medical treatment and the airstrip is closed, this has far-reaching consequences and puts human lives at risk.

We would like to share our knowledge and experience. A pilot project is intended to introduce the use of the scythe in two villages: Apetina and Palumeu. Participants from Palumeu will come to Apetina so that we can train a group of eight participants.

The following are needed:

1. Materials, namely 8 scythes (complete with accessories, €250 each).
2. Costs to fly us to (and back from) Apetina to teach there + 2 shuttle trips between Apetina and Palumeu.

We are seeking sponsorship of US$ 2,000 for 8 scythes.

Once we have demonstrated how this works and seen that people are successfully applying it, we will look for opportunities to reach out to more villages.

Due to the condition of the airports, time is of the essence. Our schedule allows us to get started in August. Who will help cover the costs of the pilot project?

We have been back in Suriname for six weeks now. This was the rainy season here. During these weeks, we learned a few things. Most important was that during heavy rain showers, water leaks through the roof and onto the floor in several places. Our roof needs to be fixed. We made arrangements with an expert who will install insulation foil under the zinc roof and replace all the nails with screws during the dry season next August. This is also important because we are increasingly confronted with strong wind and heavy rain.

One morning, we also discovered that a large section of the sandy road was completely flooded. We didn’t dare to drive through it, so we went home empty-handed that day.

On June 24, we received the long-awaited email announcing the appointment of the new international director for World Team. This happens to be the colleague we had in mind to take over Marco’s role as Area Director. So now things will be different. We have to rethink who we are going to hand this task over to. Marco was asked to stay on for another three years. First, we will have the official handover of the international director at the leadership meeting in Toronto, Canada, in early October. We are constantly reminded of Roy Lytle’s 2012 statement: “Be flexible.” We are grateful that we can be.

We are so grateful for the communication possibilities that exist today. Now that Ame and Susina are in Canada, it is very nice to be in regular contact via WhatsApp. This allows us to respond to any problems with their children or parents in Lawa. Susina’s parents take care of their 13-year-old twins. Recently, Susina’s mother has been in the hospital in Paramaribo twice, which meant that most of the care fell to the grandfather. Eventually, we were asked if we could contribute 500 euros for the month of July, so that food could be purchased for the twins. This is one of the cultural differences we encountered. As Dutch people, you think, ‘Don’t you plan this? You work with a budget’. Not in the life of most Wayana, ‘you live from day to day’. Fortunately, we were able to get the money to Lawa quickly through our contacts with MAF.

Last weekend, Ame and Susina, together with Pamela, attended a four-day conference of the Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. It was a great opportunity to meet Christian indigenous people in Canada and practice English with them.

Last week, we were busy for a few days at Foundations for Farming Service Center Suriname. A container had arrived from the Netherlands containing, among other things, a mini tractor with accessories and a trailer for our project. That’s when Marco’s technical insight and dexterity came in handy. Of course, everything had to be improvised, because this mini tractor does not come with a tow bar as standard.

On July 16, we traveled to Trinidad to provide training for Foundations for Farming at the Youth With A Mission base for the next two weeks. Our next adventure.

In the past few weeks, Marjolein has been able to visit quite a few people in the Netherlands. Marco was visiting Peru at the time on behalf of Foundations for Farming. Together with Josue, our local trainer, we visited several small villages in the jungle around Pucallpa, some 500 miles from Lima.

Together with Josue

This is a huge area behind the high mountains of the Andes, crisscrossed by rivers under tropical conditions. The people can now live there. You can see from the houses (on stilts) that for several months each year the water rises so high that the entire population must move to the nearest city because the houses are sometimes full of water up to 40 inches above the floor.

breakfast

People keep coming back because the river is full of fish and the people are attached to their village.

jungle taxi, 3 hours drive

From Foundations for Farming, we offer help and training to set up agriculture in several higher areas on large fields that have been made available by the government after the authorities dismantled several drug plantations there in the past

Birthday 2025

May 24 was a special day for Marco. After leaving Pucallpa, the plan was to arrive in Lima the next morning, ready for my birthday… This turned out differently. I often had to remember an important piece of advice at the beginning of our ministry and life in Suriname: be flexible. That was ‘spot on’ yesterday. After we had first stopped for 2 hours by a landslide that had flooded the road with boulders, mud, and a lot of water, the bus came to a stop again at 04:00 am. That ‘break’ still didn’t seem to be resolved after about 5 hours.

The whole road was full of all kinds of vehicles waiting for what was to come. We received a message that ahead of us a truck loaded with wood had fallen on its side which blocked the entire road. Then we decided to take our luggage off the bus and walk along the location of disaster on foot and then look for transport for the remaining 400 miles to Lima. After half an hour of lagging, the long line of vehicles began to move slowly. We found a ride in a pickup truck.

After we finally left the whole situation behind us, he took us to the next city where we found a taxi to drive us to Lima. That evening at 11 pm I arrived at my Airbnb. After traveling for 32 hours. A birthday that I probably will remember. And, the coffee and cake were there in the form of bottles of water and dry crackers. That was what was available in the tiny shop where the bus stopped. Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 27 Marco will fly back to Marjolein in the Netherlands. Warm greetings from Lima, Peru

Ame and Susina are getting used to Coole Canada Conditions and learning a lot.

Pamela has shown Ame and Susina the way around in the past week. They went shopping for food. They took the bus to learn how to get to school in the coming weeks and then back home again. They now know how the elevator to Pamela’s apartment works. It is cold for them, they still have to get used to that.

