An amazing group of people in a rural area near the town of Shelbyville, Texas, have made a significant impact on the adoption community. It all started when Donna Martin, the wife of a local pastor, began to think about fostering a child. She and her sister drove over seventy miles each way to take the training that would qualify them to do this work. After their training, Donna and her husband adopted two children and fostered two more. Her sister adopted one child.
The experience was so positive for them that Pastor Martin decided to preach on the subject of adoption to his congregation, the Bennett Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. He told his flock that they could change lives. The response was so overwhelming that the Martins contacted the state child protective agency to see if they could arrange for a training class at their church. A state social worker agreed to teach the class if the church could guarantee that ten families would take the training. There were 24 families in attendance for the first class.
After they finished their training and were certified, eighteen families in that class adopted children. As interest in the community grew, more training classes were scheduled. Five sisters, who had been split apart from each other when they entered the foster system, were reunited when a family adopted all of them.
Most of the children brought to the area were victims of neglect and / or abuse from the Houston metropolitan area. These children had serious medical, social, and other issues that were difficult to address in a rural area with few services available. These problems were alleviated when the church offered information, classes, support groups, and referral services to target these issues.
The people of this community have adopted or fostered over one hundred children. A small number of faithful people has demonstrated what determination and dedication to a cause can accomplish.
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