Possum Trot Heroes

 

 I like to watch movies, though for over forty years I never went into a movie theatre. We didn't have a movie theatre in Hoonah, so we never got to see the latest releases. However, that changed when we moved to Wasilla. They have a large movie theatre here, a big honking thing with something like seven screens. On Tuesdays, they have $5.00 matinees, so if something comes on that I want to see, it doesn't break the bank.

 

Last week my wife and I went to see a movie titled The Sound of Hope. It's a true story about the people in the town of Possum Trot Texas, a small town in East Texas without even a traffic light. The people who live there are predominately African American and for the most part they are desperately poor.

 

I believe there is only one church there, the Bennet Chapel, pastored by W. C. Martin and his wife Donna. They have two children, a son who was born mentally handicapped, and a daughter. Life was hard for them, struggling to make ends meet. When Donna's mother died, she went into a deep depression and could hardly carry on. One day she was praying, telling God that she couldn't go on any more, He would have to do something, and she felt that God spoke to her. She believed God was telling her that as much as she loved her mother, there were many children who didn't know that kind of love, and she could show them the love of a mother. It started her on a journey to adopt a child. As you can imagine, aside from just the financial struggles, these kids who are in the system come with their own set of problems. One little girl had been in nine different foster homes in one year. She was an angry child and uncontrollable, so of course, no one wanted her. Many of the children had been abused and neglected. They hadn't grown up with any kind of a role model to emulate, nor did they ever feel the love of a parent, but God hasn't forgotten them. He may not come down from heaven and supernaturally rescue them, but He speaks to people, and if they will listen, miracles can happen here on earth.

 

The pastor, at first reluctant to even consider adoption, got on board, and even preached to his congregation about it. These people were struggling to put food on the table, but one by one, many of them took God at His word. In the book of James the scripture mentions that true religion is this, to care for the widows and orphans. There are no more needy people in the world than orphans. They've got no one to look out for them and meet their needs. Though government agencies may provide shelter and food, they can't provide the love that every child needs. We all need to know that we are important, that we count, that we have worth. Some of those children have been abandoned by their parents. Can you imagine the hurt that they must feel? Even wild animals take care of their own. 

 

The bottom line is, twenty five families from Possum Trot adopted seventy seven kids. When Bishop Martin approached the local agency about adopting more children, he was told there were no more to adopt.

 

At the end of the movie, the families and the children were shown. I can't recall what all seventy seven kids were doing, but a number of them graduated from college and had good paying jobs. Others were employed gainfully and were assets to their community. Instead of being a burden on society, these children grew up to be productive members of society. Because the members of one small town in East Texas chose to listen to the voice of God, a number of lives have been changed, and like a stone tossed into a pool of water, the ripples will go on for a long time, affecting many others for good.