A newsletter from the Hofmanns. Not from Maroamboka this time, but from Julianadorp aan Zee, the Netherlands.

Enjoying

Before we left for the Netherlands we had to make a lot of preparations: not only for the trip itself, but also in and around the house. Four months (five including all travel times and stopover in the capital of Madagascar) is a long time to leave your home in Madagascar empty.

It's no surprise then that we were all pretty tired when we finally got to our little house near the north-sea. Our beds were made so we could go to sleep straight away. We did not have to go to the supermarket right away because the refrigerator was full and the cupboards were filled with all kinds of treats. Our friends even prepared us a meal! We fully enjoyed that. It is nice to be spoiled so now and then and 'spoiling' is something our friends are very good at.

We are able to live in a nice cottage on a holiday park named 'Strandslag'. The children fully enjoy themselves: They race their bicycles through the park and they can be found daily on the central playground. We also go to the beach so now and then and of course we are enjoyed the famous tulip fields around us. The nice thing about living in a park is that everyone is in a holiday mood.

Strange Times

Writing this letter we did not want to dwell too long on the strange situation we are all in. But no, we can’t escape the topic of Corona completely because many of you were curious and / or concerned about us. We understand that as we also imagined this furlough to be very different. Jurgen, together with the two oldest, did go to church one time. That was just before everything closed. Oh bother!

We quote ourselves from our website:
“Well, here we are. Finally back in the Netherlands. Furlough at last. Enjoying all the luxury and do things that are otherwise impossible. Going to the theater; cinema; visiting family and friends; giving presentations and sermons; to the swimmingpool; museums and so on. But no, instead of nice and relax conversations, we are mainly talking about the miserable pandemic caused by Covit-19 (SARS-CoV-2) or the Corona virus. A virus from a family which was not unknown, but in the past was only limited to the Asian regions.”

That is how it felt when we were confronted with all the limitations. You can read the entire article here:
https://www.jurgenenkatja.nl/en/dichtbij-en-toch-ver-weg/

But now, a few weeks later, we've adjusted our expectations a bit. We enjoy and we rest. We can still do many things! It's nice to be back on your own soil: the supermarket within cycling distance; get some ice cream; friends and family nearby. And last but not least: Good internet, where we can finally buy some parts for Jurgen’s motor, our solar panels and also good educational materials. Some of these items that we could not possibly find in Madagascar.

It is unfortunate - also for you - that we do not have a good opportunity to tell you about the past two years. We had hoped to organise this in the form of a meeting on June the 14^th. However, it looks like this will not happen. No worries! Meanwhile, we are busy setting up something with the ‘live-stream people’ of our church. The idea is that we go live on Monday evening May the 25^th at 8:00 PM. We will let you know when we have some more clarity. It will be in Dutch but if you are online you can always send in questions and we’ll answer you in English.

Education

For many, the word ‘homeschooling’ suddenly no longer sounds strange. And while the schools are slowly opening their doors again, our children will continue their education at home. In that respect, not much changed for them. We have adjusted the timetable somewhat, so that the children can also have a bit more time to relaxe during these four months. They now have a little more time to enjoy books, the internet, a game or being outside, for example.

Homeschooling, something that is so well known to us and gives us the necessary flexibility, became reality for the whole of the Netherlands (and other countries). Katja has given some tips on Facebook. We have incorporated the same tips in an article on our website: https://www.jurgenenkatja.nl/en/thuisonderwijstip/

Maroamboka

We are now 8900 kilometers away from our neighbors and friends in Maroamboka. We don't have someone who sleeps in our house this time. Our neighbor, nendrin'i Lea, will take care of the animals and, if necessary, keep things a little clean. 'Clean' also means keeping all vegetation around the house low.

Our other friends, Sylvestre and his wife Fanja, regularly send us messages through Messenger – informing us about the news in Maroamboka. They are among the few who can do that. This way we are aware of each other's ups and downs. We see photos with Nendrin'i Lea pruning the plants and a photo showing how many eggs the chickens have laid. Those eggs are a great motivation to take good care of the chickens. One egg yields about 400 Ariary (€ 0.10). With 3 eggs a day, she already has almost half a day's wages. That is extra on top of what we already give her. No, we don't give her a salary, because that's not common among friends. So we don't call it ‘salary’ but it is a ‘gift.

Translationwork

Meanwhile, Jurgen is working on the translations again. He has printed the first 11 chapters of the Gospel of Luke and had them corrected by Menja. When Menja worked through the piece, he found out that we still had a lot of words left untranslated. He also discovered that, although we had translated some words with a word that is often used in the countryside, it was not really Tanala. The result? A lot of marks with a red pen and a lot of work for Jurgen. You see, even though we are far away from Madagascar, there is plenty to do!

You can download and view our materials on our website:
https://www.jurgenenkatja.nl/en/#section-2355

Our Car

The work had to be stopped for a while because of the Corona crisis, but the mechanics continued their work again.

The wonders of the internet! We are also in contact with Peter, the owner of the garage where our car is being maintained. The bodywork under the car has become bad and there are many rust spots around. So there is a lot of welding to be done and eventually the car will be repainted for the necessary protection. Peter has sent some photos showing, among other things, that they have found a good bull-bar. The car is properly addressed: Bearings, rubbers, suspension, wiring, radiator, etc. are repaired or replaced. It will cost quit a lot, but this way we can drive back to our village without any worries. So far we have received about € 2,000 in gifts for maintenance, for which we want to thank you.

We received the first invoice for the parts which was € 1,250 not counting the bodywork... If you still considering to contribute to the maintenance: Please do! Mention with your gift "project Madagascar, maintenance car".

You can give directly:
'AIM International', Wageningen
IBAN: NL91 RABO 01 55 6 57 712
Please mention: Project Mission work Madagascar – Car For more information:
https://www.jurgenenkatja.nl/en/geven/
The funds for the car can also be used for the motorbike. However, besides new tires we do not foresee any big expenses here.

Further?

So for now we are still in the Netherlands. The intention is that we fly back to Madagascar on July the 5^th. Whether that is going to happen? We don't think so. We have heard from Madagascar - unofficially, but from a highly reliable source - that international flights will reopen somewhere in September at the earliest. Our visa and work permit are valid until September the 16^th. We hope and pray to be able to go back before that date.

Another ‘thingy’ is of course housing and transport. We now live in a nice cottage and the contract runs until July the 11^th. We do not yet know whether we can stay after that date. What is more, we borrowed the car we are now driving from the ‘Hand’ foundation: https://www.stichtinghand.nl/. The car must also be returned by then, because other missionaries have booked it. Perhaps, if we cannot leave, those missionaries may not be able to return. Still, we don't want to worry to much. Jurgen brought a lot of work in digital form with him, so even if our furlough lasts longer, we will not be bored.

Anyway, if you are lucky enough to visit the Netherlands and you feel like dropping by for a cup of coffee then you are most welcome. We do have a garden with terrace, so keeping distance will not be a problem.


Greetings from the Hofmann family!

Strandslag 288
1787PD Julianadorp aan zee, the Netherlands
Whatsapp (Jurgen): +261 34 85 472 82
Temporary phone number (Jurgen): +31 6 27269000


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