Courtney and Ben Visit Bonaire!

This is Elder and Sister Vander Veur's daughter, Courtney, guest posting about our recent visit to Bonaire! My husband, Ben, and I were on the island for over two weeks (we returned last week) and really enjoyed experiencing a taste of Elder and Sister Vander Veur's mission life.

Elder and Sister Vander Veur on the beach

Elder and Sister VV are great at meeting people and making friends. Everywhere we went on the island, one of them would start up a conversation with someone at the store, on the street, or in the restaurant, and within a couple minutes they'd all be laughing. People were often curious about why they're living in Bonaire and the Vander Veurs will explain that they're missionaries and would sometimes extend an invitation to attend church or learn more.

Sister VV's knee has been hurting since November so they hadn't been walking daily like they used to but her knee was feeling better so we did part of their normal route and got to see the beauty of Kralendijk in the morning.

This is an American couple that has a house on the main road in Kralendijk so they come to Bonaire multiple times a year and have gotten to know Elder and Sister VV. When they found out the VV's are missionaries they started calling them Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.  Haha! Sister VV doesn't wear nearly enough make up to warrant that nickname! ;)

This cute Dutch couple also visits Bonaire often and they sit on the same bench each morning eating breakfast. We found them in their usual spot for a nice visit.

On another visit downtown we ran into their friend who leads tours around the island

The Vander Veurs invited the Albus family (members of the branch) to dinner at their apartment with Barbel Albus's Dutch parents, Hank and Lida, who were visiting. The VV's have become good friends with Hank and Lida.

The Vander Veurs live in a mother-in-law apartment which is part of the home of one of the Dutch branch members

Look at that crystal blue water!

The branch of the LDS Church on Bonaire splits into two different groups for their Sunday meetings depending on the language they speak. Members of the branch speak Spanish, Papiamento, English or Dutch (most speak more than one). The Spanish/Papiamento speaking members meet in the morning and the Dutch/English members meet in the afternoon. We were there for three Sundays and attended the Spanish/Papiamento group once and the Dutch/English group all three weeks. The Dutch/English group is much smaller than the other. There were only 4-5 adult members other than us and the other missionaries so Ben and I were both asked to speak in sacrament meeting our second and third Sundays on the island! It was a great experience to share our testimonies with the members there and to get to know some of them.

All the missionaries went to a zone conference in Aruba one weekend while we were there so we got to use the car while they were gone. The young missionaries came back a couple days earlier than Elder and Sister VV (who were doing an audit) so we gave the elders and sisters rides to the grocery store on their preparation day. We also had the elders over for dinner (they get fewer invitations since there aren't as many Dutch/English members) and were able to visit an investigator with them.

At church after the Spanish/Papiamento sacrament meeting. The church is a house that the members have been renting for many years. They have a great deal on rent but there is no air conditioning. 

The outside of the church building

Sister VV and Courtney with the sister missionaries and an investigator. Bonaire has six missionaries on the island. Elder and Sister VV, these two sisters and two elders. The sisters work with the Spanish/Papiamento group.

Me and Ben with the elders, who work with the Dutch/English group of the branch. 

One day we decided to drive around the island and document the places Elder and Sister VV see on a regular basis. We called it the Day of Documentation, or D-Day. We also drove to all the sites where Ben and I went snorkeling or scuba diving and took pictures of the yellow rocks that mark each site with the name.

On "D-Day" we also drove to all the sites where Ben and I went snorkeling or scuba diving and took pictures of the yellow rocks that mark each site with the name.

We had Family Home Evening with the Albus family

We took lots of pictures like this...I couldn't help it. Look at that view!

Downtown Kralendijk

The Vander Veur's favorite grocery store, called the Warehouse. Avocados are much larger in Bonaire.

The main attraction of Bonaire is scuba diving because you're able to walk right into the ocean anywhere on the east side of the island and scuba! Ben and I got certified before our trip and were able to do six dives, as well as many snorkeling adventures. The water is a gorgeous blue (as you see below) and the reef is teeming with parrot fish, angel fish, honeycomb cowfish, barracuda, trumpet fish, and many others. We were lucky enough to spot a lion fish, two spotted eagle rays, a seahorse and a turtle! What an amazing experience. I love the water there.

We did our first two dives (in one day) with a guide but realized we had all the knowledge we needed to do it on our own so the next four dives were just me and Ben! I was a little nervous at first but it was an amazing experience and I'm so glad we did it!

We saw lots of the stoplight parrot fish (in the middle). This one is in the initial phase. During the terminal phase it turns green, red and yellow.

Ben loves the feeling of flying that you have while floating through the water

We rented an underwater camera for one of the days while diving. We got some great video and photos.

