The Phone Call from Brazil - One of the best gifts!

If you ever thought that 45 minutes was a long time to talk on the telephone, you are wrong! That's the time limit we were given in which we could speak to Andrew.  I never knew how emotional one can get when they hear a loved one's voice they haven't seen for a while on the line. (Yes, I cried). It was so good to hear his voice.  He said the food for the most part is good, they have wonderful fruit, he says the bananas are much smaller than here but very sweet, the avocados are gigantic and they have a lot of other great fruit as well.  Most of his diet consists of black beans, rice, and some form of meat.  The members feed them the noon meal.  He does not care for how fish is prepared there - skin and all.  He is on the outskirts of Porto Velho, he says that it has dirt roads and that it is very muddy as it rains a lot there.  It is also very humid, and so his Laundry that he has to hang to dry doesn't get dry very well.  He says he gets a long well with his companion Elder Sullivan, and right now they have another companion, temporarily until he is reassigned.  They share an apartment with 2 other Elders.  He said he had a nice Christmas Eve dinner thanks to some members there, and a nice Christmas day.  He opened his presents this morning and was grateful for a CD player and music.  He has missed that a lot.  He says he is happy, but wishes the language would come quicker.  He has only been out in the field 2 1/2  weeks, but he expects a lot from himself.  They have a new investigator and he is learning as he goes, and listening so he can more readily share the Gospel with others.  We are so proud of him and his willingness to serve the Lord...It was wonderful to speak with him today!