This will be a quick one

Hey fam . . .

I MIGHT be able to write more later, but who knows? I just went to the hospital to see {Elder - see photos from last week's post} Francis. He is doing a lot better today. He only can have visits for one hour every day, and President let {Elder} Arnett and I have that hour today. He was very happy to see us and is feeling a lot better. Story...

He was at his church lighting the boiler (gas water heater) when the boiler exploded. It was a new boiler and he was just lighting it as he had done a million times before, so it indeed was a complete accident. The explosion threw Francis back and the boiler broke part of the wall. The boiler was in a little shed next to the church and the heat was so strong from the explosion that the door melted shut. It is kind of a horror story and I cry just thinking about it, but with the help of two strangers that heard the explosion and his companion, they got the door opened and Francis was taken to a hospital nearby. He was left with severe burns to his hands, arms, neck and face, with his hands and arms being the worst.

He was then shipped to the best hospital in Mexico and they started to clean him up and do surgery to remove the burned skin from his arms and hands. President, Sister Nancollas, and the mission doctor have been visiting when they can, but he is in intensive care and they don't let many visitors in.

We all heard the news a few hours after it happened. Arnett and I thought it would be good to fast for him, but wanted all of the missionaries to do it, too. We quickly organized the fast to start Sunday at 6:00 pm. Sunday morning he was not doing so well and thought he would need skin grafts on his hands, arms and face. His eyes were swollen shut and he was in a lot of pain. When we visited him today, the mission doctor was also there and told us that he looked a hundred times better. When we asked Francis how he was doing, he told us that Sunday night he started feeling a lot better. He didn't know that hundreds of missionaries were fasting for him right then. Anyhow, the doctors say that he has made a "miracle" recovery since yesterday.

This experience, although terrible, has taught us all the power of fasting and prayer. He was completely normal, making jokes and wondering how the Blazers did this week. We were joking so much that his lips started hurting. Whoops! But he is doing great. Francis will be flown in a special plane to a burn center in Portland. His dad is a hospital administrator (aka hookups). He should fully recover in 3-4 weeks in the burn center.

Anyhow, I have to go to my junta right now. I don't think that I will be able to write more later. Just keep Nate-dog in your prayers. Oh yeah, I'm doing great. Happy, healthy, all that stuff.

I love you all and hope you are all doing well.

Love,

Drew

{Elder Francis was supposed to go home today.}