We spent all of last week in the beautiful Sunshine State. We were invited to be a part of a missionary gathering of a few retired IMB missionaries who served in Guatemala. We had a wonderful week of fellowship with them.
We drove down on Monday after school.
Traveling through Mobile, AL is a highlight because of what is just ahead...
We love going through the tunnel!!!
We passed the Bucee's in Loxley, AL but did not stop on the drive down. Instead, we stopped for gas and lunch on our drive back home on Saturday.
Crossing the Florida line. That made me smile.
I love stopping at Welcome Centers and looking around. Ben, who is not always eager to take a picture, surprisingly asked me to take his photo at almost every prop they had on display. He also, like many curious kids, wanted to know if we could visit some of the places they advertised. We couldn't on this trip, but we'll be heading back to one of those magical places very soon.
David and Cruz relaxing at the Florida Welcome Center.
Hello, Florida!
Our destination was Miramar Beach. We arrived just in time for supper. We sat out on the condo balcony and admired that beautiful sunset as we ate.
There were twelve people total in our group. We were blessed with access to two wonderful condos to use during our stay. One is owned by the son of one of the missionaries and the other is owned by his in-laws. The Millers and our family slept in one and the rest of the group slept in the other. We visited back and forth the whole trip.
The view from our porch. The ocean is the distance.
We did not take the week off of school, which the boys were not thrilled about. They did their work in the mornings and then got to play the rest of the day. They were up bright and early getting it done because they had a great motivation to finish. Here is Cruz doing his online writing class.
The pool was just behind our condo.
The pickle ball court was too. We all loved getting to play.
I considered this a great P.E. lesson.
We spent time every day in our porch swing. It was one of my favorite things.
Thankfully, we thought to take the boys' scooters. There was plenty of room to ride them. We spent a lot of time going all over the property on those things. We loved going on morning, afternoon, and evening walks. Sometimes we walked, and sometimes we rode scooters. We loved the exercise, fresh air, and sunshine.
Ben riding his scooter on one of our outings.
Tuesday evening sunset
We played there several times during the week.
our family at Miramar Beach, FL
Everyone enjoyed watching the helicopters and planes pass by.
We ate all of our meals at the condos except for one evening. We went out for supper to a wonderful seafood restaurant in Destin.
The ladies played cards often. Here is Ben joining them one evening. We also watched the World Series games at night.
I mentioned that we ate all but one of our meals at the condos. Each family was assigned a breakfast and supper to prepare for the group. On our breakfast morning we served pancakes, bacon, and sausage. Here is Cruz helping me make the pancakes that morning.
During mealtimes, they shared many stories of their experiences on the mission field. There was laughter and even some tears. What a joy it was to sit and listen as they shared.
Our group
the boys with Ms. Jane Parker
the boys with George and Helen Hardeman
the boys with David and Glynis Miller
the boys with Ms. Kay Owen
the boys with Joe and Yvonne Bruce
In addition to all things mentioned, we also had morning and evening devotions. Each person was assigned a time to share. This was one of our favorite parts of the week. We loved hearing each one share their hearts and words of encouragement with the group. I was especially glad that the boys were there to hear from everyone and be loved on by them. What a blessed week they had with these wonderful Christ followers.
Before departing, we ended our time together in prayer. They also prayed a special prayer over us for when we return to Guatemala. I know that if given a chance every one of them would love to go in our place. We have big shoes to fill and a great responsibility to carry the torch for those who have gone before us. What an honor that is!
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