Candace Owens - The Conversation Every Married Couple Has

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00:00:25.140 All right, guys, so we are doing a special Saturday edition of the show here, asking a question that I know a lot, maybe every single married couple ever has privately asked one another, which is, would we ever adopt or foster a child?

00:00:40.480 And privately, one of you probably or maybe said, no, I would never adopt.

00:00:44.740 No, I would never foster.

00:00:46.260 And you'd likely offer some reason that you proceed to be valid as to why you couldn't.

00:00:50.700 It's definitely a heavy topic, and fortunately, fortunately, it is going to get a lot lighter and easier to discuss it, thanks to the incredible film, Sound of Hope.

00:01:01.060 In this Saturday interview, I'm bringing you such a wonderfully inspired conversation with the filmmakers themselves, Josh and Rebecca Weigel.

00:01:09.300 They're also foster and adoptive parents themselves.

00:01:12.620 And before we bring them in, I'd like to offer you guys this short preview of the film, Sound of Hope.

00:01:17.860 Are you sure these people want us?

00:01:19.880 I know they do.

00:01:21.660 You can call me mama.

00:01:27.400 It's hard to feel like I'm the only one who sees these things.

00:01:33.080 70% of the kids in the system are there because of neglect.

00:01:38.140 The other 30% are put through hell.

00:01:41.500 We need your help.

00:01:45.540 Can you imagine our kids on their own?

00:01:53.060 We can't just look away.

00:01:56.640 The state ain't no family.

00:01:59.400 Are you sure these people want us?

00:02:01.680 I know they do.

00:02:03.000 You can call me mama.

00:02:07.980 Oh, Lord.

00:02:08.820 If we can't wrap our arms around the most vulnerable, then what do we have?

00:02:17.980 Noise.

00:02:19.100 And the children can't take the noise anymore.

00:02:23.240 This is something that we must do.

00:02:25.800 22 families want to adopt.

00:02:31.940 The whole town wants kids now. 0.71

00:02:33.640 That's about right.

00:02:36.380 What's happening with Possum Trot could mean a huge change for the system.

00:02:40.220 We want the ones that nobody else won't.

00:02:45.440 Who hurt you, baby? 1.00

00:02:46.840 I don't.

00:02:47.700 I'm not giving up on you.

00:02:49.180 You can't give up on me either.

00:02:52.720 What are we going to do?

00:02:55.000 Everybody's falling apart.

00:02:56.180 I'm doing the best I can.

00:03:00.380 A real world hits heart.

00:03:02.100 I don't want to be here.

00:03:03.400 I can't give him back.

00:03:08.720 We got to work on this together.

00:03:15.300 We your people now.

00:03:17.440 And love never gives up.

00:03:25.500 So don't go anywhere, guys.

00:03:26.900 We are going to have a most powerful discussion that will both move and uplift you.

00:03:31.100 Who doesn't need that on a Saturday?

00:03:32.760 And we get to do some good in the process because in the corner of your screen,

00:03:36.400 you'll notice some names of people who are buying tickets live.

00:03:40.060 They're buying tickets to The Sound of Hope.

00:03:42.260 So be sure to get in on the fun.

00:03:44.300 Join the party.

00:03:45.620 Go to angel.com slash Candice.

00:03:48.380 And if you want a discount, use my code Candice25 at checkout.

00:03:52.340 All right.

00:03:52.660 Let's get started.

00:03:53.600 Welcome to Candice.

00:03:54.280 All right, guys.

00:04:09.920 I promised you we are back now with Rebecca and Josh Weigel, an amazing company who brought

00:04:14.600 this story to life.

00:04:16.100 I mean, bringing it to the big screen.

00:04:18.120 And I know a lot more than you guys know back at home.

00:04:20.820 It's an incredible story, as I said, an important topic that a lot of us are not comfortable

00:04:25.380 speaking about or even knowing about.

00:04:28.460 And I want to start with you, Rebecca, because I was looking into your bio and your background

00:04:32.540 is in psychology.

00:04:34.060 And we talk a lot about psychology on my show.

00:04:36.480 And I was just examining my own psychology.

00:04:38.760 When you think about the foster care system, when you think about adoption, you know that

00:04:43.300 so many bad things happen there.

00:04:45.300 What is it that makes it so difficult for us to take the next step and just want to completely

00:04:51.360 transform it, get involved with it, especially as parents?

00:04:55.660 Yeah.

00:04:56.360 I mean, I think there's a lot of fears around foster care.

00:04:59.720 As soon as you say foster care, people are like, oh, OK, those kids are troubled and they

00:05:04.180 have problems.

