Some Days you just don't know.....

Hello friends and Family!
It's been a while since we've updated.....there's been a lot going on! We have been hit with some recent  ups and downs.....but we're hanging in there.  Show Hope has declined to offer us a grant or any financial assistance with our adoption. That was a huge blow to our enthusiasm as we felt for sure they could give us some sort of aid, but they didn't. We must continue to trust that God has this in his hands.  It is so hard to be content and understand that God had needy families that needed that money more than we did, especially as we face the huge task of trying to raise the nearly $11,000.00 left to bring our daughter home. This number means we have a long way to go, but it is also a sweet reminder that we have already (thanks to many people who love us) raised  and paid in full for nearly $12,000.00 of our adoption journey. Each step requires a payment to be paid to the adoption agency....we haven't failed to pay them yet, and so  that is something to be very grateful for indeed!
We are knee deep in foreign Dossier finalization, and then we will receive a photo, our referral, and get ready for travel. With the delay in funds our goal to have her home by Christmas will not be feasible. So, we will aim for Easter! God's timing, not mine.
Shelby, Landy, and Carter continue to work to raise money to bring their baby sister home and watching them work for our family and for orphan awareness is such an amazing thing for a mom to get to see in her children. Shelby's volleyball team sold Ugandan magazine beads and 147 gear in the fall, and Landon has worked feverishly selling team nelson shirts to anyone he can.
I am now an employee in the health clinic at Nissan in Smyrna and love my new job. Occupational Health Nursing is very different than anything I have ever done and it's very interesting. I am so blessed that God has provided not only a very well paying job, but one that I enjoy and fulfills my desire to help others. Ben continues to work at Med solutions, and just finished coaching his second season as the head middle school football coach at Lancaster Christian Academy.
Shelby is in her JR year and we can't believe our baby is almost 17yrs old. She is very busy taking the ACT, SAT, PSAT and getting ready to start looking at colleges and applying for scholarships. Landon is a Sophomore, and is doing so well this year. As many of you know, he has struggled more than any of us to heal after the trauma he received during the home invasion. He was the most physically mistreated during the ordeal, and we are so proud of him as we have watched that terrified little boy grow into a young man as he faced his fears and worked very hard to begin the healing process. He is going to the Dominican Republic this spring on a mission trip with his school,  and we are so excited about the work we see God doing through him everyday. Carter is in the 7th grade and continues to excel at athletics, academics, and now excels at attracting young ladies (lol). Seriously, he is a born leader and continues to be involved in his middle school youth group and service opportunities at school.
My Dad is doing well, and although we all are still digesting the term "Alzheimer's"....he is responding very well to medications.
We ask that you continue to pray and support us on this journey. Bringing Mary-Susan home as soon as possible is a huge goal of ours and we couldn't have gotten this far without all of you. Pray that we are able to receive the remaining official documents we are waiting on in a timely manner. Pray that once our Dossier is completed we will not have difficulty at the department of state getting it apostiled. Also pray that our baby girl remain healthy and strong as she battles HIV in a third world country. As soon as we have a referral photo and travel date, we will hopefully be able to send anti virals to her.
Other than that I ask that if any of you are waiting on merchandise in the mail to please give us some grace . My new job has required me to switch sleep schedules and I am working on catching up on merchandise orders and getting them filled. I will send a free shirt to anyone who has waited a lengthy period of time.
May the autumn breeze and colors bring you as much joy and peace as they are us, and may God be with all of your families.
Love you all,
and remember to pray to "Bring Her Home"
Ben, Kasey ,Shelby, Landy,and Carter Nelson

PS-we still have Ugandan magazine beads for 30$ each and a variety of t-shirts for 25$ a piece for anyone who is interested. Please contact us at kasey.nelson90@comcast.net or benjamin.nelson06@comcast.net and we will give you instructions on how to order.

*Also, if you are interested in a joint fundraiser or selling these for us and you have a market that they would sell well in (craft fairs, school carnivals or fall festivals etc.) contact Ben or I and we will help you get  the merchandise. The LCA volleyball team did a joint fund raiser with us and split the profit of what was sold 50/50% .Not only did the girls raise money for our adoption, they helped raise money for 147 million orphans, Amzima
Contact Ben or I via Email or by phone at-Ben (615)631-0498 and Kasey (615)260-6390

Things are coming along great!!!!Our Church, friends at work, and relatives are showing us amazing love and support by purchasing our gear and helping us raise funds for the adoption. We have shirts and necklaces and soon will have more selections as I prepare for the Lakeshore Christian Church Womens Expo.
I also want to mention that if any of you are amazon shoppers, go to the blogg and enter amazon through our quick link. Amazon will give a percentage of everything you purchase back to us since you saw their ad on our site. Just another way to earn some quick donations :)
I want to thank all of you who have stopped by our table at church and who have mailed us checks and orders. I am going to the post office tomorrow and will be shipping out some orders so look for them soon.
I also would like to ask you all to pray for my dear nephew Garrick and my Brother in law Gary as they both battle with some pretty serious medical issues. 17 year old Garrick was diagnosed with a neuro muscular disorder two years ago, and has had a rough couple of months. His Dad beat cancer 7 years ago, but as a result of the radiation he endured, has extensive damage to his throat,neck,and lungs. They are very special to us and we ask that you all lift them up in prayer. Ben's Mom has been living with them in Houston for about 2 years now to help with Garricks full time care, we miss her as well.
We began work on our immigration paperwork today, and hopw to get that filed as soon as our passports are delivered in the mail. It is getting closer and closer!
Blessings to you allm and have a great week!
Love
Kasey,Ben,Shelby,Landy,and Carter Nelson

How to get your shirts and Magazine beads.

