This is where I'll be next week....

The church is giving us a trip to an island for Pastor Appreciation Month (which was in Oct. but this was the first availability). Anyway, it is a ministry called "Beside Still Waters" and it is on an island called "Anna Maria." (I've never heard of it, but I cannot wait to go!). Here are a few excerpts from their website:

"Beside Still Waters at Playa Del Sol is a program that recognizes the pressures of being in ministry in this day and age. Our goal is to provide a place of rest and refocus for those in need who are in the service of the Lord. This program is open to experienced pastors, ministers, missionaries, bishops, priests, or rabbis, etc. The Island of Anna Maria, Manatee County, Florida, is located 40 miles south of Tampa and seven miles west of Bradenton. Anna Maria's charm lies in its congenial air of unhurried tropical living. The sunset on Anna Maria Island has a colorful afterglow along the Gulf horizon. The annual average temperature is 74.8 degrees Fahrenheit."

I could put more but I'll stop there. Don't hate me!!!!!!!!! The service is free to full-time ministers and missionaries, however, there was a process we had to go through to be chosen.

I just thank the Lord for blessing us with this and with a church that is such a blessing!!

♪♫I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it!♫♪

There is a free trolly that travels around the island, taking you from place to place....and get this - our condo is only one block from the water!! I don't think I have ever stayed that close to the ocean.

Like I said, I CAN HARDLY WAIT!! Can you tell I'm excited?

In addition to regular church/ministry duties, Mark and I have ministered in something like 12 funerals in the past four months, so we are really looking forward to this R & R. We will be gone Monday through Friday. I'll try to take a few pix and show you when I get back.

Well, I've got to go pack. I'm thinking a few pairs of shorts/shirts & swimsuit and I'm good to go.

Adios, amigos!! Leave me a comment about whether you have ever heard of or been to Holmes Beach, Florida because I think that's the closest town. I've never heard of it. Do you think it's warm there this time of year? There isn't the possibility of a hurricane, is there??????????