Category: blog

Newsletter – Jurgen & Katja – November 2026
By Jurgen & Katja

Newsletter – Jurgen & Katja – November 2026

Our last newsletter was written in September, just before we were due to travel back to Madagascar.

By now, we have well and truly settled back into life here in Madagascar. It took a little while to find the right balance again between work, family life and the everyday demands of living here. Madagascar is often described as tany moramora – the land where everything moves at a leisurely pace. As I write this, I, Jurgen, am sitting beneath a palm-thatched roof, with a coconut drink in my hand, looking out over the Indian Ocean. I’ll come back to that in a moment.

Our two eldest children

Our eldest daughter spent the summer holidays with us in Oudewater. It was lovely to have everyone together again! As you can imagine, saying goodbye once more was quite difficult. Our second child did not return to Madagascar with us either. Just before we left, he went to stay with friends in Kansas, USA. He spent a month there helping out on their farm. He has now returned to the Netherlands and is staying with his sister for a few weeks. The plan is for him to come to Madagascar for another period on 24 November, before he too starts studying in the Netherlands.

Taking on new roles

It is strange watching the children leave home. Many missionaries return to their home country once their eldest child goes off to university. However, we have always said that we want to keep doing what the Lord has called us to do. Thankfully, our children feel the same way.

What we are seeing, though, is a gradual change in the missionary community. The old hands are leaving one by one, and relatively young families are taking their place. This makes it harder for our children to find others of a similar age within the missionary community. We are now seeing our second daughter and second son taking on the role of children’s workers. They used to be members of the children’s and teenagers’ group themselves, but now they are leading it!

We are noticing changes in our own roles too. In the past, we would often seek advice from more experienced missionaries. Now, however, we find that others are coming to us for advice. Younger families regularly approach us with questions or simply because they need a little encouragement. It feels rather strange to suddenly find ourselves among the ‘senior missionaries’! Ha ha!

Unit Leader

One of my roles is that of Unit Leader. Within AIM, we have appointed leaders for each region. Here in Madagascar, that is Manoa Ratovana. Manoa and his wife have worked incredibly hard over the past few years and are in real need of a period of leave. They are hoping to take four months off to rest.

I had a feeling something was coming… And sure enough, Manoa gave me a call. He is Malagasy, so naturally we first spent some time chatting about this and that – because that’s how things are done here! But eventually he got to the point and asked whether I would be willing to take over his responsibilities for the next few months.

I have done this once before, for a few weeks. That happened to be during a period when a cyclone hit Madagascar, so, as well as being interim Unit Leader, I suddenly found myself acting as crisis manager too. Well, it certainly keeps me busy!

Antsirabe, Ranomafana, Maroamboka, Vangaindrano and back again

You can find all sorts of vegetables on the market in Vangaindrano

It wasn’t long before we started making plans to visit our village, Maroamboka, again. We hadn’t heard anything from our translator, Menja, for quite some time, so we were naturally curious to find out whether he had completed any more chapters of Genesis.

Normally, I travel there on my own with one or two of the children. This time, things were a little different. Our friends Wouter and Sanne van Holst live in Vangaindrano with their three children. Their home is about an eight-hour drive south of our village.

They have been through quite a lot recently and asked whether we might be willing to spend a couple of weeks with them. As much as we love them, the thought of spending three days in the car wasn’t particularly appealing! But we also understood how much they would appreciate having some visitors who know what life is like here. So, after a bit of planning and rearranging, we came up with a plan.

On the way there, we decided to stop in Antsirabe, where our American friends Russel and Kathy Thomas live. We hadn’t seen them for a long time, and they were immediately enthusiastic about our visit. We stayed with them for a couple of nights. This also gave me the opportunity to see their work.

They train Malagasy Christians to become missionaries through an eight-week course. They welcome young Christians from all over the country, preferably from rural areas. These are young people who have no problem living in remote places. That is a real advantage, because it is precisely in the interior of Madagascar that access to the Gospel is often very limited or even non-existent.

It was wonderful to see what they are doing! As you can imagine, I can see some great opportunities here for potential students from our own area, or even from further afield. Why go to all the trouble of setting something up yourself when your brothers and sisters have already established something so worthwhile?
After visiting the Thomas family, we continued to Ranomafana to buy supplies for our stay in the village. Halfway through that eight-hour journey, we discovered that the car no longer wanted to climb the hills at anything like a decent speed. It was as though it wasn’t getting enough fuel.

We decided to remove one of the fuel filters from the system to see whether that would make a difference. After all, the filter might have been blocked. Unfortunately, it didn’t help. Once we reached Ranomafana, I called the mechanic at our garage in Tana. He recommended a good mechanic in Ranomafana. He suspected the problem was with the fuel pump. And, sure enough, they took it out, cleaned it and put it back in again. That made a huge difference to the car’s performance. I still suspect that the piston rings may need replacing as well, but we will have a closer look at that once we are back in Tana.

Onwards to Maroamboka! Once we had cleaned the house, we could finally relax for a bit. The children went off for some lovely hikes, while I went to visit Menja. Thankfully, he had completed another few chapters of Genesis. He said there weren’t very many because I hadn’t been there for such a long time. And that is, in fact, how things tend to work here. People involved in longer-term projects often need someone to give them a little push from time to time. Life here is full of challenges, and less urgent matters can easily slip into the background.

While we were in Maroamboka, I also replaced all the water pipes around the house. I already had the materials, so I spent the whole day getting stuck into the work. Mud between my toes, blisters on my hands and the sunshine on the back of my neck. Just like the old days! The only difference is that I’m not quite as used to it as I once was. The following day, I spent the entire day lying on my mat with a headache and feeling thoroughly unwell. In other words, I had sunstroke. Ugh!
After a few days, we continued on to Vangaindrano, where we spent a couple of weeks with the van Holst family. Those were really good weeks in which we were able to share a lot with one another. It was lovely to see them at work on their own project. I had visited them before, but spending a longer period there gave me a much better understanding of what they are doing.

Coconut milk and the Indian Ocean

It goes a long way with shock absorbers but sometimes the road is just too bad

And now we come back to the coconut drink in my hand and the view of the Indian Ocean.

We had planned to visit Menja once more on our way back to Tana. Our idea was to follow the same route we had taken on the way down, but in reverse.

A few days before we were due to leave Vangaindrano, our daughter came down with malaria. We started her on medication straight away and were unsure for a while whether we should travel at all. The medication seemed to be working and she was already feeling a little better, so we decided to set off.

Initially, everything went well, until she also started suffering from travel sickness. Travel sickness combined with the weakness caused by malaria is not a good combination!

To make matters worse, one of the shock absorbers broke in half along the way. That meant we could no longer drive very fast. We had the broken shock absorber removed in a village and took a chance that we would be able to find a replacement in Manakara, the main town near Maroamboka.

In the past, parts like these had to be ordered specially, and you would have to wait a day or two. Thankfully, things have changed. At the first spare parts shop, I was directed to a specialist. We ended up in a shop absolutely packed with car parts! Hooray for progress! Two hours later, the shock absorber had been replaced and we were ready to continue our journey.

It helps to know your way around a place. We have rented two of these little bungalows until our daughter is well enough to travel again.

Meanwhile, our daughter is still confined to bed. We had hoped that the malaria medication would work well, but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case. We have now given her a second course of a different medication. This second medication needs to be taken twice a day over a period of three days.

Although we are reasonably comfortable here, it is obviously not a pleasant situation for her. She is tired, has headaches and muscle aches, and sleeps a lot. She did manage to eat a little this morning, which is encouraging, but we are hoping and praying that she will feel better tomorrow. It is now the following morning, and the medication seems to be working well. Praise God!

At times like these, you really wish you were back in your own home. We will have to see how things develop over the next few days. Another trip to Maroamboka is no longer on the cards for now, but that is all right. We will see on Saturday whether we can continue our journey.

There’s something rather nice about cooking the old-fashioned way, too.

Thank you for your support and prayers!

So, this newsletter has been written from an unfamiliar place and in rather unusual circumstances. But even from here, we want to thank you all sincerely for your support and prayers.

I think it is clear that it is by no means unnecessary to keep us, and missionary work in general, in your prayers. He sees everything, and He is with us. We also know that He is the Great Healer.

A little explanation

You may have noticed that we no longer mention the children’s names. This is at their own request. They are getting older and want to be careful about making their names publicly available. They are particularly cautious about this because of social media. Of course, we want to respect their wishes.

Finally

Looking back at everything we are able to do here, one thing becomes very clear: God is faithful. In everything! We can make our plans, but it is the Lord who directs the work.

And we are grateful that we are able to do this together with you – through your prayers, involvement, support and encouragement.

Let us continue to put our trust in Him. For God is good – all the time. And all the time – God is good.

Thank you so much!

Katja & Jurgen
and the children Hofmann.

Praise and Prayer

We are thankful because:

  1. we serve a great and mighty God;

  2. the local Christians in and around Maroamboka are organising things independently;

  3. we have had opportunities to encourage other missionaries;

  4. our son had a wonderful time in Kansas.

Please pray for:

  1. our financial situation to recover;

  2. the translation work and its distribution;

  3. protection from illness and harm;

  4. good health for us and our children;

  5. our car to continue running reliably during our travels.

Two short videos



Newsletter Jurgen & Katja September 2026
By Jurgen & Katja

Newsletter Jurgen & Katja September 2026

Dear brothers, sisters and friends,

We are once again preparing for our departure back to Madagascar.

The months in the Netherlands have gone by quickly. It was not a normal furlough, but a special one due to family circumstances. That may sound very serious, but in our case it simply meant that the exams of our oldest son and the partial exam of our second daughter were classified as ‘family circumstances.’

The exams

Both passed with excellent results.
The exams are now behind us. The children passed with flying colors. It was a little strange, because the children who attend regular schools had already finished their exams, and many of them had already put out the Dutch flag with their schoolbag. But because our children are homeschooled, in addition to the written exams they also have to take oral exams in all subjects. Only after that could we finally put out the flag… And the children could explain to everyone that this was not because they had taken a resit, but because they had simply been working on their exams for a few weeks longer.

Both passed with excellent results… But, well, they didn’t exactly want to be in the picture!

We had also planned to be in the Netherlands during August, as this month can be used for any resits. But as mentioned, this was not necessary, so we had a few weeks to really enjoy a holiday together. Great fun, of course! Our oldest daughter also came to Oudewater to spend the summer holidays with us. Once again, the Hofmann household was as busy and lively as ever.

