2013 Christmas Letter

This year has been a remarkable year full of blessings of many kinds: health, enough, love, laughter, family, friends.  Penny and I have continued our ministry in Navarre, Florida:  preaching, teaching, singing, praying, enduring and loving.

Penny continues to work from home and on the road (providing Alan some alone time, then he really likes it when Penny comes home!).

On April 15th Alan went into the hospital to have an aneurism repaired on his ascending aorta. It was a very complicated surgery and a longer recovery than Alan wanted, but he is back to full strength and working hard again.

This year also marks the five years for Penny being cancer free. After two surgeries, and 3 rounds of chemotherapy, her ovarian cancer has disappeared; praise God!

This spring we welcomed another grandchild to our family. Callie Paige Hart was born to Charity and JD on June 22. This brings our total to 6 and one on the way. That’s right; Jared was married in September. He and Asheia are expecting their first child later in the spring. Jared has re-enlisted in the Air Force and is looking forward to new opportunities. Penny’s son, Ron, married Amelia, April 1st in Navarre (they live in KY). They have 2 kids. Penny’s daughter, Rose is working night shift at a nursing home and loves it.

The ministry highlight on the year was our mission trip to South Africa. Penny and I traveled with about 13 others from our church to Orange Farm, South Africa, about an hour south of Johannesburg. On this trip, Alan preached a six night revival and did some devotions and a motivational talk at some of the primary schools in the area. Souls were saved-24 people that we know. We provided a “vacation bible school” after school. One day we had about 800-1000 kids! We visited a Rhino and Lion Preserve and petted lion cubs.

We pray that you have a blessed new year.

Alan and Penny