A Word from a Board Member

As a single woman, I struggled for years about parenting and if so, the timing, the support (or not), the lifestyle changes, any effect on the child I might adopt, etc. The journey was a roller-coaster:

…dreaming of adopting at least two children and hopefully having two biological children also,…but marriage did not seem to be in God’s plan.
…thinking about single parent adoption in the late 1980’s (this was conception!).
…traveling too much in my jobs late 80’s-90’s.
…living/working in the Montreat/Black Mountain area of western North Carolina and finding neighbors CWA on the internet.
…asking the “What-do-you-think-about-single-parent-international-adoption?” question in a 1998 interview at the church I currently serve.

In 1999, as I was unpacking old magazines and books, I found the CWA packet I had picked up two years before…I was stunned at this friendly nudge (or shove!) God was giving me. So I started asking the hard questions again and FINALLY in the fall of 2000 got the nerve to call the office and make an appointment.

The conversation was scary and exciting as I wrote that first check and launched into this new venture. Not many dream of being a single parent. I knew I had loads of family and church support, but having no role models for this life decision was “a scary” I had not experienced. Looking back on that I can say, “That’s parenting!”

As I walked out of the old Charleston office of CWA, the future was launched:

…I felt as if my child had just been conceived.
…The paperwork FLEW by.
…Each step was an adventure, and even more, CATHARTIC!

I loved answering the homestudy questions and never let a paper sit on my desk, moving each paper to the next step and reading the ‘Planner’ like it was my devotional book. And my I-171H was in, and my dossier was out the door to China in less than four months.

…Then the wait began! We didn’t have ‘log-in dates’ in the winter of 2001, but we had the former version of web-board. Those folks became like big sisters/brothers in the wait…and we could “watch the list move” as we chatted. I was DTC in February 2001, Catherine was born in June 2001, and I got her referral picture (taken in December at 6 months) in early April 2002. Watching the web-board I saw that Pat Dexter had been in Yiyang Welfare Center in April of 2002, so I sent her Catherine’s referral picture to see if she had seen her by chance. I was FLOORED when she forwarded me three pictures she had taken of nannies and girls in the hallway, and Catherine was in the arms of her nanny on the front row!  I now had a nine-month picture too! What a great family these CWA connections continue to be!

Our group was expedited because one of the six families’ I-171H was running out. So we were on our way to China on May 10, 2002. My mom was with me and my dad stayed home and forwarded our phone call information on to friends by email.

The details of the story go on and on! EVERY time I got scared about these amazing decisions God was leading me through, I would sheepishly pray for another “sign” that I was doing what God would want. And EVERY time, God delivered! I could not write down all the stories, they were happening so fast.

CWA held my hand through it all. …now we are waiting for Catherine’s sister from China. It looks like Catherine will be 6 when her sister comes home.

We can’t wait!

Lynn Turnage
CWA Board of Directors Member

Christian World Adoption Board of Directors

Elizabeth Ansel
James Izant
Terrence Fries
Robert Harding
Tomilee Harding
James Kirkland
Maria Moore
Lynn Turnage
Sandy Watkins