Short but sweet

Although we were in the Netherlands for a somewhat shorter period this time, we were still able to do a lot. I, Jurgen, visited several churches to talk about our work and/or to preach. We feel privileged to have such a diverse group of people supporting us. I sometimes joke that in one church they hang from the lampshades and swing around while praising the Lord, while in another church we may sit properly dressed and sing Psalms. That diversity is a wonderful thing and shows us who our God is!

As a family, we visited family and friends and had the opportunity to hold the newborn babies of some of Jurgen’s cousins.

Of course, we also enjoyed the wonderful weather. In Oudewater we are just a stone’s throw from the IJssel, so during the hottest days the children could take a refreshing swim in the cool water. As I write this, our youngest has just set off toward that same IJssel, but this time armed with a fishing rod and some bread.

Translation and work

In between everything else, I was also able to continue working on the translation project. Genesis 1–11 is now ready to be tested. Hopefully our translator, Menja, will also be able to deliver the remaining chapters soon.

During our stay in the Netherlands, our house in the village served as accommodation for a group of Malagasy missionaries. Our friends, Sylvestre and Fanja, asked if they could use the house. Well, of course! Sylvestre has the key, and we fully trust him and his wife. How wonderful it is when these kinds of things become less and less dependent on our presence. We can thank the Lord for that.

Homeschooling

As mentioned, we are returning to Madagascar, where the children will once again receive their full education from Katja (with me teaching a few subjects). Homeschooling is a tremendous blessing, and when we look at our children, we can now also see the wonderful fruits it has produced. Nevertheless, you may have noticed that homeschooling has become a subject of discussion in the Netherlands.

For us, there is not much to worry about because we are returning to Madagascar. But for around 2,860 other Dutch children, the coming year will be an uncertain one. In April 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that, in principle, children must always attend school. So how does that work? If someone wants to homeschool their child, they have to apply for an exemption. This exemption is granted if the parents cannot find a school in their area that fits their religious or philosophical convictions. That may not sound very appealing, but that is simply the legal route that must be followed in the Netherlands.

We also apply for this exemption every time we are in the Netherlands, because that is the legal route available to us. The Supreme Court has now ruled that if there is a public school nearby, the child must attend that school. No consideration is given to how well these homeschooled children are doing (and generally, they are doing very well). No, as things currently stand, all these children will simply have to sit in school classrooms next year.

Why am I mentioning this? Because after 18 years of homeschooling, we have seen just how wonderfully well it works. Many children simply do not fit comfortably into the school system, yet they thrive when educated at home. This is also known as personalized education. When we return to the Netherlands again in 2028 for exams, we simply hope that we will still be allowed to continue teaching our own children during those months in the Netherlands.

We simply wanted to bring this to your attention because it is a major concern for many families in the Netherlands. During this furlough, I have given several interviews about this subject. This issue deserves attention, and we would also ask you to include it in your prayers.

Would you like to hear how we got started with homeschooling? Then you can watch the video below (click on the gear icon to choose the dubbed version):

A brief explanation

You may have noticed that we no longer mention the children’s names. This is at their own request. They are getting older and want to be intentional about making their names public. They are particularly cautious about this because of social media. Of course, we want to respect their wishes.

Thank you very much!

Well, this newsletter is a little shorter than usual. Next time, we hope to send it again from Madagascar. Tomorrow, September 8, David will pick us up and take us to Schiphol Airport. The five of us are travelling together. Our oldest daughter has started university again, and our oldest son is currently staying with friends in Kansas, America. He will return to the Netherlands in November and stay with his sister for a few weeks before travelling on to Madagascar.

We would like to sincerely thank all of you for your prayers, involvement and lovely cards! We have had a wonderful time and look forward to seeing together with you what God will do among the people of Madagascar in the coming period.

Finally

When we look back on everything we have been able to do here, one thing becomes very clear: God is faithful. In everything!

We can make plans, but it is the Lord who leads the work. And we are grateful that we can do this together with you—with your prayers, your involvement, your support, and your encouragement. Let us continue to trust in Him together. For God is good—always. And always—God is good.

Thank you all.

Katja & Jurgen
and the Hofmann children.

Prayer and thanksgiving points

We are thankful because:

  1. we serve a great and mighty God;

  2. the local Christians in and around Maroamboka are organizing things independently;

  3. we have had a wonderful furlough;

  4. the children’s exams went extremely well.

  5. Katja prepared the children so incredibly well.

Please pray for/that:

  1. our financial situation will return to a healthy level;

  2. the translation work and its distribution;

  3. the translation work on the book of Genesis;

  4. homeschooling may come to be recognized as a fully-fledged educational pathway;
Newsletter February 2026
By Jurgen & Katja

Newsletter February 2026

Newsletter February 2026 – Jurgen & Katja Hofmann

Dear friends,

The new year is already two months old. As a family, we are gradually preparing for the furlough that lies ahead of us.

But before we tell you more about that, we first would like to take you with us to Madagascar — to the villages, the people, and the stories that define our work and life here. Thank you for standing with us, praying with us, and fighting alongside us.

Suddenly back to the Netherlands

In the previous newsletter we mentioned that the work on Madagascar is never really predictable. Sometimes it feels as if we are mostly waiting, and at other times everything seems to happen at once.

When you suddenly have such a busy period, other matters also seem to happen abruptly. A few days before Christmas we received the message that Jurgen’s father had been urgently admitted to a care home.

At the station with the suitcases
A day later another message followed: “Father will probably pass away; how long it will take? That could be a matter of days, but also of weeks.”

Although the message came suddenly, it was not unexpected. Jurgen’s father had been deteriorating for quite some time. Dementia was doing its destructive work.

On 29 February I (Jurgen), together with our daughter, flew to the Netherlands. Father had not yet passed away, so hopefully we would still be able to see him briefly. During our stopover in Ethiopia we received the message that he had passed away. That was a shock.

Thankfully I had always been able to tell my father everything that truly mattered. We had no unspoken matters. Every time we saw each other, or spoke on the phone, I would tell him how much I loved him. A good habit that we often forget, but in situations like this it becomes clear why it is so important.

A blessing in disguise

Snowball fights and a snowman — it couldn’t be better!
Although the reason for coming to the Netherlands was not pleasant, we were also able to enjoy our time. The first week we stayed at Katja’s father’s place, which was very nice. After the funeral we went to the province Drenthe, and stayed at our daughter for another two weeks.

And while the whole of the Netherlands was dealing with various weather alerts, we were mostly able to enjoy the snow and being together. Because public transport in Drenthe and Groningen had largely come to a standstill, our daughter had to continue her studies from home. This meant we could see each other a great deal and take pleasant afternoon walks in the snow-covered forest and countryside.

Back in the village again

At the time of writing we are, of course, back on Madagascar. After a few weeks away it is good to be with Katja and the other children again.

The three of us out together
The visit to the Netherlands meant that we had to postpone some plans. Initially we had wanted to make another trip to the village in December to host a group of Malagasy evangelists once again. Fortunately, on Madagascar it is not a major problem to change programmes. A new time and arrangement were quickly made.

On Monday, 9 February, I travelled to our village with our two youngest children. Our first task was to clean the house again. Spider webs, rat droppings, dead insects, and dust … a lot of dust. Each time it is a matter of checking whether everything still works. Fortunately the electrical wiring from the solar panels was still in order, but the water pipe from the tank to the toilet had broken. Well, it keeps you busy, as they say.

Extremely busy

Everything repaired and cleaned, so on 12 February we were able to receive the group of evangelists. We could only pick them up later in the day because several slopes were still too muddy and slippery earlier that morning. The sun had shone enough to make the road passable again around 13:00.

This was the longest muddy slope. A day earlier we could not get up here at all. If you listen carefully you can hear stones and rocks striking the underside of the car.

Catching up together on the veranda

It was a joyful reunion with familiar faces and new ones. Ten people in total — eight men and two ladies. All from different tribes and regions of Madagascar: Vezo, Tsimihetsy, Antaimoro, Mahafaly, Masikoro. What a richness to see people from all corners of Madagascar coming together, united in the Gospel. Each comes with their own dialect, which means our translation work is much needed in order to understand and speak the Antanala language. Thankfully they are enthusiastically helped by local Christians from Maroamboka. The local people know the villages, they know the culture, and people trust them.

It is wonderful to hear from our villagers that the guests are more than welcome. In passing it is mentioned that it can sometimes be difficult to understand them and to make themselves understood in return. But it does not spoil the joy! The people in our area greatly appreciate that these ‘strangers’ have come to explain the Gospel to them. They hang on their every word. Yet it remains a strange experience that I, the white man from a distant country, still occasionally have to function as a dictionary: “Sir!? What does this word mean and how do you pronounce that word? And how should we actually greet the people?” …

It greatly encourages us to see that the work is not only done by us — but now especially by them themselves. That is exactly what we have prayed for over many years.

Then … The return journey, and the Lord was with us!

Afterwards we still had to travel back to the capital. It is a journey of 540 kilometres and if we drove it in one go it would take about 18 hours. We therefore always divide it into two parts. We wanted to be there before the weekend so that we could celebrate our son’s 15th birthday (21 February).

The radiator hose had completely torn apart

On the second day of travel a strange smell entered the car. At first we thought of the fires burning along the roadside. But oh dear! Soon we came to an abrupt halt … The car had overheated and the temperature gauge had not indicated it. Bonnet open to investigate. Indeed — the coolant hose had burst completely. We were still more than 11 hours’ drive from the capital.

After thinking for a moment I first called Katja to say that we would not be home for the time being. Then I phoned Peter van Buuren in Tana. His mechanics always maintain the car. They knew a good mechanic near us. Those mechanics came to us and after the car had cooled down, the radiator was filled with water and we slowly drove back to a town we had just passed.

The diagnosis was quick, the solution less so. Due to the extreme heat the cylinder head had warped and needed to be resurfaced. With a new head gasket everything should have been fine. Unfortunately it was not so simple. The cylinder head was still leaking and there was nothing they could do about it.

After three days of repairs, we decided that we would have to continue to Antananarivo by makeshift means.

A jerrycan of water on the roof had to be the solution.
A jerrycan of water was placed on the roof. From the jerrycan a garden hose ran into the radiator so that we could continuously supply the car with cooling water. The idea was good, but the weather did not cooperate. It was extremely hot and the car overheated again after only 10 minutes.

