A Tale of Hope Finds Its Way to the Big Screen

The new Angel Studios film ‘Sound of Hope' is based on John Fornof’s book about a small town’s good deeds.

"Sound of Hope" is based on the true story of how a small town in east Texas adopted 77 children who were abused and neglected by the foster care system. Angel Studios

Imagine that you’re a writer, and everyone tells you that your recent book will make a great movie.

Then it actually becomes a movie.

Except there was a little bit of a wait—only 17 years.

But author John Fornof always knew it would happen. Patience was a serious virtue in his case. And on July 4, his faith will be rewarded as “Sound of Hope” hits theaters nationwide.

Mr. Fornof is best known for writing, voicing, and producing Christian audio dramas for Adventures in Odyssey and Lamplighter Theater and creating the popular children’s series Skyship Dreamer. He got a call one day from Focus on the Family’s head of publishing, Larry Weeden, who asked a simple question: “Hey John, want to write a book?” Once Mr. Fornof heard the story of a small group of 22 families that came together and adopted 77 foster kids, he was sold.

So he was sent to the small community of, wait for it ... Possum Trot, Texas. The name sounds like something folksy and fictional, but it’s real. He had the typical reaction.

“I had to smile just hearing the name Possum Trot,” Mr. Fornof said. “I had no idea where this place was. I was told it was not far from Goober Hill. But somehow, that didn’t help.”

So he headed south from his home in Colorado and arrived in Possum Trot.

“I remember seeing the sign that read ‘End of Pavement,’” Mr. Fornof said.

That’s where the asphalt ended and his adventure began. He snapped a photo and drove down the dirt roads and piney woods of the community.

“I saw well-kept double-wide mobile homes with neatly mowed acres of grass, where kids laugh and run. I saw clapboard shacks sprawled out on bald knobs of dirt, where rusted-out pickup trucks serve as lawn ornaments,” Mr. Fornof said.

But he didn’t find any signs that said “Possum Trot.” You won’t find it on most maps, either. He said it’s like a lost treasure. Located in East Texas, it’s about 10 miles from the Louisiana border, right on the edge of Sabine National Forest.

Terri (Diaana Babnicova), one of the foster children adopted by Possum Trot residents, experiences a journey toward healing. Angel Studios

“I spent a couple weeks with the people of Possum Trot, a community of 300 folks led by Bishop W.C. Martin and his wife Donna,” Mr. Fornof said. “They all welcomed me like I was family, even though I was the only white guy around. They even invited me to Sunday Dinner after church. That’s when you know you’re truly ‘in.’ There’s a warmth in the people here, a welcome, a love that embraced 77 foster kids.”

John Fornof, author of "Small Town, Big Miracle," the story of Possum Trot. Courtesy of John Fornof

His book, co-authored with Bishop Martin, was published in 2007 under the title “Small Town, Big Miracle.”

“The people of Possum Trot took on the problem kids,” Mr. Fornof said. “These were the kids who were so abused, they acted out. No one wanted them. When the kids came to Possum Trot, it was like 77 tornadoes hit town.”

He told of 3-year-olds who cussed out their new parents, kids who tore down curtains, and others who screamed in terror in the middle of the night. One bit a teacher.

“Some kids would steal food because they had been in homes where they were abused and neglected in the worst ways possible,” Mr. Fornof said.

Despite the difficulty of helping such traumatized children, the Possum Trot families held on. One couple, Theresa and Glen Lathan, adopted eight children even though they already had three of their own.

The amazing acts of compassion soon went viral, and a news wire service picked up the story. Soon Possum Trot became a household name when major networks aired the tale. Reader’s Digest, People, Southern Living, and Family Circle ran stories.

Scenes from the film, clockwise from top left: Donna Martin (Nika King), among the parents who led Possum Trot's adoption efforts, bonds with Terri; Mercedes (A.J. Pulliam) and another young child are welcomed by Possum Trot residents; social worker Susan Ramsey (Elizabeth Mitchell) prepares one of the adopted children to meet her new family; Terri receives love and support from Donna and Reverend Martin (Demetrius Grosse). Angel Studios

“My first hint this was a great story was watching how the national media treated this place,” Mr. Fornof said. “I used to be a news reporter, and I found most fellow journalists tend to be jaded and cynical. That’s because you see the dark side of humanity and it taints you.”

He saw a change not only in the children but in the reporters as well.

“When the national media showed up in Possum Trot, the people, the kids, the story caused these cynical journalists to find their heart again,” Mr. Fornof said. “It’s a story that makes you believe that there’s still good in the world.”

The story goes that many years ago, a lady came to Possum Trot’s Bennett Chapel with a “Word from the Lord.” She said the national media would come to Possum Trot, a book would be written, and a movie would be made. The last part of that prophecy is finally coming true. The stories of love and patience became the Angel Studios movie “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.”

After the movie but before the credits roll, the real Bishop Martin and his wife Donna make an impassioned plea to viewers to consider adopting one or more of the 100,000 American children currently in need of a home.

The families that took in the foster children changed a lot of lives—and not just those of the kids. It made a difference for Mr. Fornof.

“Working on the book, spending time with the people of Possum Trot, interviewing the kids—it changed me,“ he said. ”We use the term ‘heroes’ a lot, from basketball players to movie stars. But the people of Possum Trot are true heroes. They sacrificed their own comfort for the good of these kids. And now there are 77 beautiful stories to tell.”