Call from Dave

We were blessed this morning with an early phone call from Dave! Yea! He was trying to call Kelly, but her phone was turned off during church services, so we got a turn. :-) He sounded very tired, but it was amazingly wonderful to hear his voice.

He appreciates all the support he's been getting - motomails, letters, packages are all wonderful. For those sending care packages, Dave says don't send any more shirts or underwear, but he still needs socks. He also now has access to a microwave, so microwavable foods like EasyMac are good to send. And he no longer wants toys to give to local kids.

Dave sounded very tired. The extreme heat is very wearing, and they are constantly going out on patrols. In the mornings, when it's time to get dressed, his cammies are still wet from the previous day's sweat.

Unfortunately, the battalion chaplain does not visit their outpost, so there are no worship services or prayer support for the guys in Dave's company. He says he's on his own for prayer, which is discouraging.

We didn't discuss timetables for his return but I know we are all looking forward to the end of this deployment. One of the things he's looking forward to when he gets home is being able to cook healthy meals.

Dave said that yesterday he was thinking a lot about the two weddings he was missing. Two good friends, Jon Hansen and Reeve Farmer, both got married. Dave wished he could have been here for those two wonderful events. And yes, Jon, we did tell him about the Star Wars music! :-)

Thank you all for continuing to write to Dave and pray for him as this dangerous time continues.