995 Donald Drive, Emmaus PA 18049
December 25, 2024 214 907 1090
Dear Ones:
2024—a year of major change and full hearts!
Move to Pennsylvania
John and Linda had been bugging us for a couple of years to move in with them. I was reluctant to leave SC, the church, and people we have gotten to know. More importantly, I did not like the idea of giving up my books. But John came to us with a set of plans converting the lower level of their home to a two-room apartment and half the garage to my study. So, we said, “Yes.” We sold our home in SC where we had lived for six years, packed up, rented a Penske truck, men from our church loaded it, and Ken drove us to PA. There we were met by members of Bethel Bible Church who unloaded the truck and moved the stuff into the garage. They put our bed and dresser in the master bedroom upstairs. We have been there since April.
Summer travels and visits
Kevin and Lucy were home from France. They visited us for a few days. While they were here, Jennifer visited us with the twins. At the same time, Ken was delivering a load to PA and drove his big rig to our house. While here, he drove me to Baltimore where I preached the funeral of Al Gray, a dear friend.
We went to KY in August for Pat’s annual involvement in a study for ovarian cancer. We had a wonderful visit in WV with my niece and husband, Dannetta and Harry. We drove on to KY and met with several of our friends as well as attending our old church. On the way back we spent the night with brother, Butch.
We decided to make a last (probably) trip to SC. We visited Pat Anderson for a couple days, Pat’s cousin Max and wife Nasrine. We stopped next with Joe and Bonnie Henriques. We drove on the next day to Ken and Linda’s home. Linda was with her sister whose husband, Jim, was having heart surgery. He has recovered well. From Ken’s we went to Jennifer and Henry’s place for two nights. Then on to Carolina Shores NC for two nights with Rick and Jo and Jo’s mother who has moved in with them. Our next visit was to Easley SC where we spent a week with the Lumans. We got there just in time to enjoy storm Helene. Lots of trees were down, but we did not lose electricity or internet the whole time. Our hostess came down with Covid, so we were not able to visit all the people we wanted to. Dawson, Kate and little Samson came by for a short time. We then returned home.
In November we decided to join John and Linda’s team to Jamaica. We had a wonderful visit, but it pretty well convinced us that we should not do much more overseas travel. The rough terrain was difficult for both Pat and me to navigate. When we got home, I called my Kenyan friend to tell him I would not be coming to Kenya in March to preach.
It was also a joy to join Steve Mosley for a visit to the University of PA Museum. Steve and Pat (Hirt) recently retired from a lifetime of serving in Portugal. We also met a friend of Pat Hirt’s, Barbara Brown, who became a friend of ours.
Our 71st anniversary fell on Thanksgiving Day this year, so the next weekend, John and Linda took us to DC for a concert at the Bible Museum. They put us up in a lovely hotel. We then visited friends in Lanham (Jeff and Sue Jones, Todd and Sharon Beall, and Irene Edgar). Afterward we drove to York PA for a bittersweet reunion with Dan and Laurie Katz who were celebrating the life of their father, Larry Katz who was killed in a car accident the week before.
Our Apartment
We moved into our apartment on December 20. We hope our study will be completed early next year. We have a wonderful Christian man for our contractor, and he is doing an excellent job.
Big Birthday
We become officially nonagenarians this year (Pat in January). How did that happen? We are in good health, even so, but we can tell that decline has set in.
Our lives are full through the love and care for us by all our family and friends. May the Lord bless you greatly in the year to come!
Homer and Pat
Living Room
Kitchenette
Bedroom
Access to closet, washroom, and bathroom.
Outside: lovely patio (if spring ever comes).
