In the 1990s, W.C. Martin and his wife, Donna Martin, spearheaded a campaign at their Bennett Chapel church in Possum Trot to adopt “the most difficult-to-place children” in foster care.
The couple’s idea inspired 22 families from a small area of East Texas to work together to adopt 77 foster children in need.
Despite a decade of setbacks, their story is now documented in the recently released Sound of Hope: Story of Possum Trot, executive produced by Black Panther’s Letitia Wright and starring Demetrius Grosse (Straight Out of Compton, Rampage) as the bishop and Nika King (Euphoria) as the first lady.
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The bishop, 77, and his wife, 68, continue to encourage others to make a positive difference in the lives of foster children by providing them with a stable home.
Martin told People, “The system is swelling up every day, and it’s time for a change.”
It has been more than 20 years since the Martins adopted their first kids. They went on to adopt four in total, adding to the two biological children they had.
Now, all six of the Martins’ kids are full-grown adults: Princeton is 44, LaDonna is 38, Terry is 35, Josh is 34, Mercedes is 33 and Tyler is 30.
Donna said it has been “amazing” to watch the kids she adopted grow over the years. “I’ve learned so much from the children,” she said. “They have taught us what life is.”
According to People, both the bishop and the first lady are now grandparents as some of his children have kids or are expecting.
The Martins revealed that their work has had an impact, particularly on church leaders and members.
According to the bishop, many phone calls have been made to him over the years by people who have been moved by the narrative of his family. These people realize how wonderful it is for them to enter the life of another person and assist them in becoming what they need to be to fulfill God’s will.
And while there were certainly challenges and adjustments along the way, their adopted son Josh told the network back in 2012, “I don’t know where I’d be [without them], probably the street, My parents are nice, loving and kind.”
The movie’s title, Sound of Hope, holds particular significance for Martin and his partner.
The bishop interprets it as “hope for the children, hope that they will find a primacy in their life, a home, a mother, a father, love, and God.” The first lady is reminded of the Bible’s Hebrew 11:1, which states that “faith is the substance of things to hope for and the evidence of things not seen.”
“So with the faith in God, we are hoping and trusting that we can annihilate this problem,” she remarked.
The first lady and her husband’s hope for each kid in the foster care system is that they “will find a beautiful home, loving parents and a place where they could feel safe and know that this is the Lord’s doing, and is marvelous in our heart.”
Martin noted, “It should not be a child waiting on a home. It ought to be a home waiting on a child.”
