It is not often you leave a movie theater and take the movie with you, but after watching Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, the expectation is that you do not leave the movie at the theater. The hope is that you take the movie with you in your heart to change lives – not just yours, but the lives around you.
The Sound of Hope, a movie released for all audiences on July 4, 2024, is not only an incredible story of foster care and adoption, but also a story of how a community comes together to shoulder one another’s burdens. In Galatians 6, we are called as Christians to carry each other’s burdens. Parenting a child from a hard place is not an easy burden to bear on one’s own, yet when we can join another and come alongside those in a difficult season all parties gain a blessing. The receiving party is blessed by the gift of community and care, and the giving party is blessed in the obedience of giving of their time and skillsets.
Often it can be easy to focus on our own struggles so we cannot imagine helping another, but when we rely on the strength of Jesus to sustain us he will lift us up (1 Peter 5:6-7). There is a common phrase based on Hebrews 12:20-21 that says, “Jesus doesn’t call the equipped - He equips the called!” and it is true. How many of the original 12 disciples were originally qualified to be disciples? None! They made a decision to lay down their plans, their work, and their lives to follow Jesus. When Jesus calls us, and we are obedient to His call, He will be with us throughout the journey. He does not promise an easy journey, and anyone who has traveled the foster or adoption journey can testify the journey is not easy, yet this is a journey we are called to travel. In James 1:27 we are commanded to look after the orphans and widows.
There are many ways to fulfill this commandment:
- Become a foster family
- temporarily open your home to a foster child waiting for reunification
- be willing to take placement of a hard to place child
- commit to being a patient and loving family to a child who most likely hasn’t experienced this kind of family
- Become an adoptive family
- research domestic adoption, international adoption, or adopting from foster care
- commit to permanently parenting a child who comes from a hard place
- consider adopting an older child waiting for their forever family
- commit to being a patient and loving family to a child who would not otherwise have a family to call their own
- Support a foster or adoptive family by fulfilling a need
- wash dishes at a sink that is not yours
- fold laundry you will not wear
- make a meal you will not consume
- be a shoulder to lean on and a listening ear
- Support an agency who serves orphans
- consider donating financially to reduce the cost of adoption for those in the adoption process: www.adoptionbridge.org
- consider donating to the agency to cover overhead costs to prevent higher adoption fees
- donate your time to agency fundraisers and events
- donate supplies and items for expectant mother needs or foster family placements
- Support Sound Of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot
- See the movie in theaters July 4th
- Invite your friends and family to see the movie
- Donate a ticket for others to see the movie
- Be inspired to take action and change lives around you