Thankful

Dear Friends and family,
                Just a quick note to update everyone on our progress thus far. It has been quite the roller coaster the past few months, but we have ridden on the wings of your prayers and come out blessed. God saw fit to force me to slow down in September when I contracted systemic shingles and was hospitalized for a seven day forced respite lol. I seem to have caught them from a patient and it was a doozy of a strain that was medicine resistant. Ben was again my knight in shining armor and kept the house running, but as usual anytime you take a momma away from her babies, I was fit to be tied.
                 October saw Ben working very hard to meet deadlines at his new job and working many extra hours. Shelbs volleyball team won the championship and two days later we started basketball season in full swing. Needless to say, as our beloved adoption social worker worked to finalize our home study, we had trouble re-submitting documents that needed to be tweaked because well.....we just were out of any extra time. Thankfully, she is literally an angel from heaven and would email and drop things by for us. We are waiting on one last Police Clearance document from Florida and our home study will be complete! It has taken a looooooong time but it is done. When I feel racked with guilt that I let other things become a priority, God reminds me that this is on his time, not ours.I fully believe it will all work out according to his amazing Glory and wisdom.
                  November saw Ben catching Mono  and Landon becoming ill. Sadly my mother has been diagnosed with an auto immune disorder and has been hospitalized. Again I was needed elsewhere, and that old guilt for not filling out grant applications and putting this first began to creep in. The stress has been un imaginable, and like all struggling Christians in this mess we call earth, I did not handle it the way I know Jesus would have me do it. I am so thankful for his grace, I can not put into words what that gift of redemption and forgiveness means to me in my current stage of life.
                  Some mornings the best I can muster is that I know this is what God has called Ben and I to do.I just repeat that mantra over and over hoping that by days end I can feel confident in his calling. My daily prayer these days is  "Jesus, give me passion for your work. I want to be real, authentic, and I want to make a difference!Send me your Holy Spirit to fill me with an excitement and love for your word and your people." Some days I listen, some days I don't....but I know he loves me and is with me.
                   That being said, your prayers have also brought us many blessings!!!!!Ben has been offered a permanent job with his current company, and we no longer have the worry of where he will be working every six months. It is a good job, and I have been able to reduce my work load to two days a week or less :) God continues to move my children and has lit fires to do his work in their own hearts. Shelby was baptized in August, and Landon gave his testimony to the high school Bible classes at School. I am amazed at the relationships my children have with their heavenly Father. For that I am so thankful for our Church home and church Family at Lakeshore Christian Church. It is an amazing place full of faces of every color and race. We are doing amazing work in our community, and God is clearly working in that Church. I walk in and just feel the spirit.
                    Our application is in place at Illean and our home study is days away from being complete. We ask that you continue to pray for a referral for us and that God finds our daughter and sends her our way. Pray we can find the needed time to complete our Grant applications, and pray that the HIV positive orphanage in India passes their re-license evaluation. Also pray that the Holy Spirit works to help us handle adversity and pitfalls with the grace and understanding of one who follows the living Christ.
                     Your prayers and support mean more than any of you will ever know. May your Thanksgiving be wonderful, and may God bless you and keep you.

Kasey, Ben,Shelby,Landy,and Carter Nelson

Passports

Ben and I ,after much thought, have decided to attempt to go as a family to pick up our newest family member when the time comes. We feel this is going to be a journey and work of the heart of this family as a whole. We wanted to be together the moment we laid eyes on our precious girl.
This decision has not been without much thought and prayer.The kids may have to miss an extended amount of school. India is a tumultuous place with high crime rates and terrible political upheaval....the idea of walking into that with my three babies is very scary for me. We also will be adding quite a bit more financially to our plate. We feel it will be worth it, God has given Ben and I a peace about this and we feel confident he will both protect us and provide. In fact, he already has.
Ben and I had not wanted to fund raise for passports,because we felt that was an expense we should pay for since we could and will use them for more than just the adoption. I wasnt sure where I was going to come up with the 500 plus bucks needed to get all 5 of us passports. Unexpectedly, a benefit I didnt even know existed at work was awarded to me. I referred a friend to apply for a job at Stonecrest where I work. She was hired and has turned out to be a valuable member of the team, so I get a referral bonus!!It will more than cover our passport expenses. God is sooooooo good!
Please pray as we have three documents to notarize and we are ready for our social work visit. Thanks to all who have prayed us through this, and the countless resources we have had to help answer questions. Mike,Suzanne,Mandy,Brian, and Amanda and Yolanda.....you have been more help to me than you can ever know. I thank God every day for the blessing you are in our lives.
Pray for a good home study,quick referral, and quick passport turn around. Also, pray that we can come up with good fund raising ideas and let God continue to work his magic in HIS TIME!!!!!
Love
Ben and Kasey