There shouldn’t be a child without a home. We can turn this whole thing around. - Bishop W.C. Martin
I made a mistake. In an email a few weeks ago, we invited you to our annual Mother’s Day Dinner on Thursday, May 8. We announced that Bishop W.C. Martin, from Bennett Chapel Baptist Church in Possum Trot, Texas, would deliver the keynote address, sharing the incredible story of how he and his wife, Donna, led their small community to adopt 77 children out of foster care.
I believed Bishop Martin would effectively inform our guests about the foster care system, challenges of adoption and, most importantly, the power of love to overcome such challenges. I knew that he’d bring his inspirational words and uplifting spirit into the Log Cabin ballroom. After all, he and his wife had captivated television viewers nationwide, relaying details about their dramatic adoption tale while appearing on Oprah, Good Morning America and Dateline NBC.
However, I’d never watched the 2024 feature film based on the Martins’ story. Last week, after hearing many friends and colleagues rave about it for months, I finally watched The Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot. As Angel Studios described last year, the film follows the Martins “as they ignite a fire in the hearts of their rural church to embrace kids in the foster system that nobody else would take. By doing the impossible – adopting 77 children – this East Texas community proved that, with real, determined love, the battle for America’s most vulnerable can be won.”
When the movie ended, I sat motionless as credits rolled up the screen and tears rolled down my face. Then I made a phone call and pulled a few strings.
When you watch the movie, you’ll learn about Bishop Martin’s uncommon determination as a husband, father and religious leader. What you will also witness is one woman’s realization that radical love, the kind that requires a human being to give until it hurts, as Saint Mother Teresa said, is the kind of love that heals. Donna Martin, broken by the death of her own mother, hears the call to adopt. In response, she takes a small step forward to learn about nearby children in foster care then a bigger step by convincing a doubtful W.C. to open their home, and hearts, to two of those children. Their resulting joy proved contagious and transformed their entire community.
It is my sincere pleasure to say that you’ll hear not just from Bishop Martin but also from First Lady Donna Martin herself, when she, too, joins us at our Mother’s Day Dinner. By her story, she’ll show you how one woman has the potential to lay the foundation for loving families and to ultimately provide families for kids who need them most.
“It’s time that we put our eyes on the children,” W.C. says. Join us to listen as the Martins tell their story of not just adopting but establishing a community of adoptive families that has since served as a model for foster parents nationwide – including here in Massachusetts.
As pro-life advocates, we must do all we can to care for every human life at every stage of life, which includes working to make sure that each child has a home. The Martins live this mission and are eager to share more about how their church led the way in providing a home for every foster child who needed one. Additionally, we’ll provide information on adoption in Massachusetts. Women experiencing crisis pregnancies must know that adoptive parents await, and that their babies will be raised in safe and loving homes. As pregnancy resource center staff have so often told me, though, few women today believe adoption is a choice worth considering.
I highly recommend The Sound of Hope, a movie I'll suggest my own kids see when they're older; it's not geared for young viewers. I encourage tissues as an accessory and, ladies, don’t bother wearing eye makeup that day! This film is worth the discomfort. The story is beautiful and, I promise, your tears at its conclusion will be joyful ones that just might prompt you to love in a way you hadn’t before.
If you have not already reserved your spot, I hope you’ll plan to attend our Mother's Day Dinner to hear from the Martins and learn more about a critical topic that’s too often sidelined. We're seeing more early bird reservations this year, and you can take advantage of those $60 seats through March 16. Thereafter, the cost increases to $75 per person. As Bishop Martin has said, "Not everyone can adopt, but everyone can do something.” Join us on May 8 to learn what you can do.
Warmly,
Myrna