Blog
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.
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