Can you see the seahorse? It's hanging upside down. We never would have found this on our own but some divers told us about the seahorse and even described exactly where it was so we could find it. I was so happy to see a seahorse and it was much easier to catch a picture of it because it didn't move, besides swaying with the flow of the water.

Welcome to Elias

Greetings from Bonaire!

We have been talking about having English classes since we got here in January. Hermano Solarin said he wanted to start one and then it never happened, everything got in the way of the class - vacations, illness of his wife who had to go to Columbia, weather, he is a painter so he had to paint a government building. Finally months later in about September the Sisters just said, the lessons would be on Tuesday evenings at 7pm!

Hermano Solarin - Branch Mission Leader -  and Elias

  

Elias was their first student. He heard about the lessons from his  friend  Hermano Solarin. The Sisters were good teachers and they started with a prayer and a spiritual thought or scripture.  After the first lesson they gave him a pamphlet on the Restoration of the Gospel in English so he could practice during the week. He had taken online English lessons before, so he was motivated. We were unable to attend very many of the lessons, but when we did it was fun to watch and participate a little.

We soon heard that after each English lesson they were teaching him the gospel so he was getting a missionary lesson each week as well. 

Sister Ramirez - (from Orem Utah), Elias, Sister Bennion - (from Orem Utah)  Elias was taught by several sets of missionaries. These are the two who were here for the special day.

He continued coming to church meetings and made friends with members of the Branch.
He enjoyed coming to the baptisms and taking pictures.
He is a very kind, gentle, quiet, and soft spoken man. He is originally from Venezuela. He works at a local jewelry shop as a Rolex watch repair man and he has studied in Switzerland to learn his trade.

7:45 AM on the Caribbean Sea at Bachelor's Beach

The baptism was at 7am Sunday morning December 27th. The Beach was different this time, a little closer to the church for ease in getting back in time for our 9:00 AM sacrament meeting and the confirmation..There were steep stairs going down into the sea.

Down into the churning sea!

 It had been raining for 2 days and the forecast was for rain on Sunday as well, but just from the hours of 7-9 it didn't rain and the sun was shinning. The cold water did not bother Elias and he told the Sisters how peaceful he felt when he came out of the water.

Elias coming out of the waters of baptism

 The blue sky was full of big white cumulus clouds and it was beautiful. They took the steep stairs straight down into the sea and big waves washed over Elias, Hermano Solarin and the 2 Elders as the ordinance was performed. Everyone was soaking wet!

The water was deep

   It was another wonderful day for a baptism and we were all so glad that we had come to welcome another member into our growing Bonaire Branch.

Members of the Branch who came that morning

Witness -  Elder Jennings and Sister Bennion

2016

Greetings from Bonaire!
Happy New Year!

What comes to mind when we say New year’s Eve? Parties, staying up late, fireworks, celebrations, family, games, karaoke, sjoelbak, puzzles, chess or checkers. Food..gazpacho, caviar pie, soup, 7 layer dip, croquetten and,...Oliebollen!

You are not the only ones who think of oliebollen. The Dutch have brought their tradition to the island and it is not hard to find an oliebollen at New Year’s time here. You can make them yourself or buy them at the grocery store or order them from restaurants!  

Sister Albus made about 75 yesterday and there will be more today as she has invited us, the missionaries and others to her house for more oliebollen! They were delicious. They have a store bought mix and she adds raisins and grated apple and they are very light and airy. Yum Yum!

At midnight we drove down by the sea to see the fireworks that were exploding all over the island and there were fireworks all around us. Elder VV counted at least 35-40 places where they were setting off spectacular displays. WOW! It sounded like a rumbling train and the smell of gun powder was in the air everywhere we went. It started before 12 and then continued on till almost 2am, but the biggest displays were at midnight. It was quite a sight to behold!

The island was welcoming 2016 in with a bang!

We are looking forward to the next 6 months as we continue on with helping further the Lord’s work here on the island of Bonaire in 2016.

We wish you a Prospero Ano and a Gelukkig Nieuwaar and a Bon Ano Nobo.

-Elder & Sister VV

The package mix and powdered sugar at the store with Elder VV

Appel Flappen

Buying olibollen

Oliebollen being made at Van den Tweel (the grocery store)

They fill the hopper with dough and drop about 35 or 36 dough balls into the hot oil at one time.

Yum!

The restaurant where you can order olibollen

Christmas Day

Dear loved ones,

Yesterday was Christmas Day on the island of Bonaire! There too?

We awoke anticipating a fun day on the beach at Klein Bonaire. Elder VV was excited because he has always wanted to go there. It is a small uninhabited island 1/2 mile off the coast of the main island of Bonaire that is famous for wonderful beaches and diving spots. It has no facilities - no bathrooms,no water, no shade, just beach and sea. You bring it in - you take it out.

