Emma in her "Geezer Glasses" -- Aren't they fitting??

So every time Matt leaves for a few days, crazy things happen... The fridge stops working after I finally shell out for a bunch of meat at the grocery store... The baby gets a cast up to her armpit...














This time I found out Emmy needs glasses! (And the girls' closet broke, and Laney needed two emergency baths before school yesterday, and Chloe now has a 103* fever, and when I finally decided I couldn't wait any longer to leave them & go to the bathroom this morning, Laney ate half a bottle of Baby Magic - don't worry, magically nontoxic!...etc...)

Oddly enough, she's the only one about whom we haven't worried about a lazy eye... but she has one! So these are the cool glasses they gave her when we left since her pupils were still dilated. It wasn't until she was excitedly telling Matt about them that I realized this: After trying on and deliberating about tons of frames, she thought THESE were her new glasses ;) I guess they technically are, but we can look forward to a more permanent pair next week...

PS She's actually very excited about both these and the real thing. She's just trying to look like a very serious driver in the second picture!

This is a Laney update... to say we have no updates! Lots of people have asked lately -- thanks so much for caring! The good news is she does NOT have OI; the bad is that we have no idea what has caused her breaks & low density. I did take her to the hospital for her bone density test. It was failed before it ever started b/c the technicians were convinced she was too little to hold still enough for the progressive X-Ray, even though she did it perfectly four months ago! So we're kind of at a loss b/c her pediatrician was waiting on those results to determine what might be causing the low bone density in the first place (narrowing down the possibilities by figuring out whether it's staying constant or deteriorating...) The Dr. at the hospital didn't really seem bothered; he thinks as long as she isn't having continued breaks it's not a problem. So let's hope that's the case!! Thanks for all your prayers and concerns!

Laney's eyes have been turning in and seemed to be having a focusing problem that increased in frequency and severity during the past few months.

I finally got her to the eye Dr., and her eyes looked nearly perfect for the first time in nearly two months! He couldn't find any significant difference in prescription and said she doesn't need glasses. We are kind of at a loss and tired of all these "Unsolved Baby Mysteries," so if anyone has any insights (there was truthfully no pun intended there...), we'd really appreciate it!

I also wanted to share some growth that has been going on in my life. It may seem really petty to some of you, but it may also encourage others... I have loved helping out with Emma's age Sunday School here -- I missed my little Basic Training kids, being called "Teacher, Teacher," (even though they all know my name) and the fun and enthusiasm we share, plus I wanted some good time with Em. Anyway, I have just been an assistant with the 25-30 kids in the class. We are preparing for a musical on Palm Sunday (complete with sign language and actions!) with the 4's and 5's, so we practice together during Sunday School time. Today the music leader went through the songs once and then said "I have to go sing in big service... so one of your leaders will take over for me!" ...and then pointed straight at me. After looking over my shoulder in shock and confusion, I jumped up to the plate and had a great time with them. The reason this is significant is 1) I can't sing and am not terribly coordinated, either -- even the pre-school moves are a little beyond me ;) 2) I may not care what people think of what I'm wearing, what kind of car I drive, etc. but I am self-conscious of how people might perceive my motives for doing things and also of being in the spotlight outside of my normal element. So I found this silly little incident somewhat ironic, but it wasn't until an incredulous Matt remarked on it that I stopped to really think about it...

If there's one thing I have learned through all the struggles, adjustments and truths here, it is the importance of living beyond yourself. I felt like I had a decent handle on this before, but I have come to realize that I have come a LONG way -- and there's so much further to go!! Even a year ago that was one area where I would draw the line and say, "Oh, not me!" instead of "If I can serve that way, great!" But what's more, I would have worried that the other leaders would have thought they should be doing it, that I wouldn't do a good enough job, that someone would think I was showing off, etc. The point is that these silly but real worries all come down to selfish thinking. They all show that I was more worried about what others thought of me or my intentions than whether I was giving Him all I could. Who cares what people think about me? Certainly, I don't want to offend anyone or let anyone down, but if I am doing my best at something for the purpose of glorifying Him (and I don't just mean singing, but anything in daily life), then it certainly would not please Him for me to waste my time obsessing about what others might think about me or let the fear of what others might think hold me back! A lot of times I have not communicated, or not served(or have done so trying to squeeze into a mold that doesn't quite fit) because I was a little too worried about whether it would please men... and it often seemed I didn't anyway! I have also failed to initiate conversation or fellowship for fear of pushing myself on someone who may have really needed me! What I have learned is that walking before Him in your actions (even with the slip-ups of our human natures!) and truly seeking His nature affords a peace that cannot be rivaled -- and a freedom, too! If we are living by the Spirit in us, we should not fear we won't be good enough or fail to follow the Spirit's leading when we are prompted to do something, say something, or reach out to someone!

