That's GOOD news!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
In December, I stopped by the Christian radio station and dropped off a copy of the beautiful new Pijin Bible Story book for kids. I told radio station staff I would leave the book for them if they promised to read the Bible stories on the air. Recently the station has started reading a Bible story each afternoon.
A couple of weeks ago I dropped off a set of cd's that contain the dramatized Pijin New Testament that was produced by Faith Comes by Hearing. This week the station started playing one chapter a day at three different times during the day! That's exciting!
Pray that as people hear the Pijin Bible read, they will be motivated to purchase their own copy and read it for themselves.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 1:22 PM
A ship to Malaita Island
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
This morning I dropped Tim and our new colleague, Karen, off at the wharf. They are heading to the island of Malaita where Karen will be staying in a village for five weeks as part of her orientation. As director, it's Tim's responsibility to get her there and make sure she is settled well.
Karen is from Australia and has been to the Solomons many times. She is a elementary school teacher, but became trained as a literacy specialist so she can train teachers and help produce literacy materials. We are thrilled to have Karen as a part of our group!
In early December we are looking forward to another new addition to our group - The Choate Family from the USA who will be working in translation. We will be busy with helping them get oriented to life in the Solomons when they arrive.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 7:51 AM
Lights, Camera, Action...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
This afternoon a team of three from the British and Foreign Bible Society climb on a plane to make the long journey back to London. They have been our guests for the past week and it has been fun to show them the Solomon Islands and help them to get more than 25 hours of raw video. This footage will be edited used to produce dvds telling the story of Bible translation in the Solomon Islands. Some of it will be used at a youth convention in England to raise funds for publication of the Pijin Bible.
This week didn't go as we thought it would - I (Martha) came down with malaria and a stomach flu which meant Tim had to take them on one trip. Later in the week we were not able to go to the western Solomons as planned because of flights getting canceled. The entire week has been gray and rainy, but we hope that the video they captured will tell the story well when they get back.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 9:56 AM
2008 is Year of the Bible
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
This story was in the Solomon Star Newspaper last Saturday:
PRIME Minister Dr Derek Sikua has endorsed 2008 as the Year of the Bible.
This was after he met with a delegation from Solomon Islands Christian Association (SICA) and Solomon Islands Full Gospel Association (SIFGA), Wednesday this week.
The church groups met the prime minister at his request.
The endorsement of 2008 as the Year of the Bible coincides with the planned launch of the Solomon Islands pijin bible this year.
Martha Matzke of Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group (SITAG) said the launch of the pijin bible is an important achievement for the country.
“The pijin bible will give many Solomon Islanders access to God’s word in a language that is easy for them to understand,” Mrs Matzke said.
“In addition, New Testaments will also be launched in the Natqgu language of Santa Cruz and Wala language spoken on Malaita,” she said.
Mrs Matzke said SICA and SIFGA have been planning for the year of the Bible and are outlining activities that will celebrate the arrival of the pijin bible.
They were also encouraging bible study and raise the awareness of the importance of God’s word.
“A working group has been formed to carry out the plans,” she said.
She added that Prime Minister Sikua was very supportive of the Government declaring 2008 The Year of the Bible.
Dr Sikua had given his Minister of Home Affairs, James Tora, the task of drawing up a cabinet paper for presentation.
The document is expected to be completed by next week when it will go to cabinet for final approval.
The document, to be approved as The Year of the Bible, is a part of the stated government policy.
The Solomon Islands Philatelic bureau has chosen to honour The Year of the Bible with a stamp commemorating 30 Years of Bible translation in this country.
The stamp will be issued on Independence Day.
Mrs Matzke said during the church groups audience with Dr Sikua, they prayed for him and presented him with the plan for the Year of the Bible.
This is the first time for The Year of the Bible to be declared in Solomon Islands.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 6:50 PM
Faith Comes by Hearing Pijin New Testament
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Recently an exciting new project got started here in the Solomons. An organization called, "Faith Comes by Hearing" has come to record the Pijin New Testament in a dramatized audio form. This is the first such project in the Solomons.
A woman named Priscilla came from Papua New Guinea to manage the project and Jesu is here from India to serve as the technician. In the photo to the right the man in the middle is Alex who is serving as the proofreader.
A number of professional readers have agreed to help with the bigger reading parts. Last week the man to the left was the sports announcer for a big soccer tournament. This week he is reading the part of 'Paul' - the largest part of the New Testament. A number of our friends have auditioned and gotten parts in the reading.
The brightly colored background is mattresses to form a 'recording studio'.
This project is expected to take 8-10 full weeks to complete the recording. Editing and adding music and sound effects will be completed overseas. Faith Comes by Hearing is working hard to have this recording finished at the same time that the Pijin Bible is launched in July of 2008.
The recordings will be available in cd's, personal mp3 players as well as a special solar-powered mp3 player called a 'Proclaimer'. This device will play for 15 hours on one charge and can be heard by a large group of people. You can learn more about it at: www.faithcomesbyhearing.org.
Pray for this project which has already experienced some set backs with viruses on computers and other frustrations.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 8:51 AM
Two for One Training
Sunday, November 11, 2007
A few weeks ago, Tim travelled to the Langalanga Lagoon on the island of Malaita. An area of small villages nestled on the edge of the picturesque waterway is home to speakers of the Wala Language. With little land and the sea at their doorsteps, these people depend on the sea for their livelihood. Christianity came to the Wala people about one hundred years ago, but in early 2008 they will finally have a New Testament in their own language.
