2024 has been quite a year! Looking back, I can see (once again) it’s been a year of God’s faithfulness. And it has also been a year of surprises. Here’s a few of the highlights:

• We had an ice storm and 7 degrees in January. Surprise! An extra week at home was nice though.
• I turned 60 in February. Surprise! I actually don’t feel old. Not at all what I was expecting. When I was younger that seemed super old! Now 80 seems old. (No offense if you’re 80.)
• I led 4 international treks to 2 new countries. Surprise! Chili and the beauty of Patagonia in April and November. Then the wonder of Iceland, the land of fire and ice in August. Both were extraordinary experiences. I also travelled to Peru and hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu for my 4th time! In addition, I led 8 other backpacking trips in the US, teaching the way of Christ in the wilderness on all 12 trips! Come with me next year for the adventure of a lifetime on a transformational trek!

• Marlina and I led a Marriage Retreat at Deer Run in February, one of our favorite events every year. We’ll be back with them next November! 
• In June, we vacationed in Florida with our son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. And there’s another grandbaby on the way in 2025. Surprise!
• My mom unexpectedly went to be with the Lord in June. Surprise! Then my father joined her 7 weeks later. The surprise there was that dad outlived mom! He had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. They left a lasting heritage of faithfulness and service to God and others. I’m thrilled for both of them.
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• I spoke at two conferences last Summer, Speak up in Michigan and GEMS Sisterhood Summit in the Chicago area. And I got stuck in Atlanta for a day thanks to the worldwide Microsoft outage. Surprise!
• Beautiful Marlina turned 60 in August and we celebrated with friends at a spectacular resort on Lake Guntersville.

• Earlier this month, Marlina and I had the privilege of spending a week in Colorado for a 5-day marriage intensive. Surprise! We learned so much about each other, how to communicate better, and how to love each other well. We hope to share what we learned with many of you as we plan future marriage intensives!
• Finally, we celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary on December 16th. Marlina is a saint. We all know it. Serious grace of God there.
• Speaking of which, we thought we’d celebrate over 40 years of marriage by doing a special trip to Greece and Turkey! Surprise! Come join us next year, June 18-25, 2025 for an 8-day “Footsteps of Paul” tour and Greek Isle cruise!

• In addition to all of that, I had the honor and privilege of leading 226 counseling sessions, watching the Holy Spirit guide people to health and healing in their lives. (No surprise there!)
• And we continue to enjoy life in our little cottage on our 54 acre farm with our kids and grandson. And 2 chickens. There is also a donkey.

Marlina and I pray that 2025 will be our best year so far. Our word for 2025 is Together. Whether it’s ministry, grandparenting, farming, friending, or recreating, we are committed to doing it together!

We pray the same for you. Together in 2025,

Bruce and Marlina Martin

P.S. If you’d like to make a special year-end donation to our ministry, you can do that here. It’s fully tax-deductible. Thanks so much for your support!