So is there something from which the fear of man is holding you back?? Something you waste time doing because you feel you have to meet a standard? Break free! He made us for His work, not for something so empty as pleasing men. However you might struggle with this, the commitment to overcome it is to the His Glory! And you will reap the benefits of being liberated from the selfish nature. (Even if your hang-ups don't seem selfish, they are self focused -- and focusing on yourself will never bring fruit!)

If you have questions about this, it just plain weirds you out, or you aren't sure what I mean, feel free to send questions my way!

Have a great week!

Love, Erin

Hey Guys --

We wanted to share some of the excitement from this last very exhausting but encouraging week. We had a lot going on in classes, with at least a test or a paper every day, and we are getting a lot of information thrown at us since we are wrapping up another block this Friday (3 large tests that day and several more papers/ projects this week!) I take Laney back to the hospital for testing all day tomorrow to find out why she has the low bone density and whether it is deteriorating. I also need to squeeze in an eye doctor's appointment, as she appears to have a lazy eye or some sort of focusing problem. Her Dr. recommended an opthamologist through children's hospital, but it is VERY pricey and we wanted to see a regular eye doctor first anyway and go from there...

Anyway, the main excitement of our week was a conference we put on with friends Jon and Joy for the children at CCM. It was so fantastic! Although preparing for it combined with our classwork, etc. meant I got no more than 4 hours of sleep per night all week, it was SO worth it. They were largely enthusiastic and they are all very smart and most are mission minded, but we had the privilege of challenging them, encouraging them, and just plain having fun with them, too...

Our girls love this House. I have always been amazed at how Emma just runs right into the crowd; whereas when we go to other fellowships so much like ours at home she is shy and clingy! They seemed to feel very at home with the people here, even before our friends Jon and Joy were attending!

There's never a shortage of food at the Chinese gathering! Emma is surrounded by a lot of other children who love to eat as much as she does!!!

The really funny thing is that all of our girls love the authentic Chinese foods (Laney can't stop asking for "nummy"...) and using the chopsticks, but the Chinese children often opt for pizza!












Ice cream, however, is a universal treat ;)

By Saturday night, we had moved from "Mr. and Mrs." to "Uncle and Auntie," at least three kids had told their parents they want to serve, and they had all learned a lot about the call, needs, and the great advantage they have for reaching people in China and around the world. It was pretty successful!

Chloe dressed up for her 100th day of school!

Convincing, eh?

We received three of the four packages we've gotten since we came here -- all within two weeks of each other! Thanks, Grammy Barb, Aunt Jaimie & Co-Cos... They all came at just the right times to lift our spirits and meet some practical needs, too!

Emma especially liked the "Zim's Crack Cream" for little chapped hands!

Unfortunately, Laney got Chloe's "bap 'tick" before Chloe could relieve her chapped lips ;) "Mmmm...." Laney said.





We all loved the office supplies, Valentines & hygiene products!

We've tried to put the fun back in some daily tasks, like bath time...

































Laney loves her "obe" from Mrs. Diane and her "bip-bops" from Grammy ;)















The big girls LOVE to help everyone with their campus ministries (work detail).






















"Go ahead, guys -- you take a coffee break... We'll take care of this!"

Laney inherited Emma's "Here Comes Trouble" shirt ;)

Also, I realized that (oddly enough) she has had very little exposure to snow. I took her out Sunday. She clapped and sang... and occasionally complained "ode...ode" (cold). She did alright until she fell face down in the snow. That ended our fun... I guess we'll have to increase her snow exposure more gradually :0)

The girls got right up to the big cats!! That was definitely a good time...

And Emma had so much fun, she fell asleep while eating her PBJ on the way home!

