In 1996 Bishop W.C. Martin and his wife Donna Martin, from the small town of Possum Trot, Texas, adopted four children out of foster care. They inspired their entire congregation of Bennett Chappell Missionary Baptist Church to adopt every available child in the county’s foster care system. Twenty-two families adopted all 77 children. Many of those children were some of the hardest to place; victims of sexual and physical abuse, neglect, trauma, and unsafe living situations. Thier story inspired the movie, “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.” On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, the Martins talk about the movie and the extraordinary saga of their lives that can only be described as God working miracles. The adopting of children with deep emotional and physical needs put untold strains on church bmembers’ families and their finances. But through it all their faith helped them triumph. The Holy Spirit, not the spirit of the age, is what brought about astonishing transformations in the lives of the children and the families. The Martins challenge other churches to do the same. Right now there are some 400,000 children in the foster care system in the United States and 100,000 available for adoption. The Martins say if every church committed to giving every available child a loving home, the numbers would be reduced to zero. Answering the call of Jesus to look after the orphans, the least of these, is true religion.