Tim has been working with Wala speakers to produce a reading primer book which will be used to teach people how to read and write their language. This last week Tim returned to the Lagoon with the newly printed reading primer to hold a training workshop for teachers. There are now 35 teachers who are ready to start beginning reading classes in their home communities. We hope many Wala speakers who don’t know how to read today will be in the beginning stages of reading by the time the New Testament is ready to be launched early next year.
Tim has held many teacher training workshops around the country, but this one a bit special. In addition to the participants who attended the workshop, Tim invited literacy trainers from the Literacy Association of the Solomon Islands to come along as well. This committed group of people are serving in communities around the Solomons, training teachers and overseeing literacy projects. They are in the capital city for a few weeks to attend their Annual General Meeting and have been getting refresher training themselves. Going to the Wala workshop with Tim provided an opportunity for some good refresher training for them and they also helped supervise the teacher trainees in small practice groups.
Both the teacher trainees and the literacy supervisors found the workshop very helpful and are excited to use their newly attained skills.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 7:23 PM
A new project
Thursday, November 1, 2007
With the impending launch of the Pijin Bible next July, we are looking for ways to promote the Pijin Bible. We have an exciting new project that is about to start. An organization called Faith Comes by Hearing (www.faithcomesbyhearing.org) will be making a dramatized recording of the entire Pijin New Testament.
The New Testament will be available in cd's as well as the mp3 format. Faith Comes by Hearing has developed special mp3 players called "Proclaimers" which feature a solar panel for charging. The Proclaimer can be played for 15 hours on one charge and up to 300 people can listen at one time! Individual mp3 players with the New Testament will also be available.
In the next week we are expecting a woman from Papua New Guinea and another from India to come help with the recording of this project. We appreciate prayers for this important project which will make the audio Pijin New Testament available to Solomon Islanders.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 11:03 AM
The blessing of encouragement
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
This morning I went to a factory where coconut soap products are made. A factory employee walked into the office where I was buying the soap and I realized I knew him from somewhere. I told him I remembered his face, but couldn't remember where I knew him from. I was a little embarrassed when he said I knew him from the national prison. Sure enough, he was in the first literacy class that I helped start at the prison. (He is the man in the red shirt in this photo taken several years ago.)
I asked him if he was continuing with his reading and he said he was. He asked about the Pijin Bible and I was able to tell him that the it would be available in July of 2008. I told him he should start saving his money now so he would be able to buy the Bible.
The woman selling me the soap jumped in at that point and said she was really looking forward to the Bible coming out and wanted to buy one. Then she looked at me and said in an excited voice, "You aren't the ones that are producing that Bible program on the radio, are you???" After further questioning, I realized that the Christian radio station must be reading on the air, the Pijin newspaper page that I have been producing each week!
When I got home I called the station manager and sure enough she and the other announcers are reading the Bible page on the radio. The manager is encouraging the announcers to practice reading the Pijin so they can read it well and to read the Scripture reading and other items on the page on their shift on the radio. The manager was encouraged to hear that people are enjoying hearing the Bible page read. Yesterday I was blessed to hear that one of the national radio announcers is currently seeking funding for a radio spot designated to the reading the Pijin Bible page on that station.
Today my heart is full of joy and gratitude. It's so satisfying to know that the Bible page is going into the hands of thousands of people each Tuesday, but to know that even more people are hearing it read is just a thrill. It's all extra 'fruit' that I never even anticipated. It was a real blessing to have that word of encouragement today!I trust that you are encouraged by it too.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 4:23 PM
Getting the word out about the Word!
Monday, October 8, 2007
I have been having tons of fun using my creative juices to find ways to promote the Pijin Bible that will be launched here next July on the 30th anniversary of Solomon Islands Independence.
One way to promote the Pijin Scriptures and the launch of the Bible is through these posters:
Scripture posters are not new in the USA, but as far as I know, nothing like this has been done before in the Solomons. Currently we are trying to get them sold around the country. I'm thankful for my digital SLR camera which allows me to take high quality photos that can be used for projects like these!
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 5:39 PM
International Literacy Day
Monday, September 10, 2007
International Literacy Day is held each year on the 8th of September. Here in the Solomon Islands it is being celebrated this week. This morning a large group of literacy students marched to the central market behind the police band.
This woman was carrying this card which says in Pijin: "Literacy helps me to read my Bible, cooking recipes, notices and to understand prayer books." Women like this are what makes our ministry here sweet!
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 4:13 PM
Cool Story!
Our translation group is holding a translation workshop this week. Read the amazing story about one of the participants here: http://www.solomonstarnews.com/?q=node/15184
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 3:35 PM
Hot off the Press
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Tuesday was a big day for us. The Bible page written in Pijin that I have been working on was published in the newspaper for the first time. It will come out in the paper every Tuesday.
Four thousand copies of the Solomon Star newspaper are published on Tuesdays so lots of people had opportunity to read the passage from Genesis, contemplate questions on the reading and a short devotional. We're eager to hear what people think about the new page in the paper.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 9:00 PM
Good Questions...
Sunday, May 6, 2007
A friend has asked a few questions about my last blog, so I thought I'd answer them in case anyone else out there is wondering. By the way, feel free to send questions and I'll be glad to try and answer them - well, at least things I know about of course.
1) Who wrote the last blog - Tim or myself? Me - Martha. I write most of the blogs and if Tim writes one we make sure we make that clear. Generally, I'm the 'idea girl' and Tim edits.
2) Pijin. Isn't that spoken other places?
