[♪ musical swirl ♪]
[music]
Donna: If there’s ever a good time to be alive,
it’s when you’re a child.
The time of dreamers,
captains, and clowns, beating hearts.
When you’re full of all the curiosity this world deserves.
Mama, you drive like a grandma!
Donna: You don’t know it then,
but the world is simpler.
There’s nothing much for a child to worry about.
Things just are.
And you shine with something you will never have again:
innocence.
Diann: Chante, are you coming?
Chante: That car ain’t even work, mama.
[music]
Chante: I told you!
Donna: I remember my own innocence
growing up with my mama and daddy
right here in the piney woods of East Texas,
where the Lord is easily found.
Murtha: How you all doing this morning?
Donna: Watch your dress, mama.
[music]
Diann: You comin’, Pookie?
Careful...
Alright.
Donna: This place,
I have both loved and hated.
Yes!
I have seen miracles here.
I’ve seen the heights and the depths,
virtue born and virtue lost.
It was here I was given life,
now and hereafter,
and it’s where I hope, with all I have within me,
we could give others a chance at it.
For all that it is,
you’d never know it by its name.
WC: Let me hear!
Hallelujah!
You might have been put back.
Shut down.
Turned out.
And tossed over.
But you oughta know
that my God is able!
You oughta know...
that He gone get it done!
You oughta know
that you ain’t gotta beg.
You ain’t gotta come through the side door!
No! You ain’t comin’ through the side door!
You ain’t gotta come through the back door!
Right?
You gonna walk right on through
through that front door!
Glory Jesus!
Hallelujah!
You can call my Jesus on the main line.
♪ You can call Him on the main line,
♪ He gonna give ya what you need!
[music and celebration continue]
Donna: I first met WC,
years before, right here in Bennett Chapel.
He and his brothers came through singing one week,
said he took one look at me,
and knew the Lord wanted him to stay.
So he did.
[background conversations]
Donna: They made him pastor.
We got married there and had two of our children,
my precious Princeton
and LaDonna.
Donna: You know Joe brought them ribs today, pastor.
WC: You know they boiled then.
I can’t have me no boiled ribs.
Donna: You know what? Just give ‘em to the kids.
Donna: Now, Prince was deprived of oxygen during delivery,
so he’s goin’ be my baby from here on.
Murtha: I want me some more grandbabies.
Donna: Mama, I can’t!
Theresa: You can’t or you won’t?
Murtha: Why you can’t? I want some more grandbabies.
Donna: Just let this go.
Look, the two I got feel like 10
and they need all of me.
Murtha: Two babies. That’s cute.
You ain’t even got started yet...
Donna: With all I do...
Theresa: Hello? Yes, Reverend, she here. Hold on.
Hey!
WC: There you are!
I spent all my change looking for you.
Must’ve called the whole county.
- I know, been rippin’ and runnin’. How’d it go?
No sale.
But good news,
I got another couple wanna meet later this week.
That one’s gonna close, mark my words.
That’s right...
- Anyway, I’m in town in case you need somethin’.
Nothin’ I can think of.
- You sure? I’m at the store right now.
Yeah, I’m sure.
- Alright then now. You got my love.
- I love you. Oh! Toothpaste.
Come again?
- Yeah, we need some toothpaste and soap powder.
- See? It’s a good thing I called.
Oh! And lady things.
- Lady things? I gotta get the lady things?
I am a pastor, you know.
- The cashier might just come to Jesus
if she sees you buying lady things for your First Lady.
Oh! And get some cereal too.
Lord have mercy! Ok.
Bye!
Alright. Bye.
Bye.
[laughs]
Theresa: You got him buy your lady things?
Then he threw that phone
halfway across the parking lot.
[laughs]
Donna: Ok. Call me later, right? Bye. Alright.
Donna: You ask any of us, and we’d say the same:
there was no one like Mama.
She raised up 18 children
in an old broken-down shack in the woods,
made of scrap wood and tin.
Back where you knew you were rich if your roof didn’t leak.
But I never had so little and not noticed in all my life.
Lord, she watched out for her kids.
[whispers prayers]
Murtha: Yes, Lord, bless Zachariah.
Help ‘em all to be strong children, oh God.
Be obedient, oh God.
Bless her, Jesus.
Bless her, oh God.
[gasps]
[labored breathing]
[fumbles telephone]
[gasps]
[car approaching]
[running footfalls]
[phone ringing]
[hums]
Donna: Down to the deepest part of my soul,
I know the Lord is good.
But when your world is shaken,
and it all falls down around you,
and you plead with Him to stop it,
but He don’t...
[sighs]
...you forget that He is ever present.
Oh, Jesus.
[telephone rings louder]
[cries]
[screams]
Mama!
[cries]
Mama!
[gospel music]
[mumbles]
[cries]
Donna: You know the day will come,
but you never expect when it arrives.
So, to me,
mama left us without warning.
I had my loving husband, my family,
and countless cousins and siblings.
I had the Lord above.
But my anchor was gone.
Pulled up,
and I felt the wild tides of grief rise around me.
Murtha Lee Grisby Cartwright.
A mother of mothers,
her sweet soul suddenly flew from this earth
and rose on to that sweet by-and-by.
Knowing I would see her on those shores was no comfort.
It’s just something you feel you can’t wait on.
But there was still more for me here than I knew.
For I had not carefully considered
that the way things ought to be,
is not how they are, often enough.
Dispatch: 911, what’s your emergency?
Mercedes: [cries] Police? I need you to help my mommy.
Dispatch: What’s your name, sweetie?
Mercedes: Um, it’s Mercedes.
He’s doing something bad to her.
Man: Why you do it? Where’s my money?
I know you used it!
[screams]
Dispatch: Just stay on the phone with me, okay?
How old are you? Mercedes?
Man: Huh? What you mean why?...
Dispatch: Mercedes?
Mercedes: I’m six. Are you almost here?
Dispatch: We’re sending someone right now.
Does the man have a gun? Does he have a weapon?
Mercedes? Mercedes? Are you still there?
Man: Maybe I’ll go ask baby girl.
Woman: Why would I do that?!
Mercedes: Don’t hurt her!
He’s doing something bad to her again.
Man: Where’s my money? Do you think I’m playing with you?
[baby cries]
Mercedes: Stop it!
Dispatch: Mercedes, stay with me...
Mercedes: I need you to come over here.
Dispatch: We’re on our way, sweetie.
But, I need you to get somewhere safe, okay.
I want you to hide somewhere.
Man: I’m not asking you again.
- Mercedes: Mama! - Man: Give me my money!
- Dispatch: Are you still there? - Mercedes: Yes.
[gunshots][screams]
Mercedes: I need you to help my mama!
[old TV show plays]
LaDonna: Princeton needs help.
[Princeton grunts]
Oh, mama, Princeton needs your help.
[Princeton grunts]
Mama.
Mama. Mama!
Donna: LaDonna! Turn off the burner.
LaDonna: Sorry! You told me that...
- I know what I told you to do. You burnt it!
[Princeton grunts]
Hold on, Princeton!
Mama can’t be there every minute you call her.
Just... Just... Go finish the greens. Go finish the greens.
LaDonna: Daddy, Prince needs your help.
[Princeton grunts]
WC: Mama’s on the way in there, Princeton!
Donna: No! Your daddy will be there, ok?
He could wipe your ass for once... Oh!
WC: Really, Donna?
[Princeton grunts and screams]
WC: Princeton, Princeton!
