I watched, astonished, as an Indian woman used her machete to reap the pineapple from the plant. Why had I always supposed that pineapples were like coconuts and grew from tall palm trees? Pineapples grow on plants near the ground. This is just one example of the many new things I had the opportunity to see and learn while in Suriname.

Early in the summer of this year, an RE short-term mission team spent two weeks in this diverse South American country. Jonathan Morton (leader), Matthew Wright, Afton Orr, my sister Johanna, and I went there to work on psalm singing with several mission churches. Suriname is located above Brazil on the northeast coast of the continent. (No, its not in Africa.) Formerly Dutch Guyana, Suriname’s official language is Dutch.

Being in Suriname was one of the most different and exciting experiences I’ve ever had. No matter how many times I’ve heard that the USA is not ‘all there is” and agreed with that, nothing compares to actually being in a place so different from home. Since returning, I’ve tried to think back on my time there. It’s so easy to forget quickly all about Suriname, the people we got to know there, and how God was in control in every situation.

In Suriname we worked with Karl and Rheta Hubenthal, Orthodox Presbyterian Church missionaries, as well as Samuel and Maria Aim, who are Korean missionaries there. I appreciated their hospitality and willingness to open up to us not only their homes but also their lives. Seeing their strong commitment to Christ, their hard work, and their dedication to the people and missions there was challenging. They have sacrificed much in going and living in a foreign land where they are without family and friends and many other things to which They are accustomed.

While there, our team gave music lessons to four different churches. Each weekday we had a lesson at one of them. We covered the basics of rhythm during the first meeting with each group and then went on to pitch, note names, etc. in the second. After this brief, limited introduction to music we split the people into different groups to practice singing parts on a psalm. Sometimes progress seemed slow, and even with a translator the language barrier remained a difficulty. But by the end, when I saw peoples’ faces light up as they heard themselves singing in harmony for the first time, every moment was worth the effort. How often we take the gift of music for granted!

Besides giving the lessons, the five of us had the privilege of singing for people in several different situations. These included the churches, a Christian radio station, and a community for persons who have had leprosy. Each place we sang, our audiences were kind and appreciative. We sang some Psalms in Dutch and others in English. God was good in allowing our voices to blend well together and enabling us to decently pronounce the Dutch so that the words were understood by the Surinamers, even though we could not understand what we were singing.

I’m very glad I was able to visit Suriname. It was an exciting and stretching time for me as I observed a different country, climate, and way of life. I hope and pray we were an encouragement to the people and missionaries there; I know that they were to me. Once again, I learned many lessons, and was especially reminded that God has been gracious in pro viding me a Christian home in a place where there is so much opportunity and prosperity.

Please keep Suriname in your prayers. Remember the Ahns and Hubenthals and the churches with which they work. They need both physical and spiritual growth and also more indigenous leadership. Finally, pray that the Lord will draw more laborers into His harvest and that 1-lis light will shine forth in Suriname and around the world.