Yes, there are many 'pijin' languages spoken around the world. From a linguistic definition, 'pijin' is a common language that develops to allow people from different language groups to communicate. As such, for most people it is a second language. When children start speaking a pijin language as their first language, it then becomes a 'creole' language.
Around the Pacific, there are various pijin languages and they have an interesting history. Back in the 19th century the sugar cane industry in Australia needed laborers, so ships were sent around the Pacific Islands to 'recruit' laborers, a practice called 'blackbirding'. Some islanders were hired to go to Australia, while others were taken by force.
Because this labor force on the sugar plantations came from many different places and spoke various languages, communication was a challenge. Foreman tried giving orders in simple English. The laborers communicated with each other in a similar way, and what resulted was a pijin language - based largely on an English vocabulary, but with a grammar structure that reflected Melanesian languages.
When the laborers returned to their homelands, they carried pijin with them. Later when more westerners came to these islands, the pijin speakers were the ones who were able to communicate with the outsiders. Speaking pijin opened doors for communication and employment with the colonialists.
Today in Papua New Guinea they speak, 'Tok Pisin' and in Vanuatu to our south they speak 'Bislama'. These pijin languages are similar to Solomon Islands Pijin and there is some overlap in vocabulary, but each is distinctive.
Here in the Solomons where there are more than 60 languages spoken, pijin is an important tool for communication and most people speak it. You hear it spoken by the highly educated as well as illiterates and on the street, in homes and on the radio. Both English and Solomon Islands Pijin are legal languages in courts of law and in Parliament. While it is widely spoken, it has not always been accepted as a written language.
We are beginning to see a change in this attitude toward written Solomon Islands Pijin for which we are grateful. Although our first choice is to see people have God's Word in their first language, many languages do not yet have Scripture in their language or only have the New Testament. The Solomon Islands Pijin Bible will give Solomon Islanders access to God's Word in a language which is more familiar than English for most.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 10:37 AM
PR and Bible Translation
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Sometimes I find it intimidating to be around a bunch of brainy Bible translators who know so much about linguistics and the Bible. I like the literacy work that we do and know that I can make a real contribution to Bible translation through helping people to learn to read their own language so that they can read the translated word. But I've found another area where I like to help - public relations and publicity!
Since coming back to the Solomons I have been working hard to help promote the Pijin Bible translation. This month translators are working on the final revisions of the full Bible in Pijin for publication in the next year. I've had fun setting up 3 forums around town for the public to come and discuss issues related to Pijin. I've also been working with the local media which has resulted in me being interviewed on the radio, several articles and advertisements appearing in the newspaper, one of the project advisers being interviewed on the television news and this morning a talk back radio program. Pijin translation adviser Gerry Beimers and national translator Aloysious Jack (on the right) interacted with the public via phone calls while broadcaster Bart Basia on the left moderated the program. It's another step in making the public aware of the translation program and encouraging people to share their ideas about it.
Me? I'm having a ton of fun working with people around town that I already know and building new relationships with others. Many of my Bible translation colleagues would find it hard to do what I'm doing. Isn't God good? He has just the right place for each of us to use our gifts and talents and have fun while doing it.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 1:47 PM
Important Workshop
Sunday, April 29, 2007
A very important workshop is starting on Monday, 30 April 2007. Twelve national translators from around the country will be gathering to review the Pijin New Testament which was first published about 20 years ago.
The Pijin Old Testament is nearly complete and the entire Pijin Bible is to go to print later this year in time to be launched in July of 2008.
During the month of May, three public forums will be held here in the capital city to allow Solomon Islanders to express their opinions on the choice of some key Biblical terms used in the Pijin Bible, standardized spelling of certain words and any parts of the New Testament that might need editing.
This past week I have spent a lot of time trying to organize the venues for these meetings and then promoting the meetings so we get as many people as possible to come and participate. Yesterday my colleagues and I spent time taking flyers around town and asking people to come. One of my stops was the national radio station where I shared about the workshops with some of the news staff. Not only did they agree to put the workshop in the evening news, the reporter also interviewed me for the news and a special in depth news program!
Please pray for the Pijin team as they review the New Testament and make sure that the Pijin is clear and understandable as well as true to God's Word.
Pray for the 3 public forums that will be held May 2nd, 8th and 15th. Pray that the meetings will be well attended and that they will be productive as well.
Labels: Ministry, Prayer Request
posted by Martha @ 9:55 AM
A Welcome Connection
Thursday, April 26, 2007
We thank God for the addition of "Oakwood Community Church" in Ortonville, Michigan to our prayer/support team! The addition of their partnership in our ministry helps to meet some of the gap in our monthly financial needs. We look forward to getting to know our new friends at Oakwood.
Welcome, Oakwood!
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 6:05 AM
Day 7 in Kia - Thursday
Friday, April 20, 2007
Most of the workshop participants walked to the workshop, but a few like these ladies, came by canoe! Here they are ready to paddle home after the workshop.
posted by Martha @ 5:24 PM
Day 6 in Kia - Wednesday - Plan C??
Thursday, April 19, 2007
We returned from the workshop today (Wednesday) with word that an email had come in for us from a colleague in Honiara. The ship that we are supposed to take to town was stuck on the reef and now has arrived in Honiara. So, that means the ship is delayed and now isn’t scheduled to leave Buala, the provincial capital, until Saturday evening getting us to Honiara in the early morning of Sunday. Hmmm. Will there be a plan D or E before we get to town? Emily has taken accepted the news with grace.