Princeton! Princeton! Son, son. Princeton.
Donna: Alright, alright, baby! Ok. Mama’s here. Mama’s here.
I’m not mad at you. I’m sorry I got mad at you.
I’m sorry I yelled, baby.
I shouldn’t use the bad word, ok.
Alright. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, baby.
Ok.
We ok. Ok?
[sigh]
We’re all good now, see? See?
We all good now.
Let me see you. Ok.
WC: Sit on down. Hold on to this. Hold on.
I’ll be right back. Give me a minute.
WC: What is going on?
Donna: I can’t shake it, WC. It won’t go.
I prayed.
I cursed it. I put oil all over myself. I did everything.
[grunts]
LaDonna: It’s ok, Prince. It’s okay, it’s alright. I got you.
WC: What your mama meant to you is a good thing.
And nobody knows that--
WC...
- Oh, Donna--
I’m sorry.
I’m fine,
people pass on.
I just need you to stay with the kids.
I’ll clean up when I get back.
[door opens and closes]
[gasps]
[cries]
Donna: Mama! Jesus, take this from me...
Please, take it away from me or just take me home.
[cries]
Just take me home.
[children playing in the distance]
[music]
Donna: It’s strange how He speaks
without words,
but still...
you know.
Donna: Yes, I am too. Ok, I look forward to it.
LaDonna: Hey, mama. Hey, baby.
Hey, WC.
You doing alright?
- Just a couple things I might have to...
quit around here...
Hey, Diann, it’s me.
You free Wednesday night?
I want you to come with me to a class.
An adoption orientation.
‘Cause I’m thinkin’ ‘bout adopting some kids.
Reverend, look...
I’m talking to him right now.
Just come on over later and I’ll fill you in. Bye.
Adoption?
You want to adopt kids? Like human ones?
I’m thinkin’ on it.
- Donna, you ain’t got to do all of that.
Look, why don’t you go and start the garden again?
Or something, that’ll ease your mind.
That there is relaxing.
I don’t need to relax.
- Was that the call? You just put the call in?
- Look, it’s just orientation.
Oh my Lord Jesus, help me.
How are we gonna do this with all we got already going on?
You’re barely holding on as it is.
How are we gonna do all this with Princeton?
- I just said I’m letting some things go.
If it’s something we ought to do.
- Why don’t we just get you down to the pound
and adopt a little puppy?
Maybe one of those cute little baby kittens.
He spoke to me!
- They might even have one of those little tiny horses...
No! The Lord spoke to me.
Who did?
The Lord spoke to me.
He does speak, don’t He?
- Oh, yeah. He speaks. He’s speaking to me.
WC, I’m serious.
- I’m serious too, Donna. We cannot adopt children!
WC,
I couldn’t go another day like I was. You understand?
I didn’t want to be here no more.
But something happened back at Mama’s today.
He took the depression.
It’s gone! It’s gone!
[sigh]
I want to love like Mama did. I...
I want to be for them, what she was to me.
Hm?
Look,
I know you gotta want this with me,
but I at least need to hear about it.
See what it’s going to take.
I don’t see it.
[kisses]
Donna: There never was gonna be any trial run at it.
We ain’t given that.
We can look away, but the Father of us all,
He uses one-way streets,
because we are not meant to turn back,
no matter what you see down there.
Video: This is a big job,
and it’s important to have the skills
and the knowledge you need...
Susan: Ok...
Let’s move on.
I’m not supposed to
take pictures at work,
but sometimes I do.
It’s hard to feel like...
I’m the only one who sees these things.
This is the temporary home of a single mom
and her five and seven-year-old girls.
They missed school because her mother was evicted
because she lost her job.
I found them here doing a welfare investigation,
and they sent me to remove the kids.
She gave me these
when she was trying to keep me from taking her children.
This family had bed bugs for months.
They couldn’t afford the $523 payment
to get rid of the bed bugs,
or get new bedding and sheets,
so I was sent there to remove the kids.
70% of the kids we have in the system
are there because of poverty-related neglect.
Most of what we do would be
unnecessary if somebody would just help these families.
The other 30%...
need homes because their parents are dangerous
and they put their kids through hell.
Kids like these.
So this is a seven-year-old boy.
We found him in a crack house.
We were able to place him in a good home.
This was a girl
who was pimped out by her mother.
We were not able to save her.
Donna: It’s like driving by an accident.
You see the twisted metal and shattered glass everywhere.
Then you see the victims lying in that wreckage...
mothers, fathers, the children.
The real devastation.
When that hits you,
you can’t just drive by.
[music]
Susan: You are here because
the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
can’t stop this.
And we need your help.
Donna: I like her.
Susan: Pastries, coffee, we love questions.
What are you thinkin’ on?
Diann: I’m thinkin’
you might not be as crazy as I thought you was.
Maybe we both is.
But I don’t feel like it.
- I can’t even keep a husband around.
- Uh-uh, girl!
Don’t take the blame for that man.
I don’t know. But I,...
I can’t just sit back and moral support you after all that.
I can’t.
Susan: Terri!
Hey, Terri! Are you in there?
Terri, are you in there?
[cat meows]
Yeah. Yeah, no foster mom. Well, I can’t wait here all day.
Yeah. No, I did. I did.
I mean, if she is, she’s not answering it.
[sigh]
Ok, she’s here. I’ll call you back.
[sigh]
Miss Nolan.
I’ve been here two hours. That is simply unacceptable.
Miss Nolan: I don’t control the bus schedule.
What do you want me to do?
Susan: I’m here for Terri.
- What?! One missed appointment.
You’ve missed five!
And she wasn’t in school either, so where is she?
Is she home alone?!
- Most people work if you haven’t noticed.
I can’t take her everywhere.
She’s absolutely fine.
Probably made a mess of everything though.
Susan: Terri! Terri? Terri?!
See? What did I say?
Are you here?
- Look at this mess. Now I need to hire a maid.
Family Services needs to pay for this.
Terri?
[meows]
Hey, Terri. What do you say we get out of here?
Terri: Can I take the kitty?
Susan: No, sweetie. I’m sorry.
But we should probably gather your things, yeah?
Oh, here. Use this. That’s for trash.
Hey, did you hear me knocking out there?
No.
Ok.
- Where are we going now? Can I go home with you?
You know I wish you could.
But you are going to a family this time.
Hey, I’m glad to be talking to you and not the kitty.
Miss Nolan: Oh, no, no, no! Hey, hey, hey!
You can’t take those toys. They’re my grandkids’.
Terri: No! Give him back! He’s mine!
Susan: Hey, hey, hey! Hey!
Those were bought with county funds. She can take those.
- No, she can’t! That’s my hard-earned money,
so she can leave those here.
That girl has big problems you have no idea.
Some kind of chemical imbalance or neurolastic issues.
She thinks she’s a cat, for God’s sake!
[laughs]
- Neuro-elastic? That’s very perspicuous insight.
- I’d love to hear more. - Miss Nolan: More what?
Of your perspective.
What do you think her problem is?
- She’s a mess, I don’t know.
Susan: So, neutral operants?
What about successive approximations
with reinforcements?
Positive and negative?
Or classical conditioning through
systematic desensitization?
- What the hell are you talking about?
Oh, did I lose you?
I think Terri’s problem is mostly environmental.
Repeated exposure to terrible things.
Like hateful old hags. Are you with me now?
I don’t believe you.
- It’s a conditioned response.
Everybody has one.