What now? Our son suggested asking the Lord for cooler weather. Hardly had he prayed when the clear sky suddenly filled with heavy rain clouds. It began to rain as you rarely see. The rain continued, and every time we saw clear skies further along the route, they closed up as soon as we arrived there. This cooled the day so quickly that we only had to change the jerrycan every 35 minutes. You can imagine how deeply impressed we were by God’s intervention! He is good and faithful!

These are screenshots from the weather app. You can clearly see how the rain covered our route. Click on the image for a larger version (the time is shown at the bottom).

After 16 hours and 30 jerrycan changes, we arrived home at 03:30 on Sunday morning. We drove day and night without stopping. What an adventure!

And the birthday? After a few hours of solid sleep we still celebrated it with a delicious homemade apple pie.

Getting ready to blow out the 15 candles!

In the garage

The car is now at Peter’s garage. The mechanics immediately got to work and took the opportunity to check the entire engine block. Now it is mainly a matter of finding a cylinder head. New ones are available, but a new Nissan Patrol cylinder head is unaffordable. Fortunately, good second-hand cylinder heads can also be found. They only need to be properly resurfaced. Even so, these second-hand ones quickly cost around €600. We still have a buffer in our car fund, but it is not sufficient. Perhaps you could prayerfully consider giving an extra contribution?

On this page you can read how to give for the car.

Furlough to the Netherlands

As mentioned, we are also preparing for our furlough to the Netherlands. Our oldest son hopes to take his final exams, and our second daughter will also sit exams in several subjects. Thanks to Katja, they will be well prepared.

In addition to teaching, Katja is very busy with this year’s school programme and new school materials — what may go back to the Netherlands and which materials we will later take again to Madagascar.

The tickets have now been booked and we hope to land on home soil again on 8 April. We will once more be able to stay in the house of Johan and Miranda van Bijsterveld in Oudewater. Through Stichting Hand we will also be able to borrow a car so that we can be mobile. We are grateful that this could all be arranged so smoothly and quickly.

We have already made the first appointments for presentations and preaching engagements. On this page you can see where we have been invited.

Finally

When we look back on everything we have been able to undertake here, one thing becomes very clear: God is faithful. In everything!

We can make plans, but it is the Lord who directs the work. And we are grateful that we may do this together with you — with your prayers, your involvement, your support, and your encouragement. Let us continue to trust in Him together. For God is good — always. And always — God is good.

Thank you very much.

Katja, Jurgen and the Hofmann children

Prayer and Thanksgiving Points

We are thankful because:

  1. we serve a great and mighty God;
  2. the local Christians in and around Maroamboka are enthusiastically helping with evangelism;
  3. we will soon have our furlough;
  4. children’s exam preparations are going very well.

Please pray for/that:

  1. our financial situation will be restored;
  2. the translation work and its distribution;
  3. the translation of the book of Genesis;
  4. the additional costs for the car will be covered;
  5. Katja, as she still has much to plan for the furlough;
  6. that Katja will find the necessary rest in between teaching.

Newsletter October 2025
By Jurgen & Katja

Newsletter October 2025

Dear brothers, sisters, and friends,

Twiddling Thumbs or Working Overtime…

We loaded the car with all sorts of household items.

Work on Madagascar isn’t always predictable. Sometimes it feels like everything is moving at a snail’s pace, and you spend your time mostly waiting. Other times, it’s a rush, and overtime seems unavoidable.

October was a typical busy month. The second group of Malagasy Bible students wanted to spend a week in Maroamboka. This had been planned since August but kept being postponed—now it was finally going to happen.

In the same month, a new trip was planned to the far southeast of Madagascar: Vangaindrano, Midongy, and Befotaka. This journey followed on from our earlier mission trip to these areas in June 2025.

Two trips in one month may sound manageable, but on Madagascar, it’s quite a lot!

Preparations for Arrival

Our oldest son was scheduled to travel with me to the village. We filled the car with household items, vegetables, and various supplies to make the group feel welcome. We also brought a large amount of translation work, but more on that later.

Getting the group to Maroamboka was a logistical challenge. Most of them—seven men—were travelling from the far south, a journey of several days by bus. Two young women were coming from the capital and would meet our friend Jonoro halfway. Finally, Thaddee joined us; he had been to the village before and lives relatively nearby.

Endrin’i Lika is always willing to help.

The two young ladies were mainly coming to see if mission work might be for them. I asked Endrin’i Lika beforehand if they could stay at her house. She didn’t hesitate and immediately showed me the bed. Very luxurious, considering we men had to sleep on a simple mat. Well, some distinctions have to be made, right?

The first day was all about picking everyone up. I explained exactly where they should get out and had ask locals at the meeting point to help welcome the group, in case I wasn’t there yet. Things didn’t go exactly as planned. I arrived at the meeting point but there was no one there.

What happened? The first group had got out ten kilometres away, and the second group reported they wouldn’t arrive until the afternoon. Only Thaddee got out at the designated location.

The drive from the meeting point to our village is 17 kilometres and takes about an hour and a half. All in all, I spent the whole morning on my new hobby: taxi driving!

Soon after arriving in Maroamboka, I got a message from the second group—they had arrived! So, back to the original meeting point and from there to the village, where they were waiting for me.

It was a very nice busyness in and around the house.

A Mix of Dialects

Our house in Maroamboka was filled with a cheerful cacophony of dialects. The group came from all corners of Madagascar, each with their own dialect: Mahafaly, Vezo, Merina, Tsimihetsy, Anosy, Antemoro, etc. The rest of the afternoon was spent learning the local dialect, Antanala.

The group used our translation work, especially the Bible stories, to practice. They frequently asked me the meanings of words and phrases, as well as how to pronounce them correctly.

The Group Gets to Work

The translated material was used to learn the dialect.

The next morning, the group split into smaller teams to visit surrounding villages. Thaddee returned with his group to the villages he had visited in June. I drove the other two groups to more remote villages. This was possible because the road was dry and solid—otherwise, it would have taken 2–3 hours on foot. With the car, it only took about one hour.

It was also a good opportunity to teach our son how to drive on such roads.

He had wanted to learn for a long time, and now was the chance! He did very well. The extra 4×4 gears didn’t confuse him, and after a couple of trips, I could sit back and enjoy the view for a change.

Local Christians Lend a Hand

The groups were supported by local Christians in and around Maroamboka.

This is crucial as villagers are often very suspicious of strangers. Endrin’i Lika, endrin’i Leva, Sarobidy, Cilarisy, iaban’i Mainty, and iaban’i Bosila guided the teams and introduced them to the people.

It was encouraging to see that they did not hesitate when asked to help! Encouraging for us, but also for the local churches. They now see that the work we have done for so many years can also be done by themselves—without a pastor or missionary.

We had a very nice gathering on the last evening

Satan isn’t Idle

We have often shared the darker aspects of our area. Ancestor worship and spirit veneration are deeply ingrained in the culture. Witch-doctors aren’t just figments of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter—around Maroamboka, there are at least 15 of them, some known for cursing people to death.

These scenes are reminiscent of Biblical stories, but they are very real today on Madagascar.

On the first day of the group visits, a woman came to our house asking if anyone could help because several people were very sick. ‘Sick’ can mean many things, but in this case, it was demonic possession. Thaddee’s group had just returned from a long day, yet they didn’t hesitate.

A few went with the woman, including us. What we saw was shocking: a young woman in her twenties, who had been perfectly healthy three days earlier, now unable to do anything but growl. She was paralysed in the legs. During prayer, she started kicking, hitting, and contorting into gymnastic poses—even a trained gymnast could learn something!

But “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). After much prayer, the demons left. Within an hour, she was calm. She was then placed under the supervision of endrin’i Lika, who will teach her about the Lord Jesus, so she can follow Him instead of returning to ancestor worship. This is important because the Bible teaches that expelled spirits may attempt to return—if the person isn’t filled with God’s Spirit, the evil spirit may soon come back with his friends.

The next day, the group continued ministering to the other “sick” people, all of whom were freed in the same way! Praise the Lord!

Why Share This?

God’s word truly sets people free. This is Diana, she gave her life to Jesus a long time ago.

Why not just stick to lighter topics? Because it shows that we are witnessing a significant spiritual battle in and around Maroamboka. Each time we return, we hear stories of people turning from ancestor worship to follow Jesus. This brings great freedom—they no longer fear punishment from ancestors, need not give costly gifts to witch-doctors, and are no longer bound by restrictive taboos.

We see the liberating work of the Lord Jesus Christ! This is bad news for Satan and witch-doctors alike: the first sees people saved for eternity, and the second sees his lucrative business collapsing. There is no greater contrast than here: people are being freed from a life of fear and are learning that the freedom is only found in the Gospel. Jesus’ words become reality:

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Read more about the effects of breaking from ancestor worship:

https://www.jurgenenkatja.nl/en/waarom-zending-er-toe-doet/

Luke, Acts, and 41 Stories

Oliva enjoys using the translation work. He has wonderful plans to reach the area around their hometown with the Gospel.

Back to the car full of boxes. While driving to the village, we visited pastors. One, of who we had never met, lived in Irondro along the main road towards our village. People there know us because we have been passing this village for many years. Last time, I had already given out booklets and promised to bring more.

Upon arrival, people quickly gathered at the car—they hadn’t forgotten the promise. Instead of distributing them myself, I asked to be taken to the local pastor, Olivier Haja of the Rhema church. He was amazed when I handed him the boxes: 220 copies of Luke, 220 of Acts, and 220 storybooks—nine boxes in total.

He gratefully accepted them. “Free??” he asked. Yes, on the condition that they would be used wisely. He regularly goes into the remote areas surrounding Irondro to share the Gospel, where people understand little official Malagasy. These booklets will help him immensely.

The second pastor, Oliva, also serves near the main road and often goes into the remote areas. We have known Oliva for a longer time already, he used to serve as a pastor in our area. He and his wife knew we would come. Last year, while we were in the Netherlands, they received a daughter, and they were eager to show her to us.

It was wonderful to meet each other again and to hand over the nine boxes as well. Several church members were gathered to make an official handover. Oliva expressed his desire for assistance in evangelising the remote areas; later in the week, I brought Jonoro to him so they could plan together, and find out what we can do for him.

It’s wonderful to see the translation work gradually reaching people in unreached areas, with pastors like Oliva and Olivier Haja actively using it.