Their children and other family members are doing well. Ame is a bit worried about his mother who has been ill for a long time and is not getting better. They ask prayer for this coming week when the school starts, that they can follow the lessons well and especially speaking will go well.

They received a text message that the passports of the youngest children were already ready in Cayenne. With the request to come and pick them up soon. They will not be back until the end of July, so they hope that this will not be a problem. They are very grateful that you are standing around them in prayer.

Revival Conference

We hope to be at the Revival conference this coming weekend. We will sleep in a small tent and see if we can keep our feet dry. We look forward to many meetings on the grounds. Immediately after that, we will leave for home in Suriname on June 4.

On Thursday, March 6 we arrived in Apetina with Jon and Ria Dam. Jon is the secretary of the Board of Foundations for Farming in the Netherlands. As we flew over the river, we hoped to see rocks in the rapids so that we could bathe in the river. We succeeded! The first two days we could enjoy the nice water in the river. After that, the water rose 4 to 6 inches every day, so after two days, the current was so strong that we had to move to our rain shower in the house. This time we arrived in a clean house because Ilse had been in Apetina 3 weeks before us. So we were able to share the house. Ilse had even put hot water for coffee and fresh biscuits on the table. A warm welcome!

Rumikub in the evening

These ladies came to thank us for the baby food we continue to supply through Medical Mission

People come to meet us after church

It was wonderful to give our friends a glimpse into our lives and those of the Wayana. We are also looking forward to training the Wayana in the sustainable farming methods offered by Foundations for Farming.

We flew in two rolls of carpet on the plane that would bring Jon and Ria back to the city.

We continue to enjoy feeling at home in different worlds. We were able to mourn with our neighbours for the loss of their one-year-old daughter. With others in the village, we were able to enjoy the new babies in the family.

Meeting with the elders in our house

Near the airstrip, a large group of people were helping to clear a field to place the solar panels for the antenna of the Trans World Radio transmitter. What a huge project! We pray that Wayana and Trio will be there to support the vision and technology of the radio work. It has so much potential. Later that week, the studio and transmitter were tested and the signal was received on a radio! The system works.

Next to the airstrip, 6 antennas have been erected to create a radio link between the Wayana villages

The Trans World Radio studio and transmitter building in Apetina

Due to the heavy rain, it was not possible to fly the students for the local Bible school from the various villages to Palumeu. It turned out that the school would start a week later than planned. They started on Monday, March 24th, and finished on Friday, April 4th.

Ame, Susana’s husband, also attended the school. It is good preparation for their plans to go to Winnipeg, Canada in mid-May. They hope to study English at a language school during the week. Each weekend they plan to attend a church in the North End, where many First Nations people live. They also hope to strengthen relationships with the National Evangelical Fellowship or Canada when they visit their annual conference in Regina. It is a busy programme for which they are already preparing, as well as caring for the children and parents left behind in Lawa.

Tukusipan needs a new roof. Some leaves have been collected.

Online meetings are our daily routine. Here, Marjolein meets with a team from all over the world. Now, Apetina is our hotspot.

Anneke Kempeneers, the youth worker in Lawa, sent us the following story:

The Bible school in Palumeu has finished. All the students are longing for their families. For MAF this means a few days of continuous flights to bring all the men back to the villages. Four flights in one day are planned for Lawa. It’s ambitious, but if the planes can be loaded and unloaded quickly, it can be done.

The first three flights go off without a hitch. However, there is now an hour’s delay in the schedule. This is difficult as the chance of rain increases later in the afternoon. I can already see the air changing. Pilot Johan is hoping for the best and says, “See you later” before he takes off to pick up the last men from Palumeu.

5.06 PM The telephone rings. It is a colleague from MAF who says that Johan took off from Palumeu 30 minutes ago. “How is the weather in Lawa at the moment?” I am shocked and worried. I had not expected the fourth flight so late in the afternoon. It is raining and, even worse, there is a thunderstorm. It will probably go on until sunset. As so often in the rainy season. “Lord, keep them safe!

5.39 PM MAF calls again. Johan is near Lawa. What’s the weather like now? I reply that, contrary to my expectations, the rain and thunderstorm stopped exactly two minutes ago. But the sky is heavily overcast and dark. “Do you see a hole in the clouds? Johan just needs a hole. That is all I can see. A small hole in the distance. “Lord, please let Johan see that hole too”.

It sweeps through the village like a raging fire. MAF is coming! My phone’s working again. The Wayanas are calling now. “They say the MAF is coming, but it can’t be true!” The people are stunned as they listen to the sound of the plane coming closer and closer. After the plane had landed safely, I called out to one of the people, “Good, huh? He points up and says, “Thank God. After the plane had been unloaded, I heard from Johan how exciting it was. On the way, he got caught in a thunderstorm. Would he have to return? Luckily, he was able to consult his colleague Joop on the radio, who was also on a flight (to another destination). The decision was made to continue the flight. This was not easy. Joop encouraged him on the radio. Behind his back, the four passengers were praying. The Lord kept them safe. Between the lightning. And he gave Johan enough sight to land safely.

As I lie in my hammock this evening, I think about how special this day has been. This morning, the weather was good, but the telecom tower didn’t work. This afternoon, when we really needed it, the telecom tower worked fine (usually it doesn’t work during thunderstorms). A miracle. It is also a miracle that Joop, flying his own plane, was able to coach Johan on this trip. A miracle that the storm stopped just when Johan was approaching Lawa.

Last week we arrived in the Netherlands. For the next two months, we have a full schedule. More about that in our next blog.