Blog
New Location!
Posted by Taylor Engel on July 09, 2010 at 7:11 am
Christian Homes & Family Services has officially moved into the Dallas/Fort Worth area! You may be a little confused by that statement as we have been working with families and birth mothers in this area for some time but as of the end of June 2010, we have an office and two new employees in the North Richland Hills area. We are excited to welcome Sharla Bundy as the Lead Family Services Case Worker and Kathryn Bashaw as the Director of Development in the North Texas area.
Sharla is a graduate of Abilene Christian University with a Bachelors degree in Social Work and the University of Texas with her Masters degree in Social Work. While Sharla was a student at ACU, she interned for Christian Homes & Family Services and our staff is excited about her return. Kathryn’s professional background in integrated communications, traditional & social media relations and event planning coupled with her Bachelors of Art degree in Public Relations from Harding University have perfectly prepared her for the development position in North Texas. Both Kathryn and Sharla look forward to helping those in need and specifically working towards finding “a Christian home for every child.”
We look forward to being able to respond quicker to young women in the Metroplex area with our new staff and office location. We also look forward to making new friends and telling more people about the ministry of Christian Homes. Our prayer is that the Lord will use this new office location to minister to young women and families that need our services and that we will be in the right places at the right times. Stay tuned for a “grand opening” of sorts!
Adoptive Families Circle
Posted by Taylor Engel on June 24, 2010 at 2:36 pm
We want to consistently pass along ways to connect with other people whose lives have been touched by adoption and today, I stumbled across this website: Adoptive Families Circle. They feature forums on topics ranging from infertility to finding the right agency to bringing baby home and even have different online support groups for couples in any stage of the adoption process. Blogging, contests, photo albums and more can be found on their site and it is all beautifully tied together in adoption. You can sign up to receive monthly newsletters from Adoptive Families and to be able to post photos, comments, blogs, etc. What other adoption-related communities are you connected to? We would love to hear about them!
Staff Spotlight: Margaret Ballew
Posted by Janet Mendenhall on June 07, 2010 at 8:52 am
Want to know more about the staff here at Christian Homes & Family Services? Throughout the next few months we will be spotlighting different staff members to give you insight on the ins and outs of our ministry. Read along and get to know our beloved co-workers and friends…
Family is important to Margaret Ballew, so it is no surprise that for the last 27 years she has been building families one adoption story at a time. Margaret began writing happy endings as the adoption caseworker at Christian Homes & Family Services in December of 1982, after working six years with Child Protective Services in her hometown of Longview, TX. And now as Director of Adoption Services, and hundreds of couples later, she still marvels as the stories unfold.
Her favorite part of the story is always the climax. Placing a child at last in the loving arms and expectant hearts of a hopeful couple is never tiresome. And certainly none so marvelous as the one she remembers most fondly. This couple had suffered 12 miscarriages before beginning their adoption journey, and nothing compared to that moment when they saw and held their baby for the first time.
Bringing couples to that climactic moment is the real heart of Margaret’s day-to-day role as caseworker. Sifting through the mounds of paperwork is overwhelming to couples and caseworker alike. Multiple in-depth interviews can be frightening. The home study, a careful investigation and assessment of your ability to parent, can be a bit intimidating. Then the waiting begins as birth mothers review portfolios and the couples review parenting manuals. And Margaret is there, providing support throughout the journey. Even after the placement, she supervises the couple until the adoption is final, usually about 6 months.
The stories don’t end there even for Margaret, who smiles as she remembers the graduation announcements, wedding invitations, and school pictures she has received through the years. Hearing the rest of the stories from these families is an extra blessing. That Margaret Ballew is a blessing to families is unquestionable. Years later, Cathi Nelson, mother of two adopted children, says, “One of the things I love about Christian Homes, and I tell people this all the time, is that the same people who helped us get our children years ago are still there. How long has Margaret been there, 20-something years? There’s a consistency that you don’t find anywhere else.” Sharon Nolen had this to say about her journey with Margaret, “We don’t know what our adoption memories would have been like without Margaret; but, we know that with Margaret they are wonderful and warm. She was and still is a very nurturing and caring person…The Christian example that she continually displays is one of her most important attributes. She has strengthened us so many times.”
Though each story is different, Margaret is certain of the theme. God is faithful and his timing sure. She has seen it written over and over in couples losing hope as the wait seems endless for them and not for others, couples grieving in the wake of a birth mother’s changed mind, couples doubting their ability to parent a baby born with unexpected challenges. Each time, God provides. She remarked about one such special case, “It was a perfect match and still is!” Margaret knows God is the perfect matchmaker, and she loves being a small part of His stories.
Call Her Blessed
Posted by Taylor Engel on March 18, 2010 at 8:32 am
We are excited about one of our favorite events happening this spring in two different locations and want to tell you a little more about them so that you can share in our excitement! Call Her Blessed is a luncheon honoring mothers and the special women in our lives and this is the second year that we’ll have one in Abilene and one in Tyler. The theme of the luncheons, Call Her Blessed, comes from the description of a Godly woman in Proverbs 31, “children arise and call her blessed.” Once again, we expect a high point in the luncheon programs to be the opportunity for each guest to write a note to a woman of her choice that Christian Homes will mail for delivery right before Mother’s Day.
For the fourth annual Call Her Blessed luncheon in Abilene, we will welcome Lysa TerKeurst, president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, at the Abilene Civic Center on April 21st. Lysa is a powerful and inspirational communicator and a unique combination of author, radio talk show host, and Bible teacher. She has been featured on Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, Good Morning America, Woman’s Day Magazine, “O” Magazine and on the Oprah Show. Lysa co-hosts Proverbs 31 Ministries national show which airs daily to over 1,200 stations. Click here to hear more about Lysa’s newest book Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl!
On May 4th, Sheila Walsh, author, speaker, and recording artist with the Women of Faith conference, will be the featured guest at the second annual Tyler Call Her Blessed luncheon held at Harvey Hall. Walsh’s newest book, Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God, was just released and Gigi, God’s Little Princess, Sheila’s line of books and videos for little girls, won the National Retailer’s Choice Award and is the most popular Christian brand for young girls in the US. Walsh co-hosted television’s The 700 Club and her own talk show, Heart to Heart with Sheila Walsh, on the Family Channel. To hear a message from Sheila Walsh about her new book click here.
For more information regarding these events please call 325-677-2205. We would love for you to join us for these celebrations honoring the special women in our lives!
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