Nelson’s Journal, 1/31/22

Posted on March 9, 2023 by Margaret

About two years after the start of the pandemic, Hawaii is still dominated by Covid rules, actually establishing more and more of them. Since Nelson and Ann Sophie live in Kona, on the big island of Hawaii, they are subject to all of them.

In Nelson’s way of thinking, after being compliant with a long list of pandemic regulations blanketing the entire ministry and scores of young people needing to be quarantined as they arrived on the island (a logistical nightmare), he seemed to reach his limit. Mandatory weekly Covid tests for the whole gang had become debilitating, with government vans invading the campus, checking on compliancy. To Nelson it seemed like they were in a foreign land, not the United States of America.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

January 31, 2022

“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” is a book I’m reading that Annso gave me for my birthday. It’s almost prophetic that she gave it to me. She is that for me, in a way, and much more, with a baby on the way.

It’s the last day of January 2022. The date sounds fictional. We are making decisions based on vaccine mandates and dodging this and that new rule.

I got fined $250 for bringing a group up Mauna Loa (Long Mountain volcano) on the wrong date, because I supposedly put everyone’s life in danger having that many people in a cabin who could have been wiped out by the ruthless killer, the Omicron variant of the sinister Corona virus (with a 99.9% survival rate). It’s, “Don’t think. Just obey.”

The book is like medicine to me in a way, giving me an excuse or authorizing a break from the high speed pace of the campus and Kokua Crew. Been working to imagine a 7-3 job training as an electrician. I don’t know where it will end up, and it’s hard to imagine working any job for 3 years—especially for another person.

The book says that slowing down can look a lot like failure. Interesting. There sure is a lot of ego wrapped up in moving fast and doing a lot and letting people see you do a lot.

Lord, thank you for leading us. I pray for the courage to carry it out and the wisdom to avoid costly failures that don’t cost only me, but my family, too. Thank you for the encouragement to overcome at least some of the ego that keeps us running so hard for so long. Thank you for your grace and mercy to see me through, despite myself.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

“It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of toil.“ (Psalm 127:2)

Wedding Bells

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Margaret

Our family has heard so many wedding bells in the last few months that if they were assembled together, we’d have a bell choir. And it would be playing a beautiful song.

From August 2017 to August 2018, there were six weddings in our family, which included one of my sister’s children, two of my brother’s, and three of mine. These happy ceremonies took place in Hawaii, Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, and Michigan.

[Right: Nelson and Ann Sophie in Hawaii]

I believe God loves weddings. After all, marriage was his invention when he presided over the very first one with a bride named Eve and a groom named Adam. It was a destination wedding like no other and took place in the Garden of Eden.

As our family weddings took place, we knew the Lord was smiling on each couple as they married. He was also listening carefully to the spoken commitments each bride and groom made to the other on their special day.

[Left: Birgitta, Spencer, and Emerald in Iowa]

Although these six weddings occurred in beautiful destinations from coast-to-coast , the “where” was never as important as the “what.”

These days, when two young people decide to get married rather than just live together, they’re stepping up to one of life’s biggest and most significant commitments. These six couples have promised to love and stand by each other, no matter what happens — which actually follows the example God has set for them. In the Bible he shows us all how to love well.

[Right: Charlie and Larissa in Colorado]

The Lord’s love is never based on our performance or our loyalty to him, so he never wobbles in loving us — because that’s who he is. God is love. Throughout Scripture he demonstrates this in a variety of ways.

[Left: Karl and Cecilia in Illinois]

As for earthly marriage, God laid out instructions on how to get the most out of a husband-wife relationship. Because he loves marriages, he wants to help them last. That’s why he makes his divine assistance available for the bumps in the road that come to all couples.

[Right: Ben and Amy in Maryland]

My prayer for these six new partnerships is that they’ll readily reach for the Lord as needed. And if they follow the directions he gives, all six will make it to their 50^th anniversaries – when we’ll once again get to hear those bells of celebration ring!

“Love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)

[Left: Louisa and Justin in Michigan]

A Thousand Words

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Margaret

Its been 3 whirlwind weeks for the Nyman clan, and if my mom was still around, she’d have labeled it all “happy chaos.”

Louisa and Teddy’s wedding day arrived at last, after a 15-month engagement. The ceremony was joy-filled and rewarding as Pastor Nelson married them, and our entire family of 26 attended…. all except Nate, of course, who was deeply missed.

But the wedding took place on his birthday (8/18/18), and he was honored during the ceremony and also at the reception – which helped.

In the 9 years since his death, life has expanded to include 14 new family members, none of whom ever met Nate. So we forge ahead, embracing these new relationships while still taking pleasure in the old.

My one wish for the time we had together (other than witnessing the wedding) was to have a family photo taken. Because our children live all over the globe, the Nyman gang hasn’t been in the same place at the same time for 4 years. So this, to me, was an opportunity not to be missed.

The wedding photographer was available the morning after, and even the bride and groom were willing to rise early on their first day as Mr. and Mrs. (They’d already postponed their honeymoon to “hang” with family.)

“And where,” said the photographer, “will this photo session be?”

Where else but the beach.

Back in May, I crafted an email to my 7 children and their spouses with my picture request…. hoping they weren’t rolling their eyes across cyberspace. But after reading of my longing, their responses were kind. Even enthusiastic.

“So,” I wrote, “we’ll get up early the morning after the wedding and meet at the beach — wearing T-shirts color-coded by family. I’ll provide the shirts and the brunch afterwards.”

Though some were skeptical about the shirt idea, they knew there was no fighting it. And as these colorful shirts began arriving in my mail, I tried to keep expectations realistic…. but prayed for good weather and 12 cooperative grandchildren.

God graciously gave me the desire of my heart, a picture with everyone present and sunshine as a backdrop. I’ll be forever grateful to Him, and to the family I love – including Nate, who took a chance on me 50 years ago, which resulted in this: