Where God Leads
Suriname—to be fair, it’s not exactly one of the most well-known countries in the world! In fact, until July last year, I’d never actually heard of it. Interestingly enough, Suriname is one of Lonely Planet’s ‘Top 10’ countries to visit for 2010. Always keen to travel somewhere new, when an opportunity arose to serve overseas for The Salvation Army I decided I’d take up Lonely Planet’s suggestion and relocate to Suriname for three years.
What a difference a few months can make. Only six months ago I was living on my own in a quiet little street in Lower Hutt. Now I live with 28 children on one of the busiest streets in Paramaribo, Suriname’s capital city. For a confirmed introvert, this is taking some adjusting.
Suriname lies on the north-east coast of South America and is part of The Salvation Army’s Caribbean Territory. The climate is tropical and much of the country is covered by rain forest. It’s a relatively small country with a population of less than half a million.
Given the diversity in ethnicity (South Asian, mixed African/European, Chinese and Indonesian), it is somewhat surprising that there is little religious and racial tension within Suriname. In fact, it seems that the inhabitants of this small country are rightly proud of their multi-ethnicity.
Sound like a fascinating place to live for three years? Let me assure you, it is!
Ramoth Children’s Home
The Salvation Army’s Ramoth Children’s Home provides a home for children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. There are currently 28 children between the ages of 6-16 living here. We also have an onsite day-care centre that provides support primarily for the many single mothers in our immediate community. In addition, 30 school-aged children are cared for in our after-school programme.
The children in our home all have parents somewhere in Suriname, but for various reasons they are unable to take care of them. Some simply can’t afford to have their children with them, while others have more or less abandoned their offspring. Other parents travel inland to find work and can’t take their children. Some children come from broken homes where parents have separated and gone on to have other children with a new partner, leaving the abandoned children with considerable bitterness and resentment.
It hasn’t taken long for me to come to love the children here. They crave attention, love to have fun, and despite some difficult backgrounds, they have an enduring spirit. However, the reality is that many have significant emotional issues, and living together in this communal environment doesn’t come easy. They often have difficulty adjusting to living together and can show little compassion and tolerance. The limits of my patience are tested daily.
Fortunately, the Netherlands Territory of The Salvation Army has recently given considerable funding for urgent plumbing and electrical repairs to the property. Johnsonville Corps in New Zealand is also helping to provide resources to develop a more structured, child-focused, educational programme. And the Women’s Ministries Department (New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga) is making us their territorial women’s fundraising project for the first half of 2011. We are very grateful for all this assistance, which will make a considerable difference to the children of Ramoth.
Facing reality
While it is a huge privilege to serve God in this way, the reality of living here is that it can be really hard.
I was told that English was relatively widely spoken here. This was somewhat of an exaggeration. It’s difficult and frustrating living in a culture where I don’t speak the language—most people I am in contact with don’t understand me, including many of the children. No matter how much progress I make in learning Dutch (or as I like to say: ‘Double Dutch!’), it always feels too slow.
And speaking of slow … as in many developing countries, getting anything done here, even the most basic of things, is never easy and is always slow. Being the only ex pat here within the Army can also be difficult. While I am surrounded by noise and chaos almost constantly, at times it can be a lonely place.
My list of challenges could go on and on! However, I want to emphasise that there are also many moments of joy and hope: from a tiny hand slipping into mine, to the incredible smiles of these beautiful children; from securing funding and seeing much-needed improvements, to the joy of actually understanding someone when they speak to me in Dutch!
Living out god’s will
Not a day goes by without me feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the challenges here and my inability to meet these in my own strength. But could it be that God sent me here that I might become more aware of my own weakness and consequently surrender my whole self to the One who calls me by name and who promises that his strength is made perfect in my weakness?
We want to believe that every story has a happy ending—and I’m certainly hoping that this chapter of my life will!—yet as I reflect back on my first few months in Suriname, somehow I think that God is not so concerned with giving us a happy ending. He’s far more concerned about our willingness to trust him and our obedience in following God’s call on our lives … wherever that may lead.
from War Cry magazine