Young Widower And Father Of 7 Breaks Down When A Stranger Walks Up And Hands Over $10k
October 24, 2024
Life changed dramatically when father-of-7 Dakota Nelson lost his wife suddenly. But the widower's story of loss turned into an inspirational Christmas story of hope when a stranger showed up with a huge surprise.
In 2018, life was hectic, but happy, for Dakota Nelson. He and his wife, Ream Nelson, had seven children ranging in age from 1 to 16 and things were good.
RELATED: Mom Dies Moments After Giving Birth To Twins But New Dad Trusts In God’s Plan
But in July of that year, everything changed. Dakota left the garage to go put some tools away. And when he came back, he found his 38-year- wife's lifeless body on the ground. For reasons we'll never know, 38-year-old Ream's heart just stopped beating and she collapsed on the floor.
The sudden tragedy left Dakota Nelson a widower and single father of 7. But there is always some kind of light in the darkness and the kindness of others helped cut through this dark time.
Prayers poured in for the grieving father and his kids. Friends and family raised money through a Dakota Nelson GoFundMe page. And a Secret Santa even surprised the father of 7 one day with a completely unexpected act of kindness.
Kindness Creates Inspirational Christmas Story Of Hope
On a day in December that started like any other, a stranger walked up to Dakota Nelson and his kids in a parking lot.
The stranger was Nate Eaton, a news anchor for East Idaho News. And he was there to present the Nelson family with gifts from a Secret Santa.
Dakota watched in shock as his kids opened a gift box containing a $1,000 gift card for groceries and another $1,000 Walmart gift card. But that wasn't all.
RELATED: Devastated Mom Receives Outpouring Of Support After The Tragic Death Of Her 2-Year-Old
Nate handed Dakota a check for $8,000 and the stunned father of 7 broke down in tears. Dakota's gratitude was already evident through his flood of emotions. But he followed up again later with a heartfelt thank you note, saying:
"I have noticed that through this ordeal, we have been blessed to see kindness replace the pain of losing a loved one whom I had been married to for 17 years. My children have noted this and have stated that they want to do the same for others. Thank you again for making this Christmas special."
WATCH: Stranger Hands $10k Gift Over To Widowed Father Of 7, Dakota Nelson
Follow Up With Dakota Nelson
A few years after the Secret Santa surprise, Dakota Nelson and his family have had more time to heal. And the father of 7 says they are doing well and it's all because of the love and support they received.
"It's thanks to everyone who helped out," Dakota explained. "All the prayers and donations and everything else. It really made a transition into a different lifestyle a lot easier."
While their hearts will always ache for Ream, the kindness showed by others is what helped carry the family through the darkest days of their grief.
"The amount of help and love and support we got really made a difference. Especially that first year," Dakota said.
Through the love and support of others, Dakota and his children have felt the love of their Heavenly Father. And though the tragedy they've endured has been unbelievable, their reliance on Him has only deepened. And Dakota gives all the glory to God for the healing in their hearts.
"Honestly, it's our Father in Heaven working in each one of our lives," the father of 7 says. "I've realized that I'm nothing without Him."
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Wife Dies Hours After Giving Birth And Husband’s Gut Tells Him To Check Her Blog
It can be hard to find the light in the darkness, but it is there. And Dakota Nelson's story of tragedy turned inspirational Christmas story of hope is a perfect example!
WATCH: Dakota Nelson Gives Update On Family In 2020
LISTEN: Triplets Turn Sorrow to Joy by Arriving as ‘Gift from Heaven’ on Same Due Date As Baby Couple Lost
h/t: East Idaho News
Featured Image: Youtube/East Idaho News
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Transforming Worry into Trust - Your Daily Prayer - October 24
Worrying does nothing to benefit our lives in any way; it only takes away. It takes away the present moments and present joy you could experience, not to mention it takes away from a peaceful life.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Transforming Worry into Trust - Your Daily Prayer - October 24
Worrying does nothing to benefit our lives in any way; it only takes away. It takes away the present moments and present joy you could experience, not to mention it takes away from a peaceful life.
Past Stories
- A Cab Driver Almost Didn't Wait. Then Someone Climbed Into His Backseat Who Changed His Life Forever.
- Top Tips For A Successful Marriage From A Couple Married 87 Years. #14 Is My Favorite!
- How This Girl Was Protected From An Attacker in a Dark Alley Gave Me Chills. WOW!