Ok, so many of you  who live out of town have asked how you can get some beads or a t shirt. The best way to do this is to email me your order and I'll confirm. You can then send me payment and I will then ship your order to you. Or you can mail me a list of what you want with a check and your address enclosed and I will ship your items to you (please make checks payable to Ben Nelson and write adoption in memo line)! If anyone thinks they could maybe sell some beads or t shirts for us at their church or office or where ever, just send us an email and we can arrange that as well.The beads are hand made from recycled strips of paper and are georgeous!!!! Your purchase will not only help to fund our adoption, but will help a village of women ostracized because of their HIV positive status in Uganda (these women make the beads). There are photos of the beads in the margin and pictures of what our t shirts look like.
Please add 2$ for shipping when you place your order.
The beads come in two sizes and the shirts are standard childrens and adult sizes.

BEADS

short  $25
long   $30

SHIRTS

all sizes $15
Thanks everyone so much for your interest.

Kasey and Ben Nelson

kasey.nelson90@comcast.net

benjaminnelson06@comcast.net

Kasey and Ben Nelson
603 myatt st
Smyrna TN 37167

One Step Closer.....Help us Bring Her Home!

Dear friends and Family,
it has been a while since we have posted, but so much has happened. your prayers have been much appreciated as we continue to move through this process. We discovered just how tedious home study completion was as it took us several months to acquire the much needed documentation and education requirements needed for its completion.
Illien International has officially accepted us as an adopting family, as has the orphanage they work with in India. Our social worker has sent the final draft of the home study to Illien for their final review. After this, we wait for a referral and complete our foreign dossier' while we wait. At this time the adoption governing body in India is reviewing its policies on international adoption, in light of things that occurred in Haiti after the earthquake and hurricane there. We do not know how long this will take. We have been told that things can continue in anticipation of them finishing that review. But India time is not United States time so we must wait for God to work things out there in his awesome timing.
In the meantime, Ben and I will begin navigating the immigration systems of both the US and India with the help of Illien and Project Hopeful. Project Hopeful is an amazing non profit that helps families adopting HIV + orphans obtain the special visa that is required to bring home an HIV+ child. Most of the documentation we rounded up for our home study can also be used for our dossier', so minus our fingerprinting and FBI clearance (which neither of us should have a problem with) we are confirmed for takeoff!!!!
Ben and I both feel like our baby girl is born, we can feel her. We do not know her face,age,or where she is.....but we feel she is alive and waiting. We have begun the hardest part of this process and that is FUNDRAISING!!!!
Our total expenses will be $23,000 give or take. With our completed home study we are now eligible to apply for grants and scholarships, as well as inquire about low interest adoption loans. A large portion of the grants are not available to us because of our income (regardless of gross income, I don't know many couples in their late 30's who have $23,000 at their disposal). So with the help of some awesome companies and groups we have begun to start that journey.
We are selling handmade beaded necklaces, that not only will help fund our adoption, but will help to support a tribe of women in Uganda who make them and use their growing business as a way to support themselves and their families. Most of these women are HIV+ or have AIDS and have been banished from their former communities to fend for themselves. Through 147 million orphans, we are able to purchase these  gorgeous necklaces wholesale and sell them as a fundraiser. I have a set, and get a compliment every time i leave the house with them on. No two pieces are alike, as each bead is hand crafted by these women and then strung into a one of a kind necklace. We will be selling these for $25 a piece.  We are working with zazoo.com and purchased wholesale T-shirts that we designed and will sell for $20 a piece. They are awesome! We also have a beautiful brown shirt from 147million orphans that encourages adoption support and was generously donated to us by another family who adopted from India, and no longer needed them for fundraising.
I have purchased a table at our Women's ministry expo, and we have a couple of other ideas up our sleeves to get the funds we need to bring our Mary-Sue home.
After a year of trying different variations and ideas in our minds, we have chosen the name Mary-Susan Rene Nelson (after my grandmother and Ben's only sister Susan Rene Nelson who passed away way too soon from ovarian cancer 6 years ago). She will be called Mary-Sue and I love it! Susan was a second mama to Ben while growing up. He was born the day after her 9th birthday, and Ben's mom says she thought he was a present for her. They had a very very special and close relationship and we wanted to honor her life and love of children. Now that we have a name, you can hear the words Mary-Sue spoken frequently in this house. We even bought her a dress the other day and it is hanging in the closet of her soon to be bedroom!
Having a name is helping the kids to grow excited and have something to hang on to as we wait. It is hard for Ben and I to remain patient, so we know it is even harder for them.
Ben and I ask for your continued prayers as we anxiously wait for our official referral and start the task of fundraising. Please keep our families and children in your prayers as it is sometimes hard to sacrifice time and money for a child they cant yet see, touch, or hear.
We also ask for your prayers  for several of our extended family members who are battling serious health issues. Our nephew Garrick is battling a debilitating neuro muscular disease, and was recently hospitalized for several weeks because of it. My Dad is battling some health issues that are very difficult for our family to digest, and Ben and I want to ask that you pray for Gods healing mercy and grace to be present in those situations.
We serve an amazing God, and without his encouragement and holy-spirit we truly could not have made it this far. Hopefully the next time I post, I will have word about a referral. Until then, Team Nelson (our shirts have this across the back ) wishes you and yours the best and thanks you for lifting our family up.
Please pass this blog on to any and everyone you know! We want as many people we can get to be praying and supporting our journey. We want one day to be able to read Mary-Sue the comments you left on this blog, and show her all the places on the map that she had people praying for her.
We love you all,
Ben, Kasey, Shelby, Landy, and Carter Nelson