Matzke Musings

In the Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:16:00 +0000

For the past couple of weeks, Tim has begun helping to teach a literacy course for Bible translators at our center here in Dallas. He is team-teaching with a colleague who has served in Africa. Tim is enjoying being back in the classroom and sharing his Solomon Islands literacy experiences.

Another plus for Tim being at our center and working with students preparing to go overseas is the opportunity he has to interact with students who are interested in serving in the Pacific Area. This morning he was invited to a meeting with a couple who are considering serving as Bible translators in the Pacific region and looking for a specific assignment.

While we sometimes long to be overseas, we are encouraged that we can help equip new members headed overseas and encourage people to consider service in the Solomon Islands.

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:50:00 +0000

Recently Tim and I were invited to be a part of a literacy workshop here in Dallas at our international offices. We met with colleagues working in literacy around the world and heard about amazing projects that are happening. Tim also had the opportunity to share what is happening in the Solomon Islands and the future of literacy there. It was encouraging to have a chance to hear about literacy in the wider context of our organization.

Matzke Messenger for September 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:13:00 +0000

Here's our latest newsletter. Click on the link to read our latest news:
September_2009.pdf

The visit of the Grandpa's

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:33:00 +0000

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!

Prayers Answered

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Thank you for those who have been praying for renters for our house in Honiara. At last we have renters. We had to drop the rent price significantly, but we are glad that soon it will be generating income rather than draining it! Whew! Thank you, Lord!

School

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:35:00 +0000

Emily and Sarah have started school this week in the Duncanville School District. Emily is in grade 11 at Duncanville High School which boasts the second largest high school campus in the United States! The large school is a bit intimidating in some ways, but she is really excited about the classes they offer.

Emily applied to and was accepted into the "Ready, Set, Teach" program which is designed for kids who want to become teachers. She has classes for a double block and later in the year will have an opportunity as part of the program to visit local elementary schools, work in classrooms and even get to practice teaching. A graduation requirement is two years of foreign language. Emily is taking American Sign Language which is something she was interested in learning anyway. There are advantages to bigger schools!

On Sarah's first day, she quickly became friends with a girl who 'happens' to share the same class schedule all day. Around lunchtime they realized that they are both Wycliffe MK's (missionary kids)! What a wonderful way to start a new school.

We are thankful for the girls good start to school. Thanks so much for those of you who have been praying for them.

Renters Needed

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:23:00 +0000

Our house in Honiara has sat unrented since we left in late May. We have lowered the price and still the right renters have not come along. We just don't know what to do about the house. The price is appropriate according to local friends, but there just don't seem to be people looking for a house in that price range at the moment.

We were really counting on some kind of income from that house to help us buy our house here in the USA. Prayers for renters in the Solomons are appreciated!

More blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:01:00 +0000

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.

Jehovah Jireh

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:42:00 +0000

We are scheduled to sign on our new house this Friday - 17 July. We are all getting excited about the new house!

It's been amazing to see God's provision in regard to furniture and other things that we need. Some of our furniture has come from the 'Furniture Boutique' on our center here. People in the community donate furniture and other items - from clothing to baseball bats, to kitchen items, etc. are donated to the 'Boutique' where it is lovingly arranged by volunteers from Wycliffe Associates. WA (Wycliffe Associates) also gives furloughing missionaries towel sets for each family member and bed sheets. What a gift this has been.

Other furniture we have found on Craig's List or the Salvation Army. We are still looking for a few items like bedroom furniture for Tim and I, desks and living room furniture.

Today Tim is flying to El Paso where friends will pick him up and take him to their home in Las Cruces, NM. A friend who recently married is donating a U-haul full of furniture, appliances and kitchen items to us! Our friends are renting the U-haul for us so Tim can drive the load back to Dallas. Friends in Michigan are making arrangements to bring down our belongings from there! It's all coming together.

While we won't have everything we need for our house by the time we move in, we will have the basics and we are so very very thankful. Jehovah Jireh - our provider, does it again!

Duncanville HIgh School

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:16:00 +0000

On Tuesday Emily and went to Duncanville High School - the school she will attend beginning in August. Duncanville boasts the second largest high school campus in the United States and a student body of nearly 4000 students. Wow! That's a big school!

We met with the counselors to determine how many credits they would give her for schooling she received elsewhere and we were happy to find out that she has more than enough credits for going into 11th grade. One of the requirements she needs to fulfill is 2 years of a foreign language. We are happy that they have ASL (American Sign Language) which Emily was interested in learning anyway!

Although the size of the school is a bit daunting, they offer a wide selection of classes and we are thankful for that.

Our New House!

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:27:00 +0000

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.

Welcome 'Home'

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:23:00 +0000

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.

Things I will miss #2 - my orchids

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Thu, 07 May 2009 07:06:00 +0000

Over the years I have collected orchid plants from around the Solomon Islands. We have tied them to trees in our yard where they have taken root and grown and blossomed.

Some of the orchid plants have been gifts from village friends who have gone out into the bush to find the orchids and give them to me. Others I have purchased from the market. At first I had to wait and wait for them to blossom, but now it seems like one or two are always blooming which is such a treat.

The two orchid plants pictured here are ones that are high in a rain tree outside our bedroom where we can see the flowers. What a treat and something I will miss very much in Dallas!

Things We Will Miss #1 - the Local Media

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:45:00 +0000

As approach our departure day, May 26, we keep thinking about the things in the Solomons that we will miss - and truthfully a few things that we won't miss! In that light, this is my initial entry in the list of 'Things we will Miss'.

Even though we live in the capital city, it really is a small place with a population of about 55,000 people Like any small town, sometimes the 'big' news stories are a little funny!

The photo shows a truckload of cartons of peanut butter which overturned on the main road and stopped traffic for an hour. The caption read;'Peanut butter chaos halt traffic for an hour'. I happened upon this scene just minutes after it happened and it wasn't surprised to see it make the front page of the newspaper today. You can read the article online at:http://solomonstarnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7878&change=71&changeown=78&Itemid=26

It really did mess traffic up for a long time because there is only one main road that runs through town. Even though we can read the stories online, we are going to miss reading the Solomon Star!

Solomon Islands Bible Display

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:06:00 +0000

This afternoon at the National Parliament, we dedicated this special Solomon Islands Bible Display. It contains the Pijin Bible that was presented to the Prime Minister on the 30th Anniversary of Independence in July of last year. On the shelf up above are all (except 1) of the Bibles and New Testaments in vernacular languages that have been published since Independence. Standing in front of the display is our friend Patson who helped make the cover the display.

It was really great to see people walk up to the display and look at all the Bibles in the vernacular languages and try and see if there was a Bible in their own language. Clearly those who didn't have a Bible in the display were disappointed.

That's GOOD news!

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:22:00 +0000

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.

Our world turned upside down

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:38:00 +0000

After a long hiatus I am going to try getting back into blogging. Please forgive my lack of communication!!!

The last few months have been pretty crazy for our family as we have had to make some hard decisions and we feel like the sign above, we have been turned upside down. For more than a year, Emily has been going to school with a internet based curriculum - NorthStar Academy. It's a great school program, but it has been pretty lonely for Emily at times. So in cooperation with our administration, we have decided to return to the USA in June so that Emily can finish high school in the USA and better prepare to transition into college.

This has not been an easy decision and we are struggling with having to leave the Solomons. We expect to be gone from the Solomons for at least 3 years to allow Emily time to finish high school and get settled into college. In the meantime we will rent out our house here.

In order that we can stay connected with our international offices and the girls can enjoy the fellowship of many other MKs (missionary kids) we will be settling in Dallas, TX. There are many unknowns as we take make this (sometimes frightening) move!

We covet your prayers for this time of transition for our family. We are working hard to sell or give away many of our possesions here and prepare the house for rental. We are in the process of looking for a house to purchase in Dallas with the help of a realtor there.