The workshop continues to go well. The participants are doing really well and excited about what they are learning. When we had our break around noon, the group surprised us with a feast. Planks were laid on top of pews in the church and brightly colored tablecloths with crocheted edging. Pots, plates and bowls were laid out on the table filled with rice, sweet potatoes, slices of juicy pineapple, noodles and fish. (Some of the fish are colorful reef fish that you would find in a US pet store with triple digit price tags!) The participants also brought me orchid plants and other flowers to plant in my garden in town.
A few words of thanks were given by one of the leading women in the church who is also participating in the workshop. After Tim prayed for the food, we began filling our plates while the workshop participants sang songs in beautiful harmony for us. When everyone had mostly finished eating, the man who heads up the translation committee stood up and gave some words of thanks to us for coming. We were given a chance to say a few words as well. It was really a very nice feast and it made us feel us very special. Normally such a feast would be held on the last day, but since everyone thought that we were leaving tomorrow the feast was held today. Of course now we won’t leave until Saturday, but never the less we celebrated today!
posted by Martha @ 4:42 PM
Day 5 in Kia - Tuesday
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Tuesday afternoon
The workshop went well today. The students have now learned the first half of the coursework which involves teaching students to read and write stories. We finished the workshop by 2:30. Tomorrow we start training them to teach the phonics part of the program.
After the workshop, I walked through the village. It was quiet and I didn't see many people, although I did see a few escaping the hot afternoon sun by taking a nap. Others were probably out tending their gardens or harvesting food for their dinners. The trail through the village curves and follows the coastline. It's a pretty village with flowers growing along the path and around people's houses.
At 4:30 we gathered around the two-way radio to talk to our office in Honiara. A friend in Honiara was able to buy us tickets on a ship that is making a trip to the other end of the island. We will have to meet the ship at the provincial capital of Buala. In order to get there, we will hire someone to take us in his fiberglass boat with a 40 horsepower outboard motor. We will leave here Friday morning, expecting the journey to Buala to take 5 - 6 hours. The ship is due to leave Buala Friday night and travel through the night with an expected arrival in Honiara early morning on Saturday. The air conditioned cabin is already booked, so we will have seats in the second class cabin where Tim sat on the way out. If it all works out, we should get into town in time for Emily to attend the youth group retreat.
Here it's always a relief when you can get to your destination although often it is often not by 'Plan A'.
Tuesday evening
Dark clouds on the horizon threatened rain most of the afternoon. It finally came around dusk with a very heavy downfall making quite a racket on the corrugated iron roof. It will be nice to be able to take showers again rather than bathing with dipperfuls of water from a basin.
With the rain came flying insects that descended on the house. It is a bit of a mystery how they get in the house, but soon there were hundreds of them swarming around the lights and on the walls. After a while they die and fall to the floor. It's quite annoying when they come in as it makes it difficult to do much of anything. This morning (Wednesday) there were piles of them to sweep up off the floor. These insects do not come everytime it rains, but every once in a while the conditions must be right and they descend in droves!
Labels: life in the tropics, Ministry, travel
posted by Martha @ 2:24 PM
Day 4 in Kia - Monday - Workshop Begins
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Seventeen men and women arrived this morning for the teacher training workshop. Amazingly, we started just before the scheduled 9:00 opening time with Tim leading in a short devotional. Except for a short break at noon we continued until 3:30 pm. The participants are excited to be in the workshop.
Lee and the literacy committee are working on a beginning reading book in Zabana which we are training them to use. Tim and I taught most of the workshop today using Solomon Islands Pijin. The students then do their practice teaching in the Zabana language in small groups. Lee, Tim and I observed the groups to make sure that they include all the steps of the lesson we have taught them and are doing them properly. We will teach the workshop tomorrow through Thursday.
When we got back to the house, we found out that an email had come in for us from Honiara. We were planning on taking a canoe on Thursday afternoon to a port about an hour or so away in order to catch the ship back to Honiara. Because of a tsunami disaster relief charter, the planned trip out here is delayed until Sunday. We will be explore other options for getting back to town.
We’d appreciate your prayers for some kind of transportation to open up so that we can get back in a timely way. Emily will be very disappointed to miss her youth group retreat scheduled for this weekend and the girls are due to go back to school on Monday.
Travel in the Solomon Islands is always interesting and unpredictable.
posted by Martha @ 3:52 PM
Day 3 in Kia - Sunday
We woke to a drizzling rain. The rain is welcome as yesterday one of the water tanks ran dry. At 6:30 am the church drum pounded out a rhythm that sounded like it would never end. We ate a little breakfast and got ready to walk down the hill to the church service.
The church building is a long building made of bush materials. The floor is loose pieces of coral. It is a typical Anglican style church. A wide aisle separates the women's side from the men's. As worshipers enter the church they drop monetary gifts or lay produce from their gardens at a cement stand.
Heavy wooden benches provide seating with the added luxury of a back to lean upon. Scattered among the pews were kneeling pads woven from pandanas leaf. The two priests assigned to this church were not in the village so the service was lead by the local catechist. Prayers and liturgy were said in the English language with some people reading along in their prayer books, but much of it would be said by memory.The Scripture readings were read in English. Some day they will be able to read them from the Zabana New Testament.
After the service we wandered back to the house to wait for the drum for Sunday School. The appointed hour came and went and it appeared that Sunday School might be cancelled for the day. Eventually the drum was sounded and Lee, Robin and I went down. Lee and Robin are both Sunday School teachers. I went down to take some video and photos.
