More Than a Vacation

I can't say enough good things about our time on St. Croix for my work sabbatical, and one of the biggest surprises was that the trip didn't feel like a vacation. At least not in the typical sense...

What made this trip different was that it felt like we LIVED there instead of just VISITING, and a major part of that was the friends we made during the month. Our dear friends the VanWingerdens welcomed us into their church, their home, their lives, and introduced us to the sweetest families who treated us like friends. We were so blessed by their warm friendship, gracious hospitality, and incredible generosity. Our connection with these friends made our experience on St. Croix that much sweeter, and that much harder to come home.

Katie really enjoyed spending time with Amanda.



And the girls liked exploring the sugar mill at the YWAM base.



Josh and Andy enjoyed all things Star Wars!



Heidi and Jason were so kind to our whole family and gave Katie the ride of her life....



Jay is the son of Jason and Heidi, and Andrew misses him a lot as they bonded over a common love: LEGO.



A major highlight of the month was spending the day with Dave, Shelley, and their kids on Buck Island. It was a perfect day and we so appreciated their kindness and generosity. Their whole family made us feel so welcome and really helped the kids get assimilated into church life on the island.







And of course the super-fun home school sports gang from Friday mornings...we miss you all!