- Sneaky Photobombing Dogs Have Perfect Timing
- This Christian Couple's Dedication to the Lord is Incredibly Inspiring
- These 10 Unusual Animal Friendships Are Amazing. #5 Just Melted My Heart To Pieces!
- 2 Gorilla Brothers Amazed Everyone With Their Emotions When They Were Reunited
- Orphaned Chimpanzee Gets Adopted By A Family Of Dogs
- A Tribute To A Firefighter Who Died While Saving Others
- Kids Say the Darndest Things. Especially About Marriage!
- Security Guard Loves His Job At Disney World And Spreads Joy
- These Church-Going Kids Are About To Make You Chuckle. So Cute!
- A Toddler Who Is Fighting Cancer Asked for Pizza And Got a Miracle
- Thoughtful Young Man Becomes A Human Chair For An Elderly Lady
- A Pregnant Dog with Half a Face Saved 2 Little Girls from Death. Incredible!
- 2 Friends Went to The Shore to Relax But Ended Up Saving A Lamb's Life
- God Helps a Brave Mother Keep Her Little Children Quiet for 5 Hours To Survive Terrorist Attack
- Nothing Else Could Save This Baby's Life, That's When Her Big Brother Performed a Miracle.
- Churchgoers Ignored the Pleas of A Homeless Man
- 19 Fool-Proof Ways to Turn Any Frown Upside Down
- When His Teacher Learned His Secret, It Brought Her To Tears. And Made Her A Better Person.
- She Feared For Her Life When God Told Her To Pedal. But Then, Her Trust Paid Off. WOW!
- Family Is Being Persecuted For Their Faith
- 10 Grooms' Faces When They First See Their Brides
- This Baby Was Abandoned by His Mother and Called an Ugly Duckling. Then Something Beautiful Happened
- When I Heard What This Woman Did In A Walmart Parking Lot, I Was Stunned.
- 30 Incredible Photos of Children Playing Will Show You What Sheer JOY Looks Like!
- These 6 Couples Didn't Let Storms of Life Ruin Their Wedding Days
- The Willis Family - A Tragic & Inspiring Story
- Veteran Waited On New Wheelchair For 2 Years But Then Lowe's Employees Stepped In
- This Elephant Was Chained And Beaten For 50 Years. But Now He's Free And I'm Not The Only One Crying!
- This Waiter Got The Surprise of A Lifetime from a Complete Stranger. And It Wasn't HIS Birthday!
- You Won't Believe What This 8-Year-Old Did For His Brother. To Him, He's Not Disabled, He's PERFECT!
- This Man Wrote A Letter To The Teacher Who Changed His Life. Just Wait 'Til You Read It!
- A Grieving Dad Begged for Help To Take Away The Pain. How Total Strangers Responded Had Me In Tears!
- These 3 Trees Had Big Dreams, But They Came Crashing Down! This Tale Will Change Your Life!
- Those Who Wrongfully Judged this Fisherman Because of His Appearance Missed Out on a HUGE Blessing!
- 14 Precious Rat Photos That Prove God Doesn't Make Mistakes
- Sweet Giraffe Kisses Dying Zoo Worker Goodbye
- A Father Hadn't Spoken to His Daughter in a Year. But What He Did for Her is a Lesson in Forgiveness
- These Deer Were Trapped In The Icy Waters With No Hope In Sight. Until God Sent Help Just In Time!
- He Was Bullied To His Breaking Point... But God Sent a Friend to Save His Life.
- When She Lost Her Battle With Cancer, They Lost Their Biggest Fan.
- Grieving Parents are Comforted by Wedding Dresses Turned into Angel Gowns for Babies
- This New Marine Gave Her Grandpa A Huge Surprise. And Her First Salute!
- A Soldier in Battle Faced Death. But How God 'Covered' Him and the Entire Army is Truly a MIRACLE!
- Most of Them Were Left Out of Their High School Proms, But Wait Until You See What God Had in Mind!
- What A Room Full Of Balloons Can Teach You About Joy
- He Fought Off A Rapist And Saved A Woman's Life. But He Says He's No Hero!
- Woman Writes Letter to Daughter-In-Law in the Future
Top Music Videos
CCM Magazine Steven Curtis Chapman Shares the Heartfelt Message that Helped While Grieving His Daughter
Crowder Crowder Moving Official 'Somebody Prayed' Music Video
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Mandisa Mandisa - Shackles (Praise You)
Anne Wilson Anne Wilson 'The Cross' Powerful Lyric Video
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.