What do you say we take those toys?
Diann: Why are we taking this all the way out here?
Donna: Diann, you are asking too many questions.
I just don’t understand.
Just set it over there.
- Ok, we will--wait a minute. - Slow down.
- Alright. Set it right here.
Yeah. Ok.
- Oh! It’s WC. He can’t find these. Hm-hm.
WC: LaDonna!
Where is your mama?
Donna: But he doesn’t know about this?
These are just in case.
Diann: No, Donna. No, no. You are way down this road already.
And he’s just gonna see this when he comes here.
- His tools are here. He ain’t comin’ in here.
Unless he sees us.
You need to tell him.
- Girl, it has been a while since you had a man.
Look, don’t you know we’re on broil,
men are on simmer?
- Yeah, that is not how it was for me.
Oh! Diann!
I’m talkin’ about the things they don’t want.
Sometimes you know you got to do what they don’t want
before they know about it.
And when they finally warm up to it,
you didn’t waste no time.
Donna...
you think he’s just gonna warm up to somethin’ like this?
You’re talking crazy.
Donna: Can you imagine LaDonna or Prince on their own?
If nobody took them in?
WC: We really gotta talk about that right now?
Why don’t you go and stop fiddling with that head scarf
and come over here, woman?
How romantic of you.
[kisses]
Oh, you want romance?
I can do that.
[kisses]
Since when?
[laughs]
- I’m about to show you romance right now.
Hm...
[music]
[laughs]
I’ll start with a little poetry.
- Oh. No. Please, don’t, WC.
Song of Solomon,
behold “you are fair, my love.
Your hair is like a flock of goats.”
- A flock of goats? [laughs]
- Hm-hm, yeah. It gets nice in the end. I know you.
“Your waist,” my dove,
“your waist is like a heap of wheat.”
A heap of what?
Wheat.
See, that’s a compliment in the Bible!
Heaps of wheat are smooth
[kisses]
and desirable.
- [sighs] They’re big, is what they are.
Hm.
[kisses]
How can we not do something?
- Hm-hm...
[kisses]
WC!
[sighs]
- ’Cause you and me ain’t got no idea
what to do with all that.
- You need to speak for yourself.
I mean, is that how you feel about what I do?
- You don’t never wanna face nothin’, woman.
Now these are somebody else’s children.
We don’t know what we gon’ do.
We’re lucky that we doin’ our own children like we do.
- I’ve never seen you so scared.
Look at me. What’s the matter?
Hm?
Is He speaking to you?
Is He speaking?
[sighs]
Diann: Donna!
- Donna: Hey, I’m in here! - Diann: Donna!
They got a child for me.
Donna: It turns out you can’t wave too much trouble
in front of my sister before she jumps out of her chair
and does something about it.
Her heart is just too big.
So she went and beat us to it
and took in a child of her own.
[background conversations]
Brenda: Diann! He looks just like you.
Oh! [laughs]
Hi, Nino. I’m your auntie Brenda.
Chewy: I’m married to her, so I’m your uncle Chewy.
Like Star Wars.
He’s Mexican. [laughs]
- Yeah, you have a Mexican Wookiee for an uncle now!
Diann: Come on.
Theresa: Good morning, baby. Welcome to the family.
Mollie: Hi, baby. How you doing? You’re so handsome.
Diann: I appreciate you. You’re so sweet.
Gladys: Hi. You’re so cute. I’m your auntie Gladys.
Auntie Gladys.
Donna: And I’m your aunt, Donna.
We are so happy to finally meet you.
You got you a good mama right here.
[laughs]
WC: Who’s this young man?
Looking all sharp in this here suit?
Alright, now.
What’s your name, son? Nino: Nino.
Nino.
I’m your uncle. I’m Pastor Martin.
[laughs]
That’s right.
The Lord heard you, Nino.
The Lord heard this child!
Crowd: Oh, yeah! Yeah! [applause]
Donna: Our God is a good God!
He’s worthy to be praised!
He’s the father to the fatherless.
He’s a mother to the motherless
He’s a doctor when you need Him.
Show Him some praise!
What we doing?
Our God is good! All the time!
All the time! Glory, hallelujah!
WC: Let’s sing.
[sings]
♪ Soon and very soon...
[indistinct]
- Renae: First Lady. - Donna: Hey!
- How you doing? - I’m good, how are you?
- That’s good. Doing well, sweetie.
Listen, I’ve been thinking about Diann
and what you all are doing here.
It can get really hard.
- Hm-hm. Hm-hm.
- I had two cousins that were adopted.
I didn’t know that.
- One made life so miserable for my aunt and uncle,
they had to send him back.
The other ended up in prison.
It didn’t end well.
You need to be very careful
what you encourage, First Lady.
- We can’t just... look away.
Susan: Hello, Mr. Sanchez. This is Susan Ramsey from DPRS.
I’m trying to find a place for two children.
Would you be willing to take...
No, I understand. No, that’s ok.
Thank you for everything you do.
[background conversations]
Hi, Rachel. It’s Susan.
Could you and Tom accommodate an emergency placement?
Two kids.
The girl is seven years old and her brother is three.
Really?
Ah, no, I don’t want to split them up.
Ok. Ok. You know, I gotta go. Ok. Thank you, bye.
As long as possible.
One night?
Ok, I may have to take it. I’ll call you back.
Jo-beth: Still nothing?
No.
- Well, the O’Brians were just certified.
Hm, they want a baby.
- Well, bless their hearts.
What about the Martins? They’d take siblings.
You should call them!
- Or I could just punch ’em in the face.
[laughs]
Come on, Jo-beth! Two of our hardest right off the bat. No.
- You should call them, seriously. They can do it.
I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow.
- Hm. Come back with better ideas!
- I guess you’re gonna be up all night!
Susan: Hey.
Joyce: Anything yet?
Just one night.
- I’m sorry. What you gonna do?
I’m considering the Martins.
Really?
- Yeah, I would take them home with me, but
I have drinking to do.
After my fight with Peter.
Are you guys ok?
I have no idea.
Mercedes: You scared?
LaDonna: I think they’re here.
WC: Donna?
[gasps]
Susan: Come on!
Tyler: Come on, let’s go!
Let me out.
WC: Look at you!
Look at this child...
Tyler.
You’re gonna be my little boy, now.
Susan: Mercedes...
Are you coming out? No, OK...
What’s going on?
Mercedes: Hey, Susan.
Are you sure these people want us?
- Oh, sweetheart. I know they do.
- What if they’re not nice to us?
Do you see Miss Martin?
She just told me that she knows you’re her little girl.
She did?
Yeah. She did...
OK?
OK. Let’s do this.
Donna: My precious Mercedes.
I’m so happy to see you.
My name is Donna, but you can call me Mama.
Mercedes: Hi, Mama.
Oh, come on.
Tyler: Is this my bed?
- No. That’s your bed over there.
Alright, bouncy boy. Settle down.
Take your shirt off.
[laughs]
I get this one. Oh, hey.
[singing] ♪ One morning soon...
[gasps]
Lord Jesus.
[sighs]
Hey, Tyler.
[singing] ♪ One morning soon,
one morning soon,
♪ I heard the angels singing
Oh, you’re so sweet, baby.
OK.
Now I’m gonna run the tub, OK?
Tyler: No, no, no, no!
Leave me alone! No! I don’t want to! No, no!
Nobody’s gonna hurt you, OK?
What’s the matter? What’s going on, baby?
