Already a year has passed since our arrival on Madagascar. It has been an intensive year: learning the language; getting used to the new culture and the rhythm of life. We have sought God's will concerning our place of work and housing; we searched and found a suitable car and recently we have submitted the plan for our future house!

New Friendships

We start this letter with a report on our family-trip to the area around Sandrohy. Earlier this year, Jurgen visited the region and now it was time to go there as a family and to introduce the Hofmanns to the people. Last September we were able to travel—because friends lent us their car for this purpose—the 500+ km trip to Sandrohy.

It was good to meet the people again. They remembered Jurgen's last trip very well and they were happy to see him again, this time accompanied by the family. We visited 6 villages and we will highlight 2 of them.

Firstly there is Tsiombivositra, a little village with about 20 people. All residents were gathered upon our arrival and almost everybody was attended the meeting in the hut of the king. It was clear the king was in charge, however, everybody had his or her share in the conversation. It was not only the king who welcomed us in the region but all the villagers expressed their welcomes. Many friendly faces were confirming us. We explained that, especially in the beginning, we will need good friends: friends who can help us with the language and to get to know the area. The whole congregation agreed that we can count on them as friends. As a token of our friendship the king asked us to bring copies of the group-photo that was taken when we come back (see header).

The last village we visited is called Tanambao. The last time the king had said—after considering the matter outside the hut for 20 minutes—that they would welcome us. He reasoned: If the Bible is good news, the people need to be able to hear it. During our family visit the king said that he was ready to listen to 'our good news'. We explained that our first step will be to live close by and that we will have to learn their dialect and that we would like to become friends with them. In time, we hope to explain the Gospel in their mother tongue. The king was very relieved after this explanation. He told us that the Bible is very new for them and he underlined that they normally try to avoid white people. The France occupation is still fresh in their minds. It was a dark period for them as there was no respect for their language and culture. Again, we stressed that we will come as learners of their language and culture. This was clearly well received and it made the atmosphere very pleasant. We shared some anecdotes about our language and culture-learning thus far, which amused them. The message of our wish to enter their culture humbly was clearly understood and well received.

The children enjoyed our visit as well. They were running through the villages and they swam with the Tanala children in the river. An older man said that the only difference between our children en the Malagasy was the colour of their skins. He started to laugh and noted that you could see the dirt very well on those white skins… 'Yes', he said, 'the dirt is much harder to see on those dark faces.' This visit—as well as the previous—has confirmed us in our future mission amongst the Tanala.

We have made a video report:
http://www.jurgenenkatja.nl/?p=89&lang=en#28

A Place for the Family

We also used our visit to see where we might live. The traditional Tanala houses are very small and are mainly used for eating and sleeping. Our house needs to bigger in order for Katja to have enough space to home educate the children. Together with our contact, Sylvestre, we have found a suitable spot just outside the village Maroamboka, a few kilometres outside Sandrohy. AIM agreed on the location and the plans and has made funds available for the build. Together with the builder we have made plans of what the house should look like. The house is going to be built about 10 metres from a water pump. Further, because the region is very wet during the rainy season, we will have a concrete floor and metal roofing. The rest of the house will be made out of wood. It will look like a local house, though quite a bit bigger.

In the coming months Jurgen hopes to visit the building site and village as often as possible. It is good to show our faces during the build and maybe he can help… dig a nice toilet for example. At the same time he hopes to visit the surrounding villages. We will keep you informed. Like you, we are looking forward with excitement!

Fiara Tsy Mataho Ny Dalana...

means 'a car that is not afraid to drive aside the road': in other words a robust four wheel drive. After a search of 5 months we finally found a good and affordable one. Because there is no public transport to and from Sandrohy (the roads are not accessible to normal cars) we were in need of our own car. It has been provided! At this moment the car is still in our friend's garage for some repairs and alternations. We hope that we can drive the car home soon. In our last newsletters we have asked you help us with your gifts to buy a car. We are amazed: within 4 months we received enough to buy the car. Not only that, we also think we have enough to pay for the repairs, which will make the car reliable and durable. Thank you very much for your contribution!

Shortly Back in the Netherlands

In October Katja received a phone call from her father. Katja's grandma, who was 95 years, died that morning in her sleep. Grandma had said a few years earlier she wanted Katja to say something at the funeral. Katja booked a ticket for her and Simeon and on the 14^th they set foot on Dutch soil again. We are very thankful Katja could attend the funeral. Despite of the sad occasion, Katja's stay in Holland was a pleasant one. It was heart-warming to meet and spend time with family, friends and the many familiar faces. It has been a real encouragement after being away for a year.

Friendship Abounds

New friendships in Sandrohy, family ties in Holland and the friendship we have with you: good relations are important in life. More and more we come to realise the importance of friendship. Only through friends and family who support us we are able to make new friends here on Madagascar. Your friendship is a sign of God's faithfulness towards us: in the first place to us as a family, but also to the Tanala who we are going to serve. God's heart goes out to them and we feel privileged that we— in part because of you—can bring them the good news of liberation and salvation through our Lord Jesus.