Homeward Bound

Greetings from Bonaire!

Our 18 months are almost spent. Time is up! We're outta here! Adios amigos, Wij zijn weg!  We are homeward bound.  Time to go. We bid all a fond farewell, Sayonara, Auf Wiedersesehen, Hasta lugeo. Tot ziens. Ayo. Au revoir. Mission accomplished. Farewell to Bonaire! 

We are headed to Trinidad on the 12th of July. There is a missionary goodbye meeting at the mission home and then on the 14th of July we are winging our way to the USA, arriving in SLC that evening.

We will be speaking in sacrament meeting on the 24th of July at 9 am. We know Sunday is a busy day. Please do not feel any obligation to come that early in the am.

That said, we would love seeing any of you who would care to come. You are welcome to stop by the house after the meeting.

Our church building is at 1970 East Viscounti Drive in Sandy Utah. Viscounti Drive is approximately 8600 South. Approach from Highland Drive (2000 East) and turn west at the light onto Viscounti (not East on Alta Canyon Drive).

We have appreciated your support the past 18 months. Thank you for your comments, prayers, and encouragement.

Love,
Elder and Sister VV

Visiting Teaching

Greetings from Bonaire!

Today Nurjia and I went visiting teaching to Jessica. The June message is on Temple Ordinances and Covenants.

Jessica has not been able to come to church lately. She is in charge of the breakfast buffet at a resort on the island. She has to work every Sunday. Even though she has not been able to come to church, she continues to say her prayers and have faith in God. 

As we visited she was excited to tell us about some blessings she has received the past few months. Then she told us the BIG news (it was the perfect lead-in to the message). Sterling (the father of her 2 children) had asked her to marry him! She was very surprised and happy. We pointed out that this was the first step toward being sealed in the Temple with her family. 

Jessica is a great example of repentance. She was baptized, met Sterling, made bad choices, came back and now is looking forward with hope.

As we make and keep sacred covenants with God we can have the power to smile through hard times and have hope and direction and peace in a world full of troubles and uncertainty.     

God is in the Details of our Lives

Greetings from Bonaire!

Yesterday we had the Dutch speaking Elders come to dinner and they were all smiles when they came in. They had had a miracle happen! They had ridden their bikes up the hill to Republic, where we live, in the thick humid Bonairian heat. They had been contacting for about 3 hours and had no water!

They were very thirsty and tired and wondered together what they could do, and probably asked a silent prayer. The next door they came to they met a Dutch woman. She said she wasn't interested in their message but then asked them if they wanted a drink. They were so surprised and relieved. She brought out two cans of pop each for them.

It seems like a little thing but two two very thirsty and diligent missionaries certainly felt the hand of the Lord in that small tender mercy.

Testimony Meeting

Greetings from Bonaire!

Today in Fast and Testimony meeting several youth bore their testimonies.
Both were recently baptized.

Sygried is just 12 years old. She is a friend Melody brought to church last year. Several sets of  Sisters taught her over the months when she was just 11. She is the only member of the church in her family. Her parents agreed to let her get baptized last December but they are very protective of her and she has been grounded from church a few times for coming in late and other infractions of the rules. She has been having conflict with her father about the rules of the home and just about growing up. 

Today she bore her testimony about the power of prayer. She told of how the atmosphere at home was strained and not comfortable. She decided to pray that things would get better between her and her dad. She said, she prayed and prayed and then prayed some more and then one day he father sat down with her and told her how much he loved her and how he knew she was growing up and she told him how she felt. It was a good conversation and things are much better between them. 

She bore her testimony of the power of prayer. I think what impressed me most is that this sometimes silly, flirty just 12 year old girl had the maturity to turn to her Heavenly Father to get help with her earthly father, just like she did when she went to Him to ask if the church is true.

At the next meeting for the Dutch "group" Freddie DePalm bore his testimony about the blessing of keeping the Sabbath Day holy.

Frederick was baptized at the first of the year in January. Freddy is also the only member in his family and is friends with the youth in the Branch. He was introduced to the gospel through Wednesday night basketball with the youth. He is more than 6 feet tall, skinny, soft spoken and had to be held back in school because he had cancer in his teen age years. 

Freddy told about finals week before graduation. They were being tested on everything they have learned over all the school years. 

The missionaries gave him a lesson on keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. He decided not to study on Sunday even though it was just before a big test on Tuesday. So, Monday night he stayed up late studying but gave up because he couldn't find the answers and was very tired. He went to bed but then he heard a voice say to get up and try again. He got back up, started to study again and finally found the answers he had been looking for. He studied till 5 am then took a little nap then took the test. He got like 95% on the test and a testimony of keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, and a testimony that the Lord knows him and cares about him individually.

We have been so blessed to know the exceptional youth in the Branch. They are faithful and trying to follow the prophet  and keep gospel standards in a world where it is difficult. 

The future of the church in Bonaire looks hopeful.

Youth Conference

Greetings from Boinaire!

It is that time of year again.Youth Conference will be the 6th of July in Aruba. Last year the 4 youth who went to Curacao had such a wonderful life changing experience that 4 more want to join them this time. 

So we had a fundraiser last weekend. 
All of the 8 youth who plan on coming put in their time at Magazina de Rei (think Pioneer Village) and the Taste of Bonaire (an event where local restaurants and vendors sell their food at booths in the Willhelmina Plein).

So all day Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm at two separate events the youth worked at cooking and assembling, taking the orders & money, looking for customers and passing out flyers. 

Burgers anyone? We have iguana, cabrito (goat), fish, chicken, and plain old beef burgers... with fries of course!

They were  successful ventures that will be repeated in the next few weeks all leading up to the ultimate Bar B Que ( ribs, chicken, cole slaw, & moro (rice and beans) sale on July 2nd where they could conceivably make $1,000.00!

It looked like they were having a great time together creating memories and sharing fun times.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day was not yesterday here on Bonaire. I think it was a few weeks ago cause we have seen wreaths around and fake flowers in the cemetery.

I have very fond memories of Memorial Day when I was a young girl. We all gathered at the Wasatch Lawn Cemetery. The aunts and uncles came. All brought flowers - purple iris and white pom poms were from our house, 

We remembered Grandma and Grandpa Romney, The cousins Rosy and Cindy and David and Karen, Corey, Marv, Lynne and Laurie and the little kids  all played around on the grass. I wish I would have listened to the grown-up talk... that would have been so interesting.

After the cemetery we all went up Mill Creek Canyon for breakfast. I can see Aunt Bea standing cooking bacon. Then she cracked the eggs into the simmering hot bacon grease.  Those eggs were delicious! A heart attack waiting to happen ..but people didn't worry about  things like that in the olden days.

I am so thankful for the heritage I come from and for the examples of faithful people I observed as a young girl and throughout my life.
I am so glad that we are celebrating the 100th birthday year of our father Alvin Charles Soderborg on the 27th of November 2016.

I, Kathleen Soderborg Vander Veur having been born of goodly parents was taught in the learning of my father and mother in the ways of God. As we remember dad this year and the things he taught us I will  also remember all those  who have gone before, for  lives well lived, testimonies borne in word and by example and I will remember and be thankful. 

We love you all so much. Thank for your prayers and love and support.

 A war memorial by the Wilhelmina Plein and the pier

"I am the Resurrection and the Life" - in Papiamentu

The cemetery in Bonaire. They do not bury people in the ground here since we are living on an island of coral rock - it is hard to dig a hole - so they put the dead in above ground crypts or tombs