The Sunday School was filled with preschoolers through teenagers. The teacher led them in singing - some in English, some another local language and then in their own language of Zabana. Their strong voices belted out the songs in rich harmony. The kids were broken up into their various classes for a time of Bible teaching and then came together again for the closing time.
At my special request, the teachers helped arrange the kids in the new church building, that is almost complete, so we could video tape them singing in the Zabana language. Over 150 kids patiently stood in the church and joyously sang out - many with animated faces. What a privilege to be in this place and hear them sing and pray in their own language. I couldn't help think about when we are all in heaven and standing at the throne singing praises to God. Maybe some of it will be in the Zabana language.
After lunch we played a board game that the Lees taught us and then we went down to the church. We were going to videotape the village kids playing a game with coconut shells, but when we got there we found a feast about to start to honor a woman who had died a year ago. People were standing in lines facing each other. Between the rows of people, banana leaves were laid end-to-end and covered with food. Sweet potatoes, fish, clams, rice and even sea turtle meat was ready to be enjoyed. After a word of prayer, the feasting began. Not one piece of silverware could be seen, but clamshells were being used as individual scoops by a few. Each person helped themselves to the food in front of them. People continued to eat as the family and friends of the deceased said a few words of kindness.
After a short time the food was finished, the bowls, pots and banana leaves were cleared away and the churchyard was returned to its normal state.
The kids soon gathered to play the coconut game for us. They had fun playing it and it was good to get it on video.
Tonight we are going on a crocodile hunt! We asked the boat driver who took us to the island yesterday if we could see a crocodile. Tonight the adventuresome among us will go out in the fiberglass boat and paddle along the coastline with a strong flashlight and see if we can spot a crocodile. We'll keep you posted as to whether you can call us 'Crocodile Matzke' or not!
Sunday Night - 'Crocodile Hunt'
Just after dark we made our way through the village to the house of our boat driver. The narrow muddy trail meandered between houses that were illuminated by kerosene lanterns. Our flashlights lit the trail in front of us and as we passed by the dark silhouette of a person we would greet them with 'redu vehana' (good evening) in Zabana.
Ian, our boat driver and host for the evening, lives in a house built on posts over the edge of the lagoon. We visited for a while and then we headed out in the fiberglass boat to look for crocodiles. Ian sat on the bow of the boat with a long paddle while his nephew steered from the stern. Vowing the kids to silence, the boat glided into the dark lagoon. The sky above was full of ominous gray clouds. The waveless water was black except for the phosphorescence stirred up by the paddles. Each time the paddle dipped into the water and was drawn back, the plankton were disturbed and emitted a trail of small glowing lights that faded behind us.
The shoreline around the lagoon was silhouetted against the gray sky. As we neared the far side, our hosts shone large flashlights along the shore looking for crocodile eyes peeking above the water or any other sign of a crocodile. Now and then we heard a noise in the mangrove trees at the edge, but no sign of any crocs. Occasionally our flashlights illuminated fish jumping out of the water and we wondered if something was under the water chasing them. The men said it was too early in the night for crocodiles and when it started to rain, we gave up the hunt. Our driver started up the engine and we motored back into the village and home to a shower and bed. Seeing a crocodile would have been fun, but we won't soon forget the trip around the lagoon, listening to the sounds of nature and seeing the shore dotted with the lights of houses along the shoreline.
Tomorrow - Monday morning, we begin our teacher training workshop.
Labels: Ministry, Village Life
posted by Martha @ 6:23 AM
Day 2 in Kia - Saturday
Monday, April 16, 2007
This morning a couple of the men in the village took us all out to an island where we spent part of the day. We glided through dark blue waters in a fiberglass boat powered by an outboard motor on the back. The village lay behind us as we motored through the passageway out toward the open ocean. Except for a few swirling eddies made by flow of the currents coming in and out of the passage, the waters were deep and calm.
Here and there a house or two sat nestled along the shoreline and on the hillsides felled trees marked the site of a future garden. Overhead, whispy white clouds floated across the blue sky. As we neared the island, the dark blue waters gave way to aqua and peering over the edge of the boat, we began to see coral and fish.
The motor slowed down and inched toward the beach, but the kids couldn't wait and jumped into the crystal clear waters and ran toward the white sand beach. We unloaded the boat and the guys got back in the boat so they could head out fishing. A couple of hours later they triumphantly returned with over a dozen fish. The kids are outside laughing together as they scale the fish.
In the meantime the rest of us stayed on the island and enjoyed swimming and walking along the beach looking for seashells. An occasional fisherman paddled past in a wooden canoe a fair distance from the island, but otherwise our island paradise was ours to enjoy alone. When we looked out at the scenery that surrounded, we had to remind ourselves that this wasn't merely a picture postcard we were looking at but a glorious part of the Solomon Islands that we are privileged to be able to visit.
Most of the time our day to day lives here are far from idyllic scenes of waving palm trees and the sea lapping up at our toes. However we thank God for his creation and the wonderful opportunity to experience this small slice of it today.
Labels: Ministry, Village Life
posted by Martha @ 6:20 AM
Day 1 in Kia - Friday
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The beating of the church drum at 6:15 AM announced the new day and called people to the morning prayer service at the Anglican church down the hill from the house. We didn't get up for the prayer service, but lazily stayed in bed for a while. The kids started stirring and chatting and soon we were all enjoying freshly made doughnuts that Robin had made.