00:05:05.220 And, you know, we're not thinking about the kids are the victims.

00:05:08.740 It's not their fault.

00:05:09.960 You know, they're not bad kids.

00:05:11.140 They've just been through hard things.

00:05:12.880 And as people of faith, we should have the most compassion and really step into their

00:05:17.920 story and help help change the narrative, help change their story.

00:05:22.100 And I'm and I'm guilty of this, by the way.

00:05:23.860 I think it's a question that every couple asks themselves when they get married, like,

00:05:28.260 would we ever adopt?

00:05:29.180 That's like one of the conversations that you have.

00:05:31.320 And I think that is part of the fear.

00:05:32.920 And part of that is coming from media depictions and believing that you could end up with a totally

00:05:38.160 scary situation that you can't get out of.

00:05:40.360 There's all these documentaries about, you know, children that then try to kill other

00:05:44.120 children.

00:05:44.480 And it's hard for us to sort of face this reality that we do have a crisis in America.

00:05:50.080 And so, Josh, let's move to you, because reading how you guys picked up your entire lives and

00:05:57.300 moved to Possum Trot because you wanted to understand out in East Texas the story of this

00:06:02.880 community that got this involved in the foster process.

00:06:05.340 How did you first learn about Possum Trot?

00:06:08.180 And when did you know that this was a story that you needed to bring the big screen?

00:06:11.940 Yeah.

00:06:12.340 Rebecca was the one who found out about it.

00:06:14.640 I would say that we kind of all, if you're in this space at all, you'd sort of heard rumors

00:06:18.560 about this community somewhere that had adopted all these kids.

00:06:21.720 And so Rebecca, she was looking for someone to speak at a conference.

00:06:26.720 She did a lot of work in Los Angeles in this space and ran into Bishop Martin and this whole

00:06:31.680 story.

00:06:32.400 So they connected and on the phone, it did not take long to, you know, decide that this

00:06:38.260 is something that we needed to do.

00:06:39.460 And we just, you know, move some things off of our plate and decided this was the project

00:06:44.080 that we needed to focus on right now.

00:06:46.400 We could tell that there was something really important about it beyond us.

00:06:50.480 It wasn't, you know, we never do movies just to do a movie.

00:06:53.800 Um, what we hope to do are films that are really great cinematically.

00:06:59.560 We want people to have that experience.

00:07:01.540 I love that experience.

00:07:02.620 So it's got to be that first, but this story had so much drama, so much importance, all

00:07:09.100 these things mixed into it that it really took over, really took over our lives.

00:07:14.380 And what was that like for you?

00:07:15.340 How long did you move out to East Texas?

00:07:17.680 And what were some of the early struggles that you went through just kind of learning about

00:07:21.980 this community?

00:07:22.560 Well, first we, we did the typical research, you know, we met with, we traveled out from

00:07:28.560 California and met with them a number of times and took all of that information and experience

00:07:34.860 back and kind of got through our first few drafts.

00:07:38.360 And one of the most important things to us about this was that it was authentic and that

00:07:43.500 we were giving people a fair perspective of what this is about, what it takes, what it's

00:07:48.500 like.

00:07:49.500 Um, I'm not into propaganda.

00:07:51.100 I'm not into sweet little movies about orphans.

00:07:54.660 Um, this was a real true story.

00:07:57.460 A lot of people had suffered through, kids had suffered, families raising them, like there's

00:08:02.300 a lot that we needed to honor.

00:08:04.020 And so we got to a point where we felt like we got to be all in on this.

00:08:08.640 And so it doesn't feel like we've hit the deepest places.

00:08:12.280 And so we decided at that point, let's, let's move out there and see what we can do just

00:08:16.500 getting into the community.

00:08:17.540 So they welcomed us with open arms after they got through the whole surprise of it all.

00:08:23.100 We were actually going to move out there.

00:08:24.520 They're like, you're moving?

00:08:25.340 Wait a minute.

00:08:26.200 Staring at us in church.

00:08:27.460 We knew you liked us better.

00:08:27.960 They're really here, you know?

00:08:29.380 And we're like, no.

00:08:30.160 So, so we just, we just immersed ourselves as much as we could.

00:08:34.400 And, and it was so much better.

00:08:37.040 It was so much different.

00:08:38.240 There was a whole trust level barrier that we broke through, I think.

00:08:43.360 And, uh, it, it did a lot for the story.

00:08:45.520 And we got to meet a lot of the other kids too.

00:08:47.140 And it just, in every way, I think it helped.

00:08:49.180 Yeah.

00:08:49.400 They like came to our house when we moved there and like brought the whole church and

00:08:53.480 prayed over our family and anointed us with oil.