The books were received with singing

Vangaindrano, Midongy & Befotaka

In our June newsletter, We mentioned that Wouter van Holst and Jurgen explored the remote valleys of Midongy and Befotaka. The local Antaisaka and Bara tribes speak different dialects, yet we managed to share the Gospel. Several villages requested more teaching, and Bible teachers have since spent a month teaching there.

What a treat! Both our youngest boys were allowed to sit in the front during the flight.

Matthew 9:37-38 reminds us: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”

In October, Wouter planned another mission: partly to check on previous visits, partly to reach new villages. This time, the Helimission helicopter had extra seats, allowing our boys to join. While we visited the villages, they played with Wouter and Sanne’s children.

The visits were awesome! I can now follow conversations in Bara and Antaisaka dialects more easily. Together with a young Bible student, Braco, I discussed the Gospel with adults while Wouter and his assistant Willy engaged the children.

The Bible stories came to life when people saw the Jesus film.

We revisited a village where I had jokingly taught people how to greet in Antanala—they hadn’t forgotten! Young girls called out: “Akory lahaly e!” (Good morning). We stayed overnight, and Nick, the pilot, brought a projector to show the Jesus Film—the reactions were incredible, and the Bible stories became clear to many.

Please pray for our new brothers and sisters in these valleys. Following Jesus is not easy when families fear ancestral punishment, and sorcerers are not happy about more Christians.

Other Matters

As we approach the new year, exams for our children are fast approaching. We hope to travel to the Netherlands in April for him to take them. Our daughter will also take two exams in English and Maths next year, keeping Katja busy helping them study. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!

We are also still translating Genesis. The language is very different from the New Testament, making it slow work. Chapters 1–6 are digitised and ready for a second review. We hope to make more progress in the next village visit.

Finally, we are considering a trip to Ikongo, the heart of the Antanala region, 90 km from the main road. Reports suggest this journey would take 8 hours by 4×4—just over 11 km/h! Local contacts have expressed interest in receiving the booklets.

Dear Friends

After reading this letter, we hope, like us, you look forward to what the future holds. We can make plans, but one thing is certain: “Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the Lord’s purpose prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)

We feel privileged to have such support in our work. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support! Together, we will continue to trust in the Lord, for God is good, always, and forever.

We wish you God’s blessing!

Katja & Jurgen

We are thankful for:

  • Serving a great and mighty God;
  • local Christians enthusiastically helping with evangelism in and around Maroamboka;
  • reaching villages in Midongy and Befotaka;
  • pastors Oliva and Olivier Haja using the translation work for their ministry.

Please pray for:

  • Our financial needs to be met;
  • the translation work and distribution;
  • the Genesis translation;
  • plans to possibly visit Ikongo;
  • our children’s exam preparations;
  • that Katja finds rest amidst her teaching responsibilities.

Photos from the group in Maroamboka

Photos from the trip to Vangaindrano, Midongy and Befotaka

Newsletter September 2025
By Jurgen & Katja

Newsletter September 2025

Dear brothers, sisters and friends,

Are you curious to find out what's been happening with the Hofmann family on Madagascar? You're in luck, because here is the newsletter, hot off the press!

All Together Once More …

One more time to Maroamboka with all of us
In July, we travelled to Maroamboka with the whole family. This time not to work, but to enjoy the beautiful country as a family … In others words, a holiday!

The trip felt strange. It had been almost two years since Katja had been to the village and for our oldest daugher this would be the last time for the time being. We'll come back to that later.

We also had two celebrations ahead of us. The first celebration was our 28th wedding anniversary. It was actually on 14 August, but Katja and our daughter would already be in the Netherlands by then. The second celebration was Simeon's 10th birthday on 29 July!

A wonderful time together in Ranomafana
For our wedding anniversary, we enjoyed a lovely diner as a family in the tourist town of Ranomafana. If you have been following us for a while, you may know that we always use this place as a stop-over during our travels. The people know us well and always give us a warm welcome. We stayed a few days longer before continuing our journey to Maroamboka.

The villagers were once again very enthusiastic to see us. Much of the attention was rightly focused on Katja. They hadn't seen her for such a long time! A common greeting in Madagascar is "ino voavoa?", which means "is there any news?" The answer is usually something like "no, no news, everything is calm". This time the answer was: "The news? Katja is back!" That was nice to hear. When I jokingly said that I was still there too, they told me I was old news! After all, they saw Jurgen regularly …

Simeon was very satified with our home-made cake
He was very happy with the cake [/caption]He was very happy with the cake [/caption]We celebrated Simeon's birthday with a homemade cake (we still have the gas oven in our house), and in the afternoon we played fun games. A variation on old Dutch games and picking sweets out of a tub of water using only your mouth. In the evening, we played hide and seek in the house. The latter is terribly exciting because you literally can't see a thing, it is pitch dark.

Katja also had a wonderful time. She loves walking, and there are plenty of opportunities for that in and around our village. The nature is beautiful! Every morning, she went for a short walk and then enjoyed her visitors, later that day, over a cup of tea. One of the visitors was endrin'i Tabo. This elderly lady has become a friend of Katja's over time. When endrin'i Tabo visits, the conversation is not only about illnesses, who died, and other hardships, but she also asks with genuine interest how Katja’s family in the Netherlands are doing. Endrin'i Tabo is genuinely interested.

Language Barrier

The fact that we still haven't mastered the dialect 100% is evident from the following incident. Friends told us that there was a man in hospital who had been attacked with, or by, a kiso. The word kisoa is the official Malagasy word for pig. So when they talked about a kiso (without an 'a'), we thought they were talking about a pig. That was strange because in the dialect such an animal is called a lambo. So we went to the local hospital to visit the victim. It turned out to be a strange conversation. The word kiso, without the ‘a’, is dialect for meat knife! So, while the family was talking about an attack with a knife, we were talking about an attack by a pig. Yes, said the family, the knife had been stabbed into his side. "What a nasty animal!" was our response. Later, back in the village, amid loud laughter, our friends explained to us that it was a knife attack. The family must have thought that we were calling the attacker a pig or something.

The Attacker

After talking for a while longer, we discovered that the knife attacker was still at large. He was terrorising the upper part of our village. The man went around destroying everything he saw. When I asked why a group of strong men didn't go and get him, I was told that he had a knife! Yes, duh! I understood that, but when I said that a group could definitely apprehend such a man, there was silence. Everyone was afraid!

Her name is Tuqueque... But we call her kekkie 😆
Well, someone had to do it, so together with the dog I walked up the hill. That's where we found him. He looked very angry, and you clearly he wasn't right in the head. In addition to the knife, he also had a long iron bar with which he began to threaten us. It was a strange situation. The dog didn't like it at all, so she bared her teeth. That only made the man angrier, so I sent the dog away. After a few minutes of conversation, I asked him to give me his weapons and to come with me quietly. By then, the police had already been called, and when they come to pick up a man like that, they take a much harder line.

He didn't want to come with me, nor did he want to hand over his weapons. Instead, he made a move to hit me, so the dog jumped in between us again. Good dog!

That diverted the man's attention away from me and towards the dog. Long story short, I decided it was better to leave because I didn't want a dead dog on my hands. Fortunately, the dog listened and came with me. The man suddenly ran after us, but he stopped his pursuit after about 50 metres—it must have been a crazy sight.

Anyway, not long after that, the two police officers arrived with two auxiliary officers. They weren't in the best of moods because it had been raining all day, and now they had to walk to our village—they arrived muddy and wet. While the commander waited downstairs in the local shop, the other three picked up the man. After a few hard blows, he came with them, bruised and battered and handcuffed. It's a pity I didn't manage to get him to come down voluntarily. The latest news is that he is now in prison. Even though it's his own fault, in this country you wouldn't wish imprisonment on anyone. Pending the court's decision, such a stay can be very long and often without clear prospects. It is sad, but the harsh reality. His name is Bobo (pronounced boo-boo). It won't leave my mind. How wonderful it would be if he could receive healing of mind and come to know the Lord Jesus as his Saviour.

Oh well, it is just one of those adventures you rather not see happening.

To the Netherlands

Look closely! That is the front door 😃
This month, our daughter started her study at the University. Katja travelled with her to help her get started in her new life. She now lives in the cottage on Katja's mother's property. The cottage is old, so it needed some renovation. Over the past few weeks, Katja has turned into a real handywoman, or Jackeline of all trades (what is the feminine word for this anyway?) The single-glazed windows have been fitted with insulating film and the gaps have been sealed. Of course, curtains were a must, and so the ladies have transformed the cottage into a new home.

It is a big change for all of us. Beforehand, we joked that it would finally be quiet. But then the day came when we had to take her to the airport. On the way there, it was still fun and games in the car, but on the way back, it was very different. Reality set in. She was really gone now, and none of us felt like making jokes any more.

We are blessed with good internet, so we talk to each other regularly via WhatsApp. Still, it's not the same as seeing each other, giving each other a hug. We are grateful to the Lord that Katja was able to travel with her. Together they took care of everything that needed to be arranged. They also visited different churches to see which one would be a good fit for her. Here too, we can see God's hand at work. The pastor of the Kruiskerk phoned her and offered to help her search. He wanted to hear from her how they could help her settle in. It is wonderful to see that, even though we do not know each other, there are brothers and sisters everywhere who are eager to help.

Midongy & Befotaka

In the newsletter of last June, we reported that Wouter van Holst and I had been on an exploratory mission to the very remote valleys of Midongy & Befotaka. The tribes (Antaisaka & Bara) who live there speak a slightly different dialect than the one we speak. Nevertheless, we managed to explain the Gospel quite well. Several villages indicated that they would like to hear more about Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. In other villages, small groups are now gathering to study the Bibles they have received. The people are hungry for the Gospel.

Matthew 9:37-38 — The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.

Wouter wanted to send Malagasy Christians to these villages to spend a few weeks teaching the people more about the faith. I put him in touch with Jonoro, a Malagasy pastor who recently joined Africa Inland Mission. Jonoro and I have worked together before, so it was easy for me to introduce him to Wouter's project.

It was a big group which joined the training.
The training for the Malagasy Christians took place in August. I also saw Thaddee in the photos. Thaddee was in Maroamboka with his group last May to evangelise. You can read more about this in the previous newsletter. Several ministers, including Jonoro, provided teaching, and on Monday September the 1th they travelled to the remote villages to stay there for 28 days.

Wouter took them as far as he could in his car, but most of the groups then had to continue on foot for another three days. Please pray for these brothers (and, reportedly, one sister). Pray that the Malagasy in the remote areas may come to know the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Saviour!

