“My husband is in Afghanistan and a few ‘favorite things’ would brighten my day!”
How about that, Sisters?!? OK, Edie, please contact Living Proof Ministries at toll free (888) 700-1999 and give us an address. Please ask for Kimberly or Susan. Knowing what we now know, all of us here would want so much to send you to the beach…but, instead, we’re sending the beach to you. ENJOY!!!
PROCEED WITH CAUTION: this post will embody most everything you anticipate and perhaps even despise about women’s ministry. There will even be pink nail polish. As the great Professor Thornbury said a few weeks ago on the Twitterverse “something is not a stumbling block if you can see it coming.” So, consider yourself warned.
Colin and I just returned from a week at the beach in Mexico. It was crazy fantastic. I slept. I read classic literature. I also swam with a dolphin named Duey. And on the day I returned home I was greeted abrasively by a stomach bug and a crick in my neck so bad I could barely move my head. Oh, and then my 100 lb puppy Winston ate my over-priced prescription eye-glasses. But how can I really be frustrated with this bad boy?
Anyway, since this weekend was the Memorial Day holiday I scrolled through numerous tweets from people who were somewhere fabulous while I was at home with a bag of frozen corn under my neck. And I began to weep for the serenity of the ocean and my dolphin Duey.
But enough about me.
I want to talk about you.
I got to thinking that there may be some of you who won’t get a break this summer. While nearly everyone you know is off to some fabulous island, you won’t get a moment’s rest. For whatever reason, you won’t be able to retreat to the beach or the mountains or to wherever else makes your heart happy. We want to send a little fun and lots of love your direction so we’re doing a random give-away. And it will not include commentaries, concordances, or anything super useful or meaningful.
This giveaway is simply full of some of my personal favorite summer things including: Bobbi Brown Beach parfum (seriously smells exactly like the beach!), classic Ray-Ban aviators, Votivo Candle in White Ocean Sands, a pair of bright yellow Moleskine notebooks, Tea Forte’ Pomegranate Blackberry Iced Tea, and America’s Test Kitchen Best Summer Dessert recipes. See the contents below:
There are really no conditions for this giveaway. My hope, of course, is that this gift makes it into the hands of someone who simply can’t get a break this year and not someone who is heading to the Maldives or Bora Bora next week to stay in one of those little huts with glass floors sprawled across sparkling turquoise waters. But truly, if this gift brings a big smile to a single one of your faces that is quite enough for me.
So, please enter your name in the comments section if you could use a little sunshine in your world. We’ll do a random drawing and announce the winner at noon on this Thursday the 31st.
You are loved.
Melissa
How truly thoughtful!! I just moved 12 hours away from my only daughter! She’s going to school and I’m going to ????? Cry???? God bless all of you! Cindy
Looks like a lot o
f fun goodies to me! Please add my name in the drawing. Jessica Brewer
I’ve had my eye on some aviators! Would love to win these goodies. Thanks for the opportunity 🙂
Amanda Cross
Van Buren, AR
Wonderful goodies! Love the picture of your puppy! :O)
I sure could use a little sunshine in my life!! What a great idea!!
What a wonderful idea!!! I am still full on raising my kids (1 is grown, 3 still at home). Best wishes to everyone entering and God Bless!
What a great giveaway! I would love to pretend that I am vacationing somewhere tropical.
Loved today’s BLOG!
I would love to have the beach come to me this year. Had a lot of health problems this past year. Used all my sick days then had to use my vacation time. This give away would be a blessing. Thanks so much for your ministry and what it means to me.
What a FUUUUNNNNNNNN idea!!!! You just put a smile 🙂 on this face and a little spring in my step!!! My family and I have not been on a vacation together in years. NEED one…..WANT one…..would LOVE one….from my mouth to God’s ears!!!! If not, I would consider winnning this package of goodies a very CLOSE second!!!!
Thanks for thinking of us!! I’m glad you had such a nice vacation…..praying your feeling better!!
What a fun idea! I love sharing favorites.
WOW! We live in Turkey, and last summer we went to the Blue Lagoon. We have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world with turquoise waters on the Mediterranean Sea. Planning on going there next month with my father-in-law and family!
Would love to win these fun goodies!
What a great bunch of goodies!
I have used all my time off. This past year was filled with funerals, surgeries,and my own diagnosis. How fun to be in a drawing. I pray the winner (not me) is blessed by your generosity. Jesus is honored by a cheerful giver! Thank you for pouring out into someone else.
I definitely could use some sunshine in my life. No plans for a vacation for us. Thanks Melissa. I am glad you were able to go on a fantastic vacation with your hubby. Sorry you got sick when you got home though.
Oh you have no Idea how much I could use this little blessing! I won’t be going anywhere that I can’t drive to in 1/2 and hour this summer… and I’ve not been ANYWHERE like a tropical beach since the summer of 1988…. oh that’s truly sad! so picture me jumping up and down right now and saying “pick me! Pick me!”