This morning we took a walk to one end of the village where the local primary school is located. We were able to meet with the school headmaster and chat about a pilot program that we would like to see introduced at the school. This program, similar to another one that we have developed, would teach kids to read and write in their own language before learning English. The headmaster was very receptive to the idea and when we are assured of the funding of the project, Lee Montgomery will be able to introduce it to this school.
As we walked through the village, we greeted those whose houses we passed. We were met with smiles and welcoming remarks. The village stretches along the narrow strip of land between the lagoon and the steep hills behind. The houses along the water's edge are built on stilts over the water and often have a wooden plank or logs that make a walkway to the house. Crocodiles are common in the waters around the village and sometimes they swim under the houses at night and make their presence known when they rub up against the posts, making the house shake.
Around many of the houses we saw wooden dugout canoes; some in small sizes suitable for a small child, typical sized ones that would accommodate one or two adults, and even some huge ones that are twenty-five feet long and are used for carrying cargo, passengers or fishing nets. Out on the water we saw some children and adults out fishing in their canoes.
Along the coastline we saw wooden pigpens on stilts over the water. This provides a sanitary spot for raising the pigs, although on rare occasions a crocodile manages to knock down the pen and enjoy a pork dinner. We saw a couple of outhouses similarly located on stilts out over the water with a narrow wooden walkway up to the door.
One of our last visits was to the new church building that is waiting to be dedicated at the end of the year. The front of the church is covered with narrow panels of beautiful hardwood inlaid with mother of pearl designs. It's neat to see the church decorated in a local style with local materials.
After lunch we headed out to the other side of the village. We hiked to a part of the village that was high on a hill and had a nice view of the passage below. One of our stops was to visit the head chief of the village to let him know about the workshop that we will hold next week. Another stop was to the home of a friend of the Montgomerys who will be taking us out tomorrow in his motorized canoe to an island where we can swim, snorkel, fish and picnic.
Labels: Ministry, Village Life
posted by Martha @ 6:17 AM
Easter Break
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The girls have finished the first ten week term of the school year, which means they have a two week break. They are enjoying the break from school and we are enjoying having them around.
Tonight we are all heading out of town to visit friends, the Montgomerys, who work and live on another island. You may remember that Lee and Robin Montgomery are the new literacy team in our group and currently they are working in the Zabana language on Isabel Island.
Lee has been working on producing a reading primer (beginning reader) in the Zabana Language. Tim will help Lee with a final editing check on the primer and then we will help the Montgomerys to run a teacher's training workshop to train teachers to use the reading primer. The Montgomerys have not been involved in a workshop of this type before, so it will be an opportunity for us to help them through their first workshop.
We will board a ship here in Honiara late this afternoon. We are fortunate enough to have 3 tickets in the 'deluxe' upstairs cabin - which means we will have space on the floor of an air conditioned cabin which should allow us enough room to stretch out and sleep. The cabin has space for 13, so we will be sharing that space. I made a last minute decision to join the family, so we probably won't all be able to be in the cabin. Tim may end up in 'Second Class' which means sitting on a bench for the entire trip. We should arrive in the village of Kia tomorrow evening after about 24 hours on the ship. A pile of books will come in handy to pass the time!
While in Kia, we should be able to send out some updates by email to be posted on the Blog. We would appreciate your prayers for a safe and productive trip. Pray that the girls have fun as well.
posted by Martha @ 10:41 AM
Thanks for all your prayers
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
We are overwhelmed by all the love and concern of so many family members and friends regarding the earthquake and tsunami here in the Solomons. As many of you know by now, we felt the earthquake here in the capital city, but the epicenter of the quake and subsequent damage occurred in the western part of the Solomon Islands.
A couple of hours after the earthquake, I was in the market. I noticed there was a lot of commotion in the market and an unsettled feeling. Suddenly I realized that many people were looking out to sea and pointing. When I asked a woman what people were looking at, she told me a tidal wave. The sea was almost flat calm, but there was a small steady wave that came to shore with a 'hissing sound'. Later we heard that it was only about 6" high.
Of course the real story is out in the Western Province where they are assessing damage today. There are lives lost and many left homeless.
One of the islands hit the hardest was Simbo Island. If you have been following the blog, you may remember an entry called, 'Coming Alongside' on February 24 http://matzkemission.com/2007/02/coming-alongside.html which featured a picture of our national colleague, Joshua Lui. 
Joshua is from Simbo Island and had just returned to the Western Province after attending a workshop here in the capital city. He was in the city of Gizo at the home of a relative when they noticed the water rising and quickly ran for higher ground. We are thankful that Joshua and the family members with him were unharmed although Joshua lost his bag with his belongings.
Our group here is taking up a collection for Tsunami relief which we will give to Joshua so that he can show Christ's love to those in need on his island and the surrounding area where people are suffering. If you would like to contribute to this fund, please contact us for details.
Labels: life in the tropics, Ministry
posted by Martha @ 7:44 AM
Youth Group
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Emily was very happy to come back to the Solomons and get involved in the church youth group here. She is enjoying Bible studies every other Wednesday afternoon, Sunday School and gatherings on Friday nights.
This past Friday we hosted the youth group at our house for a games night. In typical Solomon Islands style, the shoes were left at the door. You can see here the most popular shoe style!
Most of the kids got to our house on the back of a flat bed truck driven by one of the youth group leaders. There were about 50-60 youth present and the evening started with a time of worship. Solomon Islanders love music and singing!
Tim shared a devotional and then we played some group games. It was a lot of fun to host the youth group and we hope we can do it again. We are thankful for our roomy living room we were able to add to the house a couple of years ago which makes entertaining so much easier.