No
WC: Hey, hey, hey. Hey. What’s the matter? What’s wrong?
- I turned on the water and he just fell apart.
Lord Jesus. [panics]
WC: Tyler, that’s OK. That’s OK.
Hey. Hey. That’s OK.
Come, come. Come here. Come here.
I got you. I got you.
- Baby, we’re not gonna hurt you.
Mama got you. OK, you don’t have to take a bath. OK?
We love you, baby boy.
[grunts]
[sighs]
WC: We just welcomed two new children
into our family.
You know, that’s worth the praise right there.
That’s worth the praise.
The other night I was holding my new son,
in my arms, and he was trembling and flailing,
terrified
at just the thought in his little mind
of hot water in the bathtub.
And I couldn’t calm him down.
I couldn’t take that fear.
Nothin’ I could do.
Church, it’s time that we put our eyes on the children
that ain’t got nobody.
That’s right. That’s right. Amen!
I know it ain’t easy.
I hear all the time.
“But Pastor,
kids like these, they gonna cause me some problems.”
Well, yeah. Alright. Yeah.
Well, ain’t you cause some problems too?
Yeah! Oh, yeah! That’s right. That’s right. Preach!
“But Preacher,
I don’t have enough money to be adopting no kids.”
Hm.
Well Joseph adopted the Son of God,
and had Jesus born right there in a manger,
right next to a pile of manure.
And He did alright!
Yeah? Right... Amen! Yes, He did! Amen! Amen.
“But Reverend,
I don’t wanna make no big old stinkin’ mess.
I ain’t gotta take care of somebody else’s problem, do I?”
[reacts] In Jesus’ name! Amen!
And what I say to that is:
“Pharaoh’s daughter
took the redeemer of slaves and pulled him up
right out of the murky banks of the Nile river...
And set Moses right there in her home as if
he was her own son!
So why we’re not doing the same?!
We fill up church houses like this all over the place.
Every Sunday.
And we praise Jesus in them.
We praise the Lord, alright?
But if we can’t wrap our arms around
the most vulnerable amongst us,
then what do we have?!
What do we have?
Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!
That’s what we have.
Noise!
[cheers]
And the children can’t take the noise anymore.
Crowd: [cheers] Amen! Amen, man!
WC: And I looked.
Lord knows I looked. I looked Donna.
I looked, but I can’t find
where He say our life gonna be easy.
[crowd cheers]
And I can’t find it ’cause He ain’t never said it.
What He said is
count it all joy...
Count it all joy when you
run into trouble.
You know what real religion is?
We got real religion when we visit
the orphans and the widows in their distress.
That’s what it is. And that’s what it says in the Book.
Now, I’m askin’ you...
[crowd cheers]
Right now!
Will you join with us?
Will you take a little hand in yours
Will you help us lift a child out of the river?
Crowd: [cheers] Alright! Preach, preach! We can do it!
WC: [sings]
Bring them up! Bring them up! Bring them up! Bring them up!
That’s right! Bring them up!
Pull them up! Pull them up! Pull them up!
[cheers]
Susan: Jo-beth!
Sorry, I’m sorry!
Jo-beth! [laughs] Come here!
First Lady and Reverend say that
22 families want to adopt.
[laughs]
The whole town. Whole town wants kids now. [laughs]
Jo-beth: Are you kidding? That’s about right.
Donna: But the training’s a problem.
Most folks can’t make it all this way.
So we’re hoping that
you can do the classes at the church instead,
Jo-beth: yeah? Yes. Of course. I can get...
Susan: I will get baptized for 22 families.
[laughs]
Donna: But we’re also here to ask to takin’ in another child.
Susan: Really?
Hm-hm.
Things are going that well with Mercedes and Tyler?
WC: Hey, it really don’t matter how things are goin’.
And I got to ask, hm.
The kids... we want the ones that nobody else want.
- Susan: Hm. - Jo-beth: Wow.
Well, we definitely need help with Intensive Level,
our older kids.
What about the Santiago boys or Terri?
Susan: Oh Terri? Jo-beth, no.
WC: Who’s Terri?
Susan: Hm, Terri is a 12-year-old girl
who’s been in care for three years.
She’s with a good family now, but they just gave notice.
It’s been tough finding a permanent placement.
WC: We’ll take her.
Susan: Reverend, First Lady,
I want this to be a good experience for you.
There are so many other kids
that would be much easier to handle.
WC: Well, we’ll let...
somebody else take care of those children.
Susan: No. No. Terri is not a good fit.
All these people that you say are watching you...
What happens when it doesn’t work out with Terri?
I see a lot of children coming back to me.
WC: Susan,
this is something that we must do.
You understand?
Susan: Religious guilt can’t fix the broken child’s heart.
Donna: Love can.
Real, determined love.
Susan: I have to pick up the pieces.
When all the lovey-dovey is gone, the real world hits hard.
It don’t matter.
The state ain’t no family.
Susan: We don’t know the full extent of the trauma,
but her mother is an addict and may have pimped her out.
Her boyfriend raped
and tortured Terri and left her in a ditch.
Her mother subsequently smothered Terri’s older sister.
She has attachment issues,
manic episodes, and can resort to some pretty...
Jo-beth: Unusual...
Hm,
unusual coping mechanisms.
She pretends that she’s a cat.
When people say that they want to adopt,
they don’t usually mean kids like Terri.
They’re just afraid.
That’s all. Had to get your eyes on other things.
I see, we... We got our eyes on this, right now.
And this is all that we see.
We got over 20 families
that want kids just like Terri,
and any other child that need a home.
That’s just in our little neck of the woods.
You think about that.
We got churches on every corner.
Every single one.
In each and every one of them peoples
they done heard the same thing.
There shouldn’t be a child without a home!
We can turn this whole thing around.
- Let me think about it, OK? I will call you.
Okay. I will call you. OK, OK.
Joyce: Churches?
- Yeah. Well, they’re communities.
That’s all I care about.
They’ve locked arms, they have shared history,
they share burdens. It’s like a much bigger family.
Joyce: OK. I’ll stick my neck out and go to bat for this.
I’ll get the budget and put everything I can behind this,
including you and Jo-beth.
But the Martins have to succeed.
Donna: Terri, we see Susan all the time.
Listen, I know you had to stay in a lot of places,
but you ain’t never gonna have to leave this home, sugar.
I’m gonna take care of everything you need
from here on.
We’re your people now,
so you can call me “Mama”.
Terri: OK, Donna...
I’m a cat.
WC: That’s what Ms. Ramsey said.
Sounds like a fun game.
You know the other kids play all kinds of
pretend games round here so,
we got lots to do.
[meows]
LaDonna: What is she doing?
Donna: LaDonna, just get ready for breakfast. Sit down.
[meows]
We are about to eat, Terri. Keep your hands clean, OK?
Terri? Let’s play kitty later.
We wanna talk, get to know you more.
[meows]
OK, tell us what you like to do.
I’m a cat. [meows and hiss]
You’re weird.
- Hey! LaDonna, that’s not nice. Stop it. -Mama!
Mercedes: Do you really think you’re a cat?
Tyler: You’re not a cat. You’re a girl.
She’s acting like a cat.
[grunts]
WC: Donna... Where’s those chicken livers you saved?
Donna: Oh, they’re in there somewhere. Why?
OK. [meows]
WC: Terri. Hey, Terri.
[calls and whistles]
Mercedes: Ew!
WC: Come on. Come on.