Other Current Matters

The second group of students who were supposed to come to Maroamboka on the 15th of June is still on the list. I hope to meet with Jonoro soon to discuss a new date. In recent weeks, I have had little time to work on this. Yes, Katja takes a lot of work off my hands at home. Fortunately, the children help out a lot, but for certain things it is still easier when we are together. Homeschooling, shopping, housekeeping, are all things Katja has a good routine for.

Another thing I want to arrange is to send a few boxes of translations (the Gospel of Luke, the Book of Acts and the story collection) to Thaddee and his group in Vohipeno. I also hope to deliver several boxes to Ikongo and Irondro, both part of the Antanala area.

Finally, I am also working on the translation of the Book of Genesis. That is a lot of work because the language used in Genesis is very different from that used in the New Testament books. I have digitised chapters 1 to 6, and they are ready to be checked for the second time … Only 44 chapters to go 😳😆

This was it for now

We hope that after reading this letter, you, like us, are also looking forward to what the future holds. We can make plans but one thing we know for sure is that “what the Lord intends, happens.” (Proverbs 19:21)

We feel privileged to receive so much support in our work. Thank you for your prayers, compassion, and support!

Together with you, we want to keep trusting in the Lord! Because God is good, always! And always God i s good!

We sincerely wish you God's blessing!

Katja & Jurgen

Things to pray for:

We are thankful because:
  1. we serve a great and mighty God;
  2. Our daughter has started her studies in mathematics;
  3. we had a wonderful time as a family in Maromaboka;
  4. the villages in Midongy and Befotaka are being reached.
Pray that/for:
  1. our financial standing will return to normal;
  2. the translation work and distribution;
  3. our daughter, that she will make the transition well;
  4. the plans to send another group to Maroamboka;
  5. the man, Bobo, who is now in prison.
Newsletter June 2025
By Jurgen & Katja

Newsletter June 2025

Het i

Dear brothers, sisters and friends,

It is only recently that we sent out our last newsletter. Still, there are some very nice things to tell again.

Vangaindrano, Midongy & Befotaka

Frontseats: Nick Däpp and Jurgen
Backseats: Willy and Lucile
Three names of districts in Madagascar's far southeast. Vangaindrano is 270 kilometres (by car) south of our village, Midongy and Befotaka are even further. Wouter and Sanne van Holst set up the 'Hosanna' project in Vangaindrano. We know each other well and I had already hinted that I would like to come and have a look. For encouragement, but also to discover whether our translation work would be understood this far south.

The opportunity came! Wouter occasionally undertakes mission trips in the very remote Midongy and Befotaka areas. There are no roads leading there so the collaboration with the Swiss helicopter organisation, Helimission, is a godsend. We flew with Nick Däpp, the pilot we have known for years, to Vangaindrano. On the way, we landed briefly in our village to say a quick hello 😎

From the 'Hosanna' mission post, we flew to the two districts daily. We visited five villages a day. The villagers had never seen white people and a helicopter before. Some knew it only from the movies.

fltr: Wouter, Willy, Lucile, Jurgen.
But I didn't come there to twiddle thumbs. Wouter had asked me and a Malagasy employee, Lucile, to share the Gospel during the trips. That way, I could check out the differences in dialect right away 🤔

Click here to see a short video.

Well, I soon found out that my usual Antanala dialect did not match those of the people overthere. The ethnic groups are the Bara and Antaisaka, each with their own dialect. Lucile and another staff member, Willy, both Antaisaka, occasionally had to laugh heartily at my dialect. Some Antanala words have very different meanings in Bara or Antaisaka.

For instance, the way I said that God does not want us to commit adultery is interpreted by the Bara as picnic. Until I got hold of the right pronunciation and words, I first translated it with some humour. So I then explained the seventh commandment as, "you may picnic, but not secretly with your neighbour's wife." Willy and Lucile helped me tremendously in learning the correct pronunciation and words.

Most people had no knowledge of the Gospel. One village had never even heard of the name Jesus! Yes, they did know that God the Creator exists — duh! How else would everything came into being! But they wondered who His Son was and where He lived. I said the Lord Jesus now lived in heaven. "Oooh, so He is dead," they said. Great surprise when I explained to them that He had been dead, but had come alive again on the third day! What an experience! What an openness! And what a privilege!

Meanwhile, Wouter and Sanne received some feedback from the villagers and the reports are very promising. Several villages have indicated that they would like to hear more about Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. People are hungry for the Gospel.

Matthew 9:37-38
The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Malagasy Bible students

We know Thaddee, the second man from the left, since 2016.
Once back home with Katja and the children, I didn't have much time because just over a week later, the first group of Malagasy Bible students came to Maroamboka. Together with Dani, I travelled to our village three days in advance to get everything in order. On Monday morning, 19th of May, the students arrived.

On the first day, we introduced the students to our friends, Sylvestre and Fanja and the fathers of Boto, Mainty and Bosila.

On the second day, they walked in two groups to more remote villages. The fathers of Mainty and Boto went with one group to Masoabe. The village is a 2.5-hour walk away. People knew who we were, and the group was warmly welcomed. The other group went to Dongosabe with Bosila's father.

Both villages were very open to the Gospel and the visit encouraged the Christians present to become more active evangelisers themselves. This, of course, is something we love to see happen: Christians starting to tell their own fellow villagers about Jesus. Normally, many Christians here think this is mainly the job of pastors. But then again, if no pastor lives near, not much happens

The three men in the middle are the fathers of Boto, Bosila and mainty.
On the third day, we visited the father of Velotia in Beono—the king who became Christian. He shared his testimony to the group. It was a huge encouragement to both parties.

Klik hier om zijn getuigenis te horen.

On the last day, the entire group went to visit Tsararano. The people there had often asked us to explain the Gospel to them too.

I have not yet been able to get much feedback from our friends in Maroamboka. But the little we have heard is promising. People are genuinely curious about more of the Bible, and many local Christians have already indicated that they would like to participate in Evangelism next time.

Once Home Again

Twelve days later, Dani and I were back home. On the way, Dani had caught the flu so we came back just in time. Whilst back home we started coughing and feeling lousy one by one. Dani took the lead, and over the weekend he got even sicker with tremors and chills. Katja decided to test him on Malaria, which turned out positive. So on top of the flu, Malaria as well. We always have medicine in the house so we could tackle that right away. But oh dear! The medication did not work thus we decided to take him to the hospital of a befriended German midwife, Tanja Hock. There he was put on a drip right away.

Fortunately, we were in time and saw that the medicine through the IV was doing its job. During that week Katja stayed at his bedside during the day and I relieved her for the night. After five days, we were happily informed that we could take him home again.

Now, Dani is the most fit and healthy person in the family. The rest, including me, have coughs due to a bad flu. Bother! We had momentarily forgotten what that felt like 🤒

A Blessing in Disguise

Officially, I already had to travel back to our village this week. The second group of students was supposed to arrive on the 15th of June. But they unexpectedly cancelled. That's a shame! But given the situation in the family, maybe not so bad at all.

It also benefits the peace for a while. All those weeks I've been away, Katja has had to do everything on her own. Fortunately, the children help her a lot, but with certain things it is more convenient if we are together. Homeschooling, shoppings, household. All things in which Katja has a fine routine. But if one of the children comes with me, she has to plan that child's schoolwork differently.

Katja is also very busy planning the next month(s). After all, in July, as a family, we hope to go on holiday to our village. And the next month, in August, Vanya hopes to leave for the Netherlands to start university in Groningen. Katja will travel with her to help her set up her home, and things like insurance and whatnot. Those weeks I get to homeschool the children 😵‍💫 So Katja is already preparing that schedule as well.

So in that respect, it is a stroke of luck that the group cannot come. We may also see the Lord's hand in this.

1 Corinthians 10:13
God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

This was it for now

We hope that after reading this letter, you, like us, are also looking forward to what the future holds. We can make plans but one thing we know for sure is that “what the Lord intends, happens.” (Proverbs 19:21)

We feel privileged to receive so much support in our work. Thank you for your prayers, compassion, and support!

Together with you, we want to keep trusting in the Lord! Because God is good, always! And always God i s good!

We sincerely wish you God's blessing!

Katja & Jurgen
Vanya, Issa, Abbey, Dani en Simeon Hofmann.

Things to Pray for

We are thankful because:
  1. we serve a great and mighty God;

  2. God is adding to the Church daily;

  3. the fantastic time in Vangaindrano and our own village;

  4. the Malagasy students were received so warmly;
Pray that/for:
  1. our financial standing will return to normal;

  2. our health;

  3. Katja's planning in terms of education;

  4. the last months in Madagascar for Vanya;

  5. the new planning regarding the students who could not come.
Newsletter April 2025
By Jurgen & Katja

Newsletter April 2025

Dear brothers, sisters and friends,

The last newsletter was an extensive report on everything that happens here. This newsletter we hope to keep a little shorter, but certainly no less interesting.

The trip to Maroamboka last January

Actually, that was more or less wishful thinking. Sometimes the rains come later in the season. This time, just about all the cyclones arrived in January. Those rains that come along are great for the farmers, but less fortunate for the roads. Our friends in Maroamboka advised us not to come. Since there were no pressing matters to attend to, we called off the trip. It’s always a tough decision because you know it can only be done again two months later. On the other hand: When it rains that hard, there is not much you can do anyway. The paths become dangerously slippery and most people are poorly accessible as a result.

New Planning

The materials are ready to be used
The materials are ready to be used
The new trip has already been prepared. I (Jurgen), together with our second daughter and youngest son, hope to return to the village on Monday 14th of April. We have a lot to do! I hope to renew all the water pipes. Repairs need to be made to the concrete foundation, and things need to be cleaned.

During this trip, I hope to make some further arrangements with the leaders of the churches in Maroamboka. These arrangements are about mentoring Bible students.

Bible-students

Hey! Did I mention something about Bible students just now? Yes indeed, a wish we have had for a long time seems to be happening now. During the previous visit, Jonoro had come with us. Jonoro is a Malagasy pastor, and he has an awful lot of contacts. Jonoro raised the topic here and there, and that ball started rolling. We are now actively working with two groups.

