Tim is in Minnesota this week.  His alma mater, Concordia University is having an alumni reunion/homecoming weekend.  He’s never attended one before but we decided it would be a good chance for him to try and connect with old friends in Minnesota.

The trip seems to be coming together for the trip and he has speaking engagements lined up for both Sundays.  He will be getting together with family and friends during the week and will look for opportunities to share with them about our ministry and how people can become involved.

Please pray for ‘God appointments’ and open hearts as Tim shares.  We are encouraged to see pledges for our support start to climb and are trusting God to lead more churches and individuals to our support team.

Tim and I are back in Dallas after making a trip to Albuquerque to visit Tim’s home church, Christ Lutheran.  We arrived in time for the fellowship meal on Wednesday night where donations were given toward our ministry.  We are thankful for friends who braved the rain to come to the dinner.

During the week we were able to visit with 3 pastors, shared in classes at the Christian school, set up a information table at the church garage sale and shared on Sunday during in the adult Bible class and the kids’ Sunday School.  It was a nice opportunity to reconnect with friends from before as well as meeting some new friends.

We are thankful to report we have several new supporters which is helping us get closer to our goal of 100% support!  Thanks to those of you who have been praying for that need.

En route to Albuquerque, we stopped at Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo.  We bought a can of spray paint before we got there so we could leave our mark.

This morning it was my turn to bring goodies for our Sunday School class.  My aunt had just told me about these pumpkin squares that she likes so I got the recipe and tried it out.

I took them to Sunday School and people took about 2 bites before they asked, “Do you share recipes???”  Of course I do!  Especially since my aunt just shared it with me and now I share it with you.

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine melted

1 egg

filling:

1 large (1 lb. 13 oz) can of pumpkin mix**

3 eggs

2/3 cup milk

topping:

1 cup reserved cake mix

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup butter or margarine

crust:

grease bottom of a 9×13″ cake pan.  Combine remaining cake mix, melted butter or margarine and eggs.  Press into pan.

filling: Prepare filling by combing all ingredients until smooth.  Pour over crust.

topping: Combine all ingredients and sprinkle over filling.  Bake at 350° until knife inserted near center comes out clean (about 1 hour). Serve with whipped topping.

**Note: If 1 pound solid pumpkin is used, add 2 heaping teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice mix and 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar.

For those of you who weren’t at the Night at the Museum on September 10th, we have posted four video clips from the evening.  The video links can be found on this website by clicking on the new tab at the top of the page labeled, ‘video’. Or double click on this link:  https://matzkemission.com/?page_id=757

Part 1: The Big Picture Introduction by Tim and Martha; video overview of literacy work

Part 2: Martha’s Assignment in Communication Hear from Susan van Wynen, Director of Communications, Wycliffe International; Martha shares her excitement about the new role

Part 3: Tim’s Assignment in Literacy: Tim shares his thoughts and feelings about his new assignment

Part 4: Your Part Hear from supporter, Lora Graham; Tim invites you to join the team through interest, prayer, giving, and sharing; Pastor Fred Durham shares and prays

We are busy preparing for a special event tonight, a Night at the Museum.  We have invited friends and supporters to invite friends to come to the International Museum of Cultures.  There will be a tour of the museum, including a new Solomon Islands display which we just put up and a special exhibit with old testament scrolls.

We will have a short program as well where we will be sharing about our ministry and sharing about our need for additional financial and prayer partners.  It’s kind of a crazy outside-the-box idea, but we are trusting God to use it for His glory.

Out of the blue this morning we got an email from missionary friends who are preparing to go to Africa.  Maria said, I just read the most incredible verses and thought of you–this is so amazing, especially the last verse!  God bless you today!!”
Isaiah 30:18-21 (New International Version)

19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

These words were especially comforting this morning and I am so thankful for Maria sending them on the day that we are stepping out to do something new!

Then later we got an email from a new friend that Tim met through a men’s Bible study.  This man gave said they wouldn’t be able to join us tonight, but wanted to know how to be a part of our ministry.  Tim directed him to the Wycliffe website and we have a new partner in ministry.  We are very encouraged!

Today, Thursday September 2, 2010, the first day of issue and launch of the “Celebrating Bible Translation” commemorative stamp block was held.  His Excellency the Governor General Sir Frank Kabui was the guest of honor and unveiled the stamp during the ceremony.  The stamp was approved by the Governor General during the process by the Philatelic Bureau to produce the stamp.