[calls and whistles]
There you go. That’s your breakfast.
[meows]
The cats around here got to eat,
you know, chicken livers and little mice
and things like that.
So, if you want to be a cat,
we’re gonna set a plate of food out for you every day,
and you can sleep out on the porch.
But you got to be watchful of the raccoons and coyotes and
possums and slugs. They get you.
Terri: [meows]
Donna: WC, what have you done?
Something Solomon would do.
- You think that’s gonna make her feel better?
WC: Maybe that’s why he had all them wives.
Kept looking for a woman...
that wouldn’t question him all the time.
Terri: I ain’t gonna eat that.
[meows]
[sighs] [meows and hisses]
I’m gonna call Susan!
I’m hungry!
I bet you are.
We got a whole lot of food.
But I don’t know what kind to feed you.
- I don’t think I’m gonna be a cat anymore.
I wanna be a girl now.
Good.
We got more than enough cats around here.
We need more little girls...
[laughs]
Donna: Hm, girl. your hair is matted.
OK, alright.
So once a week maybe two, use that conditioner I got you.
Work through the tangles, moisturize it.
You gotta protect your hair, OK?
And tonight I want you to tie it up
with a scarf.
You got good hair.
Girls gonna be jealous of you.
Yeah.
You’re a beautiful girl.
OK. Uh.
Susan: Anywhere you want.
And please come get me if you have any questions.
Anything. OK. Thank you.
Hey. OK. Alright.
Mollie: Hi, how are you?
Do you expect a raise?
There’s a minimum income threshold
that they want you to meet.
We won’t be gettin’ no raise.
- Hm, I’m sure you will. I have a good feeling.
We’re happy to have you two...
Thank you.
Donna: Yes, I know you’re nervous. I’m too.
OK. I know how you feel.
Johnnie: We were all done. Kids all gone. You know that.
But something kept pulling at me.
“Go, do it.”
- Yes, do it. This is Johnnie and her husband Fred.
This is Susan.
Susan: Hi. Thank you so much.
Donna: All kinds showed up that night.
Mostly friends and family, and
some I hardly remembered.
You feel so many things, like you’re
flying and then falling at the same time,
when something so important feels out of your hands.
Then the kids started coming.
With stories that just tore at your insides.
Johnnie: Hi. Susan!
[inaudible]
Don’t cry.
Donna: And they kept coming.
Scores of them.
Brenda: I made dinner for you. Come on, have a seat.
Donna: Out of all that loss and pain,
children who went into the system from all over East Texas
made their way to our little town
into a handful of determined families.
Diann: Joshua and Randy, welcome home.
Come on in. Come on and meet your brother.
[laughs] Nino! No! Get them out of my house.
You better run!
[laughs]
WC: You’re my little boy now.
That little paper makes it official.
You ain’t going nowhere now.
[cheers]
Donna: Now, scripture says
“Let the Believers with little wealth
glory in their high position.”
Now I only ever made sense of that for one reason:
It seemed the less we had the more He gave.
He watched over us every way we could think of.
Crowd: Happy birthday, dear Keiosha,
happy birthday to you.
[cheers]
Keiosha: Why d’ya all lookin’ at me?
Johnnie: ‘Cause it’s your birthday, sweetie.
You know what a birthday is?
You’ve ever had a birthday cake?
Birthday cake?
Johnnie: All of you guys are gonna get one. Every year.
Ready to blow out the candles?
One, two, three.
[blows]
[cheers]
Hey, good job!
Great job! How about that?
Donna: WC?
WC: Yeah?
You paid the water?
- I’m on getting it turned back on.
I still gotta get groceries.
That’s at least a hundred dollars. I don’t understand...
- You don’t wanna think I know all the things
around here and--
Excuse me, young lady.
Where did you get those daisy dukes?
Terri: What’s wrong with them?
- Girl, you’re looking for trouble in those things.
Go change.
LaDonna: Hey, Franklin.
Terri: Hey, Frankie. Come in.
Donna: Oh, not now, baby. I need everyone’s help for a while.
Franklin: Oh, I’ll catch you later, I guess.
Terri: We’re gonna go play Donna.
I said not now.
Terri: Why not? We’re done already.
Don’t go out that door.
Why not?
‘Cause I said not now.
- I’ve already done everything you need me to do.
You don’t stop making plans for me.
Just wait a minute now.
Terri: You can’t tell me what to do.
Why can’t I just do what I wanna do?
I just wanna go out and play with Franklin.
Why can’t I do all these things?
Donna: Who are you talking to like that?
WC, you better see this girl.
[indistinct]
WC: Alright now... Just lower your voice now.
Lower your voice.
Terri: Especially you! Don’t tell me what to do!
Why can’t I just do it?
Just leave me alone.
- Donna: Alright. Alright! - I don’t want to do anything.
Just stop it! Stop it! Stop it!
Now, now, now! Just leave me alone!
I don’t wanna do it anymore.
[cries]
WC: Hey! OK. OK. OK.
That’s OK now. Look, look. We’re here for you now.
[cries]
Take your time. Donna: Alright.
Terri: I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
- It’s OK. It’s OK. - Sorry. I’m sorry.
Dr.: Terri has suffered a significant
amount of rejection and betrayal
from her mother.
Abandonment from her father.
It may take a long time for her to trust you.
Diann: Well, that’s the broken window.
He got locked out and used a rock to get in.
But honestly, I can wait on this.
The real problem is in here.
Come on in.
So it’s leaking in here.
Every time I try to wash clothes the whole place floods.
They say the sewer pipe is backing up
‘cause of all us in here now.
I don’t have $800 to fix it.
WC: Alright. It’s a lot of people.
They’re with a lot of wear and tear so.
I’ll go see what I can do
Diann: Anything you can do I appreciate.
Mark: I would make it more real.
Announcement: (So give today and help us meet the
one million dollar building campaign goal.)
Mark: Hey, that color look right to you, Jim?
Oh, no.
Brand new projector better be--
So I really want that whole wall there.
Got the new screens, I don’t wanna do that. Leave all--
(Abundant Life is going to the Caribbean. Join us--)
WC: Mark! You gotta minute, my brotha?
Mark: WC! Good afternoon.
Jim, hold off on the announcements for a minute.
I left messages but
I never heard back.
- Yeah, I’m sorry, I’ve been swamped.
- Well, I don’t wanna bother you with too much, but...
we’ve come into some needs, pastor.
OK. Well, what’s going on?
The kids keep comin’ and
it has put a strain on people somethin’ fierce.
And the houses’ gettin’ worked now.
I got one mother, she’s a single mother,
she needs a new sewer line.
And I just ain’t got it right now.
- Reverend, you know we’ve been doing the best we can.
- Mark, I appreciate everything you’ve done thus far.
It’s just that we’re in a situation here
and our only way--
- Isn’t the county sending you all support still?
These are working families.
It goes fast.
There’s a lot of needs.
OK... Hey look,
you took on a heavy burden, WC.
So why can’t you?
Lord, if we can just come together on this...
Because it’s too much.
I’m not going to turn everybody’s life upside down.
We can’t come at it like that.
You know what it says in James?
I do know. I’ve got a Bible.
You also need to use wisdom.
Wisdom?
I say I got a Bible too.
I just ain’t seen the part about the big stages.
I’ve seen the orphans and the widows, and the millstones
- Look, Reverend-- - and the sheep and the goat.
- Reverend, you need to back down.
- But I ain’t seen the standing-on-the-sidelines part.
