US Update (by Thom)

Aside from the fun of being in the US during Christmas time we've had an eventful time during our vacation this month. We're now halfway through our vacation and I wanted to pass along a quick update with a prayer request.
First, Miri and Hannah are having a blast with their family. It took them a while to warm up to people but now they're little party animals. In a typical day in Mali they hear three languages (English, French, & Bambara) and that can delay a child's language abilities. This month they're only hearing English and they've really started jabbering and repeating a lot of words. It has been a blast watching them play with their grandparents and cousins. We've posted some pictures, naturally. It's also been fun watching them learn what to do with Christmas presents!
We've also found out they were exposed to chicken pox a week ago, so we'll have to wait and see what develops there. That could, potentially, delay our expected return date of January 4th in Mali.
On a somber note, Amanda's mom has been in the hospital for the last few days and at one point was very close to death. The doctors having seemingly pinpointed the problem and have a plan for treatment but there is still a lot of risk. Please pray for her and her physical and spiritual health. We weren't planning on visiting her during the trip because she lives 200 miles away and we don't have a car (she was going to come visit us) but now we're trying to find a way to get up to see her. We're not sure yet how that's going to work out.
Finally, here's Hannah - not sure yet what to do with a Christmas present: