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 …
The trip felt strange. It had been almost two years since Katja had been to the village and for Vanya 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 Vanya would already be in the Netherlands by then. The second celebration was Simeon's 10th birthday on 29 July!
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? Vanya's mother 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 Vanya's father regularly …
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!
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.
Vanya & Katja to the Netherlands
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. Vanya 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 Vanya. Here too, we can see God's hand at work. The pastor of the Kruiskerk in Diever, Ben van Werven, phoned Vanya and offered to help her search. He wanted to hear from Vanya 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.
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
Vanya, Issa, Abbey, Dani en Simeon Hofmann.
Things to pray for:
We are thankful because:- we serve a great and mighty God;
- Vanya has started her studies in mathematics;
- we had a wonderful time as a family in Maromaboka;
- the villages in Midongy and Befotaka are being reached.
- our financial standing will return to normal;
- the translation work and distribution;
- Vanya, that she will make the transition well;
- the plans to send another group to Maroamboka;
- the man, Bobo, who is now in prison.
For parents home education takes a lot of (extra) time. No problem though: the children can help! Teens can cook and clean well and even a toddler can help clear away the dishes. Having the children do (more) chores not only frees the parents to home educate, but also gives children a sense of responsibility and belonging. The children might grumble and complain a bit in the beginning, but with the necessary compliments for a job well done they are sure to grow into it. 😀
Much research has been done to discover the best time of day for learning tasks. For most of us the best time to concentrate deeply is in the morning around 10. Find out what subject requires most of your child’s attention and let him sit down to it around 10 am for the best results. If 10 am is a particularly unsuitable time, you can alternatively choose for one a half hour after lunch or supper, although our concentration peak is somewhat lower at those times of day. Happy studying!
Reading is key to all further learning and paticipation in society. The ability to read is one of the most precious gifts you can give to your child. Therefore: read to your child, at least until he can read fluently himself (longer is allowed 😀). Enjoying books together whets your child’s appetite for reading, gives him a feel for language and builds his vocabulary. Secondly, have your beginning reader read to you daily – also at least until he reads fluently. Don’t be surprised if this takes long: 10 years or older is no exception for reading fluency. Reading together is one of the best investments in your child’s future.
Home Educators need grace and mercy in abundance.
This is what happens when someone puts ‘just a little to much’ soap in the dishwasher…
There seems to be no end to what can be learned. In the primary years we focus on reading, writing and arithmetic to use them later as tools for further studies. Once we gain an appetite for learning, the possibilities are manifold: we can learn a new hobby or game, taķe an online course, learn a language … Learning can be enjoyed by young and old, gives us healthy challenges and provides stimulation. So what would you like to learn – or teach your child – today?
We wanted to visit the side earlier but putting all the car papers in our name took much longer than anticipated. Finally, we received all the papers… that is to say, the temporary papers. Hopefully he official papers will be ready at the end of December 2016. Jurgen’s Malagasy drivers licence is a whole different story. To get the official licence we need a visa that has to be still six months valid. This is not so straightforward as it might sound. When we apply for a visa (for the new year) we receive a paper that says that we have applied. With this paper we can travel but it is not the same as the official visa. Still, the validity of the visa starts as soon as we apply. In other words, if we receive the official visa after 4 months it will only be valid for eight more months. Our hope is that we will get our visa in time to transform the temporary licence to a permanent one.
The national roads on Madagascar look very much like Dutch cheese with holes. This makes travelling very tiresome. At noon Issa and Jurgen arrived in a place call
ed Abohimahasoa. There they stopped to spend the night in a hotel. The next day they travelled the second part. Near Ifanadiana one of the tires went flat, a piece of wood stuck right through. Fortunately help was not far. Jurgen stopped the car near one of the many police checkpoints and asked one of the officers for help. The officer first had to put his AK47 aside and then he stopped a lorry. He told the driver that the foreigners needed help. The lorry driver, together with a local, changed the wheel and said that there was no need for Jurgen to get his hands dirty. A few miles further the tire was repaired in Ifanadiana for about € 1,70.
The house is situated next to a water-well with clean water. Most of the time there is enough pressure to install some plumbing. This is something the builder will look at. However, during Jurgen’s and Issa’s visit the well didn’t give much water due to a lack of rain. We will have to see whether we can solve this with a water reservoir that can collect and store rainwater. The house is mainly built of wood from the nearby rainforest. We will have, however, a tin roof and the ground floor is made of cement. The traditional houses have a leaf roof and a wooden or mud floor. This is a set up for trouble during the rainy season. Coming month we will look for a solar panel system. Solar panels are more common as many have a little system to recharge phones and the like.
The came back with a lot of fruit given by the locals. We are planning another trip to Maroamboka soon. We will have to bring more furniture and other things like our bed and school material for the children. The builder estimated that we can move as a family somewhere in January 2017.
