We recently shared that the renters in our house in Honiara moved out. So far we do not have new renters lined up. In addition to that we just learned that the house had to be treated for termites. This is all very discouraging. We have wanted to hold on to the house so we have a place to live if we are able to go back to the Solomon Islands in a couple of years.

We need wisdom in what to do about the house in Honiara. It would be great if we could get renters in the house. Please pray that good renters will be found or that we will know what to do next.

This week Tim is in Albuquerque attending a conference on Multilingual Education. We are excited that he is able to represent our organization and increase his understanding of this important topic.

Our experience in the Solomons taught us that kids that learn to read and write in their own language will do much better in school. While Tim was able work with the Solomon Islands Ministry of Education and start to develop language policy, he often wished he knew more. While we are in the USA, multilingual education is an area that he would like to learn more for the future. This conference will help Tim get a better understanding of the issues and meet others involved in multilingual education.

What does multilingual education have to do with Bible translation? Kids who learn to read and write in their mother tongue will be able to access God’s life changing Word in their heart language and that’s a good thing!

Sunday evening we heard the disappointing news that the renters in our house in the Solomons will be moving out at the end of the month.  Apparently they are happy with the house, but the neighbors have been noisy and there has been a lot of littering.  Sigh.  This is discouraging news.

Please pray that we will be able to find someone to rent the house again.

Martha gets her dolly at last

I have a special friend in the Solomon Islands who was named after me.  Recently I had the opportunity to send her a dolly for her birthday.  In the photos you can see her delight in getting her dolly which she has named…”Martha”.

In the Solomons you can only get ‘white’ baby dolls so it was fun to try and find her a dark skinned dolly here in the USA.

Catch up on our news with our recent newsletter:

Matzke April 2010

This week Tim and I are making a trip to Michigan for a missions conference at my home church.  Since the girls are in school, they are staying here in Dallas and an ‘aunt and uncle’ (friends from the Solomons) are coming to stay with them while they are gone.  We appreciate prayers for our safe travel and the girls as they manage school and life without us here.  It should be an adventure for us all!

It’s spring in Texas and the long awaited bluebonnets cover the roadsides.  All the rain and snow of the past months have given way to a bumper crop this year.

We are starting to feel like the bluebonnets, too.  After months of being tired from the move and struggles of leaving the Solomons, we are starting to feel settled again.  We are thankful for times of enjoying time together as a family and doing fun things like going to the Dallas Arboretum like we did on Sunday.  Thank you Lord for winter and thank you for the change of seasons and the hope that spring brings.

We have a newsletter and new family photo to get in the mail this week.  We’ll leave the news for the newsletter, but wanted to let people know that we are alive and kicking!

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.

Here’s our latest newsletter. Click on the link to read our latest news:

September_2009.pdf

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!