TEAM NELSON NEEDS YOU!!!!!!

Dear friends, family, and members of Team Nelson,
We hope all is well with you and yours, and we hope the holidays found you with family and loved ones. We were able to visit with Brian and Mandy and Suzanne and mike over the holidays and was a much needed encouragement visit. After losing the Sho Hope grant, we were very discouraged as we had no idea where and how we were going to fund this adoption. Many amazing family members and friends have given generously, but in this economy fund raising has been very very difficult. The economy is also affecting a families ability to secure a no interest or low interest adoption loan. So, we have had to become creative and dig deep for perseverance and beg our Heavinly Father to help us provide for this journey he has us on. Brian and mandy adopted from India 2 years ago, so being able to pray with them and just talk and vent and share was great.
In November I began making organic fragrance crystals, bath salts, and lotions with a personal and individual message on the jar. They were a huge hit at a craft show and we received many orders for the holidays. The response and encouragement from many friends has led us to launch our own fund raising business to try and raise funds for the adoption.
 "Scent-Immense" is the name of the business and our web site is finally up and running!!!! We have the ability to accept paypal and credit cards, and would love for you to visit our site as well as like us on facebook. Of course we are still selling the Ugandan Magazine beads and t shirts, and if you would like to order those please contact us on facebook or via thisblog. We will ship any order anywhere.
If you don't have the funds to shop right now that's ok, we covet your prayers and your social networking skills :) Please share our web site and link on your blog , with other adopting families, on your facebook, and anywhere else people will see it! We need exposure and word of mouth!
Also, If you have purchased or recieved these bathsalts and lotion, go to our facebook page and like us and leave a product review....that will let people know that it's a good product.
We are having to raise every bit of our estimated $27,000 adoption on our own. We currently can not have our Dossier sent off until we raise $2,500; then we must begin raising funds to have a court documents prepared and to travel if and when the referral comes through.
We know God has us and our daughter in his hands. We know he will provide, and we believe he will be faithful to complete the good work he has begun in this family.
We love you, pray for you, and miss many of you!
Love
Ben, Kasey, Shelby, Landy, Carter Nelson

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