Two for One Training

by Martha

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.

A new project

by Martha

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.

The blessing of encouragement

by Martha


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.

Prayer Request

by Martha

We shared in our last newsletter our need for a new computer. We are thankful for 2 special gifts that were given to start off our computer fund and are have some income tax refund to put toward the project. We trust the Lord to bring in the rest of the needed funds for the computer.

A Solomon Island friend is in the USA for a visit and returning to the Solomons in November. He has agreed to bring back a computer for us if we order it and have it sent to him in Washington state. Will you pray with us that we will be able to find a good computer online and that it will get here safely? It will be a blessing to have a computer that can handle the desktop publishing that I am doing now without crashing all the time.

Quaint antique or practical tool?

by Martha

Our house is much quieter these days without the pitter patter of little feet. Little Timmy and his family returned to the village last week after the doctors removed the pins that held his arm in place. He is doing really well.


A couple of months ago I was visiting a friend from another mission and noticed that she had a old Singer treadle sewing machine that had been donated in Australia and shipped the Solomons. My friend let me have the machine to give to Timmy’s mom, Judy.

Judging from a photo in the machine’s instruction book, I think it must be at least 70 years old. But it is in great shape and Judy was THRILLED to receive this gift. I taught her how to make some simple bags and gave her some spare fabric I had. She will make them to sell

 to women in her village.

The treadle machine is perfect in the village where there is no power. Judy will be able to help her family, extended family and community to repair clothing and make things. I wish the original owner could see her machine today – still functioning and greatly loved and appreciated.

Getting the word out about the Word!

by Martha

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:













S
cripture 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!