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.

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 Abbey, 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

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 Vanya’s for another two weeks. Abbey slept at Vanya’s house and I was able to stay in the guest room of Katja’s mother.

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, Vanya 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 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 Dani and Siemen. 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.

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: “Father of Vanya!? 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 Dani, Siemen and I 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 Dani’s 15^th birthday (21 February).

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 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? Dani 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 Dani’s birthday? After a few hours of solid sleep we still celebrated it with a delicious homemade apple pie.

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. Issa hopes to take his final exams, and Abbey 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. Issa and Abbey’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.