All My Love, Louie: One Ww2 Soldier’s Spiritual Struggle in a Gruesome War (1943-1945)

Judy Cain’s parents survived the Great Depression and saved everything they ever had. One could call them pack-rats or say that they had a hoarder starter kit. One day while digging through her parents’ belongings after they both passed away and went HOME , Judy, came across some very old letters. All were addressed to June Larson in Minneapolis, MN and were all from Louis Nelson, her sweetheart and future husband. During World War II, Louie had written over 300 letters to June as their love was blossoming. In them he expressed his love for her; his calling and dream of becoming a minister and servant of the Lord; his struggle with stuttering; his seeming lack of faith at different points during the war; and what he felt was an inability to truly pray. He shielded her from the gruesomeness of the war as they fell deeper and deeper in love with each other. She provided the encouragement and support for him to stay strong and true to himself.

This book was originally written only for her family and contained only the letters, but it has grown into much more. Historical, contextual information, photographs, poems, scripture verses, and his Unit’s history are all woven throughout the letters to help provide a context and highlight his spiritual struggle to overcome barriers to the ministry and maintain if not grow his faith during frightening and gruesome experiences of the war in Europe. If a man who felt the strong calling of God could overcome his struggles during a war, then so can anyone. God’s power is limitless.