Another special event

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:08:00 +0000

Monday was the opening of the general meeting of the Solomon Islands Bible Translation and Literacy Partnership - a fellowship of our national Bible Translators. Twenty translators from around the country are gathered for this event.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Derek Sikua came for the opening which was a great honor. In this photo, Tim is showing the Prime Minister the new piece of property that our group was recently able to purchase with the help of Wycliffe Associates for the building of a new training center for our national translators.

Now THIS is a thank you note!

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:22:00 +0000

A few blogs ago, I mentioned that we sent a Pijin Bible to Queen Elizabeth. Recently we received this special thank you note from Balmoral Castle. Pretty cool!

In case you can't read it, it says:

Dear Mr. Matzke

Thank you for your letter of 4 August enclosing a copy of the Solomon Islands Pijin Language Bible which I have passed to The Queen.

Her majesty has asked me to thank the Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group, the Solomon Islands Christian Association and the Bible Society of the South Pacific for sending her such a thoughtful present. I am sure that the Pijin Bible is a very fitting addition to this year's celebrations of the 30th Anniversary of Solomon Islands Independence.

The Queen has further directed me to send her good wishes to you and to everyone at the Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group, to which I would like to add my own.

Congratulations on a remarkable Achievement.

Yours Sincerely

Edward Young
The Deputy Private Secretary to The Queen

A ship to Malaita Island

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:51:00 +0000

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.

On the way to the Queen

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:46:00 +0000

This week the churches and government of the Solomon Islands presented a Pijin Bible to visiting Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. I was talking to one the aids that travels with the Duke and Duchess and mentioned that they should really take a Bible back to the Queen. Queen Elizabeth is the patron of the British Bible Society and earlier this year the society raised a lot of money to help fund the printing of the Pijin Bible so it can be sold at an affordable price here. (The Pijin Bible costs about $9.00 USD.)

Today a Pijin Bible and a letter to the Queen went on their way to London with the diplomatic mail bag. It will be exciting to receive a letter back from Buckingham Palace!

Photo op

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:41:00 +0000

This morning we went up the American War Memorial to attend the ceremonies marking the 66th Anniversary of the Landing of the US Marines on Guadalcanal. Lots of VIP's attended, including the Prime Minister, Dr. Derek Sikua and his wife, Doris. They happily agreed to have their photo taken with Emily and Sarah. Mrs. Sikua noticed they were all wearing red and black!

The Sikuas are just as nice in person as they look in this photo!

A Bible for the Royals

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:28:00 +0000

This afternoon we attended the garden party for the Duke and Duchess. We even got a chance to very briefly chat with the Duchess. Later we attended a special church service where the Duke was given a Pijin Bible as a gift by the Governor General.

We are greatly encouraged that church and government leaders recognize the importance of the Pijin Bible.

The Duke and Duchess seemed genuinely interested in the Pijin Bible.

Later the General Secretary of the Solomon Islands Christian Association read a letter from Buckingham Palace with a congratulatory message from the Queen.

Not your standard Sunday afternoon

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:34:00 +0000

This afternoon we headed down to Prince Philip Highway (the main road through town) to wait for some special visitors to drive past. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have arrived for a short visit in recognition of the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Independence. The Duke and Duchess were here 30 years ago at the first Independence Day. We did get a brief glimpse of them as they drove past.

As you can see, Tim and I received this invitation to attend a special party given by the Governor General (head of state) to meet the Duke and Duchess. Now all we need is a crash course in protocol!

Pijin Audio Bible available online

noreply@blogger.com (Martha) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:59:00 +0000

An organization called, "Faith Comes by Hearing" has recorded a dramatized version of the Pijin New Testament. The audio Bible is available in a special solar powered box called a Proclaimer which will be distributed around the Solomon Islands.

Solomon Islanders who have heard the Pijin New Testament on the Proclaimer are very excited about this new tool.

The Pijin audio New Testament is available online as a free download. You can hear a sample or download the entire New Testament for free. Choose Pijin from the pull down menu and click on this link to hear a sample or download the entire Pijin New Testament!

Faith Comes By Hearing.com