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,

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