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.

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.

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.