Josiah's 2nd Birthday

We had quite a birthday celebration for Josiah on June 26th. Trish's side of the family all came to join in the festivities and we had quite a crowd. Josiah had a blast playing with all of his cousins, but his day was dampered a bit when he experienced his first bee sting. He was a brave little one though and still was able to enjoy opening presents and cake and ice cream.

It's amazing to see how different Josiah is now from when we first received him in China. He is quite animated and makes us laugh all the time. It has been special to see the bond growing between he and Caleb. Our prayer is that they become the best of friends. We are thankful for Caleb's nurturing spirit and how he looks after Josiah so much. It's hard to believe that Caleb will be turning nine this year already! The time goes so fast but we are thankful that the Lord allows us the privilege of raising these boys for Him.

Settling in

It's been a while since we last posted so we thought we should give a quick update on family life here in the Nelson household. Josiah has settled into a good routine and acts as if he's always been with us. It's hard to believe we've only been home for not quite two months and he already understands most everything we tell him and is saying more and more words each day.

Josiah is a very happy boy and loves to play with his big brother. Caleb has taken on a lot of new responsibilites with his little brother. One of their favorite things to play in is a huge box we've had sitting in our living room for the last month. Caleb sure knows how to make him laugh! Josiah also loves wrestling with his "Dada" and going for walks with his mama.

So far we've enjoyed the great outdoors together and even introduced Lakeside kiddie rides to Josiah. Wow, what an experience that was! For the most part, Josiah is a very content and easy going boy. We are so thankful the Lord has blessed us with little Josiah. We prayed specifically that the Lord would prepare him for our family and we feel He has definitely answered that prayer.

Pictures and videos

Just a cute video of Josiah singing for you to enjoy. He fits right into the family! Caleb wrote this on the message board before we came home from the airport. It was so special to see how he had been praying for his little brother.

Big brother

After being home a little over a week, Caleb is settling into being a big brother. Of course there were a lot of adjustments finding that all of the attention didn't revolve around him - but now he is really enjoying Josiah. He likes to pick his clothes in the morning and he loves to play with him. He thinks it's the best to have Josiah copy him doing everything. The only thing we haven't talked him into is changing diapers!

We too have had a lot of adjustments having a toddler around. The hardest thing has been trying to get him in the right time zone and sleeping through the night. In China he slept very well - both at night and at naptimes. We are praying he can get back onto that schedule! Besides the sleeping, Josiah has really settled in well here. He acts as if he's always known he belonged here. It's amazing to us to know that God chose him to be our son from the very beginning. We are so thankful for His picture of adopting us as His own children. He loved us - flaws and all - and even though we feel some days we are not up for the challenge of raising a toddler, God's grace and His love for us keeps us going.

Josiah will fit right into our family as he loves to sing and listen to music. He loves to just sit and "sing" sometimes and he even plays the djembe with Caleb. We can't wait to get them both on stage! Perhaps we will have the Nelson worship band someday. . .

Home at last!

Thanks so much for your prayers in getting us home safely. Our overnight delay in Tokyo did end up being a blessing as we were able to get a good night of rest and take an easy day before our departure. We were also blessed to get seats with some extra room and were actually quite comfortable. Josiah slept well for most of the flight until the attendants told us we needed to wake him to get the bassinet down! It was about 2:30am according to his clock. He handled it unbelievably well - with no crying!

It was a long haul at the LAX airport, but after finally getting through immigration and customs we were on our way to Denver -- but of course not without a few more delays due to the thunderstorms. We left about 35 minutes behind schedule but the captain thought we could still make it in good time. When we arrived over Colorado, the thunder cloud was hovering over DIA so they put us in a holding pattern and sent us on a detour to enter the airport from a different direction. When all was said and done we landed in Denver around 8:20pm. We were so thankful to be on Colorado soil!!!

Josiah was such a trooper throughout the whole trip. He didn't sleep much during the flight from LA but was very content to sit in our laps for most of the time. Thank you all so much for praying for him. Now please pray that we can get his timeclock reset to sleep during the nights.

Caleb met us at the airport with two good friends of ours - and we were so excited to see him. It seemed he had grown much taller in the days we were gone! Even though very sleepy-eyed, Josiah warmed up to Caleb quickly and was laughing almost the whole way home with him.

Today we just enjoyed being together and showed Caleb some fun things from China. Please pray for us to be wise in instructing Josiah and for all of us to make this transition to having a toddler around the house. Josiah is really doing great. We can't even believe how different he is from the first day we received him. We are so thankful to finally have him home!

