In this journal entry it seems like Nelson is taking a minute to reflect on all that’s happened in the 4 months leading up to this day in August. He’s encouraged to have witnessed God’s steady presence with them in ways that could only be his.

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August 27, 2022

The weather is starting to cool down here in the north, even though it’s still August. We like living in Minnesota compared with Hawaii after all the eternal Summer we had there for the past 6 years. It’s a change of season, and we sure didn’t see it coming.

From one day to the next, it just changed on a dime. We were out of there. Now we have nothing in Kona and a whole new life over here. We have a new church we’ll go to tomorrow, and it seems like it’s God directing us to this nice group of little families to do life with for this season, however long it is.

Following God is exciting in that way, not knowing but trusting him, that he knows what we don’t. He prepares the way for us and gives us what we need to handle it.

He has been with us this whole time, going to the hospital and visiting all these specialists and doctors trying to figure out what I have and how to treat it.

We are learning and growing just by trusting him and doing “the next right thing,” as they used to tell us in AA. Just for today. That’s all you have and all you can do. Thank you, Lord, for walking ahead of us and leading us through the valley of the shadow of death here. And what a death valley it has been, for sure.

From one day to the next, everything changed, and you came to our rescue, even though we didn’t ask for this and would never have wanted it. You stood with us through it all.

Thank you for the people who have prayed, the money you have sent, the doctors who have worked on me, and the apartment we have to live in during this time. Thank you for Ralph and Astrid and their help, for Mom and her help at the beginning. Thank you for the insurance, as we have many times. It’s been one of the biggest miracles here yet–nothing we could have done for ourselves.

Thank you that the symptoms have lessened, and that health has slowly been returning to me.

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“O Lord for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” (Psalm 39:4)