There’s a bloodbath going on outside
and you on a cruise ship up in here?!
WC!
We care about kids here.
Which ones?
You can’t see the ones sitting right
outside on your doorstep?!
The conference is coming up.
On top of everything else,
it’s just not in the church budget.
So this is from Mary and I.
Give me the names of the kids.
We got gift baskets planned for Christmas.
OK? We’ll do what we can.
- I appreciate this. I really do.
Right. Hm. Alright. Take care.
Donna: What are you doing out here?
WC: Cleaning up.
I took care of your sister’s plumbing.
Well, that’s good.
Pastor Mark helped.
Lord knows I want to love that man.
I really do.
But he got me on my face so much I can’t barely
get the taste of dirt out of my mouth.
I’m where the Lord put me, I’m doing His work,
but why I got to beg?
- I don’t know why you keep going over there to them.
- Because we ain’t got enough to pay for the electric
on the church right now.
We barely got nothing’ for all these kids coming in!
Well, that’s embarrassing, WC.
I mean, what go around here ain’t nobody’s business.
Why it ain’t his business?
We worship the same Jesus, ain’t it?
He’s my brother.
Come on. Come here. Come here.
[sighs]
Terri: How far is this place?
LaDonna: Girl, you asked to come with us.
Franklin: We shoulda drove my dad’s truck.
Joshua: Franklin, you can not drive.
LaDonna: Alright, here we are.
OK, all you swore on your dead granny’s graveyard
that you’re not gonna tell nobody about this.
And Terri swore on her cat.
- [laughs] I don’t have a cat, troll.
Girl, it’s a joke. Chill.
This is our pond,
nobody knows about it. So let’s keep it that way.
Franklin: Especially parents.
Bro, if my mom knew about this,
she would for sure think I’m gonna drown.
Joshua: So, who’s going in?
Terri: No way, I can’t swim.
LaDonna: It’s too cold for all that, anyway.
Franklin: It’s not that bad. Stop being a baby.
Terri: Aight, you go in then.
Franklin: Aight, I might
[sighs]
LaDonna: Stop trying to show off, little boy.
[grunt]
Put that down!
WC: You ain’t got no choice.
LaDonna: Really? I know I can’t.
WC: Ain’t no such thing as can’t...
Alright, let’s try it again.
Do like this, alright?
Together: [sings] ♪ I...
♪ need Thee...
♪ Every hour, I need Thee...
WC: Hm-hm. See?
Look at you, girl.
So pretty in that dress, playin’ that song so good,
you gon’ be playin’ it at the church.
LaDonna: [laughs] Daddy, no! Oh, yes. You is.
WC: You gon’ be playin’ it at the church.
If I got a thing to do with it,
you’re gonna be right up there next to the pulpit.
Right at the pulpit next to your mama.
LaDonna: [laughs] But daddy, I messed it up.
WC: I don’t know about all that. [laughs]
[laughs] Yes, you are. You got it.
You got lots of talent. [inaudible]
LaDonna: Daddy...
Terri: Daddy...
Daddy...
[playing and laughter]
LaDonna: Ouch!
What’s wrong with you?
Donna: Hey, what are you doing?
I saw you trip her!
Terri: I didn’t do nothing!
LaDonna: Yes, you did! Stop lying!
Donna: Get in the house right now.
Terri: Stop it! What about her? You ugly little bitch, LaDonna!
[grunts]
Hey! [grunts] Get off me! Get off! [screams]
Donna: You get away! Get away!
Terri: You liar!
Donna: Get off my daughter!
LaDonna: Why did she have to come here?
That’s enough, LaDonna!
- Didn’t you just see what she did to me?
Make her leave! I don’t want to hear that again.
Why don’t you ever do anything?
She’s so mean!
Mercedes lies and steals all the time and
you never do anything!
I said that’s enough.
You need to show them some understanding, OK?
All you care ‘bout is them.
LaDonna, come here.
Come here. Come here.
Come on. Come on.
Terri: You got me, you got me.
You won’t get me. You ain’t gonna get me.
[grunts] Alright, [laughs] I’m hit. [screams]
[laughs] [inaudible].
Got me. [grunts]
Got you, got you.
Donna: Tyler and Prince, you all go wash up.
Dinner is almost ready. [laughs and plays]
Terri: Oh, no. Got him, got him.
Donna: Terri.
[sighs]
I wanna talk to you.
I want you to know I didn’t mean what I said earlier today.
Yeah, you did.
Donna: No, Terri. I was just very upset.
You’re my daughter too.
But we missed out on a lot.
I didn’t give birth to you, or nurse you.
I didn’t get the chance to rock you to sleep...
[sighs]
We’re gotta to work on this together.
Terri... look,
I’m not giving up on you.
I ain’t gonna do it, but you can’t give up on me either.
Dr.: Do you have any questions?
Terri: Hm-hm.
Dr.: OK. Well,
I want you to try and be positive about yourself.
Don’t dwell on all the work that has to be done.
I want you to know that you’re beautiful,
you’re capable
and you’re strong.
OK?
Terri: OK. I will.
LaDonna: Mom! I can’t find my yellow dress!
- Mom... - Huh?
LaDonna: Where’s my yellow dress?
I can’t hear you.
I need it for church!
Terri: You’re beautiful.
I am beautiful.
I am capable.
I am strong...
And responsible.
I am stupid.
Such an idiot.
[sighs]
Donna: Oh, come on, Tyler.
Time to take a bath. Ready to take a bath?
Ready? Ready to take a bath? [laughs]
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Are you going to bathe? Come on, see it. It’s okay.
Oh! [laughs]
Terri: [meows]
[sighs]
Donna: Terri, what’s the matter? What’s going on?
Are you worried about something?
Hm-hm.
Terri: I’m just playing.
- What’s going on with you, girl?
- Nothing. I just like that game.
- Yeah, but you’ve been playing that a long time.
You miss her? Your mama?
She was mean sometimes.
How was she mean?
[breathes heavily]
Hey, you just get her out your mind, okay?
You’re here now.
You’re my child and ain’t nothin’
gonna happen like that in this house.
Hey!
[breathes heavily]
Terri...
Baby...
Look at me.
I was thinking about making a pie or cookies or somethin’.
What do you think? You wanna help me?
Yeah.
Terri: Why is she doing that?
Donna: It’s called baptism.
It means she’s a new person now.
You see, Jesus takes all your sadness
and everything you’ve done wrong...
and gives you a new life.
Donna: It seems there’s no heartache on earth
like the wounds from a mother or father.
They eat at you and refuse to stay hidden
in the recesses of your soul.
You can’t ignore them.
You can’t numb yourself so well
that they will not one day overtake you,
and the ones you’re meant to love.
[indistinct arguing]
Glen: ...listen to your mother.
Theresa:You better listen. Don’t talk to me like that...
[inaudible] [screams]
[indistinct arguing continues]
Donna: Hey, Glen. Is Theresa here?
Glen: Yeah, but it’s really not a good time First Lady.
Theresa: Get yourself back in here!
I should talk to her, really.
- This is really, really not a good time.
- Theresa! It’s Donna. Where are you at?
Theresa: I do everything for you all.
I give y’all everything I got and this is how you act?
[thud]
Donna: W.C.? W.C., wake up.
W.C.!
I heard something outside.
Go check on the girls. Go!
[snores and grunts]
WC: I never agreed to no nocturnal children!
If it ain’t serious, Lord, it’s gonna be.