One More Day of Rest

Well folks, it looks like we got to spend a night in Tokyo. Unfortunately, it's the rainy season out here and that translated into delays and an overnight stay. But we are now scheduled to arrive in Denver on Friday night, so at least we got a good night's rest out of the deal! Our spirits are good and we're looking forward to getting across the "pond" and getting home. Please continue to pray for safe travels - we look forward to seeing everyone soon and introducing the newest Nelson!

Homeward Bound!

It's been a few days since we've had the chance to post as there have been some emotionally draining circumstances here. But God has been faithful to provide the grace and strength we need to get through it all. We wanted to ask for your prayers as we prepare to leave China early Thursday morning. Tomorrow we have our consulate appointment to take an oath and receive Josiah's visa. Then it's time to pack up and get ready to leave. We have to leave the hotel by 5:30am on Thursday, so please pray for us to have the strength we need to get through the long day of traveling - especially little Josiah.

We've definitely felt your prayers thus far. Josiah has blossomed into a very happy and intelligent boy. Even in the short time that we've had him, he's already taking to instruction and showing us his fun personality. Please pray for all of us during our adjustment time back at home. We can't wait to see Caleb in action as a big brother!

It's hard to believe we've been in China just over a week! It seems much longer. Please pray for us as we prepare to fly over to Guanzhou on Saturday and finish out our last days there. We can't wait to get home to Caleb! We miss him terribly.

Things with Josiah have been going well overall. We are learning more about him and finding he has a very strong will. We have found that his tantrums are usually a result of him feeling scared or insecure and we are doing our best to help him through them. Thankfully they are less frequent and don't last as long as the first couple days we had him. It's been amazing to see how much he is changing so quickly. He has become much more interactive and has even said a couple words.

Yesterday Don was working with him and playing with him here in the hotel room. He was showing Josiah how to draw on paper and he asked him to say "paper" - and he did! It was the first time he has said anything so we were quite taken back. Then today he said "Mama" which of course made my heart melt. He's trying to say more and more so we are very encouraged. The nannies at the orphanage said he never spoke to the adults there. He only did his baby talk when he played with the other children. So within three days we've made a lot of progress! He's also laughing out loud and is very playful. Now he's acting like a typical two-year-old -- getting into everything! He has a lot of energy and keeps us on the move.

It's been nice to have a couple down days after a week of busy schedules. We will gear up for Josiah's first plane ride on Saturday. Please pray he will do well. We are praying the last week in Guanzhou will go fast as we are eager to get home to Caleb and also some home-cooked meals! Thanks for your continued prayers.

(By the way, we are unable to access our blog out here in China. For some reason much of the internet access has been blocked. So our friend has been posting for us. We have not been able to read any of your replies, so if you'd like to email us on our gmail account - dtnelson1@gmail.com -we'd love to hear from you! Thanks.)

It's Official!

Today is our first free day - nothing on the agenda! Monday and Tuesday were spent getting more paperwork done. Yesterday we received our adoption certificate which officially makes Josiah our son! It's definitely been a few days of adjustments but we can see a significant difference in Josiah since the first day we got him on Monday. He is becoming more and more animated and is learning to trust us. But our biggest challenge is his habit of throwing a fit when he doesn't get something he wants. Sounds like a typical two-year-old, right? Well, it is our prayer that he will learn how to communicate in other ways than that; and as he learns to trust us we will teach him how.

It's been an extra blessing getting to know our new friends (and family) who are fellow believers. Their daughter Meilani is very animated and makes us laugh every time we're at the meal table. Josiah just enjoys watching her in action. We're so thankful that God prepared us both to meet up on this trip. The extra support is greatly encouraging.

We've had the opportunity to talk with Caleb through video chat and he's so excited about his little brother. This morning Daddy got him to smile and laugh a bit by tickling him and Caleb really enjoyed that. We can't wait for the joy our family will experience when Caleb gets to meet his little brother face to face. Stay tuned for more . . .

Gott'em!!!

Well, here I am lying on the bed with this precious little guy on top of me, drinking his bottle. (Trish is typing while I dictate. I'm not that talented!) Not only has God answered our prayers in giving us another son, but we can already see that his personality will fit well within our family. He's got a strong will like his Daddy and a quiet spirit like his Mommy.

