Nelson’s journal 6/16/22

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Margaret

Nelson’s medical team has done a biopsy of the mass growing in his neck, dividing it into nine specimens. They’re looking for the “key” that will unlock the specific mutation of Nelson’s exact cancer. If they can find that, he has a chance of survival—at least for several more years.

Simultaneously, the rabid lung cancer is growing so fast that they decide to do a series of general chemo treatments while waiting to find the mutation. He received the first treatment on June 7, before he left the hospital. It felt good to actually be doing something to fight the cancer directly.

Meanwhile, Nelson felt energetic enough to do something he’s always loved to do: go car shopping. He liked everything about this hunt for a used but good vehicle, and though my car has been available thus far, he knew he and Ann Sophie would need one of their own eventually. Since he’s always been partial to Hondas, he began by looking for a Honda Pilot that would be good in the deep snows of a Minnesota winter.

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June 16, 2022

5 am.

I’m up here at our little apartment near Mayo. I’m thankful this morning for a lull in the action, for all the people who love me, for money to do all these things with, and that Annso and I never struggle with it or between us.

I’m thankful for our great marriage that’s always such a pleasure to be committed to, for friends who come by and all the gifts people send. For the friends back in YWAM Kona, for the Chemo treatment we have available to us thus far. I’m grateful for a little health coming back day-by-day, that I had a movement today already and it’s only 5:15 am.

I’m thankful for the turn the country is seeming to make toward a conservative leadership, for these “woke” people who act the whole way crazy so good people can see them for what they are and get rid of their influence once and for all.

I’m thankful for how tragedy brings people together and how two of my brothers are coming up to Luke’s place this weekend with maybe DY. I’m thankful that Rob and Ken are coming.

I’m thankful you knew all my days before one of them came to pass, Lord, and that they are written in your book. I’m thankful for Little Will, for Mom and Annso, the little group we have here at this apartment in Rochester day after day.

I’m thankful for our newly acquired Honda Pilot and how fun it is to see Annso drive it around, an SUV in America, and how nothing like that is running around Europe.

11 pm.

A good day overall. Lots more to be grateful for as we went along. Got the Pilot (a 2011) fixed up real good with some new brakes, and the dealer buffed out the headlights for me real good. All of it with the alignment diagnosis and hearing that mostly everything has been well-taken-care-of was good news to me.

Just $745 to get that info and the rest of it. No wonder they have the money to give you fancy waters and coffee while you wait for your car to get fixed. I told the service manager about my cancer, because he asked, and I think I made a new friend. He told me he would do whatever he could to help and even asked if I golfed or anything.

Of course I can’t right now, but the people in Minnesota here are some of the nicest people we’ve come across in ages.

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“What does the Lord require of you? To love kindness….” (Micah 6:8)

Nelson’s journal 5/5/22

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Margaret

Reading Nelson’s statement that he was feeling better at the beginning of last May has been bittersweet for us—because we know now that he wasn’t really getting better. But he was trying to be optimistic, and optimism is usually helpful.

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May 4, 2022

The sickness is getting better. Every day is better than the last one. I sold my blue Easter Egg Dodge truck last night, ending my love-hate relationship with that thing. What a relief. Again, the verse applies, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning… and patience is better than pride.” Or… finishing is better than starting.

The baby boy is giving us a run for our money most of the day, not napping more than 30 minutes at a stretch, then waking up in full force not really ready for anything but crying and fussing… and eating some, but not enough.

You always wonder what to do as a parent. Mostly you have no idea and only learn that you don’t know what you’re doing or how to do it.

No more sermons to prepare, which is nice. I am glad God called me away from pastoring the church. It was also true there that “the end of a thing is better than its beginning.” I remember the beginning and how hard it was. Actually, it was pretty hard the whole way through in certain ways, but it was good to do it, and also good it’s over, at the same time.

“Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked? Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.” (Ecclesiastes 7:13-14)

Nelson’s journal 5/4/22

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Margaret

Nelson has always loved working on cars and trucks. When he was 16, he traded lawn care services to a man who offered to pay him by giving him an old run-down Jeep C-5 that wasn’t working. Nelson was thrilled and worked on it in every free minute. It wasn’t long before he was running around town in it.

In Hawaii, he’d done something similar, finding an old pickup that didn’t work and striking a deal with the owner to buy it—for $700. There was no bed in it, and it lacked many other things too, but Nelson was thrilled to once again be working on a vehicle in his spare time.

Once he got it going, he decided to paint it bright blue. I happened to be out in Hawaii then, anticipating the baby’s birth, and the two of us had fun painting it together.

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May 4, 2022

Sitting here with Baby Will getting ready for a Skype call. Annso sleeps. She does all the heavy lifting at night, which I’m super grateful for. I’ve been feeling better each day with my rack of drugs, Elvis-style, to get this Thyroid thing under control.

Really thankful for the free health care we have here in Hawaii. Sometimes feel like we are too well-off to have it, but the cost of living is super high here, and God knows I’ve paid my share of taxes over the years. When it works out in your favor once in a while, you might as well take it with a happy heart. That’s the way I see it now.

Sold the Robin Egg Blue truck today. Now we have a few more bucks for our Summer RV. Actually got $3000 for it. I was beginning to wonder if I’d get my money out of it and break even, but God is super nice to me and sent me a nice guy who bought it.

Also, today I found out that I don’t have Graves disease, more than likely, according to the number in my blood work taken by the Doc in HNL [Honolulu]. He said I have some sort of release of hormone caused by an auto immune failure or something. He called it Thyroiditis.

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“God is able to make all grace abound to you…” (2 Cor. 9:8)