The first group comes from Vohipeno. This town is relatively close to our village. It is Thadee’s group. We have known Thadee for a long time. Eight years ago, Thadee and his wife Haja were stationed as missionaries in Ikongo—the centre of the Antanala region. He now teaches young Malagasy Christians himself. As part of this teaching—and his wish to strengthen our ministry—he hopes to come to Maroamboka for a week sometime soon. This group is unlikely to have much trouble with the language as they live relatively close by (still 4 hours away by car).

The other group is from Tulear. That is much further away! Their trip will take about two days. These students mainly speak the Vezo-Malagasy language, and most have no experience with areas elsewhere on Madagascar, let alone in such a remote place as Maroamboka. For this group, it will be a bit of a shock when dealing with different customs and a different language. Jonoro has also trained these students and hopes—and we with him—that he can come along himself.

But … Sponsorship …

Yes, now, of course, we come to finances. These students (not all) had the opportunity to study because there was a budget for their daily needs. Other students had to study mainly in the evenings so they could work during the day.

Travel and accommodation in Maroamboka is not in their budget. Of course, students are allowed to stay in our house for free. The cooking utensils, mats to sleep on, and all other adaptations are a great use of our own time and money as far as we are concerned.

But the journey, and food whilst travelling, is very expensive by Malagasy standards. Also, some students will also not be able to work during that week. In preparation, they went to several churches to raise sponsorship. As it turns out, getting that done is not so easy. Having money, and giving money away is a very sensitive issue on Madagascar. We are dealing with one of the poorest countries in the world. Yet, we felt it was important for students to try to raise some money. After all, the great commission of our Lord Jesus is telling churches to send missionaries and evangelists into the world. Secretly you hope the churches are eager … Surely that will take some more time here.

The Bible-students from Tulear with Jonoro and his wife left on the foreground.
The Bible-students from Tulear with Jonoro and his wife left on the foreground.

May we Appeal to you?

Initially, I suggested that the students might be able to set up a GoFundMe campaign. That was one of my less bright ideas. Such a campaign is effective in the West, but here each potential sponsor has to be asked individually.

To make things a little easier for the students, we have agreed with AIM-Netherlands to set up a separate fund for this. We hope to raise about 1,000 euros for these two groups. May we appeal to you?

It will be a great learning moment for these enthusiastic students. But even better than that! These students have a heart for their own people.

The situation reminded me strongly of the collection Paul did in Corinth. The apostle Paul asked for money from the churches to support those in need, especially the impoverished church in Jerusalem. He encouraged the Corinthians to contribute generously and reminded them of their own blessings and the importance of helping others.

Scan the code to support! (DUTCH ACCOUNTS ONLY - see for other option below)
Scan the code to support! dutch accounts only – see for other option below)

De studenten komen uit arme kerken, maar ondanks de armoe willen hun volksgenoten bereiken met de boodschap van hoop en redding! Wat een voorrecht dat we hier getuigen van mogen zijn én aan mogen bijdragen!

Those of you with a Dutch bank-account can make contributions via the link below.

Donation towards the student (DUTCH ACCOUNTS ONLY)

For those among you who have their bank accounts outside the Netherlands, you can use one of the following options:

Donate towards the students via Paypal   Donate towards the students via Paypal

Donate towards the students via Stripe   Donate towards the students via Stripe

Please mention that the gift is given for the bible-students!

Short News

Just one last update regarding translation work. We met a young lady who grew up in Ikongo (the centre of the Antanala area). Delia is her name, and she is temporarily living in the capital. We have found Delia willing to record the Gospel of Luke. We hope to get the whole book finished before she goes back to Ikongo.

Every chapter is a blessing! For many people, audiobooks are a godsend because they cannot read or write. Please join us in prayer, that we will finish as many chapters as possible!

A big thank you for your prayers for Katja who had broken her collarbone. Meanwhile, the bone seems to have healed well without the need for medical intervention. Katja says she still suffers from the muscle in her neck—it is a bit stiff so to speak. Fortunately, she has not compromised on mobility.

This was it for now

We hope that after reading this letter, you, like us, are also looking forward to what the future holds. We can make plans but one thing we know for sure is that “what the Lord intends, happens.” (Proverbs 19:21)

We feel privileged to receive so much support in our work. Thank you for your prayers, compassion, and support!

Together with you, we want to keep trusting in the Lord! Because God is good, always! And always God i s good!

We sincerely wish you God’s blessing!

Katja & Jurgen

Things to pray for

We are thankful because:

  1. we serve a great and mighty God;
  2. God adds daily to His Church;
  3. we see more and more Malagasy with a heart for mission;

  4. Jonoro helps us so much;
  5. Delia wants to record Luke’s gospel;
  6. Katja’s collarbone has healed well.

Pray that/for:

  1. our financial standing will return to normal;
  2. the next trip to our village;
  3. we may find enough sponsorship for the students;
  4. the audio recordings with Delia;
  5. the plans to bring students to the village.
Newsletter January 2025
By Jurgen & Katja

Newsletter January 2025

Dear brothers, sisters and friends,

Yay! We have arrived at a brand-new year! That went fast. Still, in this letter we would like to reflect on the events of last year—in particular the visit to our village in December.

We had already hinted at it a bit on social media, but there is so much great stuff to share that we need a bit more writing space. In other words: This newsletter is going to be long so sit back and enjoy it! You can scroll down if you would like to see the pictures and video’s.

YES! The Shipping has Arrived

The shipment of our translation work arrived at the end of November. The 800-kilo pallet was delivered to Tana along with a variety of goods from MAF and Helimission. The missionaries from these two organisations picked it up from the depot and close to our house we were able to transfer it from their truck into our car—which then immediately started sinking heavily into the suspension 😂

Once neatly stacked in our garage, we still had to be patient about opening the boxes. Customs first wanted to send another inspector to check whether we didn’t put any naughty things in the boxes. Fortunately, we did not have to wait long and could finally take a look at the booklets. They look fantastic! The spreading of God’s word can begin.

Just a Quick trip before Christmas

A trip to our village, Maroamboka, always requires quite a bit of preparation. In the previous letter, we mentioned that I (Jurgen) would take three people with me, Tiavina, Neto, and Jonoro. Unfortunately, Tiavina had to drop out. The empty place in the car was eagerly taken by our oldest son.

Neto went along mainly to gain experience while Jonoro could possibly be of encouragement to our friends in the area. We were not sure what to expect because the people in our village were previously very reluctant towards strangers. We did have visitors when we were still living in the village. When we wanted to introduce our friends to the villagers, there was nobody in sight while others had hidden themselves in their houses.

Anyway, the trip was scheduled from December the 16th till the 23rd. Of that, you have to count four days for travelling itself. To make things a bit easier, we asked someone from the village, Narfelo, to do the cooking for us.

From one Surprise to Another

On our way to Maroamboka, we always stop for the night in Ranomafana. This is already fairly close by and many of the people in and around Ranomafana are or speak Antanala. We have tested our translations here many times. Jonoro went for a walk in the evening and met the local pastor. He immediately did what he does best: make contact. Jonoro talked about the work we do. The pastor told him that he already knew about this. He knew that I had already shared the Gospel in dialect several times at the market. The foreigner, who calls himself father of … (iaban’i …), was already quite well known in and around Ranomafana. The pastor was keen to meet me to hear how we could help each other. Jonoro made the arrangement that we would visit him on the way back. That was arranged surprisingly quickly!

Once we arrived in the village, we were warmly welcomed. People were so happy that we were back home. One person thought we might be dead because normally we came home much more often. Yes, he said ‘home’, as we may live in Tana, but according to the villagers, that’s not really where we belong.

To my surprise, people walked right up to Jonoro and Neto, and immediately started chatting pleasantly with them. Despite the fact that Neto’s Malagasy was limited and Jonoro’s Malagasy sounded different from the language in the village, the people took ample time to welcome them too. No fears or shyness. “No,” the people said, “Jonoro and Neto had been taken along by the father of …, so they can be trusted.”

The First Visit

Despite the heat, we spent our days in Maroamboka well. We mainly went out in the mornings to meet people.

Fanja was, of course, the first person we visited. Fanja and her husband Sylvestre were the people who introduced us to people in 2016. We have always experienced a lot of support from this lovely couple.

Sylvestre and Fanja are deeply involved in the Church of Jesus Christ on Madagascar (FJKM). Unfortunately, Sylvestre was not home, but that did not stop Fanja from inviting us for a delicious meal.

The funny thing was that she and Jonoro remembered each other from a Bible school they had attended when they were young. As a result, conversations went very smoothly and appointments were quickly made.

We shared our plans to send students from various Bible schools to Maroamboka. In Maroamboka, they could then get the needed practical experience. They could then learn what it is like to preach the Gospel in remote areas. Fanja was enthusiastic and eager to help where needed. Not only that, but she knows just about everyone and every village in the area. She is a great source of information! In due course, Fanja will mobilise young Christians who can go with the students to show them the way and introduce them to the people in the remote villages.

Church Grows Steadily

Of course, we also visited the father of Mainty and the father and mother of Luka. These Christian brothers and sister are the teachers at the local Lutheran Church (FLM). The father of Mainty has long used the translated Bible stories to teach new believers the big picture of salvation in the Bible.

The father of Mainty told us of all the happenings in the area. The Lutheran churchbuilding in Maroamboka has become too small! What happened? The village of Tsiombivohitra where I, Jurgen, went almost weekly (for years) to teach and preach the Bible stories, now has a large group of Christians. When I used to go there, I was told that there were only two young people who believed in Jesus. This couple was looked down on because they did not participate in traditional ancestor worship. The young king of the village understood that the Gospel was important but had no interest in following Jesus—after all, it would mean that he would then no longer be allowed to remain king.

Honestly, I sometimes got despondent about the work in Tsiombivohitra. But the Lord goes on. Sometime last year, the sown seed seemed to take root. First, the young couple came to Maroamboka on Sunday mornings to seek the Lord with the brothers and sister in the FLM. But not much later, they took about 20 more people from Tsiombivohitra in their wake. One of those people is the king’s wife!

The tide in Tsiombivohitra seems to have turned. It is just a small village which means that the believers are slowly starting to become the majority. Since it is seven kilometres to Maroamboka, they have now agreed with the FLM leadership to build a sister congregation in Tsiombivohitra.

But this village is not the only one where people are coming to a living faith in Christ. The father of Mainty told us that there are plans to build a church in at least two more villages.