Count me in! I’m seven months pregnant and I have a feeling that this is going to be a long, hot, summer
My daughter Ginger is recovering from a cancerous brain tumor. The Lord has healed her, but last December she had a seizure and was put on medication. She can’t drive fot six months while the docs wait to see if she has another one ! June 24 is her day to drive again if no seizure ! They a short on money and there are no plans for any wonderful vacations. So she is my choice for one of your gifts !
Sounds great! I’m in!!!!
How exciting, I hope I win!!! 🙂
No beach for me this summer–being a musician and educator, we work on weekends, holidays, and every day in between! What a fun collection of beachy items! 🙂
Theresa Mayo
Me! No vacay for this mom of a college student! And I love what you love!! 🙂
ooooh I could use those! not going anywhere this summer but a little stir crazy. hee hee
that is such a sweet idea
Thank you for this ministry, it is a true blessing.
Would appreciate being entered for the drawing.
Thanks and God bless!
Gayle
I’m reading this from a hospital room while we were supposed to be on my daughters Make a Wish trip….she ended up sick. Reading about your vacay makes me smile. Love the give a way!!
Thanks for the opportunity and for the goodies! My name is Yeng Her =)
Would love to spend a day at the beach with the girls just spending some time having fun!
I would totally be thrilled to receive such a fun and generous giveaway. I don’t leave for too long at any one time, and usually not too far, because I take care of my Mom’s needs. But now that I think about it, it would be even more fun to share it with my daughter, a mother of 4, who’s husband ministers in a church in NM. She could use a break too!
Robin Cline ~ what a fabulous prize!! Keeping my fingers crossed! LOL!!
My name is Kari. I would like to enter my friend, Dora Polk. She recently had a baby and had to use most of her sick time at work to stay home with the baby for six weeks. After she went back to work, she then had to take the rest of her sick time to stay home with the baby when her baby girl wasn’t feeling well. I know that Dora is not going to be able to relax for a few days anytime soon. I really hope that she wins this drawing. Dora and I are currently studying James and just absolutely love it! You and Beth are so encouraging. We are so thankful God has used Beth and everyone at Living Proof to share the Gospel and teach us more about our Lord and Savior.
Kayla S from Dallas, TX!
How fun…For all those longing to get away,sightseeing in the word even if under a tree helps so much. NATURE is very restoring.Though my heart yearns also at times to get away.
Not looking promising for a vacation this year…
How fun and thoughtful of you, Melissa! Thank you 🙂
Amberley A
We have been on the mission field and this blog has been such a blessing! Thank you all for the time, prayer, and effort that go into creating the blog! I’ll be praying that some who need encouragement will be chosen- God knows their names and I was led to pray just reading some of their stories. What a blessing to know that He cares for all the little details in our lives as well as the big issues! Blessings to all there and thank you again.
Ohhh….a stay-cation is on the agenda for me!
What a super fun giveaway!! Thanks Melissa <3
I’m weeping for the serenity of the ocean with you!! 🙂
What a wonderful gift! I will not be getting away this summer, I am from Washington State, but am living in Ketchikan, Alaska until school starts at home in September. I have two kids, 9&4 and will be staying home with them over the summer. We have been here for almost a year (for hubby’s work). I love LPM and the outreach you all do. I pray God continues to bless this ministry and the lives you continue to influence through it! Thanks so much for helping me!
What a fun idea!
M.J. in Lovington, NM
Thank you so much!
This would be wonderful for my dear sweet friend Deborah who never has a break winter, summer, spring or fall! She is the hardest working woman I have ever known and never has any attention or time for just herself. She has just learned that her youngest son who is in Special Forces here at Fort Bragg will be deployed to Afghanistan within the next two weeks. He is her rock and as you can well imagine she will spend much of the next year praying for his safe return. I would love for Deborah to know that she is loved by Christian women whom she doesn’t even know! Thank you for considering her as a winner for your contest! God bless.
JoAnn Bentley
Oops, I think I messed up my first comment! What a thoughtful giveaway! 🙂
This sure will bring sunshine to someone. Hope it’s me!
I homeschool four kids. What’s a “break”?
Is it OK to enter if you live in Sydney and are heading into winter after our coldest, wettest summer ever?! A touch of sunshiney goodness would be much enjoyed!
Oh, please, please, please! Pick me! Summer is not officially here and I know I won’t be on a great getaway any time soon. In fact, I get to endure temps in the 100s all day and most nights as well. My vacation money has been spent shuttling my dear hubbie to the ER for various reasons. None of them life-threatening, but still very expensive. I was just feeling sorry for myself since things haven’t been going exactly as I planned them. This would give me a pick me up! (Actually, there are others who probably have it way worse than me, so cheer them up if you need to :-))