Hello!

We are busily wrapping up the semester and continuing to look into service options, but this past week we got the opportunity for some fun in the snow!

We are very happy to note that we will be home from Dec. 16 through Jan 15th. Matt is able to work, for which we are very grateful, and we hope to have lots of time spent with friends and family. For those we will not see, we wish you all the best this holiday season. We hope everyone will be lucky enough to spend time with loved ones -- and to appreciate it!

We are now "dorm parents" to about twenty single students. This entails planning cheesy events and feeding them occassionally. Naturally, it's right up my alley ;)It's actually a lot harder than it sounds with our present lack of sleep and free/ family time, but it's really nice and a great excuse to get to know the singles a little better. We still really enjoy the girls on our hall. They are like fun big sisters for our girls.

In addition to busy classes and family life, we have been very involved lately in learning about missions opportunities. We attended a huge missions festival at a megachurch in our area, which was a great opportunity to learn about hundreds of missions needs in many different regions. I (Erin) am part of a China focus group that is hoping to send a team to a Chinese orphanage this May. We attended the Chinese Christian Church in Milwaukee -- a wonderful cultural experience (they won Emma over by making origami and serving LUNCH) -- and learned about a fellowship group with Asian Marquette students. We hope to start helping with that this week. Matt and I continue to hear stories of tremendous needs both in unreached areas of the world and in existing missions operations, and it is often heartbreaking to hear of just how desparate they are. We were recently contacted with a specific current need in Indonesia. It is so hard to know that there are so many roles to be filled and some seem so perfect, but at the same time we feel very strongly that we should complete at least the first two years of the training. There are, however, so many exciting opportunites to look forward to! Please continue to pray and offer insight in this area.

Last week we also had "Missions Emphasis" at NTBI. Students and staff from the Missouri phase of the training came to explain courses, answer questions, and describe New Tribes Missions. It was very interesting, but I have to admit I got teary eyed when I saw the pictures of the Lake in the slide show... and when I saw friends Jim and Connie Turek and Dr. Wayne Cooper amongst the photos, too. I am SO ready to go home!

Also, the students drove here in our old van, which we donated to the mission last year. It was cute when Emma realized it was "The Wan." The girls were so excited. Chloe asked if we could touch it. That seemed a little weird, but I think it was a tangible connection to home!

With that said, I have to admit that the Lord has a LOT of work to do with me if I am to head overseas with my family... and yet we are increasingly certain that is what we are to do. Last week Emma and I spent a lot of time on the living room floor praying for our friends in the Philippines, who were hit by a typhoon. As I prayed for their safety and their peace with tears rolling down my face, I realized that in a couple of years it could be us in that situation -- and I was reminded that there is NO WAY I would be able to have peace unless it came straight from God. And yet I have no doubt that He can use us, probably through some very difficult and dangerous situations, to glorify Him and bring others to Him. Yes, there is a lot of preparation to undergo - most of it beyond the classroom - and yet I am reminded of how far we have come. We used to think missionaries were some sort of special person. But we are a testimony that that is not the case at all. We are not any smarter, more skilled, or "more Christian." But we can so tangibly see how God has prepared our hearts... little by little.

Our prayer is that our hearts will be soft for Him to mold -- and that yours will be, too, for whatever His purpose is for you.

Have a wonderful Christmas season!

Love, Prices

Hugs from the Price Girls!!

Was this in the contract?!?

Family time in the snow... note it's up to my knees??

Emma told me she likes it when it's "this" high, then demonstrated a height of about 3"

... She did have some trouble walking, but she made some awfully cute angels ;)

Laney's snowsuit is too short, so she was a spectator with a glass of warm milk on a bench...

Laney UpdateIn her hospital room -- she enjoyed looking at herself in her cute gown :)

At home, after an especially long day...

Thanks for all of the prayers and concern for Laney! Her testing went very well. It was a very full day at the hospital -- LOTS of X-rays, bone density tests, etc., but she was so sweet. She flirted with all the Drs and nurses and especially liked the physical therapist :) I think she also enjoyed a special day alone with Mommy. (Even if it did involve getting a small chunk cut out of her arm...)

Results are not all back, but the general consensus is that she does indeed have a form of osteogenesis imperfecta. We will know for sure in about 5 more weeks. If so, her case is fairly mild. Though her bones are not strong and there is no cure, the biggest potential problem is that her bones would break/ fracture so many times that they become deformed as she grows. This will hopefully not be an issue, and if it is, there are surgeries and very skilled Drs. who know how to correct it. As we sat in the waiting rooms, I was reminded how lucky we are!! Though it can be stressful, expensive, etc., we are so blessed to have such relatively healthy children.

Last week she, like many toddlers around the country, saw her first serious snow. What an exciting thing! She looked out the window in awe... because she thought the world was filled with milk !!! We did take her outside for a bit. When we stepped outside she said "Happy!" but she didn't play because she was not well equipped for snow and cold.

Her sisters, on the other hand, had a great time!! (Thank you, Mason family -- we got some good use out of last year's Christmas present -- and so did most of the rest of the school!!)