We were gong to go with the Albus' and Ellie and her girls. It was cloudy when we woke, but it often rains just for a few minutes then clears up. But it was forecast to be rainy all day. We decided against the beach and went upstairs for a Brunch of Pannenkoeken and fruit.

It started to rain! torrents and sheets of rain! then it stopped, drizzled, started pouring again, then stopped... all day. 

After lunch the Elders were to come here and Skype their families. As we waited for them Elder VV and I played UNO and I was surprised at the UNO champ I am!  I wiped him out! I won 7 of the 10 games!!

Our internet/Skype didn't work very well for the Elders so we went to the Albus' where the Sisters had already successfully made their Christmas calls to home.

We were planning to go to the new Star Wars movie at the outdoor Cinema for Christmas night. It kept raining. 

We took the Elders to dinner at the Albus' and a better skyping experience. We enjoyed visiting with President Albus' mother Astrid who lives with her son and his family. She is a lovely woman. As we were fixing dinner the power went off! We were in the dark!.... and it started to rain!

Luckily there was a full moon. The first full moon on a Christmas since 1977 and there won't be another on Christmas till 2034. So, by the light of the silvery moon we waited for the power to return.

We had a nice dinner that is a tradition for some people in Holland. It is kind of like a Fondu/Hibachi on an electric grill, cook your own dinner - meat and fresh veggies and dip it in sauce, experience.

We had a nice time and even though it was none of the things we had expected or planned to do on Christmas it was a very pleasant day. In the MTC they told us we should be flexible.

We enjoyed being able to Skype the children on Christmas Eve and it was so fun to see and hear the pandemonium we have come to miss and look forward to being a part of again.

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your families and loved ones. 

The new year awaits! full of wonderful surprises, challenges, adventure, and service.

We are ready!

Love, Elder and Sister VV

Fredy N- Kalala

Greetings from Bonaire!

The Saint James School of Medicine is located here on the island. There are about ? (I don't know how many and now he is gone so I can't ask him - but a whole bunch) of  students from all over the United States are here studying to be doctors. One of the students is a member of the church and is from the Congo in Africa. Because of war in his country he and his family came to America and has been living in Utah, on the Avenues.

French is the language of the Congo, he came to Utah and learned English and then he served a mission to Tennessee Spanish speaking. He fits in perfectly on this multilingual island.

He contacted the church here before he came and has been a very valuable member of the Branch, ever since, serving as the YM/YW s Sunday School class teacher.

The unique thing about Fredy is how willing he is to "invite" he has invited many of his fellow classmates to church meetings and parties, and Wednesday night basket ball. One of his friends and fellow student, Mimi, was baptized last month.

The Medical School is moving to the Island of St. Vincent because of all the rules and regulations here from the Dutch government. We will miss Fredy and his faith and testimony he has been a great example and teacher to the youth.

He has a wonderful testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and is always willing to share it and "invite".

We feel blessed to meet and come to know so many wonderful people here on the Island of Bonaire.

Away in a Manger

Greetings from Bonaire!

In September we received a call from the Sisters saying that their bed was broken. 

At about the same time we learned that there was to be a trio of Sisters on the island. So we needed another bed. Elder VV discovered that the broken bed was a bunk bed and that he could repair it. With the help of the Elders they bought boards and screws and strips of wood and went to work. 

A few months later.....

December was upon us and we were preparing for the "Night in Bethlehem" play that the youth put on for the Branch Christmas Party. I borrowed a baby doll from Ellie and had a idea that Elder VV could make a manger with the scraps of wood left over from the bed. It didn't take long and he didn't have to spend any money because he had all the materials right here at the house. 

It was very nice to have a manger for the play and a place for baby Jesus to "...lay his sweet head".

"This Christmas season we celebrate the greatest gift of all, the gift that makes all other gifts possible- the birth of the babe of Bethlehem."

  - President Uchtdorf at the Christmas Devotional 

Merry Christmas to you all that we love so much.

It's a Wonderful Life!

Greetings from Bonaire!

It hardly seems like Christmas as we sit in the heat studying the scriptures and typing on the computer. Then we hear about 12 inches of snow at home and more on the way! I really am dreaming of a White Christmas. 

We are not doing the traditional holiday things this year in our unique setting. We have been able to think more on the "Reason for the Season" Our Savior Jesus Christ.

On Monday the missionaries got a Christmas gift from the Mission President. They got to watch a movie (one movie a year). They could choose from 2 films, "Miracle on 34th Street" or "It's a Wonderful Life". They chose the latter and we had it on netflix so they came over to watch with us on our little laptop computer screen.

We had snacks and enjoyed the best Christmas movie ever made. One of the Sisters had never seem a black and white movie before and one of the Elders had never seen the movie. I feel kind of old. 

We love you all so much! We think of you and pray for you and thank Heavenly Father for you everyday.

It really is a Wonderful Life!

Love, Elder & Sister VV