It was quite an experience this morning with everyone getting their kids. We all drove in the bus together and walked into a large room at the registration center. We had sat down for just a few minutes when a woman approached us and showed us our family picture - and there was Josiah sitting on another woman's lap right behind us! She started to hand him over to Trish and he arched his back and started to cry quietly, thowing a fit in his own way. But then Daddy took him up in his arms and within just a few minutes he was calm and very quiet.

We sat down at the table with him and started to give him Cheerios which he absolutely loved! We found some common ground to relate with him on - FOOD! He sat quietly with us and just observed all the other children in the room. He's been a little dazed ever since...but it's only been a few hours so far. We can tell that he's a smart boy and knows what he wants (or doesn't!). But that's a very good thing - we don't think there's anything wrong with him developmentally, which is what was listed as his "specail need." He's very sharp and observant. We expect great things from Josiah! We will post more later. Thank you all so much for your prayers - keep them coming!

China Tourists

"Gotcha Day!!!"

Well, we can hardly believe it, but God is good. In a few hours, we'll be receiving our next child. We have so many praises, it's hard to know what to list, but we'll try. First, we apologize for not posting sooner, but we have to do it by proxy (through a friend) because the Chinese networks don't seem to like us visiting or communicating through blogs...

Our biggest concern about this trip was our son, Caleb. You all know of his struggles with asthma and we have been in constant prayer that he would stay well and healthy while we were gone. Praise God - he's doing great and we're confident he will continue to. Also, we have done surprisingly well getting switched into the Chinese time zone. Within 2 days of our arrival we were pretty much over our jet-lag. Trish found some wonderful herbal supplements that deal specifically with this problem and they worked like a charm - they're called "Jet Zone." So, we've been able to really take a little time to enjoy the Chinese culture (see attached pics). We've visited the great wall (Don almost climbed to the peak of the mountain, but ran out of time.) Also had the chance to see the "Forbidden City" in Beijing. Mostly, we've been blessed to meet some wonderful Christians in our group - some of whom even home school like us. We have a great time of prayer last night with three other couples in preparation for our "gotcha day."

Please pray that there will be peace and security in the hearts of all of these little ones as we all receive what we came for! We'll post again soon assuming our friend is up for it...thank you Gary!

- Don

Caleb's Big Adventure

Today it was difficult parting from Caleb when we took him to our friends' house in Buena Vista. After we visited for a while with them we had to say our goodbyes for a couple weeks. It was such a strange feeling not having him with us on the way home especially knowing we wouldn't see him for a while. But we were happy to be able to get our video chat set up through our gmail accounts. With that we will be able to talk and see each other daily, which will help us not feel so far apart.

Caleb is excited for his adventure while we're away. We prepared a little journal for him to write in each day and draw pictures to help tell us about all of his activities. We even gave him a couple disposable cameras so he could have fun taking pictures each day.

On the way to Buena Vista this morning, we made a stop at one of our favorite spots in Twin Lakes. We thought it would be fun to get a fishing trip in with Caleb and spend some down time together as a family. The fish weren't even nibbling but we so enjoyed the peace and beauty of the mountains. It was a much needed respite after weeks of busyness preparing for this trip.

So now we have one more day to make any final preparations. We're pretty much packed up except for a bag we're getting together for the orphanage. After a conference call with our travel group and agency directors, it was confirmed that we could bring some clothing and small toys for the children at Josiah's orphanage. We won't have the opportunity to deliver them ourselves, but when the orphanage director delivers Josiah to us we will be able to give him the bag. We are thankful for the chance to give to these little ones.

We hope our journey will inspire others to consider how the Lord might want to use them in the lives of His beloved children. We are so blessed to be a part of His plan for Josiah.

Our trip itinerary

Well, we're only four days away from stepping onto the plane headed for China! There has been so much preparation and planning that we'll be glad just to be sitting on the plane. We have a LONG flight ahead of us so we would appreciate your continued prayers for rest and to stay healthy.

We leave DIA bright and early Wednesday the 27th at 7:20am. From there we fly to LAX where we have a four-hour layover (ughh!). Then we're off to Tokyo for another flight change (with only an hour layover) - and then finally to Bejing. Interestingly enough, we will also have some in-China flights.

We stay in Bejing for just a couple days. The agency allows these "extra" days for rest and any possible touring we may feel up to. Then on 5/31 we fly out to Zhengzhou, which is the provincial capital of Henan where Josiah's orphanage is located. June 1st will be what the agency calls our "Gotcha Day" - when we will finally meet our little Josiah!!! We will all stay in Zhengzhou until approximately 6/6 when we will then fly to Guangzhou to prepare for our Consulate appointment. That is where we will get our visa for Josiah.

