We’re ready … are you?!

Recently we announced our upcoming 4-year commitment to serve as missionaries to Honduras with World Gospel Outreach. It is our prayer to start our commitment SOON, and therefore we are aiming for Aug. 1 as our official move date. Upon arriving in Honduras we will spend a few months in language school, and then we will move to our permanent ministry home at Rancho Ebenezer, which is just outside of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Our initial missionary positions will be Serve Team Manager and Ranch Host, meaning our primary role will be to facilitate teams of short-term missionaries to serve at the Ranch and in the nearby villages. In addition, everyone at the Ranch works with the children and we expect to be actively used by God to help meet their day-to-day physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

If you have known us for a long time, you might know that our mission story started in 2014. That was the year we got married, and it was also the year that God put on our hearts to become foster parents. We became a licensed foster family in 2015 and in the years following more than 20 children shared our home. During those years we adopted two children through foster care and welcomed two children by birth. When we started the journey to become foster parents we did not expect to be called to serve overseas, however, we can now look back and see that God has been preparing us all along for this new calling. Most importantly, God has surrounded us with a village of supportive encouragers. Some of you have been part of our lives for decades, and some of you are new to our circle of friends … but all of you have been an important part in building our faith and increasing our confidence. We are confident and willing to attempt bold things for God’s glory because of His power and greatness and because of people like you who are willing to stand beside us along the way!

With our acceptance to WGO, we are now in the support-raising stage. We are ready to GO and we’re now at the point where we humbly ask, Are you ready to help SEND us?

There are many ways you can send/support us and ultimately we know God is going to provide for all of our needs. The biggest way to support us is through your prayers. We especially request prayer for our children who will be joining us in Honduras (Bryeten, Chance and Mac) and for our daughter Yese who is staying in the States to continue college. Another way to support us is to share with your church, family or friends about WGO and/or host a gathering of friends to allow us the opportunity to share about the ministry. And lastly, financial support through a recurring monthly donation or any other financial gift would be an incredible blessing. Contributions can be made online at wgoreach.org/nelson or mailed to World Gospel Outreach, Preference Nelson Family, PMB 250, 6068 US Highway 98, Suite 1, Hattiesburg, MS 39402.

If you have any questions about our needs or if you would like to know more about coming to Rancho Ebenezer to serve and see the ministry first-hand, please email us at Steve.Nelson@wgomission.org or Kris.Nelson@wgomission.org.

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for your past and future love and support!

With Love,
Steve and Kris

We said yes!

 A few weeks ago, Steve, Bryeten, Chance, Mac and I went to Honduras to visit Rancho Ebenezer, a children’s services community outside of the capital city, Tegucigalpa. It was an incredible trip and we were warmly welcomed by the existing team of World Gospel Outreach and the children who live at the Ranch. Below are some of the pictures from the week… As you can see, Honduras has no shortage of beautiful views in addition to the warm and friendly people!

This exploratory trip helped us see clearly that our family ministry is supposed to expand to Honduras. God has opened every door and window! 😃 Unbelievably, we can look back at our lives and see how every experience, opportunity and relationship has enabled us to develop gifts and talents that God intends to use for His work and glory there. We are excited about how we will be able to contribute to the ministry and also about the opportunities that life at the Ranch will offer us (there's a Christ-centered, bilingual K-6 school on the Ranch that our children will attend and have I mentioned the incredible weather and great hiking?!) I will write more soon about what we will be doing in ministry there, but hint, hint... we'll be inviting you to come! We are thrilled that our boys will be able to be active participants in the ministry, as well. 

So where are we in the process? Well, during our psychological assessment feedback session last week we were told that we are approved as candidates for ministry (they essentially told us that we're just crazy enough, but also sane enough for ministry, haha). This week we officially accepted WGO’s invitation to join the team for a minimum of four years serving at Rancho Ebenezer. There is still a final background check, but we expect to soon be starting our support-raising process. We are believing fully that God wants us in Honduras ASAP … so we trust that He is going to continue to amaze us completely and equip us with an incredible prayer and support team to stand behind us. More on this soon. 💛

Our souls are alive with hope and trust in God and eager anticipation for beginning our ministry in Honduras very soon. 

Thank you for reading this update! If you want to connect with us for more details, please email us at ktsn.gal@gmail.com.

With love,
Kris, Steve and the boys

Hiking around the Ranch :)

Making new friends at lunchtime!

Some of the family-style houses at Rancho Ebenezer

View while traveling up the mountain to the Ranch

The wonderful Glenda who cared for the boys while Steve and I had interviews and meetings.

Beautiful Skarleth who was one of several teenage girls who pretty much adopted our family for the week. They were all so sweet to the kids. In the background is Rancho Ebenezer, the K-6 school on property. 

Another view from one of the higher points of the Ranch property. The big house in the center is Casa Grande which serves as lodging for short-term mission teams that come to do work at the Ranch and in nearby villages. No teams since COVID really (but we plan to be part of changing that!)

Deep in conversation with one of our table buds, Elmer. 

We enjoyed a game night with Ben and Leah, who have been serving at the Ranch for 5 years and have been immeasurably used by God to impact the lives of all the kids at the Ranch. They are incredible! 

Anytime is a good time for some fútbol! (There is an actual field, and a concrete pad used for playing as well)

This Farmer's Market went on forever! Fresh produce is available literally everywhere in the city and in the villages near the Ranch. 

Olman and Bryeten :) - the start of a wonderful friendship! 

We ended the week with a couple of tourist days in Tegucigalpa and were blessed to be able to meet the president of WGO and his wife and spend time with some of the missionaries who serve with the WGO evangelism/medical outreach programs in Tegucigalpa. Amazing programs and incredible people!