The visit of the Grandpa's
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
On Sunday afternoon our (Tim's and Martha's) dads arrived on Amtrak from Minnesota and Detroit for a two day visit as part of their 12 day train trip.
Martha's dad went from Toledo to Chicago to St. Paul where he met up with Tim's dad. From there they traveled to Portland, down the west coast across the southern border to San Antonio and then up to Dallas. They have been with us for two days and head north this afternoon for Chicago where they then head down to New Orleans before heading back to Chicago. From there they will split up and go back to their homes.
It's been fun to have them here. Yesterday Sarah and I took them to Fort Worth to see the stockyards. We saw the cattle run. It was actually only about 20 older docile longhorns, but it was still pretty neat.
We visited the Fort Worth Water Gardens, too. It was very cool!
Labels: Family
posted by Martha @ 11:33 PM
More blessings
Friday, July 17, 2009
Jehovah Jirah does it again. Tim returned tonight from Las Cruces, NM with a 14 foot U-haul truck 2/3 full of wonderful things for our house! Lots of furniture, appliances, vacuum and even a steam cleaner!
If all that wasn't enough, at the last minute our friends offered Tim their two bikes. They are the same type of mountain bike that Tim had years ago. He took his to the Solomons and never rode it much and it rusted and we gave it away. What a blessing to receive a bike like his much-loved bike from years ago. And, now we all have enough bikes to go riding together.
Tomorrow is our big day - we sign on the house at 9:30 am and we hope to be moving in the afternoon. Praise God for his wonderful gift of a place to call home in the USA for our family.
Labels: Family
posted by Martha @ 2:01 PM
Our New House!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
This has been an exciting week for our family. We found a house in Duncanville that we love. Here is the outside of 514 Longworth. We saw the house on Wednesday morning, put an offer on it in the afternoon and received word on Thursday morning that our offer had been accepted.
The house has:
3 pecan trees
3 pear trees
an oak tree
about 1/3 of an acre
space for a garden and a dog...
The house was built in 1960. A realtor bought it in October 2008 and has totally refurbished the house. It has a new roof, air conditioner, water heater, stove and microwave.
We are in the Lone Star State - the front door features a lone star.
This is the living room/dining room. The wood floors have been re-sanded and varnished.
All the walls have been recently repainted and all the light fixtures are new.
The sink, fixtures, cabinets and window treatments are all new! The kitchen window looks out on the side yard/driveway.
These double doors in the family room open onto the back yard.
The house has two garages - this one is behind the first one. It must have been designed for a boat or trailer. We think it will make a great office and maybe one day guest room.
This beautiful sink is in the master bathroom.
The backyard is really a good size - room for a dog which Emily really wants. It looks like we may get a 6 month old yellow lab! The yard also has a nice garden - Sarah wants to have a garden.
We thank God for this wonderful house and we can't wait to get all the paperwork done for the closing. A friend in New Mexico is giving us a refrigerator, washer, dryer, double bed and chest freezer which she no longer needs.
We have found a bed for Tim and I but have no other furniture. Please pray that we will be able to find some affordable furniture.
Labels: Family
posted by Martha @ 9:27 AM
Welcome 'Home'
Friday, June 12, 2009
This week found the Matkzes landing in Dallas, Texas. The last few months have been a blur of activity as we have liquidated most of our assets in the Solomon Islands and prepared to leave the country for at least three years. It's been a challenging and emotional time as the Solomon Islands has been our home for 11 years.
Tuesday morning in the DFW Airport, the US Immigration officer handed back our passports and said, "Welcome home". Tim and I looked at each other and tears came to our eyes. Emily and Sarah looked quizical as the USA doesn't feel like home to them. For all of us, it is going to take a while for us to feel at home in this country.
Labels: Family
posted by Martha @ 8:23 PM
Christmas in March
Friday, March 30, 2007
Today was the day we have long been awaiting! We packed two crates in Michigan in November/December and delivered them to shippers in the Detroit area just before Christmas. They were trucked to Chicago... somehow got to the west coast (train, truck, ship?) and were sent by ship to Sydney where they were transferred to another ship heading to several ports here in the Pacific. The ship arrived here yesterday.
We picked up our two crates from the wharf and have been unpacking them. We took the girls out of school to enjoy unpacking their belongings. For Sarah there was great joy when we got down to her violin.
The thing Emily was most looking forward to having was her new guitar! We packed it in the crate without her knowing it. On her birthday in January we gave her a gift certificate for the guitar along with photos. So today was the first time for her to actually hold her guitar. She is thrilled!
There's still lots of unpacking to do, but it was lots of fun to rediscover our belongings today - it felt a bit like Christmas!
Labels: Family
posted by Martha @ 9:49 PM
Sarah's 10th birthday
Monday, February 26, 2007
Today is Sarah's 10th birthday. It was extra special to be able to celebrate it with our missionary family today. This photo of Sarah with all her missionary 'aunts and uncles' reminds me of this promise that Jesus gave:
"
Of course there are the real aunts and uncles in the United States, but it's a blessing to have Australian, Dutch and Finnish ones as well to help fill the gap on special days like this one.
Labels: Family, Special People
posted by Martha @ 5:30 PM
