We had to wait 4 years on his arrival, but he has finally made it: Simeon! He was born on 29 July at 01:20 am in hospital. He weighed 3810 grammes and measured about 51 cm. It all went rather quickly: labour started at 10:49 pm, the arrival in hospital was at 00:30 am and three quarters of an hour later Simeon had safely found his way into this world. We feel very rich. Again we are amazed about 10 little toes and 10 little fingers. How small and fragile life begins!
Our departure to Madagascar is drawing nearer. For years we have been preparing ourselves, but how?
Bilinguality
The language amongst missionaries and within most missionary organisations is English. That is one of the reasons why we have decided to raise our children bilingually from an early age. From about 3 years of age – when they have an age appropriate fluency in Dutch – Katja speaks as much English to and with them as possible. After having learned to read and write Dutch at beginner’s level, we start teaching them the same in English. Sofar this approach works for our family: our children are capable of conversing in 2 languages and are confident about their abilities. On the mission field they will be able to communicate with other missionaries and their children from the start.
Cultural Awareness
Compared to thirty years ago, when we were in primary education, the world seems to have ‘shrunk’! The world comes closer in the books we read, the television programmes we see and even through people living around us who have come from a different culture.
Since we will be living in a vastly different culture than our own, we read and talk a lot about the continents, climates, cultures and religions in the world. We hope to get a better understanding of what culture is and how important it is in everyday life. We read books on Madagascar in particular, so we will have some idea in advance of what we might experience and see.
Identity
Children of missionaries generally have more identity problems than their peers who have no cross-cultural experience. It is often heard that the live between 2 or more cultures and have difficulty identifying any which country as home. Ties with the country of origin can be weaker than the ties with the country they, as a familly, have served in.
For these reasons we emphasize our own cultural identity as well. Through history lessons, typical Dutch celebrations and family traditions we enforce our identity as a familly, Christians, Dutch and Europeans. We trust this will enable us to move and feel freely in both our own and our host cultures.
We are very happy to let you know that quite some progress has been made in finances this last month. At the moment we have reached 65% coverage of our monthly budget. We need some additional 25% in support to reach the goal of at least 90% coverage, the percentage at which the mission organisation thinks it is responsible to let us go to Madagascar.
How does it work? Africa Inland Mission has made a monthly budget for us – based on experience – to live and work as missionaries on Madagascar. The mission organisation is not our employer, but is itself dependent on gifts. Consequently, we are not paid any wages but are responsible ourselves for finding sponsors to help us on our way.
You can support us periodically (monthly / quarterly / annually) or one-off. Find out more about how to give here. We value any support given.
So ones in a while we receive questions about the children.
We would like to answer these questions and the answer on the first question can be read here. The others will follow.
Op 5 februari mogen wij u wat meer vertellen over onze missie naar Madagaskar. We willen daar gaan werken onder onbereikte volken. Wat dat gaat betekenen voor ons als gezin én voor de mensen daar vertellen wij u graag.
We nodigen u van harte uit om 5 februari te komen naar de Morgenster Kerk in Den Helder.
Aanvang: 19:00 (zodat het niet te laat wordt voor de kinderen die komen).
Na ongeveer een uurtje zal er koffie/thee zijn.
Komen jullie ook?
Adres:
de Morgenster
Doctorandus F. Bijlweg 9
1784MC Den Helder
A new year has begun: a good moment to share with you how we are doing.
As far as we are concerned we are ready to leave: suitcases and lesson materials have been purchased; our destiny and ministry are clear; and we are all quite eager to take the plunge. Then why are we still in Holland?
The only thing to be taken care of are the finances. AIM Holland’s treasurer has made us a monthly budget and a budget for start up costs. We are responsible for raising the necessary funds ourselves. AIM is not our employer, but a facilitating organisation. This means AIM organises missionary work, but does not provide the finances. Our home church in Den Helder is not able to support us fully either. Most of our budget is dependent on individual supporters.
So how far are we? The latest statement of our fund with the mission organisation showed we have reached 52% of our monthly budget. Those who are supporting us already are helping us save for the start up costs. These include air fares, visa, vaccines, the 3 week orientation in Kenya and some basic furnishings for our new home in Antananarivo. When we have reached 90% of our monthly budget in promised support, we are allowed to book the tickets.
Would you like to sponsor us? You can find out how on our Support – Financial Support page. Money donated will be received in our private fund. You will be helping us directly, not the mission organisation in general.
Now that we will be staying in the Netherlands and Jurgen has almost finished his Diploma level in Theology, he has gone back to work. He finishes his studies in his spare time. We are very thankful for the years of study and expect to reap the fruits of it on the mission field, as we have already been blessed so much by the knowledge and experience gained over the past few years.
When we arrive in Antananarivo (Tana) we will become part of the Tana FOCUS team. It is the vision and stategy of the team to reach the unreached of Madagascar through the training of local believers. The team will train Malagasy Christians as missionaries and will support them when they serve amongst an unreached people group on the island. After successful service in Madagascar the Malagasy missionaries will be encouraged to go back to their roots (Indonesia) to do missionary work there. We are much delighted about this approach and find it a privilege to take part in it.
While in Tana we expect to spend much time on language acquisition and study of the culture and history of Madagascar. Katja will continue educating the children.
AIM’s unit leader over Madagascar has proposed that we help him survey which people groups still need to be effectively reached with the gospel and how this can be achieved. We will probably visit various people groups and locations on the isle. In time hopes are that we may be involved in starting a new team amongst an unreached people group.
Summary:
– As part of the Tana FOCUS team we will help train Malagasi Christians to be missionaries;
– We will study Malagasy language, culture and history;
– We will help survey unreached people groups;
– In time we hope to start a new team amongst such a group;
– Katja will home educate the children.