The event was held at the newly constructed Bible translation center in the Solomon Islands which belongs to the Solomon Islands Bible Translation and Literacy Partnership and attended by members of the Solomon Islands Christian Association.  Following the stamp launch, the Governor General was given a tour of the new facilities.

We thank God for the news that a renter is moving into our house in the Solomon Islands today! Whew. We were beginning to think it wasn’t going to happen, but it has.

We thank our many friends who have been praying with us about this need. And for colleagues who live next door to our house who are baking a batch of welcome cookies for the new tenant and her young daughters. Sweet!

As a teenager, my Uncle Jim introduced me to the world of stamp collecting and first day of issue covers.  I still have two albums of first day of issue covers from US stamps that I collected during that time.

Years later when we were living in the Solomon Islands, I started dreaming of a stamp to commemorate Bible translation in the country.  I wanted stamps that would honor the work of Bible translation and the language groups who have been blessed with a completed New Testament or Bible.  In 2004 I visted in to the Solomon Islands Philatelic Bureau and began dialoguing with the director about the process of getting a stamp(s) approved.

It’s been a long process and it has taken the help of a number of colleagues to make it happen, but the stamps are now printed and ready for a release in early September. Thanks, Uncle Jim for getting me started on this journey so many years ago!

Celebrating Bible Translation 2010 Solomon Islands Commemorative Stamps

Here is a description of the stamp block:

Celebrating Bible Translation:

In recognition of the declaration of 2008 as the Year of the Bible, the Solomon Islands Philatelic Bureau proudly issues this stamp “Celebrating Bible Translation.” In the words of Prime Minister Dr. Derek Sikua, “There is no greater place to build the character of our people than from Biblical foundations and values.”

These beautiful watercolour illustrations tell the story of the arduous task of translating the Word of God (upper right) and after many years of hard work, the arrival of the printed Bibles.

Symbolically representing the arrival of the Gospel to the islands (upper left), the Bible is carried into the church on a ceremonial canoe.  Following a thanksgiving service, the people rush to purchase the treasured Bibles (lower left).  As the people read the Word of God in their heart language, it brings understanding and joy and refreshment (lower right).

The open Bible in the center of the stamp block features two Bible verses, Hebrews 4:12 (The Word of God is alive) and John 17:17 (Your Word is true), taken from the Solomon Islands Pijin Bible which was launched in 2008.

A Pijin Bible on a ceremonial canoe was presented to Prime Minister Dr. Derek Sikua on the 30^th Anniversary of Independence.  It is now part of a Solomon Islands Bible Display and is housed permanently at the National Parliament in Honiara.

From Varisi in Choiseul Province to Natqgu in Temotu Province, Solomon Islanders rejoice in having God’s Word in their heart language.  The names on the perimeter of these stamps represent the languages which now have a New Testament or Bible.  With more than 65 languages spoken in the Solomon Islands, church and government leaders are committed to seeing translations completed in each one.

Night at the Museum

On September 10, 2010, we are hosting a Night at the Museum at the International Museum of Cultures.  The evening will give people a chance to look around the museum (FREE of charge!), enjoy light refreshments and hear a short presentation about Bible translation and literacy around the world.  We will be sharing about our new job assignments with Wycliffe.  If you are in the Dallas area and are free, we would love to have you attend and bring a friend!

We hope that we will be able to meet some new friends that evening and that would lead to further opportunities to share about our ministry and in turn we will be able to see an increase in our support team.

Wycliffe requires that we have 100% of our support pledged before we can start our new assignments.  Please pray that we will be effective in sharing the vision of our ministry and that the people will be responsive to joining our team.  You can view/download a flyer about the event here:  Night at the Museum

We have a special houseguest staying with us at the moment – Lizzie Humbu from Papua New Guinea.  Lizzie is here in the USA with YWAM (Youth with a Mission) and we met her a few months ago at a workshop.  She needed a place to stay and we needed someone to stay in our house while we were on a trip so she is staying with us.

After years of living in the Pacific – both Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and being on the receiving end of gracious Melanesian hospitality, it is indeed a pleasure to be able to extend a bit of hospitality to Lizzie.  In a few weeks, Lizzie is hoping to move to Arkansas to attend college there.  She is praying and trusting God to provide the money she needs for tuition.

It’s fun to see Emily enjoying making music with Lizzie.  Playing guitar and singing with her Solomon Islands friends, was one of Emily’s favorite activities.