We recently took the girls and some of our dorm kids to free day at the zoo :) Everyone had a ball. Laney did her monkey act for the apes and made fish faces all through the aquarium... Emma was impressed by the big snakes we might live with someday ;) We saw just a few things outside, and Emma reminded us again just why she wouldn't cut it as a farm girl!!

Emma and I recently swung by the beach on a trip to pick Daddy up from the airport. It was exhilarating, for sure! The phrase of the day was, "Emma, next time we'll have to bring your snow pants to the beach!" Wish we could have seen it the next day... with two feet of fresh snow and some 14 foot swells! What an amazing testament to God's power and love for us in the glory of Creation!

Recently, Matt was working in the garage (his Campus Ministry) when his supervisor, Frank, told him an encouraging story. Frank said his daughter had contacted him to let him know that her family and others in Indonesia were praying for a couple here at the Bible School. She wanted to send him their picture so he could be praying for them, too. Frank opened the email attachment, and who did he see?? The Price Family ;) It's hard to express how heart warming that was! A few weeks later I was bringing the girls in from a walk when Jeff, our resident computer wiz, called to me from his office. "You'll never guess who I saw today!" he said, and went on to tell me the names of a couple I didn't know. "Oh yeah, they asked about you!" he insisted. Come to find out, they were also from Indonesia and knew of us because they, too, had been praying for us! These sort of things are so remarkable and really keep us going...

Hello Everyone! It's been a while.... This semester has been even crazier than last. I think there have been a couple of classes that I've only been to two or three times due to sick little girls, which means a lot of listening to class recordings and trying to catch up, but the good news is we haven't had any stomach flew this time ;)

We are so thrilled to finally have a church to be a regular part of our lives. That really helps to make life feel stable! I (Erin) am helping with the 3 yr old Sunday school every week and doing "Mom Time," a bible study with other moms one evening a week. We are involved in a small group -- something we missed terribly! -- and have been to Middle School youth group, but we're praying about whether we should commit, since I felt torn enough between little kid and youth ministry sometimes at home and now we have so little family time. (Seems backward since we're physically together in such a small space, huh??) Also, a friend at school invited Chloe to AWANA -- so she and Emma were thrilled to start that!

We are also excited to see Grammy Barb, Jaimie, and the "Co-Co's" over Easter Break. They are coming to visit and will either get a condo nearby or bunk in the beds of some of the single girls who will be gone;) We are really looking forward to seeing them, and then we are also looking forward to some relaxing time for our family. Every time we've had a school break so far Matt has gone to a conference or we've been on the run, so Spring Break should be a nice time to stop and catch our breath!

Matt will be attending a conference the end of this month that we are very very excited about -- thanks to Ohills and the Walters for helping make that happen! He will get the chance to hear a lot more about the Amazon region where our church is hoping to start some church planting, get some insight into the animism that permeates the culture, and get together with a group of lawyers interested in enabling the tribal people to have more of a say in requesting missionaries for the area. He is also just plain excited to spend time with some of the other guys from home who will be going!

We are looking forward to helping with a missions conference at the Chinese Church next month. We will basically put on a separate conference for Pre-K thru 5th grade, so it should be very interesting but exciting! (Emma especially loves the Chinese church, with the foreign foods, singing, and teachers she can't understand... She is fascinated. One night I made stir fry and she asked me if I got it from the Chinese Church ;)) If you have any ideas for presentations, lessons, etc., let us know -- it will be about 7 hours over a few nights.

We have managed to find a little more opportunities for family fun this semester. We've made a big deal of "family night" once a week -- we play a game or watch a movie together and have a treat. This is much anticipated by all! The girls and I were fortunate enough to visit some of my aunts and cousins recently in the St. Paul area. It was so nice to see people we loved and have some purely recreational time! Emma and Chloe (and I) were very opposed to leaving!

We continue to pray about where we might end up (esp. Indonesia or the Amazon), preparation for the hearts of people we will encounter, whether or when we could go help the Hagens in the Philippines/ possibly visit Indonesia, financial details (renting or selling the house, selling the car, paying bills, whether to send Chloe to the Christian School again next year...), and practical planning for how to most effectively use our summer break. We are so thankful for all of the chances to see God's faithfulness so far. We continue to pray for you whether or not you've given us specific requests, and we would appreciate your prayer, too!

Love,

Prices