00:08:56.020 And, you know, they've prayed through this whole process.

00:08:58.720 So it's been really cool to like connect with this little church, you know, this mighty

00:09:02.000 church in the woods that prays and, and has brought us in and, and just loved our family

00:09:07.300 and all throughout the whole journey.

00:09:09.820 I think that was one of the things that was really compelling for me watching this film was

00:09:13.900 that it wasn't a propaganda piece.

00:09:15.320 And I went into it thinking, you know, I guess I'm a bit cynical, but I'm not.

00:09:18.840 I thought, okay, they're going to make it seem like this process is just so easy so

00:09:22.060 that everyone gets inspired and they go out.

00:09:24.120 And I think part of my perspective was colored because I have situations in my family and I

00:09:29.220 know how complicated these situations can be.

00:09:31.580 And yet you guys just confront it like head on in this film.

00:09:34.840 And I'm trying here not to give too much away.

00:09:36.940 You guys, I'm going to keep saying this as we have this conversation, but please head

00:09:40.300 to angel.com slash Candace.

00:09:41.920 You can use code Candace 25 and you can see the available showtimes and purchase tickets.

00:09:47.380 But that was, that was one of the things is, is you confronted it.

00:09:51.040 Like, yes, this, this is going to be difficult.

00:09:53.420 Guess what?

00:09:53.880 Life is not easy.

00:09:55.460 And this story is a story that I think you guys were well equipped to tell because of

00:10:01.000 your own experiences.

00:10:02.640 You guys are both foster and adoptive parents.

00:10:05.600 Now, was that before you jumped onto the film or is it because of learning this possum trot 0.84

00:10:09.880 story that you decided to become foster and adoptive parents?

00:10:12.700 Yeah, it was before.

00:10:15.100 Yeah.

00:10:15.520 I mean, I think I can remember even being a kid thinking about this, um, not too seriously,

00:10:20.060 but it just felt obvious.

00:10:21.500 Like there's kids in need.

00:10:23.540 I'm sure one day I want to, I'm going to do this.

00:10:25.700 And so, yeah, we were, we had three of our own biological kids and we talked about it and

00:10:31.560 it got to that point where you're like, this is never going to happen unless we just do

00:10:34.740 it.

00:10:34.920 So we had already jumped in, um, and we're in that, the thick of it all and experiencing

00:10:43.020 all the things you experience.

00:10:44.280 And so we had a lot to draw from, but we definitely put our foot in the water first and, and learned

00:10:49.740 a ton too.

00:10:50.560 Rebecca's work, uh, just, just put us on the front lines of a lot of data and information

00:10:56.240 and experiences that we weren't aware of.

00:10:57.980 And all kinds of connections we can get into, uh, with other issues, but it, it, it, there

00:11:03.180 was sort of a ground bed created before.

00:11:05.620 And then the story felt like the right time just kind of came into our lives at the right

00:11:10.160 time.

00:11:10.940 So you had three, we adopted, it really just broke our heart for this issue and opened

00:11:18.240 our eyes to what kids are going through.

00:11:20.060 And, and I think too, like we were longing for more support from our church.

00:11:24.820 You know, we felt like we were kind of alone in this journey and we were going through really

00:11:29.140 hard things and we were writing at the same time and, and just seeing how this church like

00:11:34.460 came around and did it together and wrapped around each other.

00:11:37.720 I think it was such a beautiful picture of what the church can be and, and I think should

00:11:41.940 be.

00:11:43.020 And so, I mean, some of it is we really wanted to elevate the church and show what's possible

00:11:48.920 through churches when they really confront this issue and step in and care for kids together.

00:11:54.820 You know, one of the things that I speak to my audience about and what I love about this

00:11:58.840 story and what you guys are bringing to the big screen is this topic of spirituality.

00:12:02.500 And I think for whatever reason, America has really kind of departed from that conversation

00:12:07.080 for too long.

00:12:08.320 And maybe it's because everyone's on their smartphones and we've become so technological

00:12:12.120 and in many ways we've become spiritually quite backwards, quite archaic spiritually.

00:12:16.940 And you kind of can feel that there, there, there's sort of this resurgence happening

00:12:21.080 right now and people are beginning to speak a lot more about spirituality.

00:12:24.700 And I can't think of anything that is more crucial to an upbringing of a child than to

00:12:31.340 come from a steady household and how much their spirits are disrupted when that steadiness

00:12:37.420 is removed.

00:12:38.320 And in particular, one issue that you tackle, and this is the biggest fear, even for people

00:12:42.220 that are adopting and people that are taking in foster children is older children in the

00:12:47.240 system.

