. . . twenty-three/one . . .

. . . one of the awesome experiences Drew has had

during his twenty-three months in Mexico

is visiting these pyramids

~ Teotihuacan ~

on Monday 15 February 2010 . . .

. . . he's pictured here (on the left)

with Elder Jon Michael Arnett

and Elder Nate Francis . . .

. . . Elder Francis was scheduled to return

to his home in Portland

Monday 22 February 2010 . . .

. . . but, on Saturday 20 February 2010 . . .

. . . a short 48 hours before his departure . . .

. . . the unthinkable happened . . .

. . . Drew shared the following with us:

"{Elder Francis} 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."

. . . read the rest of the story here . . .

. . . thankfully, Elder Francis/Nate-dog arrived "home"

{aka a Portland area burn unit}

via medical transport plane by 5:30am on the 23rd

~ just hours after his

originally scheduled homecoming time . . .

. . . his sweet mom reports that

he is doing a little better each day . . .

. . . he remains in our family's prayers . . .

. . . as well as those of

a couple hundred missionaries in Mexico . . .

. . . it's going to be a long month for my son . . .

. . . i know he can't wait to talk to his friend again . . .