While writting this letter we realise that we are already in the third month of 2015, time flies!

Work

Jurgen started a job in a vegetable factory. He is enjoying good conversations with his colleagues. Many of these conversations are about faith and mission-work. A lot of his colleagues are foreigners which makes it an interesting place to work. Jurgen's study is almost at an end but working full-time makes it hard to find some time to finish the last modules.

A happy surprise

The new year also came with a lovely surprise. Katja did not feel well for quite a while and in January we found the reason why... We are expecting a fifth child! You will understand that we have had our own private party after this discovery. The children were absolutely thrilled but after the first excitement they had a little problem. Is it going to be a boy or a girl? Well, we could not help them with this question, they will just have to wait until the end of July.

The baby is growing well but we have to wait whether Katja can deliver the child naturally or not. The placenta seems to be blocking the exit. This can still change in due time and we appreciate your prayers for this.

Madagascar

We are still living with the expectation to leave for Madagascar. In light of Katja's pregnancy we see that is was that that bad that we could not leave last January. Now we are able to welcome the new Hofmann-member whilst still in the Netherlands where family and friends can admire him or her.

This does not mean that we are no longer preparing ourselves. More and more we see that people are joining us in our mission. In several conversations we have noticed that not everybody understands what we are going to do. For this reason we will explain it a bit in detail below.

The first period
After our arrival on Madagascar we will join the Tana-focus team. The goal of this team is to train local Christians to become missionaries among their own people—with the ultimate goal to go back to the land of their origin (mostly Indonesia). This team operates mainly in and around Antananarivo (Tana), the capital of Madagascar.

The benefit of working in this team, for us, is that we will be submerged into the Malagasy culture and language. The plan is that we will live among the farmers of the rural area around Tana. These people do not speak (or hardly) any other language than Malagasy. Our challenge is, while socialising, to learn that language. This first period will take approximately one year.

In term
There are still eight un-reached people groups on Madagascar, some of which are open for the Gospel. Beside our work with the Tana-focus team we will, together with the team leader, examine the possibilities for new teams among these groups.

When we find a good opening we will move on and live among these people in order to find out what else, besides the Gospel, they need. Needs like agricultural advise, medical care, education etc. This means that from that moment on we will actively look for suitable people (farmers, medical staff, teachers etc.) who are willing to join that new team. While doing this we will have to become accustomed (again) to these people—learning their dialect, which can be totally different than the standard Malagasy. We will try to make friends, study their habits and (sub)culture and look for an effective way to bring the good news of Jesus Christ. You'll understand that this cannot be done in a few days or even months. Our expectancy is that we will do this for a long term.

Sometimes people wonder whether we should do this kind of work, is it really that important? If you have this question we would like to advise you to read the article Jurgen has written on the subject (Why Mission Matters) and the great story of Emy (Under the Mamgotree). Both can be found on our website: http://jurgenenkatja.nl/?p=18 .

The financial picture

Salary
Some think that Africa Inland Mission (AIM) pays us a salary each month. This is not the case. AIM works with volunteers and facilitates the work. Another misconception is that we have a church that guarantees a monthly salary. Also, this is not the case. Our church in Holland is going to sponsor us for a monthly amount but this not enough to live of. No, the bulk of our monthly 'salary' needs to come from friends, family, fellow-Christians and other interested people.

Funds
We are very thankful for all the people who already started to donate every month. This money will be saved into a special fund with our name on it. The money, which we already receive, will be saved and used for the necessary costs like visa, vaccinations, tickets, and to buy the essentials on Madagascar (beds, chairs, kitchen supplies etc.). That, what is left after these costs, will remain in the fund and can be used in case of a shortage (when for example the fall away of a sponsor). This way we have enough time to solve unforeseen issues. As you can see, none of the money that you give will go to a 'big boss' with a even bigger limousine and a second villa on Hawaii.

Pledge
At the beginning of February 2015 sponsors already committed themselves to donate a total of 52%. To leave for Madagascar we need about 90% of our monthly income in place. Part of these sponsors already donate every month while the rest pledged to do so at a later moment. We use the word 'pledge' because this is very important for us. Sometimes people tell us that they are going to sponsor us but they do not tell when and/or how much. This makes it very hard for us to determine when to go. It would be a good thing to let AIM officially know that you are planning to sponsor us for a certain amount. This way we, together with AIM, can estimate much better what our budget is.

Finally

We look forward to see what this year will bring us. Our prayer is that we can start this beautiful work soon. We also hope to do this together with you. What better thing is there than being part of God's family and see His family grow?

You can find more information on our website. You can also ask for our DVD or leaflet. We are more than willing to send them by post (free of charge). Please do not hesitate to ask any question (by e-mail or by post).