More Plumbing, Companion Gets Lost, Zone Conference

 Draining the baptismal font

 Elder Hulme and Elder Job

Elder Job on a boat to Guyana

January 16, 2012
We got to go to Albina this week, on Thursday.  Since there are so many elders that need to go, there will be two trips done, one this week as well.  Only Elder Job and I went this week though and it was enjoyable.  We made it there and back before 3pm.  I think it's a world record.  It's only 140Kilometers there and the same back, but that road makes it impossible to do it quickly.  In place of a little over an hour, it's nearly 3.


I was going to give a training last July on  faith.  I had it all planned out, but then when zone conference came, we had to take it out of the schedule due to time shortage.  The cool part is that Sister Gamiette gave the exact same training as I was going to give.  She gave it just last week. 


I fixed the rest of the drains this morning, and cleaned the rest of the house.  Elder Freeman cleaned the dief Ijzer(window anti theft bars), and the sink.  I was so proud of him.  I took apart the visable part of the shower drain and pulled out tons of hair with some pliers and then put it all back together.  I don't know how to do the part that's behind cement.  Sister Jansen approved the cleanness of our apartment.  Something I've never heard of before.  


Last Friday was the day before Elder Freeman's birthday.  I know he loves beef, so I wanted to get him some Sate's, or shishkabobs things with just beef on it.  I wanted to surprise him though so I pedaled up ahead and stopped to order the food.  I payed and got the food and looked around and Elder Freeman wasn't there.  I went back to the last place I saw him, and he wasn't there anymore.  I prayed and got the impression to just head home.  Turns out, he didn't see me stop, and had ridden all the way home, we met up shortly thereafter, and enjoyed french fries and meat.  I didn't really like the sate's, but he loved them.  Yesterday evening I was trying to take a picture of the store Tulip.  It's the nicest store in Suriname for groceries.  As I played with my camera, Elder Freeman was trying to turn on his light (the kind that run against the tire for power) and he didn't see me turn onto the street where we're supposed to turn.  He also didn't understand where we were supposed to go.  So I looked back after making the turn, and didn't see him.  I rode again back to where I had last seen him, and searched, and searched, all over.  I looked for nearly a half hour for him, then prayed and got the impression to call him.  So I asked the first Hindu man I saw to borrow his cellphone, and I called Elder Freeman, and we met at Tulip.  Amidst all of this, Elder Freeman found a man that could become a new investigator. 
Things are still good.  Thanks for the love. You are good folk.
-Elder Hulme


January 23, 2012
Hello all,
We had zone conference Saturday, it was great.  I talked with
President Gamiette and he said he's going to give the ecclesiastical
thing, and I emailed him today and reminded him.  He speaks English. I
learned that it's not really possible to go back to Bama.
I've been much more careful about losing my companion, so I've been
calling him as he rides by, to stop him. 


Zone Conference.
We studied Ether 2 and 3 about how the brother of Jared planned
everything out really well, did a lot, climbed a mountain shaped some
stones and asked the lord to touch each of them to make them light.
The Lord did exactly as what was asked.  The conclusion being that we
need to visualize our lessons and days and weeks and plan out our
part, and the Lord's part and ask for his help and just be on top of
everything.  We then practiced our teaching skills and ate some Saoto
soup.  Then Elder Dyson (the new assistant) came out and worked with us
that evening.  We taught the Babel family.  Then we traded some ties
with Elder Dyson, and went to church.


I got a belt from Guyana, Elder Badoni brought it for me.  It says my
name on it.  And has a whole bunch of Harley Davidson logos on it.
Apparently when Elder Badoni thinks of me, he thinks of Harley also,
so he ordered it with that on it. I like it though, it's 100% leather, like thick nice
leather.

Family Babel came to church! 5 of them, also Alisha, and sister
D. We're going to be seeing some good things in this area I
think.  We've been still trying to reactivate a few members, and
that's coming along well.  Thanks for everything.
-Elder Hulme

Plumbing, BofM Challenge, Answering Questions

Hello,

I did my first plumbing this morning, by taking apart our drain, cleaning it, and putting it back together.  It was stinky and gross but oddly enjoyable.  I also did my first family history this week.  Actually, all I did was log on and look at the website and enter in Oli's name.  Then I ran out of time and had to go.  I really like this family history idea, I studied it this morning in PMG and learned a lot about it.  I'm going to use it to help find more people to teach.  I like the thing from Noelle's mom "1. Keep a kind word on your lips"  I'm going to do that the rest of my life.  

These first 3 days of missionary work worked out pretty well, we were very blessed as we worked with the branch leaders and members to have some member lessons, and teach some less actives, and find a few people we could possibly teach.  Then last night we had a fantastic weekly planning session.  The challenge was given to read the entire book of Mormon in the coming three months (coincidently that is exactly how long I will be in the country).  Elder Freeman and I will do it, and when I finish, I will have read the Book of Mormon 5 times (only once in Dutch).  I'm still in Ether on number four, but have completed it three other times as well.  We went to visit the C. family, a family I worked with last time I was in the area.  Brother C. is the longest time member in Suriname, nearly 40 years a member, and almost all of them less active.  His wife was baptized 8 years ago, and is really good despite all the opposition.  She asked a question yesterday, it was something like "What do you do when you have no more desire?"  I considered it as we listened to her explain, and realized that I asked that same question a number of months ago.  It gave me a good feeling of duty and purpose.  I just realized how many questions I've personally been asked upon my arrival to the branch.  Z. asked me something about Alma 32, how Faith and Knowledge are related, I still need to give her a better answer.  Then E. asked me what to do since she no longer has the time to read and study and be as strong as she once was, we read some verses together with Z., who has been finding many of the same problems.  