00:12:48.240 Right.

00:12:49.220 Can you guys just speak, speak about that?

00:12:52.060 Yeah, that, that's one of the things.

00:12:53.960 So one of the things that really stands out about this community in this story is that

00:12:58.700 they asked for the ones that nobody wanted, the most difficult to place, we say.

00:13:02.760 So that could mean severe abuse.

00:13:05.360 That can mean there's a sibling set.

00:13:07.140 They don't want to break up four or five kids.

00:13:09.080 Thank God.

00:13:10.780 They could be older.

00:13:11.900 It's really difficult to find families for teenagers.

00:13:14.560 And so they, they focused on that and that's like going headlong into fear.

00:13:20.440 The things you are most afraid of, they just took this on.

00:13:24.800 And so that really stood out to me.

00:13:27.980 We've seen that just in, you know, in our experience, talking to others and the work

00:13:33.240 we've done, it's hard enough to get someone to be open to adopting a baby, you know, but

00:13:37.960 when you, when you know that there are challenges to other children that you are going to have

00:13:42.980 to embrace, it's a real thing.

00:13:45.480 And I, to me, this all comes down to, you know, what are we really willing to do about

00:13:53.020 the problems that are around us?

00:13:54.480 You've got, you've got, you're compelled by your faith.

00:13:57.440 Many of us were compelled by our humanity.

00:14:00.000 You feel that sense that you ought to do certain things.

00:14:03.720 Um, and then it's like, we complain or we think a lot about and talk a lot about all of these

00:14:10.160 issues around us, but we don't often either have a way to do anything about it other than

00:14:15.860 vote or throw some money at it.

00:14:17.500 But this issue, like you can dive into this, you can actually get into it and you can start

00:14:22.400 affecting all kinds of areas in our lives.

00:14:25.720 And so it's really, in one sense, a question of, are we really serious about taking on the

00:14:32.840 problems of society?

00:14:34.220 And are we really serious as Christians being Jesus in those places where he already is?

00:14:39.840 He's, he's beckoning us to come to him.

00:14:41.860 He's not, he's, he's already there.

00:14:43.900 And so that's what we're meant to do.

00:14:46.880 We're meant to go into the hard places.

00:14:48.520 We're meant to do the hard things.

00:14:49.800 And what comes with that is everything you need.

00:14:53.400 It's hard.

00:14:54.320 And it's, it's, we've made sure that that's depicted in the film.

00:14:59.040 We're honest about the things that you're going to face.

00:15:01.580 But the difference is, you know, you genuinely have what you need and you are genuinely changing

00:15:07.700 as a person.

00:15:08.400 You are in, in something that's so dynamic and important.

00:15:13.220 It's not just one thing that's happening.

00:15:15.200 You're not just helping a child in need.

00:15:16.640 You are, you are doing something spiritually dynamic.

00:15:21.160 Literally, you're, you know, you're changing this kid's life, but your, your whole family's

00:15:25.140 affected.

00:15:25.620 There's just a lot going on that people don't necessarily think about, but it takes that

00:15:30.440 willingness to, to dive into the problems and not leave them to somebody else.

00:15:35.880 Now, I should issue a spoiler alert here.

00:15:38.320 Apparently I can't hold water because I, there's another moment in the film that is coming to

00:15:41.700 me and it was just such a deep moment.

00:15:44.040 I really want, I want to ask you about it, Rebecca.

00:15:45.520 And you guys, please go to angel.com slash Candace, use code Candace25 and just, let's

00:15:50.960 make this the best July 4th weekend where we can really start to confront these issues

00:15:54.120 that really matter in America. 0.93

00:15:55.740 But going to that moment, and this really is the question that I think everybody asks

00:16:00.000 themselves, you know, if I adopt a child, am I actually going to see this child as my

00:16:07.160 child?

00:16:07.520 And there was this moment in the film where this woman really dealt with this really subconsciously.

00:16:14.640 There was nothing to be mean about.

00:16:16.620 She just, the child was giving her trouble and giving her, her biological daughter trouble.

00:16:21.240 And that to me, like to see that question that I think is in the back of everyone's minds

00:16:26.040 before they ever get to the adoption phase, play out on the big screen.

00:16:29.200 I just have to ask you, Rebecca, you know, is that a conversation that you had with yourself

00:16:34.000 before you jumped into the foster process and the adoption process?

00:16:37.300 Is that a conversation that the two of you have with one another?

00:16:39.800 Like, am I, I want to be the best person that I can be, but we can't stop being ourselves.

