Our time on St Thomas and St John from January to April passed in the blink of an eye. They were months filled with many wonderful things, especially visits from our daughters Jenni and Amy, Amy and DaWayne Ruffell, Vince and Jacki Rhoton, Leslie and Brian Hatch, and Jen, Brian, and Denver Hicks. Every visit was a treat and so fun for us to show off the beautiful islands and have our guests meet some of the beautiful people we have come to love so much.
Ruffells, Rhotons, Hatches, Morales, and Hicks
We take all of our visitors to Mermaids Chair…
This tidal pool at Mermaids Chair was a great…
Our friends Vince and Jackie Rhoton visited with…
The ladies in Gail and Bert's garden - where we…
We chartered a catamaran sailboat to explore the…
Jen, Denver, and Brian at the Magens Bay Overlook…
Our catamaran excursion with the Hicks was…
Denver and Jen on the catamaran trampoline, Brian…
Mountain Top is a store overlooking Magens Bay. …
We hiked to Mermaids Chair with Jen, Brian,…
The Morales family from our old Virginia…
Jenni & Amy
Great picture of Jenni with a conch shell at…
How fun was That! We love our accomplished…
We LOVED Jenni and Amy's visit. It was a…
An ideal time to visit St Thomas from Arizona and…
Hawksnest Beach on St John is our favorite…
from the airport right to the beach!
Jenni and Amy came with us to Church on St Thomas…
Little Mermaid redhead
Brewers Bay Conch shell
All is Well - at St John Hawksnest Beach
One of our favorite hikes of all time is…
We love this open setting - especially with our…
ST John once had numerous sugar plantations with…
Sugar Cane was once grown, harvested and…
Leinster Bay hike on St John
Dave & Becky
Kristi's sister Becky and her husband Dave joined…
We had fun together with Kristi's sister Becky…
While Jenni and Amy were visiting us, one evening we got a phone call from President Horstmeier asking us if we would consider transferring to the island of Dominica in May. It came as such a surprise to us. We thought and had planned to serve all our 18 months serving on St Thomas and St John. Of course we said “yes”. We will ultimately end up serving 10 months on St Thomas and St John and 8 months in Dominica.
We are so grateful for the time we had serving with and serving such wonderful people on St Thomas and St John. The Cano family on St John (Jorge, Janet, Carolina, and Daniel) taught us a lot about selfless service as they opened their home each week for sacrament service. Everyone felt so welcomed and loved. Janet always made some kind of food to share with everyone. In April, meetings were moved to a new location where there would be room for growth. Our last Sunday on St John was very special. Janet had made a big sign for everyone to sign, and there were many well wishes and loving sentiments.
We have moved from the Cano's home to the (air conditioned!) local Community Center for our Sunday Services! Our Mission President, President Horstmeier visited from Puerto Rico to commemorate this significant occasion!
I had to tell my friend Christian at the St John dock that we were leaving. I had made friends with him by taking a treat for him each week. In the beginning, I wouldn’t get any reaction, and then he slowly began to soften. Each week was met with a smile. The last trip I received a big hug and left him with a Book of Mormon I had written my testimony in. Not sure he will always remember us, but we will always remember him.
The Sorenson’s were amazing to us! Natalie Sorenson is one of the most Christlike people you will ever meet. She is a true example of selfless service and a perfect minister. She taught both John and I so much about humility and exercising faith in Christ.
Dinner and a movie with Amber Sorenson!
With Mike and Natalie Sorenson at their home…
We have learned so much from Natalie and all she…
Elders: Alvarez, Eardley, Holyoak, and Porter -…
We got to know some of President Sorenson's…
FHE with visiting family members is extra special!
Hiking with friends is the best!
Lexi Sorenson taking this picture of our FHE…
We feel that our time and experience on St Thomas and St John helped to prepare us for coming to Dominica. We left having experienced so much! Our Family Home Evenings were among our most fond memories. The people we met and made friends with at Brewers Bay will always be cherished. Those friends at the “prayer circle” taught us lessons on inclusivity, love, and faith in Jesus Christ. We will always remember Celeste, Lorraine, Toddy, Galoway and many others. In our hearts forever! We made so many wonderful friendships that will last forever. We hope our desire to reflect the light and love of the Savior was sincerely felt.
Kristi's activities/games after our brief FHE…
Lexi Sorenson taking this picture of our FHE…
A surprise performance by Mathew, Luxama, and…
Our FHE includes a spiritual message which we…
Kids playing games
Our dear friends at our last FHE on St Thomas…
Kids raising their hands all wanting to be "next"…
FHE with visiting family members is extra special!
Kristi's sister Becky and her husband Dave joined…
We loved serving with Elder Cordero and had a…
Jasmine loves our FHE games :)
We got to know some of President Sorenson's…
We love Claudette and her granddaughters who have…
Kim turned 10 years old so of course we…
We always take a group photo at FHE after a brief…
Our wonderful St Thomas family hosted a…
After serving 10 months on St Thomas and St John…
We are still on our journey of becoming, and our mission together has been an immense blessing for us. We are so excited about our remaining 6 months serving on Dominica!!
More to come!!!
A typical view when we are out visiting with the…
Our new member friend Elroy is a great man and…
Flying to St Croix we passed right over this…
Our pilots on our small plane local airlines…
While on St Croix we visited the easternmost…
Elders Kelsey and Soto visiting friends on St John
We love our friend Shayla - and her pure heart…
Stevie speaking in the Haitian (Creole) sacrament…
We love to welcome Elders to St Thomas and St…
Elder Kelsey was one of the first missionaries…
Many many beautiful Caribbean ocean views from St…
Our friend Natalie assessing sea turtle health as…
Jayden caught one - look closely haha!
Wadaline was thrilled with her Baby Shower with…
We could see, hear, and FEEL the power of these…
No surprise the kids love Kristi!
We love exploring this wild area!
Fishers of Men Fishing! Out "catching" with…
Popo is the young man I baptized in our first…
We love these ladies, and look what they brought…
Back to Mermaids Chair again! This time with the…
Returning home from ST John we drove by the…
Returning from St John one evening, we spotted…
We occasionally substitute teach Seminary and…
Kristi has a special way with the kids!
Janet Cano made these meaningful snacks for our…
Elders Wimmer, Hobbs, Soto, and Holyoak are…
We took Elders Pierson and Cabrera to lunch at…
Mountain Top is a store overlooking Magens Bay. …
Kristi with Wadaline and her new daughter at our…
Damasel holding Wadaline's baby on St John :)
With my motivating gym bud Myekka a the UVI gym.…
With Myekka and Cory at the UVI gym
On the front porch of Miguel and Lisbet's…
Jayden said "Last time, you prayed and I caught a…
I told out grandkids I spotted a Merma on the…
These friends are such good people and future…
Saying goodbye to Beatriz and Elha, our wonderful…
On our hike to the remote Santa Maria beach we…
This short hike to a very remote beach was like…
My Semper Fi friend Dennis :)
Ropes along this steep trail help to ensure…
A beautiful view from the top of the Cliff…
Great view! Earned it!
Our second hike of the morning!
This young man has a sense of humor as big as his…
One of many beautiful sunsets we see here in the…