Z. makes my whole soul hurt sometimes.  He's got such a strong desire to do what's right, and just recently he got offered a job as a supervisor at a guest house, a job that will pay better than most working fathers here.  He asked me "why is it that as I'm trying to prepare for my mission, I get given a job like this, why not earlier?"  I will work as closely as I can with him(since he's in the other area and way busy all the time) and hope to help just a little bit.
We went to visit sister S., a convert of 7 years, yesterday after church.  To our surprise she invited her granddaughter A. to join the lesson.  As we read from the scriptures and heard the amazingly interesting conversion story of sister S.(I think she is just good at talking, that's why she teaches seminary), she gave the hint to me that she wanted her granddaughter to be baptized, so we invited and she accepted.  She's only 13, but it'll be nice to help this grandmother help her granddaughter to repent and be baptized.

You asked about my bike?  It's still way too fast for this country. In comparison to here, my bike is ok.  In comparison to a real bike, I would rather not ride it ever again.  My shoes?  My chinese shoes are holding up about as well as you'd expect (very quickly becoming not so pretty).  But I got my favorite ones repaired, and am taking them to get double repaired later today.

Not being a zone leader anymore is a big pride smasher.  But I've enjoyed having TONS of extra time to study, and to write in my journal, and to think and write this really long email.  I feel like I can work hard now, and not always have all these outside responsibilities looming over me, or in the back of my mind.  I wrote President Gamiette my old style email again this week,  "not dead, big plans big hopes high faith thanks -Elder Hulme." That's not a direct quote, and it is more professional looking, but that's the idea of the email. I wrote him good ones for a while... but not today.  President Holzapfel hated when I did that.  I also sent Pres. H a postcard asking if I could do my last transfer there, and asked Pres. G what he thought about the idea, but haven't heard back from either of them.  That was about a month ago.  

This is my 3rd time being called to serve with Elder Freeman.  I love this apartment, I honestly missed it.  Even though all the drains are clogged in the showers too, due to hair.  I'm not sure what to do about that.  Things are good.  Thank you so much for the email, it means a lot to me.

-Elder Hulme

Elder Fernandes and Elder Hulme

Elder Hulme and Elder Freeman

Wasto and Elder Hulme

New Years, Transfer to Paramaribo North, Dinner Appointments

New Years was about the same as last year, tons of fireworks, tons of smoke, and apparently tons of food.  That evening we all went to the Jansens. We ate together, played chess, watched the Testaments, talked, and had a good time.  Then we took everyone home, and while I was driving from Wanica(south east) to Paramaribo North (north) we went through downtown Paramaribo momentarily.  There were swarms of people there, all dressed gross and being absolutely crazy.  We watched as a bus drove by, and people ran and jumped into the bus through the windows and hopped up on the sides of bus screaming and hollering.  I guess they were having fun?  I immediately exited that part of the city, after locking all the doors on our van.  Then we went home, and made peanut punch, a peanut based milkshake from the carribean, I wasn't all that impressed.  Elder Warner was with Elder Fernandes and I because Elder Sadler had to fly to Trinidad to get a gall stone removed, so Elder Norton needed a new companion so Elder Freeman went and worked with him.  So what color was the sky?  Well, the sky was white green and red on black.  We got on the roof and watched fireworks for about 45 minutes, and came down and went to bed.  

Then Sunday rolled around.  Somehow we found ourselves with 4 dinner appointments.  I got us out of one of them, and had to ask to go with  another, and we were able to survive all 4 appointments and still search for new people to teach.  We ate SOOOOO much.  Everyone was very very giving with their portions and amount of soda and everything.  We taught the Pelswijk daughters that they can get married in the temple before a civil marriage, and I hope they all do it, one is 20 and one is 18.  There are only about 6 children in all of Suriname that were born into the covenant, and we hope to improve upon that.  

I got transferred and will be working in Paramaribo North again.  I'll be glad to see some of the people again.  I won't be the taxi cheaufer anymore either, which extra time will be well enjoyed.   I set the record for most amount of time worked with Elder Freeman, as he will be my companion for the next month and a half.

We'll be doing a family home evening at the Wangsa's house tonight with J.  I'll be sad to leave him, especially since he came to church on Sunday and is looking like he's ready to repent and start living according to the gospel.  We taught him with P and T on Saturday.  We talked about death, and he had even more questions and interest, especially about the judgement.  P and T are some of J's best friends in the world, they told us all the problems he's been having with himself getting into debt and having one of those evil girlfriends that just seems to cause problems (especially when you live together) and his work and stuff.  But I think he can do it.  

A Suriname Street

Service at Pelswijk's house

President Wehl, the Branch President, called me New Year's eve and asked me to give a talk in church.  I don't think he knew it'd be my last Sunday, but I gladly accepted.  I wrote some ideas of what I'd say and while I was sitting there in Sacrament meeting all those ideas just became wrong in my mind.  I then, moments before I walked up to the pulpit, made up a talk and gave it.  It turned out really well, I really felt the spirit working with me and showing me what to say.  Then as President Nazir, son of sister R (my favorite member in Paramaribo North) and 1st councilor in the district Presidency, his talk fit very very perfectly with mine.  It was cool seeing what can be taught and spoken as both parties are willing to listen to the Holy Ghost and act on what he says.  

I love you all very much.

-Elder Hulme