Better be dead, dying or worse.
I always get that...
It is serious. It’s Terri. She’s gone.
Oh, Lord.
Her window’s open.
Franklin: Your parents are gonna kill you.
Terri: No, wait.
Put your arms around me.
WC: “So tell us again, Reverend,
how’d you find yourself getting shot by your neighbors?!”
Terri! Terri! Franklin!
Boy, your daddy’s gonna hear from me in the morning!
Terri: He told me to come here!
Franklin: No, I didn’t. Terri: Yeah, you did.
You told me to come here!
Franklin: No, I didn’t. I never did.
Terri: He’s lying.
WC: Get your tail out here right now, little girl!
Now!
Susan: I haven’t observed much progress...
Dr.: How’s the adoption progressing?
That could change things.
WC: It’s tough right now.
It would change the stipend.
Donna: It don’t seem like she wants to be anyways.
Dr.: Until she believes that she’s loved and
that she’s safe it is not going to happen.
Donna: We’ve given her everything she needs!
I don’t know what else to do,
with all we got goin’ on.
Dr.: Then it may be in her best interest
to be in a different home.
Donna: What?
Dr.: I don’t see her forming an attachment.
No! That won’t ever happen.
Susan: First Lady--
Donna: Susan, I won’t have that.
It’s not up to you. Or me,
okay?
I told you.
People in this town are looking to you.
We can’t have them give up because they see
things falling apart with Terri.
What’s happening with Possum Trot
has the attention of the state.
We’re approaching legislators for more accommodations,
more resources.
This could mean a huge, huge change for the system.
And Joyce won’t risk that.
She will pull Terri
if she feels that she needs different care.
WC: Now if you pull Terri from my home
how’s that things not falling apart?
She’s still gone.
You wouldn’t be giving her up.
It would be psychiatric intervention
at the recommendation of her doctor.
Not your fault.
- Nobody is gonna see it that way. Hm,
Susan, you got to understand.
There’s so many families here,
they’re hanging on by a thread.
Everybody ain’t got it like it.
Just be mindful of that, if you?
Take her out now you gonna get a lot
more kids than Terri if you do what you say.
Okay.
We just need to turn a corner...
Yeah.
- Okay? -Okay. - Okay.
Donna: W.C.!
WC: What’s wrong?
- I need you in here! And bring Terri.
WC: Terri!
Donna: Terri, what is this?
WC: You gotta speak up, T.
You need to tell us what is going on.
Do you want to hurt somebody here?
Donna: Why was that in your bed?
- Somebody might come in here at night.
I don’t want them to hurt me.
Donna: Terri, who hurt you, baby?
Her friends.
Everybody.
- Look, you’re safe here now, okay? Just calm down.
Let me go. You’re hurting me.
- It’s okay. Just calm yourself, okay?
Okay, baby. I’m trying to talk to you,
I’m trying to love you. I’m trying to talk to you.
Let me love you, you’re not gonna turn your back from me.
- [grunts] don’t touch me! WC: Terri, hey! You--
Donna: I am your mama! I am your mama!
You ain’t my mama!
Yes, you my child.
You ain’t my mama!
- Yes, I’m your mama, you hear me.
WC: Terri!
Get off me.
WC: Donna, Donna!
Leave me alone!
WC: Terri.
Donna: Oh, Lord Jesus. Oh, God.
WC: Donna...
W.C. [cries]
- You’re alright, Donna? You’re alright?
- Susan knew this wasn’t gonna work. Oh, Lord Jesus.
What are we doing, W.C.? What are we doing?
Donna...
- Why did we agree to take this on?
This is what He said to do.
- I don’t even like these kids sometimes, W.C.
I’m losing my own little girl in all this!
I just want them out of our lives!
Oh, God.
I am nothin’ like my mama.
Terri gonna be fine.
All we got to do is just stay calm and do it.
- No. No! Are you listening to me?
- This is what the Lord said we do. So this is what we do.
Now it’s not the time to give in what we need and look back.
I need help!
I’m here every day by myself. Just by myself.
I do not leave you alone.
Yes, you do, W.C.
- And now what do you want from me?
- I’m here with Prince, I got LaDonna.
I can’t take it no more.
- I don’t leave you alone. Now I’m doing the best I can.
I can’t be everywhere at once.
I’m keeping everybody.
With food on the table. And lights on.
Everybody’s lights on! What more you want me to do, Donna?
Everybody’s falling apart
and I don’t know what to tell them.
Listen... Donna!
Donna: ♪ I love the Lord, He heard my cry,
I need you, Father. I need you, right now.
I can’t go on. Father, Please, Jesus,
We need you right now, Father.
Right now, come into this room.
You see what we going through.
Give us the strength, right now.
♪ I love the Lord,
He heard my cry,
[WC joins] ♪ And He... And He chases my grief away,
Long as I live and troubles rise,
♪ I’ll hasten to... His throne ...
[sighs]
WC: I’m sorry.
I shouldn’t have talked to you like that.
Hm.[sighs]
You... You’re a good mama.
Donna: What are we gonna do?
[cheers]
WC: Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
This is a special place, Bennett Chapel.
The eyes of the Lord are on this house.
You know, I looked and I couldn’t find any
Harvard graduates in these
pews here.
I didn’t see any rocket scientists
or movie stars either.
Maybe not yet.
But what I do see is a room full of regular people.
Sound a whole lot like the 12 regular people
that Jesus left His whole church to, doesn’t it?
You’re doing something, in this here house, that
almost nobody else would.
You took in an orphan child. Or two or three or five!
You left your fishing boat
and you walked on with Jesus anyway.
And I know something else.
Some of you ain’t too sure about it anymore.
Fair.
Some of you, your compass is spinning
and you wonderin’, which way is what?
I know you feel it because I feel it too.
[crowd cheers]
If we believe the Bible,
then we must bear that burden,
but it ought to be light. But sometimes
that burden is only light when it’s shared.
And we family...
If you’re feeling something heavy right now,
I want you to stand up with me.
Stand up.
Rest on your feet with me.
That’s alright.
Some of you feel like you can’t go on.
Some of you feel regret.
I want you to know that you heard Him right.
You didn’t make a mistake.
He ain’t ever promised us easy.
But what He promised us is that
He was gonna be right there by our side.
So let’s take up this cross and let’s keep on.
You did hear Him,
and He’s going to hold you right now,
because He hears you too.
Come on up here. Come on.
Come on.
I’m asking you now to get your arms around
your brothers and sisters.
Be there for them! When they call you in the midnight hour,
you come running.
They’ve got vomit on them from an ailing child,
you wipe it off!
They about to jump off the cliff
you step out there in front.
The greatest in His kingdom
is the servant of all!
Yes, He is! The Good Shepherd.
It’s time to do this together, church.
Not alone.
[crowd responds in Interposing voices]
We stand before You in our weakness, Lord,
now may the power of Christ come upon us.
Visit your people right now, in this moment!
In our weakness your strength was made perfect.
Take the weight from their hearts, Lord,
and give them the Holy Ghost power
to do what needs to be done.
Yeah! You got the power, Lord!
Donna:[sings] ♪Satan, we’re gonna tear your kingdom down,
Oh, Satan, we’re gonna tear your kingdom down,
You’ve been building your kingdom,
All over this land.
♪ Satan, we’re gonna tear your kingdom down,
♪ Oh, the preachers, they’re gonna preach your kingdom down,
♪ Oh, preachers, they’re gonna preach your kingdom down,
♪ You’ve been building your kingdom.