To read more on unreached peoples visit this page. To learn more about Madagascar and its people go here.
Chronological Biblestorying almost sounds like telling fairy-tales. This however, cannot be further from the truth. I (Jurgen) attended this course, given by Wycliffe at the Redcliffe college (UK), and if one thing needs to be said it will be that telling stories is a worthy way of education.
In the West we are used to learn from books. Obviously some things are learned by experience but from the moment one enters a school-building that person knows one thing for sure: From now one you will have to read, write and read again. This is because our culture is completely literate orientated. The opposite can be seen among people who are illiterate. In the year 1998 16% of the world’s population was illiterate and Unicef predicted that this percentage will rise.1 We have negative connotation when we think of illiteracy and thus we spend many years learning how to read and write.
Still, there are many cultures in which people do not mind that they can not read or write. Their education methods are more orientated on experience and imitating others. Often they transfer knowledge through (old) stories. Where did our ancestors come from? Why did we become shepherds? Against who did we wage war and how did we solve it? The stories are often a bit adjusted to make it more understandable. These cultures are orally orientated. So do not think you can make them happy with a book because it does not say a thing to them. When you offer to tell a good series of stories however, big chance that they will come with the whole village to listen.
So, why this course, when we can read to them out of the Bible? To answer this question let me suggest that you image that you are going to the cinema. There is a great film playing and you already look forward being drawn into the adventures of the people in it. But wait, the film is not playing and the director climbs the stage and, instead of showing the film, he is willing to read the script to you. Most likely, depending on his reading skills, you are not thrilled. The script contains many details and these are only understandable when you see it on screen. Now, we cannot compare the Bible with a film but the idea behind this example can.
The course aimed to teach how to stay close to the Bible and at the same how to adjust certain details to make it more understandable. This is different from reading the stories literally. Some details can come across different from what it actually means. For example: We had to learn the story of Zacheus (Luke 19). Sometime during the course a man was invited in. He was not a believer and hardly knew the Bible. He listened to the story and afterwards we asked him what his thoughts were. Surprisingly he got stuck with this aspect of Zacheus being bullied by the people. What did he do wrong? Was he not just doing his job? For our guest this was the main theme, which was bad because the crux of the story is that people need to be restored to God. After some adjustments we have tried it a second time and the next person grasped the essence of the story right away.
A second example was about a culture where, in the stories, the hero always appeared at the last moment. This way the hero could save the day when everything seemed lost. One day, missionaries started to tell the Bible stories. They also told the story where Satan tempted Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4). This was very disturbing for the people as in this story it was Satan who came last. According to their ‘rules’ he, Satan, had to be the hero! That could not be right… could it?
You will understand that thorough preparation and a good understanding of where to give extra explanation is important. These and other suggestions where given during this course. The week was very intensive. To get a good understanding of how oral orientated people learn we were discouraged to take note or even read books on the topic. Among the students were five other workers from Africa Inland Mission, which was unexpected but very nice.
Telling stories is an interesting discipline which will not suit everybody. That is why we also learned how craft the stories and to teach others to tell them. This is very useful when one comes to an area where one does not speak the language. In those situations you can teach a native speaker how develop a series that is relevant and understandable for the hearers.
All in all, the course was very good and we believe it to be a good preparation for our work on Madagascar.
Here are some examples to watch:
1. http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/society/illiteracy-world-illiteracy-rates.html
Last month has been intense for us. We got word that, on second thought, we could not join the Betroka team. It was a pretty hard blow to take. As we understand, the teamleaders feel that they will not be able to give us the support we – as newcomers – will need with. Apparently the current situation on the field is already demanding enough. This has been very disappointing to us.
The good news is that a very fitting solution has been found. The unit leader of Madagascar has offered us to start our ministry in the capital, Antananarivo (Tana for short). We will be part of a ministry that trains Malagasy Christians to become missionaries to unreached people groups in their own country. Meanwhile we will learn the language, study the culture and gain insight into the vision and strategies of AIM Madagascar.
There are still many unreached people groups on Madagascar, especially in the south where also the Bara are located. AIM is surveying what people groups still need to be reached and what means and methods might be suitable to that end. In time we will be able to travel to different locations and people groups to see for ourselves and to help in the survey. Lord willing, we will be part of a new ministry to an unreached people group.
We look forward to our envolvement in the training of Malagasy missionaries and – in time – in starting a new ministry amongst an unreached people group of Madagascar.
The ideal is that we leave for Tana in January 2015. To be able to go we need enough financial support. Would you like to be part of our ministry to the unreached peoples of Madagascar? We thank you deeply if you do.
Next year we hope to move to the south of Madagascar to serve the Bara. The Bara are an unreached people group. Unreached people groups lack enough followers of Christ and resources to evangelise their own people. We are more than willing to be part of the Bara being reached. But why?
For a Christian this may be an easy question. If you believe that Jesus – in dying on the cross and rising from death – has won over evil, you can’t help but share this with others. News like that must be told! But suppose you are not a Christian: why bother to support missionary work at all?
We are convinced that, when preaching Jesus Christ, many other beautiful things take place also. Not only do the hearers gain the possibility to be restored to a relationship with God through Christ, but changes begin to take place alongside. Sometimes these good things come about directly through the work of missionaries (e.g. schools, hospitals, water supply), but more often people and communities begin to change from within. A Christian does not need to consult the spirits, or fear things new or unknown. He can confidently make plans, assured of God’s protection and care. Investment in missionary work is also an investment in freedom – a precious commodity. Read the full article here.