00:16:45.520 Is there, is there something bigger going on here?

00:16:47.340 I hope I'm asking that in the right way.

00:16:48.760 Yeah, I mean, I think it's interesting as foster adoptive parents are watching this film,

00:16:55.840 a lot of them are saying like, were you in my closet?

00:16:57.740 Were you listening to my conversations?

00:17:00.260 You know, and, and I think sometimes we're scared to be honest as foster adoptive parents

00:17:04.680 because people put you on a pedestal and they act like, oh, you're some hero or you're special

00:17:09.880 or, and you're feeling weak and vulnerable and like, man, I, I've never felt, you know,

00:17:16.000 like I need more help and more support.

00:17:18.560 And, and so a lot of it was, you know, we experienced a lot of these things personally.

00:17:23.660 I mean, we, when we adopted our children, we adopted a seven, she was seven and her brother

00:17:29.100 was three and, and that was definitely challenging, but, and we had a lot of those, you know, especially

00:17:36.140 when you adopt older children, you don't have that, you miss out on all of that bonding that

00:17:40.720 happens, you know, when you have a baby and you nurse and you wake up with them and you

00:17:44.660 feed them and you watch some, take their first steps and all these things, um, that creates

00:17:49.480 this, this bonding and you don't get that when you adopt older children.

00:17:53.700 So it takes more work and you have to work at it.

00:17:55.640 So it was definitely, you know, we went through a lot of those challenges and, and didn't want

00:18:01.500 to sugarcoat it because the last thing we wanted to do was like draw people into something,

00:18:06.200 make it look easy and have them become disillusioned.

00:18:08.820 So we thought, well, make it look hard, but encourage people that we're called to do hard

00:18:13.980 things.

00:18:14.960 And we actually grow in that process too.

00:18:18.100 Yeah.

00:18:18.240 I mean, I, this is a really important issue.

00:18:20.640 There's like, there's a few key things, you know, fear being one of them, but this is another

00:18:24.640 one I think a lot of people are concerned about.

00:18:27.140 And, you know, I think about it, um, you know, if you have your own biological, biological

00:18:32.540 child, that's acting out and, and doing things that are hard to like because of whatever reason

00:18:39.640 you can have a difficult time liking your own child.

00:18:42.960 I mean, that's a real thing for people.

00:18:45.400 Um, and so you've got children who are traumatized.

00:18:48.520 They've gone through some of the worst things you can go through, losing your biological parents,

00:18:52.100 being hurt by them or whatever.

00:18:53.740 I mean, very deep, profound pain.

00:18:56.760 And so to be healed, to go through the process of being healed, that's messy.

00:19:02.680 And it can be hard just because of what, how they're processing.

00:19:06.660 It can be hard to experience that.

00:19:08.720 And it's like, it's like a really practical thing.

00:19:10.940 Like it's hard to like a kid sometimes that's, that's going through that process.

00:19:16.440 And so it's something I hope people understand it.

00:19:20.240 It's relevant to parenthood and yeah, it's a thing with kids who need healing and it's

00:19:26.140 challenging to keep that perspective, that this, this child is going through something

00:19:31.300 that I don't fully understand.

00:19:33.240 I can't totally relate to God.

00:19:35.320 Give me the patience to, to as a human process with them.

00:19:39.720 And people need to know that that's okay.

00:19:41.320 That's not like now you're an evil person because you don't feel the way you're supposed

00:19:45.300 to feel about the child at that moment.

00:19:47.580 But as we've gone through that with our own kids, it's there.

00:19:51.160 I mean, it's, it's, it really is something that just takes time.

00:19:55.100 And sometimes it's not very much time at all.

00:19:57.780 It's different for everybody and every, every child, but so good.

00:20:01.240 You're asking because it's, it's something that as you process that with people who walk

00:20:06.240 through it, um, it's not as scary as you think.

00:20:09.640 And there are, there are things you can do to help that as certain kinds of parenting,

00:20:13.680 different, different things you can do to make the process easier and more harder for

00:20:17.820 yourself.

00:20:18.140 So it's a really important issue, but, um, shouldn't scare people off.

00:20:22.640 And it's so funny that you say that because it is very true that it is the fear that paralyzes

00:20:27.320 people.

00:20:27.660 They keep these questions in the back of their minds.

00:20:29.420 They don't want to talk about it.

00:20:30.260 And I've recognized that there's a psychology to that.

00:20:31.920 If I don't talk about it, maybe, maybe nobody else is thinking that, but once you ask the

00:20:35.340 question and you hear the answer and you go, yeah, okay, that you might go through this

00:20:39.180 and it's going to take a little bit more work and you realize, okay, this is not going

00:20:42.380 to be a permanent feeling.

