The End of our Journey

We are back in Wisconsin hardly able to believe that our time in South Carolina is over. Life has essentially picked up where we left off, which is why it has taken me nearly two months to close out this blog. Here is a brief summary of our transition back home.

We had a whirlwind final week in Columbia with school programs, packing and getting together one last time with friends. Chip and Beth Edgar hosted a farewell party in our honor which included most of our dearest friends in SC. It was an evening to remember, complete with a buffet of southern dishes to enjoy. On May 28th, Jacob and I joined a team of seven others from Columbia on a missions trip to Rwanda. It was a trip of a life time! We will be sending out DVD's to all our supporters summarizing our trip soon, so be on the lookout if that was you!

While Jacob and I flew across the world, Rob and the rest of the kids loaded up the U-Haul (with a gang of SC friends) and traveled back to Three Lakes with the assistance of Jackson Edwards from Columbia. He will be attending Wheaton in the fall and is working at HoneyRock for the summer, so it worked out perfectly for him to drive our Suburban while Rob drove the U-Haul. They were all able to stay with the Carlson's in Kentucky, enjoying an afternoon of waterskiing on the river. After a long trek home, the gang was greeted by friends from HoneyRock who helped to unload, unpack and get them settled back into 1543 Dam Road. Jacob and I returned on June 14th and our family was together once again (if only for a short time as camp sessions began the next week!).

While staying healthy on our African trip, I did come home very exhausted and picked up a cold bug that kept me down for a week. I did however manage to unpack the remaining boxes and put our house back to order again.

We thank God for the experience of a life time that South Carolina was. In fact, it will be regarded as the "best time our family every had"! Thank you to everyone who invested in us in South Carolina, and those back home who supported and encouraged us while we were gone. We are truly humbled and overwhelmed to have such amazing friends. While we are glad to be home as we are true "Wisconsinites" at the core, we will always hold a special place for South Carolina in our hearts!