I read more than one editorial in which the writer was asking the where God was during the tsunami, and I think many people wondered how God could let that happen. Pretty ironic thinking for people who in many cases didn’t want to have anything to do with God just the day before, on Christmas. Of course, our all-powerful God can use any situation for His glory, and He extends His grace to those believe in His son. Many people in the Aceh province now have the chance to learn about Jesus because of the love and compassion being shown to them through local Christians and relief workers.
You can read about my time in Sumatra on-line at http://sumatra.thehoffmanfamily.com.

We’re Moving!
If you get our e-mail updates, then you already know we are leaving Ecuador in June. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, and as always happens with big decisions, several factors came into play. After four years in the same position, I was feeling the desire for some new challenges, and to expand my horizons. At the same time, MAF announced that the US home office would be moved from Southern California to Idaho. Because not all current staff will be moving to Idaho, there is a position available for me in the Information Technology department. In addition, it has become less important for Dustin to complete grade eight here at NSMS, which also makes it easier to leave sooner than we had planned.

We’ll be flying into Fresno, California on June 15, and spending a week or so there before we drive up to Boise, Idaho area to look for a house or apartment to rent.

But Wait, there’s More…
We came to Ecuador in July 2000 as Short Term staff with MAF, thinking that we’d be here for a year or two. Five years later, and we are now planning our leave from Ecuador. However, we are planning to join MAF as career staff. After we find housing in Idaho, we’ll be driving down to Redlands for three weeks of meetings and seminars, from July 17 until August 5. The next step after that will be deputation, during which time we will be

working full-time to develop our ministry partnership team — those who partner with us in through prayer and finance. The goal during this time is to double the amount of our monthly ministry partnership support. If you would like to have us visit you or your church during this time, please let us know.

Still Missionaries
Even though we will be living and working in the United States, we will still need to rely on our team of ministry partners for financial and prayer support. We will be based in the Boise area, and working at the MAF office in Nampa, and it is very likely that in addition to my responsibilities in the MAF office, I will also be making trips overseas to install and support VSAT communication systems and computer networks.

MAF Ecuador News
The MAF planes continue to fly miles and miles across the Ecuadorian jungles. The pilots, all nine of them, have licenses, for which we are grateful. Our licensing problems of the past two years are finally at an end. Now it is the mechanics licensing that needs to be addressed. Please keep Curtis Kelley in your prayers as he works through the process of getting his Ecuadorian mechanics license.

Thank You
Thanks for standing behind us the past five years. Without your prayers and support, we wouldn’t have even been here one year.

David, for Ellyn, Dustin, and Taylor