Here a group of kids was thinking up a short skit they could present using all the props we gave them in the box. They came up with some very creative skits!
posted by Martha @ 10:06 PM
Ministry Outside the Box
The house next door to us has many people living in it. Sometimes it feels like we are living next door to an entire village! The bits and stories we hear about some of the residents sound like episodes out of a soap opera.
One of the inhabitants is this three month old baby shown here with his sister. Often we hear the baby crying (and I tend to get rather annoyed). On Monday he cried the entire day! Then I saw the baby with the grandmother who was trying to comfort the baby. She told me that the mother often goes to town for the whole day and leaves it with the family. Because all babies here are breastfed, he has often been hungry; hence the hours of crying.
Nearly in tears both by the sadness of the situation and disgust with my own attitudes toward the crying baby, I got in the car and went to town to by a bottle and some formula.
I find myself struggling with the whole situation. Part of me hates to 'enable' the mother to not take care of the child because the more care we give, the less she is likely to give, but another part of me only sees the need of this innocent hungry child. A child like this would be in serious danger if it got sick with malaria or another illness, besides the basic malnutrition. I may not be able to right all the wrongs of the world, but I decided I couldn't let this hungry child die due to lack of proper nutrition.
Now the baby's sisters often come to the house to bring back the empty bottle or ask for another one for their brother. This week they have also come to help weed our yard or help around the house - even insisting on weeding in the pouring rain. Today the older sister came with an armload of orchids for me to plant because she knows I like orchids. While she was pulling weeds, she asked, "Are you going to church tomorrow?".
"Yes. Would you like to go along with us and go to Sunday School?", I answered.
She quickly answered, "Yes!" 
Our ministry here is mainly literacy, but it's not hard to find ourselves in ministry 'outside the box' of our job title. I guess for any Christian, it is part of our job description;
And if you give even a cup of cold water (or bottle of formula?) to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 1:26 PM
25 Years
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Last week I received this Certificate of Appreciation in the mail for 25 years of service with Wycliffe. It represents teaching missionary kids in Mexico, Philippines, Texas and Papua New Guinea. Since 1998 we have been serving here in the Solomon Islands as literacy specialists. Wherever I have served with Wycliffe, it's been great being a part of giving people God's Word in their own language.
When I look at this certificate, I can't help but think of the many people who have supported me through the 25 years in friendship, with prayers and financial support. It's only through your partnership that this has all been possible. You will always be special to us because of the way that God has used your giving in our lives and ministry.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 10:10 PM
Sunshine through "The Blues" - by Tim
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Those of you who have been following the blog will know that Monday was not a fun day. I'll admit I was not feeling very good about life on Monday evening. But then I got a phone call...
Michael Saeni was on the phone, calling from a newly installed phone at a provincial substation near his village in North Malaita. He had just returned from about a week's travel to an area where he had done some literacy teacher training last year. Michael had trained a number of people to be reading teachers almost a year ago, but had not heard anything more from them. He told me that he was afraid of finding no activity out there, a full day's travel from his own village.
However, he was very encouraged and even excited as I talked to him. He found six literacy classes going in different villages, with between 6 and 30 students in each of them! The people were excited to be learning to read and eager to read the New Testament in their language which was made available 2 years ago.
Michael and I talked more about his plans for the next few weeks. He will be helping to start a new literacy initiative for the Langalanga people beginning on Friday with a planning meeting. He will be visiting some Langalanga villages at the end of this month to talk to them about how to prepare to run literacy classes. I still need to make a trip out there and help write a reading primer (instructional book) and we will train teachers as soon as we can get it all together.
Michael and Tim making plans a few weeks ago in our home in Honiara.Labels: Ministry
posted by Tim @ 7:26 PM
Making Connections - by Tim
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
One of the things I find most rewarding about my work here is the opportunities to connect people who have the ability or opportunity to contribute to a common goal. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to do just that.
Over the years, I have had considerable interaction with the Literacy Association of the Solomon Islands (LASI), an important partner in our literacy efforts. One name that stands out in LASI is Sister Eremina, a Catholic sister who has worked for many years teaching people in her home area of the Kwaio speaking part of the island of Malaita.
About a year ago, Julie, a young American woman, joined our SITAG team as a Bible translation advisor. She was assigned to help with the Kwaio translation project and has made incredible progress in the past year.
So when I saw Sister Eremina at a LASI workshop where I was doing some consulting, I decided that I had to help connect her with Julie. So Julie and I headed over to the workshop toward the end of a morning session and stayed for lunch. Julie and Sister Eremina had lunch together, talking in the Kwaio language the whole time.
What is really great is that the Gospel of Mark is almost ready for publication. So Sister Eremina can make use of it in her literacy classes. At the same time, Julie will get some input on the translation from people from the opposite side of the language area from where she lives. Julie’s translation work will provide Sister Eremina’s new readers with God’s Word on which to practice their reading skills, and Sister Eremina can be a valuable resource and advocate for the translation program.
I love making connections like this.
posted by Tim @ 9:53 PM
An answer to prayer
Monday, March 5, 2007
On my March 17th blog, I shared about my dream of having a weekly Bible page written in Solomon Islands Pjijn in the local national newspaper. I had talked to a reporter friend at the newspaper about the idea and she promised to talk to her editor about it.
