It's A Lot Like Scrapbooking

Our blogging is a lot like scrapbooking which I have come to love. It is fun to write stories and add pictures...or maybe add pictures and write stories. Several have asked about where we are living so here goes... Diamond Ruby Plantation is the home of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) of St. Croix. It is a five acre plantation with a 300 year old beautiful and historic Danish "Great House." On the property there are several historic buildings which include a sugar mill, an 80 ft tall Smoke Stack, Well Tower, and remodeled slave quarters which now are apartments. There are also old ruins, a new garage/workshop and bunkhouses for mission teams and training schools. There is also a pool but at the time is not working as in need of repairs. Although Diamond Ruby Plantation is in the center of the island, we feel like we are out in the country. It's a safe and secure place to live and has survived some major hurricanes. Our apartment is under the main dining hall and the walls are about 16 inches thick. There is a breeze most of the time and one of the coolest places to sleep at night!

There are so many unique things to see here. We have heard comments that it is one of the nicest facilities around for YWAM bases. We would have to agree. There is a huge lawn, basketball court, Iguanas, banana trees, tropical flowers and a huge tree that just seems to draw you to one of the chairs for a cool, restful retreat from life. This place would be a great place to write a book! Maybe a children's mission book called "Adventures at Diamond Ruby Plantation."

       

Our apartment has a living room, kitchen, bathroom, office and large bedroom. It is in the back of the property so relatively quiet, except when an ambulance siren goes off. You can see the hospital in the distance through the trees and on rainy days there are more ambulance calls. The roads are narrow and bumpy. For those of our friends in the north who know about pot holes, there are plenty here. When it rains you can't see them. It is a challange to drive on the left hand side at night as most roads do not have yellow or white lines to guide you. The ones that have them are so faded you just have to pray the Lord keeps you in the road when meeting an oncoming car! Our next blog will let you know more about the island of St. Croix.