00:20:43.540 And yes, whether you have biological children, I have three, you go through days where I say to my

00:20:47.840 husband, you know, I always wondered whether or not when I had children, if I was going

00:20:51.400 to have a favorite child.

00:20:52.740 And I said, the answer is, it depends on what day it is.

00:20:55.980 Are you crying and throwing a tantrum?

00:20:57.420 Okay.

00:20:57.620 You're my favorite today.

00:20:58.720 You're like, and, and, and it is a total normal part of parenting and you, you're not,

00:21:07.060 you're not going to be perfect.

00:21:07.900 And then that's the beauty of having a relationship with God is because you know that you're not

00:21:11.220 alone and you can always give it up to him.

00:21:12.800 And you can always just be better the next day, make, make a real attempt to be better

00:21:17.200 the next day.

00:21:17.840 And then you have moments of just sheer happiness and glee and you're, and you're grateful that

00:21:22.940 you pushed through.

00:21:23.760 And as we all know, God does not give you more than you can handle.

00:21:26.980 Even in the moment when you think, no, there's just no way I could possibly handle anymore.

00:21:31.640 That's usually about the time that I always say you should, you should thank God because

00:21:34.800 he, he's the great mathematician.

00:21:37.060 He is seeing ahead and he is putting you through that.

00:21:39.540 And that is something that you really saw with the, with the possum trot community and 1.00

00:21:44.060 community is also what's so important in this world where we've just gotten so far from

00:21:49.360 each other.

00:21:49.720 Everyone's on their phone.

00:21:50.500 There is no sense of community and that's the beauty of the church.

00:21:54.260 It bringing people back together.

00:21:56.380 You're not alone here as a community of people.

00:21:58.680 So I'd love to ask you, what is your relationship now with the possum trot community? 1.00

00:22:04.100 How long did you guys live there?

00:22:05.780 And when did you guys leave?

00:22:07.560 We haven't left yet.

00:22:10.060 We're still in the area.

00:22:11.260 Wow.

00:22:12.340 We have, so we have five kids, three are still living with us.

00:22:16.660 And so we knew that if we go, you know, we got to think about school and their life too.

00:22:21.380 We don't want to, you know, be constantly unsettling them, but no, we're still, we're still nearby.

00:22:25.440 We don't know what the future will hold, but you know, it's, it's really nice to be in an area

00:22:30.920 like that with a whole different perspective on life and life together.

00:22:35.700 And, you know, being in LA for so long, it's just very tough to find community like what

00:22:41.300 we're experiencing now.

00:22:42.480 So, you know, we'll see.

00:22:43.900 There's a question mark there, but.

00:22:44.860 Yeah, it's been really good for our kids just to experience a different part of the country

00:22:48.360 and see that not everybody thinks the same, you know, growing up in LA, like everyone

00:22:52.820 thinks the same.

00:22:53.800 And, you know, now they're in Texas and like, wow, people in Texas don't like people.

00:23:00.220 They're like, careful, like we're not from LA, we're from, yeah, it's, it's been a good

00:23:06.280 experience.

00:23:06.820 And we actually don't live in possum trot.

00:23:08.760 We moved to the, the big town outside of possum trot, which is still a small town, but there's

00:23:13.460 at least a Chick-fil-A and a Starbucks.

00:23:14.680 The biggest, we didn't send our kids into shock completely, so.

00:23:19.220 Gotta have the Chick-fil-A.

00:23:21.240 Yeah.

00:23:22.000 So what are you guys hoping is going to be the response to this film, if, if, if anything?

00:23:28.640 Go for it.

00:23:29.500 I mean.

00:23:30.240 Well, you know, our hope is, cause I mean, we were talking a little bit about the foster

00:23:34.500 crisis.

00:23:35.220 I think a lot of people just aren't aware.

00:23:37.020 And that's what we saw when we stepped in is there's just a lack of awareness.

00:23:40.640 People don't know what kids are going through and because they're in the system, they're

00:23:44.000 protected.

00:23:44.580 You can't show pictures.

00:23:45.660 They don't see them.

00:23:47.180 You know, we wanted to really make this issue, like put it out front, highlight it, bring awareness

00:23:54.020 and have people, you know, really we want to bring people's hearts for the kids and see

00:23:59.100 what they're going through so that they'll act and they'll get involved because when they

00:24:03.680 actually see and meet Terry in the story, they're connecting on a deep level emotionally

00:24:09.340 and going, okay, I think I could love like that.

00:24:12.740 And I want to, and we want to see the whole crisis turned around.