Collaboration

When we moved into the village in 2017, there didn’t seem to be much of cooperation between the FLM and FJKM. Meanwhile, Christians from these churches don’t seem to remember that period 😆

The same question we had put to Fanja, we also asked The father of Mainty and the father and mother of Luka. Would they be willing to help students in their visits to surrounding villages? If so, would they also be willing to take this up together with the Christians from the FJKM. Both questions were answered with a resounding ‘yes’. After all, we worship the same Lord! This is good news because it means we should have more than enough helpers.

The Two Pastors

I was very keen to meet the FJKM pastor, Oliva. Oliva is still young, and his wife recently gave birth to their first daughter, Gloria, in the capital. We visited him. Oliva turns out to have a knack for languages. He speaks excellent English and appeared to switch to Portuguese without much difficulty during his conversation with Neto.

Oliva was very excited about the translation work and is keen to get involved. In February, however, he is going to live just outside our area. Living in our area is very difficult. Especially when you have a small child and a wife who has not yet recovered. The village where Oliva will live is about 25 kilometres away and has direct access to clean water, electricity, and paved road to other big cities. In that area too, our translation work is much appreciated, and Oliva is keen to use it there as well.

The second pastor we have managed to meet was our good friend Doris. Doris is the pastor of a Pentecostal church. His church now has about ninety regular attendees. Doris lives in Tanambao. This was the first village I started visiting in early 2018. When Doris and his wife Alphossin moved there in August 2018, we agreed that I would start visiting other villages, and leave Tanamboa to them. Doris and Alphossin’s work is clearly blessed. After all, the 90 believers are not the only believers in Tanambao. There is other new believers there who decided to worship at the FLM in Maroamboka. This is not surprising considering that the FLM is one of the most well-known denominations on Madagascar. The FLM is known as solid and reliable. The church (Rhema) that Doris and Alphossin founded is somewhat less known and so some prefer to choose the FLM. Doris is fine with that, as long as people start following Jesus!

Why Maroamboka?

Our village, Maroamboka, is actually only small when compared to the central village of our area, Sandrohy. I’ll explain it a bit. In the Dutch province North-Holland, Schagen is a municipality, and for example the village Burgerbrug is a village under that municipality. Likewise, Maroamboka is a village under the municipality of Sandrohy.

Actually, Sandrohy is the central place for the churches—the stronghold of Christianity in the area. The pastor of the FJKM lives there, and the church building is one of stone with a metal roof. It is also the focal point of almost all church celebrations.

Maroamboka, on the other hand, is the place of witch doctors. Seven of them live and work in and around Maroamboka! Some of them are so powerful that people come all the way from the capital to consult them. In short, Maroamboka was more or less the stronghold of Satan.

And it is precisely in Maroamboka that the church is growing! And it is Maroamboka where people come to hear more about the Gospel. Why? No clue, but our son noted that the Lord has a sense of humour. He said, “the evil one must have been happy when we left Maroamboka. But it is as if God helped the evil one out of his evil dream by using Maroamboka for His mighty and glorrious work.” 😎 I like his conclusion.

Yet also Setbacks

While we would prefer to write only ‘good-news’ letters, we cannot escape the fact that we sometimes experience setbacks too.

Visits to the village seem to attraction of accidents. One time, Siemen had to make an emergency visit to the dentist after a fall. Another time, our oldest son suffered a flesh wound in a swimming pool. And while I was in the village this time, Katja broke her collarbone.

When I am in the village, we try to call each other every day. So when our daughter called me on Friday afternoon, I unsuspectingly picked up the phone. “Hi daddy! Could you please give me some credit?” When I asked her what she needed it for, she told me she needed to call a taxi to go to the hospital … WHAT?! That was the moment she realised that I did not yet know what had happened. She quickly handed the phone to Katja so she could tell me the whole story. No, I didn’t have to come home straight away because they knew how to get to the hospital themselves 😵‍💫

After the weekend, we returned home. Besides all the advice of befriended nurses and doctors, Katja and I went to another hospital. The general advice seems to be not to operate immediately. The collarbone will have to grow back together on its own. Should there be permanent immobility, it can still be surgically fixed.

So in the meantime, Katja is walking with a shoulder that does not want to cooperate. Fortunately, it hurts a lot less than it did in the first two weeks, but it is not fun. Luckily, we are blessed with children who know their way around. All five of them help (as usual, but now a bit more) in the household.

We do have to be a bit careful with Katja. Our family motto says that you have to feel a hug. We can not abide by that motto right now. Now a hug should be given very softly and gently.

Next Trip

The next trip is already on the agenda. I hope to travel to Maroamboka again on Monday 20 January. This time together with our second daughter and youngest son.

The trip is threefold. Halfway through the outward journey, I will join an American missionary, Matt Espeland, who has founded a church at the border of the Antanala region. The idea is that I will go there to see if these people would also benefit from our translation work. Should this be the case, Matt can use the material to teach people in their own dialect.

In Maroamboka, I am going to renew the water pipes around the house with strong flexible pipes. The current (PVC) pipes are completely weathered and crack at the slightest bump. If we do get students in the house, at least they won’t have to worry about that.

Thirdly, I agreed with Menja that we will continue working on the Book of Genesis again. Genesis, with its 50 chapters, is a big project and will take some time before it is ready for the first proof-readings.

All three of us, are very much looking forward to it again!

To Conclude

Dear friends. A long newsletter this time. Normally we try to keep it shorter, but as you might have noticed that would not have done justice to all that has happened and been said. Again, below you’ll find the the pictures and some video’s.

We hope that after reading this letter, you, like us, are also looking forward to what the future holds. We can make plans but one thing we know for sure is that “what the Lord intends, happens.” (Proverbs 19:21)

We feel privileged to receive so much support in our work. Thank you for your prayers, compassion, and support!

Together with you, we want to keep trusting in the Lord! Because God is good, always! And always God i s good!

We sincerely wish you God’s blessing!

Katja & Jurgen

Things to Pray for:

We are thankful because:

  1. we serve a great and mighty God;
  2. God adds daily to His Church;
  3. of the fantastic time in the village;
  4. we have such a good relationship with the villagers;
  5. the translated booklets have arrived;

Pray that/for:

  1. our financial standing will return to normal;
  2. the next trip to our village;
  3. a complete healing of Katja’s collarbone and shoulder;
  4. we are able to get the booklets to the right people.
  5. the plans to bring students to the village may succeed.

Videos

Wonderschone waterval in Nationaal Park, Ranomafana, Madagaskar.

Prediking van de Bijbelverhalen op de markt in Sandrohy.

Samen met iaban’i Velotia in gebed.

Fruit on Madagascar
By Jurgen & Katja

Fruit on Madagascar

Our village’s name is Maroamboka. It is located in the south-east of Madagascar between the coastal towns of Mananjary and Manakara. The area is rich in coffee, vanilla and … fruit!

We have never eaten as many different fruits as here on Madagascar. That started when we lived in the capital, Antananarivo. But later, in Maroamboka, a large part of our diet consisted of fruit. Vegetables, on the other hand, were scarce. We really had to leave the area in search of a good variety of vegetables.

For some time now we wanted to write a post about the fruit that we have at our disposal. We will also describe some fruits that we have encountered in our travels in Madagascar.

Along the way we will add more fruits because we hardly scratched the surface of all the fruits we have to our disposal.

monkey's apple, Mimusops coriacea
English: Mimusops coriacea, Monkey’s Apple, Mulch Apple
Malagasy: Anganahara, Voranto, Vonanto
Dutch: Mimusops coriacea

It is also called the Malagasy apple. The outside is hard and you have to work to break the fruit open. This species originates from the Comoros and Madagascar. We came across this fruit on the east coast, but it also seems to grow, to a lesser extent, in the northwest. The tree grows mainly on sandy soils in coastal forests and dunes. The fruits are edible, but people do not really appreciate them. When the fruit is fully ripe it has a powdery and slightly sticky pulp that is quite sweet. As mentioned, the pulp is sticky and it forms a thin layer in your mouth. The seeds are not eaten but are often processed into chains and the oil from the seeds is used in paint.

Abbey enjoying a strawberry guava
English: Cattley guava, strawberry guava or cherry guava
Malagasy: Guavatsina
Dutch: aardbeiguave

The whole fruit is edible. We often come across them at the market. They are deliciously juicy and soft. The taste is somewhat cherry-like. The skin is a bit bitter. Katja also makes jam from them when we have a lot of them.

Guavatsina, strawberry guava, aardbijguava

voatabiahazo, tamarillo

English: Tamarillo
Malagasy: Voatabiahazo
Dutch: Tamarillo, boomtomaat

Don’t let the tomato-like appearance of these small, oblong, orange-red fruits trick you. A Tamarillo is unique in its own right, even though the plant is occasionally referred to as a tomato tree, which is the literal meaning of its Malagasy name. A Tamarillo is sweeter and has a tangier flavour compared to a tomato, yet their textures are alike. In contrast to a tomato, the Tamarillo features a bitter skin that is best removed before consumption.

voagambo, snap melon, snoep meloen

English: Snap melon
Malagasy: Voagambo
Dutch: Snoep meloen

This is a fruit we found at the market. When asked about the name we were given a Malagasy name of which we didn’t realy know how to write. The taste is a bit dull and the texture is somewhat pulpy. They are eaten when young and still tender, either raw or cooked as a vegetable. Ripe fruits are used for dessert. We were advised to use a decent amount of sugar. The fruits are also used as a first-aid treatment for burns and abrasions.

seed of the tamarinde
English: Tamarind
Malagasy: Madilo of Kily of Madir of kilendraza,
Dutch: Tamarinde

We had a Tamarind tree next to our house in Maroamboka. Unfortunately, it was blown over during a heavy cyclone. The fruits are often used to make juice (Jus Naturel). It is mixed with water and sugar. The pure fruit is extremely sour (at least the fruits we had were sour). We have also heard that people find them sweet. So maybe those are different kind.

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarinde
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarind


English: Salacia madagascariensis
Malagasy: Vonomby
Dutch: Salacia madagascariensis

This is a fruit we found at the market. When asked about the name we were given a common French name, which meant something like fruit of the cow(?!) The Malagasy name, ‘vonomby,’ means approximately the same. The taste is not strong, it is sweet and has a bit of a dry bite, it gives a dry feeling in your mouth.

Sweet sour juice from Soursop on MadagascarEnglish: Soursop
Malagasy: Corossol or Voantsokona
Dutch: Zuurzak
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuurzak
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soursop

This is a relative of the Sweetsop, but is not eaten in the same way. Here it is mainly used to make a really delicious fruit-drink, juice naturel. When in season, we eat them almost daily. They have a bit of a gumball flavour and are deliciously sweet/sour in taste.