This morning I received a call from the religion editor at the paper asking to know more about the idea. My friend Robin who is helping me with this project happened to be at my house, so we jumped in the car and went to the newspaper office to present our idea. The editor had already agreed to the concept and we have been given permission to deveolop a full page in the paper each week that is written in Pijin and features a reading from the Pijin Bible. The page will also have questions about the story, picture, puzzles, weekly Bible verse and a devotional written by a local pastor. What potential it has! Praise God with us for this open door. Pray for Robin and I as we work to develop this project.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 1:57 PM
MK Blessing
Sunday, February 25, 2007
This morning our group gathered for a worship service. At the end of the morning, our director talked about his experiences as an MK (Missionary Kids) and how special his missionary 'aunts & uncles' where to him. Then he asked the kids to stand in the middle of the room where we gathered around them and laid our hands on a kid that was not our own. We spent time in prayer for our MK's. It was a special time and we trust that the kids felt honored and blessed.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 3:28 PM
Coming Alongside
Saturday, February 24, 2007
This is Joshua Lui, a national Bible translator from the Western part of the Solomon Islands. Joshua is the chairman of the Solomon Islands Bible Translation and Literacy Program (SIBTLP), a group of Solomon Islanders dedicated to Bible Translation and Literacy. Joshua is currently translating the New Testament into his mother tongue, Simbo.
This afternoon Joshua gave a biennial report for SIBTLP at our conference. We are very blessed to work who have the dedication to help bring God's Word to their own people. Often they work alone and their efforts are not always understood or supported by people in their community. 
After each personal report, we all gather around the person or couple and spend time praying for them, their family and ministry. It's truly a blessing to be surrounded by friends and colleagues and be lifted up before the throne.
Labels: conference, Ministry, Special People
posted by Martha @ 4:58 PM
Conference
Our biennial group conference began last night with a dinner and games. We also took time to celebrate the 4 Solomon Islands language groups who received a New Testament in their own language since our last conference two years ago. One of languages is the Sa'a Language of South Malaita Island. Here our director, who was the advisor to that language. shares about the dedication service in December of 2005.
I've never translated a Bible verse in my life, but I couldn't help bursting out with singing the Doxology at the end of our time celebrating these New Testaments. Isn't God good let us be a part of the awesome task of giving God's Word to people in their heart language?
Labels: conference, Ministry
posted by Martha @ 4:33 PM
Broken Resolution
Saturday, February 17, 2007
I haven't written a blog for a few days because we have been pretty busy and then when I had time to write, the power was down.
After such a crazy year in the USA of traveling, we left feeling pretty worn out. I made a promise to myself and some friends that I would concentrate on getting the family settled and the house in order before I jumped into ministry. This week some cracks in that resolution began to form.
Just before we returned to the Solomons, we read in an email that the Solomon Islands Pijin Bible is due to be launched in July 2008. Some people in our group were talking about the event and how it should be celebrated. It was suggested that the Matzkes take this project on. I felt my resolution start to crack.
The Solomons has about 65 different languages. Solomon Islands Pijin is a trade language that has developed as a means of communication between the various languages. It is spoken widely around the country.
Our group is working hard to help translate the New Testament into a number of the indigenous languages but there are many languages still waiting. But for those who don't have any Scripture in their own language or for the people who only speak Pijin, the Bible in Pijin is a milestone. The Pijin New Testament has been available for a number of years, but except for Genesis and Psalms, the rest of the Old Testament has not been published.
One of the challenges to the acceptance of the Pijin Bible is that while Pijin is widely accepted as a spoken language, many Solomon Islanders are not excited about reading it. It is our hope that good publicity will help people welcome God's Word in Pijin.
For a long time I have thought that a Pijin section in one of the English newspapers in town would be an interesting way to promote Pijin reading. Stories from the Old Testament could be included in serial form along with other interesting features. We could have puzzles for the kids and coloring pages.
My resolve cracked further as I picked up the phone and called Elizabeth, one of the reporters that I know at the newspaper. She asked about my year in the USA and what was happening in our mission group here. When she asked, "Are there any new projects you are involved in?" I couldn't resist taking advantage of that open door.
I talked to her about my idea of a once-a-week Pijin feature in the paper. The reporter got excited about the idea and promised to help set up an appointment with the editor for me in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure where this will lead, but I am really excited about helping promote the Pijin Bible. Please pray that I will have creative ideas that will be accepted by Solomon Islanders and help them welcome the Pijin Bible.
Labels: Ministry
posted by Martha @ 5:55 PM
The Networking Begins
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Some of you may remember our friend Margaret. She is one of the three Solomon Islanders who went to Papua New Guinea for training as literacy trainers. Currently Margaret is coordinating literacy projects in her home province for World Vision. Margaret is in town and today came up for a visit. Margaret was looking for some reading materials in several different languages and wanted to know if we could help her out. Tim will work to find materials for her project.
This afternoon while we were meeting with the Montgomerys, we received a phone call from a man who attended a literacy workshop Martha taught a few years ago for the Baelelea language. Frank said the churches in his area need help in setting up literacy classes for women and he told the women they needed to contact our group. We'll see where that leads.
Frank also shared that there is a strong interest in literacy in the area and that many have asked for copies of the reading book we trained the teachers to use. It sounds like we need to consider a follow-up workshop in that area.
posted by Martha @ 8:53 PM
Amazing Story!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
When we were in the USA last year, we had the pleasure of meeting up with Solomon Islands friends in Virginia where we camped together. Alphaeus, Tiani and their kids are in Virginia where Alphaeus is finishing up his PhD. Check out this amazing article about Alphaeus in the Washington Post! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/26/AR2007012601371.html
Labels: Ministry, Special People
posted by Martha @ 5:14 PM