00:24:16.980 Really.

00:24:17.400 We want to see this movement of churches all over the country and then see the church

00:24:22.420 rise up and in the foster crisis in America.

00:24:25.380 And why the title Sound of Hope?

00:24:28.720 Right.

00:24:29.100 That's good.

00:24:29.720 So that came through some discussions with Angel Studios and, you know, we've learned

00:24:35.340 over the years that, you know, some of the, let me just name a few of them, like child

00:24:40.500 trafficking itself, anywhere between 70, 90% of those kids have spent time in the foster

00:24:47.140 system.

00:24:47.600 And homeless, you know, 50% of the homeless, 70% of the prison population, you know, there's

00:24:52.700 these areas of life where these, these, these people have had history with the foster system,

00:24:58.260 which means brokenness and trauma and all of those things that come with it.

00:25:01.380 So when Sound of Freedom was released and people, you could just feel people were so moved and

00:25:07.620 we were in theaters where, you know, you could feel that people wanted to do something, but

00:25:12.480 not everybody can go be a Green Beret Christian and, or, you know, you know, child trafficking 0.99

00:25:17.140 warrior.

00:25:17.660 So we, we understood those connections.

00:25:20.440 So we talked about it with Angel Studios and said, Hey, look, this is a way to follow

00:25:24.340 up the, the Sound of Freedom phenomenon and not only continue creating awareness and spreading

00:25:31.960 awareness, but giving people a way in.

00:25:34.480 How can they actually get involved in and affect the trafficking issue? 0.95

00:25:39.720 Well, you go to the foster system.

00:25:42.320 And so that's one aspect of it.

00:25:43.980 And so they felt like, let's, let's connect it.

00:25:46.020 Like, let's really make sure people understand this is sort of an anthology kind of idea.

00:25:49.940 It's not the same type of movie, but it's, it's actually touching on the same issue and

00:25:56.000 giving people a chance to do maybe more than they could have with that one.

00:25:59.220 Because at the end of this movie, there'll be a website you can go to, you'll be connected

00:26:03.360 to where you can get your church involved to do what Bennett Chapel has done.

00:26:07.360 You can learn how foster and adoption works and be connected to that and get involved there.

00:26:11.720 Or you can get involved in prevention, you know, really keeping kids out of the system.

00:26:17.080 We're helping them reunite with safe, loving families that just are dealing with things

00:26:21.420 that they need help with.

00:26:22.780 So those are the three areas.

00:26:24.420 And, you know, for us, it's like, it's the best thing.

00:26:27.340 You've got this movie that you'll have a cinematic, fun theatrical experience with, moving, emotional,

00:26:35.080 and then you're going to go out and be able to do something and change the world around

00:26:39.480 you.

00:26:39.760 So it's the best, the best of both worlds.

00:26:42.460 Well, I'd like to, again, invite my audience, you guys, for July 3rd and 4th showtimes only

00:26:47.240 go to angel.com slash Candice and use my code Candice25.

00:26:52.640 This is something that you can do.

00:26:53.800 Maybe you're not in a position right now where you're thinking that you can foster a child,

00:26:57.320 but you can support this movie and getting people to recognize, take a friend, you know,

00:27:02.000 embrace this.

00:27:03.580 These are topics that actually matter.

00:27:05.480 I mean, you probably saw action films and all of this stuff.

00:27:08.420 It's not going to make a difference in your life, but this, this actually will.

00:27:11.140 And I am telling you, my heart was pulled in so many ways, so many directions watching

00:27:16.200 this.

00:27:16.560 I felt so blessed to be among the first to see it.

00:27:19.080 And it will really force you to examine yourself and whether or not you're making an imprint

00:27:24.260 in the world.

00:27:24.920 You know, we always ask, what can I do?

00:27:26.080 What can I do?

00:27:26.800 Well, let me tell you, you can support this film.

00:27:28.560 And then having seen this film, you will then deeply ask yourself, am I, am I doing

00:27:33.760 enough?

00:27:34.140 What more can I do?

00:27:35.380 And sometimes it's just being a part of a community, reaching out to community and letting

00:27:39.780 somebody else know that they're not alone when they are going through this process.

00:27:43.940 And as you mentioned, the statistics are incredible.

00:27:46.700 I just want to rattle off a few of them.

00:27:48.680 80% of prison inmates grew up in foster care.

00:27:52.440 I mean, that is unbelievable.

00:27:53.380 You hear so much talk about people that are in prison.

00:27:55.520 Well, the reality is that growing up without a father in the home, growing up without a

00:28:00.900 stable two-parent household, that is the greatest disadvantage to a child, without question.

