Art and Bonnie Joyce 2024 Christmas Letter
A Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year to each of you who are so special to us. We thank God for you and miss you when our paths don’t cross often enough. So the yearly letters are our best way of communicating for now.
2024 was an eventful year for us, and God’s grace made everything work together for our good. What a blessing it is, knowing that whatever happens, He knows, cares, loves us, and has a good plan for our lives.
Milestones for the year included TWO family weddings! Bryan and Vickie’s son Jonathan married Holly Davis August 1 near Kansas City, and Brenda and Quang’s daughter Laurel married Caleb Masten November 16 in Toccoa, Georgia. Both were lovely outdoor waterside weddings. So most of our travels this year were family-related. However, we did manage to work in a little more travel—to Ohio in April for the eclipse, where we met David’s family, and later out west, again with Dave’s family, after the wedding in Kansas City, to visit “all the usual places” around Rapid City (Badlands, Corn Palace, Rushmore, Dinosaur Park, Deadwood, Devil’s Tower, and of course Wall Drug). We spent four days together at Rapid City KOA and did day trips. All four children did very well, even though the weather was unseasonably hot! After Dave and Amy headed home, we continued north to add Teddy Roosevelt National Park and the National Grasslands to our list of national parks visited, then over to Michigan’s upper peninsula and down to Grand Rapids for more time with our eight Michigan grandchildren (oh, and their parents too). Also, on the way to JJ and Holly’s wedding, we took our time to see Land Between the Lakes in Tennessee/Kentucky and several other interesting places along the way, like Metropolis, IL. Van travel at a retiree’s pace is so much fun. We only wish we could take all of you along with us.
In October, Bryan and Vickie spent some time with us while they had speaking engagements in local churches (Please do not post any pictures or information about them online). We enjoyed visiting some of our favorite places together, and finding new ones.
In November we finally made our first visit to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. It was as amazing as we had heard. Our friend Michael Rees was performing in The Horse and His Boy at the ark, so we decided to finally make that visit with our friends. The play was as amazing as the ark, truly Broadway quality.
The Rees family and some of their young adult friends also came to our house most Tuesdays this spring and fall for Bible study. We love hosting them and trying out recipes for their suppers. They always manage to do a good work on the food, and their fellowship is a real encouragement to us. It is refreshing to see young people sold out to Jesus and walking in His path, which isn’t always easy these days.
We also enjoy good fellowship and teaching at our church, West Colonial Hills Baptist Church. We are part of the Infinity class, and go with them monthly to volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank, with lunch at Cracker Barrel afterward. Our pastor is a good Bible teacher and a good friend. He has served this church twice, with mission work in between.
We have celebrated more than our share of weddings and birthday celebrations this year (including great grandson Zion’s first birthday while in KC) and we have also lost several friends and relatives along the way. We miss those who have gone on, but look forward to meeting them again. We thank God for the blessed hope of reunion with Him and our loved ones who have accepted His redeeming grace.
So goodbye to 2024 and welcome 2025! Our world is a little crazy, but our hope is not in this world, it is in the unstoppable eternal plan of God our Creator and Redeemer! And He makes no mistakes. We can go forward into 2025 with hope, peace, and joy, knowing how the story ends!
Blessings,
Art and Bonnie
PS. At the weddings most or all of our 33 (with two more coming in 2025!) family members were in attendance. It may be the last time that happens! I’ll attach some photos, and also some of our travels.
