The current edition of People Magazine carries the amazing story of the little Texan town of Possum Trot.  In a community of 300, the vibrant faith of a small church and its Christ-hearted pastor embraced the children of the local foster system.  In time, more than seventy “waiting children” were adopted from the system, embraced into loving homes and a supportive community lit up by God’s heart for the fatherless.

This story has been unfolding for years, and isn’t new to many in the Christian orphan care movement.  But it is beautiful to see how the world takes note—at least eventually—when Christians reflect the heart of their God in sacrificial action.

To get a deeper window into what happened—and continues to happen—in Possum Trot, check out this recent interview by In Touch magazine with Bishop and Donna Martin, who played the central role in sparking what happened:  “Our Town, Our Miracle.”   The Martins speak frankly of both the unparalleled reward of following Christ in this way, and also of the challenges.  As always, the joy and costs of discipleship come intertwined:

Donna Martin:  But then I realized that giving them good meals and hugs and taking them to church wasn’t enough—it was going to take some time. There were days I’d get into bed discouraged and tell my husband, “The more we’re giving out, the more their barriers are coming up.” Their old habits, such as lying, were a big problem for me, because when I was growing up, if my mother asked us about something, we knew we had to tell her exactly what happened…So I wasn’t used to children lying like that. It didn’t matter how many times I said, “Don’t you lie to me;” I would still get those innocent faces looking up at me, and they’d say “No ma’am, I didn’t do it.”  It took time for change to come. But then the Holy Spirit would remind me, “Look what I’ve done. I gave you this challenge because you had good parents, so you know how to handle this. You know how to look beyond their behavior and see what they need.”

Full interview HERE.