Our Consulate appointment is scheduled for 6/9 and we will conclude with an oath ceremony on 6/10. Then we are scheduled to fly out of Guangzhou and go the same route we came (Tokyo, LA, then to Denver).

Whew! Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? We're just trusting the Lord for His strength as we know it will be a tiring trip - but well worth it as we get to come home with our new son. Caleb is so excited to spend time with friends while we're away. We told him we will miss him probably more than he'll miss us! :)

Well, there's more to write but it's pouring rain right now and with the lightening and thunder, I think I'd better turn off the computer! Thanks so much for your continued prayers. We can definitely tell you all have been praying as we have had much more peace than expected during these busy weeks!

More to come later ...

Packing, Stressing, Praying...

Well, we're in the midst of it now! Got our specific travel dates - May 27th - June 11th. An amazing amount of thought and planning are going into this trip. We are extremely excited! It was a joy to hear Caleb telling me how "I can't explain how excited I am about little brother...it's like...uh..." and he's at a loss for words. Well, that about sums it up. We're so amazed by God's blessings in our family. We were concered about finances, but God brought in the supply that was needed from His vast storehouses.

One of my greatest thrills is the knowledge that this adoption is the practical outplay of the gospel itself. What better practical example of the gospel could we have? God came and adopted us out of the misery and sin of this world to shine His love into our lives. How can we do less for these little ones? God made us co-heirs with Christ. And so Josiah will be in our family with Caleb. It's difficult to describe the joy that comes when I realize that God is using us - He's actually giving us the chance to disciple this little guy and introduce him to Christ. Not with some presentation or moving sermon - but with our very lives. What a huge responsibility and a huge privilege. Pray for us that we will never slip in this call that God has given. And pray for our sanity as we fight to stay fixed on the author and finisher of our faith!

The countdown to China!

Wow! The Lord has moved this process along so quickly that our heads are spinning! We received our "pre-approval" from China on April 15th, our Visas on May 5th - and then the agency called us on the 6th telling us they already received our travel notice! We depart for Bejing in just 19 days!!! Our return date has not yet been determined as we have to get approval for our consulate appointment in China first. But we are expected to get that date within the next day or so. As it stands now, we depart on Wednesday, May 27th.

Please pray for us as we make preparations not only for our trip to China but also for Caleb as he will not be traveling with us. That will be the most difficult part of the trip, but the pediatrician didn't feel he could give travel approval due to the severity of Caleb's asthma issues this spring. Since the pollution in China is so bad he felt it would be too risky to bring him with us. But Caleb will be in good hands as he will be staying with our good friends in Buena Vista. He was disappointed at first when we told him, but now he's very excited to spend the time with friends.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We are so excited to meet little Josiah in just a few short weeks!

We're off and running!

Well, the time has arrived! After nearly three years of waiting, we're about six weeks (give or take) from our trip to China to get little Josiah David. God has taught us many things during our time of waiting, not the least of which is reliance on Him. Though it's been difficult, we know that our blessing awaits us. Children are indeed a blessing from the Lord!

When we began, our intent was to adopt an infant girl from China. Like so many others we were impacted by the Chapman story of adoption and felt led in that direction. However, we soon realized that the wait times were growing nearly exponentially! After three years of waiting, we were still an estimated three years away from being matched. As we had already been planning another adoption (for a little boy), the Lord led us to switch gears.

We were reading through the monthly agency newsletter in November, 2008 and saw that many boys were waiting to be adopted while the wait times for girls continued to lengthen. After much prayer we decided that we would switch to a special needs boy between two and five years old. We expected to wait between eight and twelve months for a match. What a surpise when we got the call two and a half months later!

Little He Dong Feng (soon to be Josiah Nelson) is described as being "developmentally delayed." However, after speaking with medical professionals, we are fairly unconcerned about his delayed speech and motor skills. After all, that may very well be due to life in an orphanage in China. But in any case, we will welcome him as he is into our family. We are ecstatic to have another son!

So, we're gearing up for our adventure. Please pray for sanity, safety, and peace as this process is moving along more quickly than anyone involved anticipated. Also, pray for the financial part of this process - as the agency and travel fees are pretty much due now. We are riding along in God's adventure for our family. Hopefully we won't fall off the ride!