As we write this newsletter we are in the middle of yet another move. The house we are currently staying in, is only available to us until the beginning of this month. We are moving to a house in the centre of Den Helder.

Apart from our move to another house, we have other things to share with you. We have had an interview with representatives of Africa Inland Mission NL, and Jurgen's studies will be discussed below.

Another Move

Since our arrival in the Netherlands in October 2012 we have lived on the premises of Katja's mother for 7 weeks, and afterwards we moved to Den Helder to stay in a house of friends. These friends will return from the mission field this month, so we needed to find ourselves another place to stay.

It has not been easy to find a house in Den Helder, where we are close to family, friends and church, but the Lord has blessed us and has provided that we can spend more time in Den Helder before we leave for Africa. It is a small house in the centre of Den Helder. You can find our new address on the left, under Contact Information.

We know this house will be temporary, which makes it somewhat difficult to find the energy to move again. In the long run we would like to have 'a place of our own' where we can return to every time we are in the Netherlands. Finding a temporary house is quite hard and the rent is costly. Please pray for us as we seek the Lord's guidance over this issue.

Application Process with AIM

We applied for a membership of Africa Inland Mission (AIM) in June 2012. It has taken very long before we had our interview with representatives of AIM, but it was a good interview. We understand that AIM NL is positive about our application. Before our application is formally decided upon, a number of other steps have to be taken.

The first step is an interview with representatives of AIM NL and the church leadership. We hope this interview will be conducted this month. Then there is a psychological test for us both in May. After that, there is a final interview in England with representatives of AIM Europe. This will be no sooner than in June or July. When we visit England for this purpose we hope to meet many of you, that is something we are all looking forward to.

In the meantime we need to start finding funds for our stay in Africa. We have been handed an estimation of costs. The rule is that we need to find enough (at least 90%) financial support before we can leave for the mission field. Please pray that the Lord will move people to partner with us in this respect.

Jurgen's Studies

Jurgen is now well in his second year of Theology. He does this by way of Distance Learning. Although there are certain advantages to learning this way, it also holds difficulties. At times Jurgen misses the direct interaction with tutors and fellow students. There is also a lot more reading involved than was required the first year, at Trinity School of Ministry. On top of that our frequent moves take a lot of time and energy. Your prayers for Jurgen's studies are much appreciated.

The children are doing fine and are developing as they should. Vanya (8) has taken on German as a third language (we have German relatives). Issa (6) enjoys writing. Abbey (4) and Dani (2) enjoy their daily story time


With blessings and love,

Jurgen& Katja Hofmann
Vanya, Issa, Abbey & Dani