Donna: We got our arms around each other, like we never had,
and He can take you to deep places
with someone by your side.
Mollie: Whatcha doin’? I know how it is, it’s hard.
Donna: I’ll come back and help you Mollie.
Diann: Here, Randy.
Donna: The road turned and we followed it.
Lord, the places you find yourself.
Diann: I can’t give him back.
I won’t be part of that, Donna, I won’t.
I couldn’t live with myself!
[cries]
Donna: Diann...
You rescued that baby from the fire.
Now let us give him what he needs.
Donna: Yea, though we walk, the path goes one way
when you’re sure it’ll go another.
Donna: Joshua is coming home!
Hey, Joshua!
Hey!
Donna: I see now. The shadow of death is just poetry.
Until you step into that valley
and the shadow falls over you.
Only at that moment do you understand
you’ve stumbled into a place that will try your soul
to its very core because you followed God to that place.
But you had not come to green pastures.
You arrive somewhere that is only found
by a winding, narrow path,
with only lamplight at your feet,
because the Lord is not needed in green pastures.
The still waters are behind you.
Now you’re staring at the face of evil,
and where the fear of it will rise up in you
because it has left such a mark
that you will swear it can never be undone.
[prays] We can’t do it without you, Jesus.
WC: Come on, now. Let’s go. LaDonna! Mercedes.
LaDonna: Go, Mercedes. Go!
We don’t have time for this.
WC: Come on now, move your feet, little one. Let’s go.
LaDonna: We got it, Daddy.
WC: I want A’s from all y’all. Each and every last one of you.
Terri: Hey.
What’s up?
Vanessa: Your sister is such a ho, LaDonna.
LaDonna: Shut up, Vanessa.
Let’s go.
Terri: We’re here.
Boy: I just got a bathroom pass. [laughs] [inaudible]
Terri: She thinks I’m in the nurse’s office.
Alright, go, go on, hurry up.
What? Show me what you got, come on.
[laughs] Come on. Let’s go.
Before somebody gets here.
Come on, take it off. Let’s go.
[laughs] You’re crazy.
[cries] [gasps]
Mr. Thompson: Mrs. Martin.
Donna: I am so sorry, Mr. Thompson.
I understand the suspension and we’re working on this.
- Mrs. Martin. It was serious this time.
You might need to stop by a drugstore.
What? Hm.
Donna: What happened in there, Terri?
Did that boy hurt you?
Terri, I’m talking to you.
- I’m not gonna do what you tell me.
- How you fix your mouth to say something like that
when all I try to do is protect you?
No, you are not!
You want me to be like you.
I ain’t gonna be a fake little pastor’s daughter!
Okay, that’s enough!
Now I’m the parent here.
You may not accept that but
you at least gonna respect me. You hear?
No!
Terri!
You’re not gonna talk to me like that.
- Stop it! I don’t wanna be here!
I don’t wanna be anywhere!
I wish I was dead!
I wish I wasn’t born!
[cries]
[cries and screams]
[gasps] [gasps]
[sobbing]
[screams]
[sad music]
[sighs]
[sad music]
♪ One of these mornings ♪
♪ Won’t be very long... ♪
[engine starting]
[music continues]
Donna: Terri.
[somber music]
[dramatic music]
[door opens]
Terri’s gone. She took the car.
I don’t know, she was so upset...
WC, I don’t know, but the way she talked, she got me worried.
What we gonna do?
Tell Diann to grab the kids from school.
Fred, Fred, Fred!
Renae: What’s the matter, Chewy?
Terri took off in Donna’s car.
Terri is driving?
She’s gonna kill somebody.
WC: RJ! Terri took Donna’s car!
She came by here?
[gasps]
Please, Lord, help us find this child.
Alright go head back to town, tell everybody.
Glen: Alright.
[door closes] [engine revs]
Donna: Diann, you heard something?
Ok, ok, bye.
[car door closes]
Oh, Lord, we need your help. Oh, God.
Donna: Diann, you hear anything?
Diann: She’s not here.
Diann: But people are already looking for her, ok?
And I got more people coming.
- It’s getting late. -I know. Should we call Susan?
No!
Why we gonna do that? Ain’t gonna help anyhow.
WC: Terri!
Come on, girl!
Terri!
You got people looking for you, that love you now!
Donna: Terri!
Terri!
Susan: No... No, I didn’t hear.
How long?
OK, OK. OK. Hey, Renae,
we’ll have to have this talk later, OK?
Thank you.
Terri’s AWOL. She took Donna’s car.
Jo-beth: What?
- They found the car crashed, but no Terri.
[music]
[soft music]
[soft music continues]
Donna: Terri!
Terri! Where are you?
[music continues]
Renae: I know this is hard, Susan.
Donna: Terri.
Terri: Are you mad?
No.
I’m not mad.
Am I a new person now?
Donna: Everybody! We found her! WC,
We got her!
WC: Jesus...
Donna: Ok, that’s ok.
[inaudible]
Donna: We found her...
- We found her. - Yeah, we found her, guys!
Donna: WC!
She’s ok. She’s ok, everybody.
Susan: Are you ok? Yeah? Ok.
[sighs]
Donna: She’s safe now.
Take her home then...
Susan: I’m supposed to take her back with me.
Right now.
Susan, please.
- I wanna believe we turned a corner.
First Lady,...
have we turned a corner?
Well...
[sighs]
It looks to me like we have.
[crowd celebrates in interposing voices]
Donna: I’ve had to look at some things
I couldn’t see before,
things I need to change.
I know I hurt you, Terri and...
I’m sorry, baby girl.
Terri: Did my mom hate me?
No.
Come here, baby.
Don’t say nothin’ like that.
Your mama didn’t hate you, ok?
I tried to be good,
but it didn’t matter.
- This wasn’t nothing you ever did, you hear me?
Look at me.
She couldn’t see you.
But I see you.
And when I look at your sweet little face,
I see my little girl.
You’re a gift
and you were only ever meant to be loved.
Love is kind,
love protects,
and love never gives up.
That’s ok...
And love forgives, baby.
That’s where you’re gonna have to start. Forgive.
Hm.
It’s okay, I got you.
Hm.
[gasps]
[cries]
That’s ok.
It’s alright, baby girl.
It’s okay.
[soft music]
[crying]
Let it out, it’s okay, it’s okay.
We got you.
Let it go now.
He sees you sweet baby.
Donna: We say we believe,
that we’ll follow Him wherever He leads.
The truth is you don’t even know
if you have faith
until something weighs down on you with all its might.
There you see what’s inside.
When you follow to that place,
you will become like the One who leads you,
or you will find that you never knew Him.
We followed.
I heard it said we ain’t had no business tryin’.
But I say, if we can,
then who is it that can’t?
We took up those little hands
in the weakness of our own.
We took them in faith.
And yea though we walk through the valley,
and the shadow of death bears down on our souls,
I will fear no evil,
for I have seen that we do not walk alone.
[soft music]
[phone ringing]
Susan: Hello?
WC: Susan, how you doin’, my sister?
Reverend! Hi.
- Well, I just have finished talkin’ to some people
and it looks like we got room for more children.
- Reverend, I can’t tell you how it feels to know that.
But at the moment
there are no more.
What?
What do you mean?
- There’s not a child in need of a home
in 100 miles of Possum Trot in every direction.
But I know where to find you.
- Alright then, uh. Well, you let me know.
Thank you.