Sweet custart apple, sugar-apple or sweetsop on MadagascarEnglish: Custart apple, Sugar-apple or Sweetsop
Malagasy: Pocanelle, Konikony, Voanjato or Voazato, Zaty
Dutch: Zoetzak
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoetzak
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annona_squamosa

The Malagasy name, Voanjato, literally translates as ‘hundred seeds’. The fruit is creamy and filled with dozens of bean-sized black seeds. It’s a hassle to eat because you’re constantly busy spitting out all seeds, but once you start eating you can’t stop! Deliciously sweet with a bit of a vanilla pudding-like taste.

Sweet custart apple, sugar-apple or sweetsop on Madagascar

Guava fruit MadagascarEnglish: Guava
Malagasy: Goavy or Angavo
Dutch: Guava
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guava

I don’t know if there is a Dutch name for it, so we just call this fruit ‘Guava’ and in our village ‘Goavy’. You can eat the whole fruit and it has a sour taste. It is packed with small seeds that you just swallow. The Guavas come in two colors: yellow/green and reddish. The red ones below (English name: Strawberry apple) are a bit tougher but the taste seems the same.

Strawberry apple Madagascar

Delicious Jackfruit hanging in the trees on madagascarEnglish: Jackfruit
Malagasy: Apaly-be or Ampalibe
Dutch: Nanka or Jackfruit
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nangka
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackfruit

Jackfruits are the giants among the fruits. They can weigh up to 20 pounds each! Children climb the trees to cut down the fruit. Don’t stand underneath the tree when the fruit comes down. They often roll the fruits home. The road in front of our house is steep and you have to get out of the way when they bounce and roll down. The flesh is soft and the seeds (stones really) can be cooked and used for example in a salad. The Malagasy also cook the unripe fruit. The mush is then prepared with salt and eaten with rice. The fruits have a glue-like substance which looks and feels like wood glue. A horrible substance when it gets in your hair or on your clothes. We use a mix of salt and petroleum, to wash our hands to get rid of the sticky substance. Often the fruit ripens faster than we can eat it and then the taste becomes extremely sweet with a tingling effect on your tongue (alcohol).

Jackfruit delicious on madagascar

Loquat of MadagascarEnglish: Loquat
Malagasy: Pibasy
Dutch: Loquat
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat

This tree stood in our ‘backyard’. The flesh of this fruit is peach-coloured and they have a large shiny brown kernel. They have a slightly sour taste. We prefer to buy them when we see them during our travels or in the market. The tree behind our house was not such a success because the ants had made it their favourite workshop and they decided that nobody was allowed to come close.

Lychees of MadagascarEnglish: Lychee / Rambutan
Malagasy: letchi
Dutch: Lychee / Ramboetan
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramboetan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambutan

The taste is wonderful and almost addictive. Of course we knew the Lychees in the Netherlands as a luxury product, but here on Madagascar they grow just about everywhere. In season, late October till January, the market is flooded with them. They are cheap on the market (€ 0,75 per kilo), in our area we pay even less (for a large shopping bag full maybe only €0,25). Often we have to much and we have to tell people that we are not buying … There they are with their ‘goods’. No worries! We do not have to pay anything because at moments like that it is given to us as a gift. In addition to the regular Lychees, there are also the hairy Lychees (Rambutan). We don’t see them often in our area. They are a bit harder and less juicy and sweet.
Rambutan, chineese lychee on Madagascar

Sweet Mango of MadagascarEnglish: Mango
Malagasy: Manga
Dutch: Mango
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango_(soort)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango

Mangoes come on the markets in December till January and, like most fruit, they are very cheap (€0,05/0,12 each in the cities). In our village we pay (if we have to pay) about €0,02 each. I’m not sure what variety of mango this is (there are a lot of varieties). In our area we mainly see the red/green Mangoes, but on the market we also find the yellow Mangoes.

Makoba, mountain apples of MadagascarEnglish: Mountain Apple
Malagasy: Makoba
Dutch: Djamboe bol, Maleisische rozenappel or Maleisische wasappel
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djamboe_bol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium_malaccense

The taste of this fruit, originally from Malaysia, does not resemble an apple. The taste is a bit flat and dull. It is spongy and watery but they are good thirst quenchers. We eat these fruits especially when we are on the road. They are sold on the sides of the road. I have not yet seen them in our area.

Passionfruit can be enoying but the taste greatEnglish: Passion-fruit
Malagasy: Giranadela
Dutch: Passievrucht
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_edulis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_edulis

We have two types of passion-fruit here: The larger one with the yellow skin and the slightly smaller one with a purple/reddish skin. The Malagasy likes to make it in to juice (Jus Naturel). Very nice when it is warm and you want a refreshing drink. The passion-fruit grows throughout our area. We have partially removed one behind our toilet. The passion-fruit grows on tendrils. These tendrils need other plants, shrubs and trees for support. If you let them grow they will soon cover everything and suffocate other vegetation. But oh boy, they are lovely (very sour, though) and the flowers are beautiful.

Passionfruit can be enoying but the taste great

English: Papaya
Malagasy: Papay
Dutch: Papaja
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaja
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya

We don’t have many Papayas in our area, but every now and then we can get our hands on one. You can buy them everywhere in the bigger places. Our children are not so fond of them … I think we ate them a little too often. That started in 2015 when we attended a three weeks course in Kenya before flying on to Madagascar. Every meal (morning, afternoon and evening) there were Papayas. Once in Madagascar there were Papayas again! Sometimes we get Papaya as a gift. Fruits the size of a basketball. The children are polite and say ‘thank you’. Very well-mannered to the donors… then they say in Dutch: ‘Daaaddy, they have brought one again, what do you what me to do with it?’. Good thing the Malagasy don’t understand a word.
Papaya market on Madagascar

Huge banana trees in our graden on madagascarEnglish: Banana
Malagasy: Akondro of fontsy
Dutch: Banaan
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banaan_(vrucht)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana

Banana puree, banana bread, banana porridge, bananas on pizza, bananas in the spaghetti sauce, bananas … Everywhere! We have several banana trees next to the house. They grow fast and sometimes we need to cut them down because they are likely to fall down in Katja’s vegetable garden or on the roof of the washing place. We also buy bananas from people at the door, three large or six small for €0,02 all year round. We love them, and honestly, the taste so much better than the ones you buy in the supermarkets of Holland. You’ll have to come over and try them for yourself.

Huge banana bunch on Madagascar

English: Avocado
Malagasy: Zavoka
Dutch: Avocado
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado

Just like the Papayas, we don’t have many Avocados growing in our area. The season runs from January to April. They are mostly available on the larger markets and cost about €0,10 each. This fruit is not a favourite among our children, but Katja and I love them (both the fruit and the children). They are also very healthy so we will buy them when we see them.

Avacodo from Madagascar

Baobab fruit from MadagascarEnglish: Baobab
Malagasy: Baobab
Dutch: Baobab
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baobab
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia

Since October 2019, these wonderful trees are growing in our area as well. On one of our trips to the capital, we came across the fruits. We had never had it before and at €0,20 per fruit we wanted to try it. The fruit has a hard, velvety exterior and is filled with seeds surrounded by dry, almost chalky flesh. The taste is a bit bland but we have heard that it is also used to make fruit juice (Jus Naturel). We have kept the seeds and grown them at home. Of the 40 seeds, 30 germinated and 4 have proven strong enough to withstand the attacks of snails, chickens and heavy rain showers. They now grow on a patch of ground behind our toilet. Who knows, maybe after 100 years, we may end up with our own Avenue of the Baobabs like in Morondava.

De Allée des baobabs (Avenue of the Baobabs) Morondava, Madagascar

Breadfruit MadagascarEnglish: Breadfruit
Malagasy: Frampay, Soanambo or Sirapay
Dutch: Broodboom
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broodboom_(Moraceae)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadfruit

These fruits are not sweet and have a starchy flesh that becomes soft and potato-like during cooking. They are cheap because there are just a lot of them growing everywhere in the area. They are prepared by cooking them with salt and often eaten as a snack. For larger meals, they are mashed and served with herbs as a side dish (laoka). We don’t like to eat them. Some in our family complained that it causes nausea and stomach pain. I (Jurgen) regularly eat it at people’s homes when I visit. I like it myself. Possibly we do not prepare the fruit properly, I wouldn’t know. I have read that you can also make a kind of french fries with the fruit. That would be quite healthy compared to normal fries because the fruit has a lot of fibres, vitamin C and potassium.

big pineapples on madagascarEnglish: Pineapple
Malagasy: Mananasy
Dutch: Ananas
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple

Delicious! Pineapple is so delicious. They are growing everywhere and we have planted several around the house. Pineapples (just like bananas) taste so much better than what we are used to in the Netherlands. They are not the cheapest fruits on the markets. A large one cost about € 1, -. That is a day’s wages for people in our village. Tourists happily pay double because that is still cheap compared to what pineapples cost in Europe. One day I was chatting to a happy tourist from the Netherlands. He was happy because he had just bought a big Pineapple from that sweet boy for only €2,–. While we were talking that same boy and I made some gestures back and forth. Before the tourist knew what happened I was holding a big Pineapple in my hands. He didn’t quite understand what had happened. In the Netherlands you mainly have to talk, in Madagascar you come a long way with lips gestures, frowning and nodding. I got the Pineapple for the normal Malagasy price, €0,75.

Pineapple growing in our garden on madagascar

June plum or amarella fruit MadagascarEnglish: June plum of Ambarella
Malagasy: Sakoa of Jovia
Dutch: Ambarella
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambarella
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spondias_dulcis

We regularly get sellers at the door with these fruits. They cost about €0,05 per three. You have to be careful because they are regularly picked while still unripe and then they are not so tasty. They look a bit ugly from the outside, but the inside has a sweet yellow flesh that surrounds a spiky stone. The taste is a combination of orange and mango. We eat them the way they come, but also on bread or in a salad.

English: Coconut
Malagasy: coco of Voanio
Dutch: Kokosnoot
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokospalm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut

Coconuts are especially abundant in the coastal towns. They are served with a straw or the juice is poured into a glass. Afterwards the sellers chop the nut further open so you can eat the pulp. In our village there are two trees. They grow in the yard of our friends and so every now and then we get a few of them.

coconut tree Madagascar