00:28:07.320 It is a direct pipeline to prison, especially for young men.

00:28:10.860 Another statistic is 91% of gang members have been in the foster system.

00:28:15.460 I did not know that.

00:28:16.480 That is a reality.

00:28:17.920 Another statistic is that 80% of the kids entering foster care have notable mental health

00:28:23.680 needs.

00:28:24.080 70% of foster youth will be on government assistance within four years of aging out.

00:28:29.340 And 50% of the foster youth develop substance abuse by the age of 24.

00:28:34.980 You know, I just want to say to you guys, you are just an amazing couple.

00:28:39.740 I mean, what you are doing, the films that you are bringing, they're courageous.

00:28:43.720 They matter.

00:28:44.960 You know, so much of what we are looking at are fantasy.

00:28:48.140 And we love to plug ourselves into fantasy and we need to begin plugging ourselves into

00:28:53.560 reality.

00:28:54.900 And I just would love to hear the story about how you two met.

00:28:58.200 And when you decided you guys were going to take a bite out of this and say, you know

00:29:04.040 what?

00:29:04.240 Let's actually produce things that matter.

00:29:06.620 Love it.

00:29:07.960 Well, that goes way back to me being, I think, 12 or 13 years old.

00:29:13.260 And I was struck with like what I want to do in life.

00:29:17.240 I mean, I knew I loved movies, but I had this experience where I just felt there was real

00:29:23.140 purpose in it.

00:29:23.980 And somehow creating movies that were different.

00:29:28.100 And the way I would describe it now is I, what I want people to do is have the best possible

00:29:35.100 movie experience you can have.

00:29:37.160 I mean, I love the craft, the art.

00:29:39.120 We all love movies and they ought to be that and be really, really good.

00:29:44.680 And so many times when you want to, you know, say something important, it turns into propaganda.

00:29:49.600 And so I'm not interested in that.

00:29:51.640 I don't really relate to that kind of movie.

00:29:54.100 The faith-based movies are, you know, not sort of my world either.

00:29:57.740 And so it's always been something in my mind.

00:30:00.880 And I want people to experience God when they see these films.

00:30:06.500 I feel like the spiritual nature is an important part of it for me and Rebecca.

00:30:12.420 And, you know, so within a good story, we want them to have hopefully made the choice that

00:30:17.240 people will also experience much more.

00:30:19.920 And so we've always been kind of designed that way.

00:30:23.720 That's how we think.

00:30:24.700 That's how we approach everything.

00:30:26.460 And she, you know, basically we were surprised with Rebecca's involvement.

00:30:30.780 She was pursuing-

00:30:31.240 I didn't like Hollywood.

00:30:32.620 I was like, I'm going to keep you grounded.

00:30:34.660 Like you can be the filmmaker and I'll be the steady and come, you know-

00:30:38.640 Well, she, well, she, we moved in 1998 to Los Angeles for, you know, me to pursue it.

00:30:43.280 And, and eventually we started doing short films and she kind of chimed in every now

00:30:49.720 and again, had like really good ideas.

00:30:51.380 And she was pursuing her master's degree in psychology and all of these other things.

00:30:55.440 And so I talked to her, I'm like, I think we should do something together.

00:30:58.340 And I said, you know, in one movie, you'll be able to do more with that person than probably

00:31:03.680 10 years of counseling.

00:31:04.960 So let's just see what happens with it.

00:31:07.780 And we started creating short films together and we ended up doing one called The Butterfly

00:31:12.500 Circus that, that just took off for us, went viral, won all these awards and people around

00:31:18.840 the world just latched onto this.

00:31:20.600 And it was about a, a limbless guy who is stuck in the sideshow world and he leaves the sideshow

00:31:27.300 world to join up with something like Cirque du Soleil, where he finds, you know, meaning

00:31:31.440 and we do a lot with identity and things like that.

00:31:33.600 And it just like ripped people.

00:31:35.760 And so that opened doors for us.

00:31:37.780 And that's when we really felt like, okay, this is, there's purpose in us working together

00:31:41.640 in that.

00:31:42.240 And we compliment each other gift wise.

00:31:45.040 And so it's, it's been a great.

00:31:47.180 And we started, and we started getting emails from all over the world of like, I struggled

00:31:51.640 with depression and then I watched this film and I, now I know my purpose.

00:31:55.940 And so we've gotten to see, and Josh's like, that would have taken six years of therapy.

00:32:00.200 So, you know, and, and we really do see how the media is impacting culture so much.

00:32:06.020 I mean, these stories are shaping our culture.

00:32:09.080 They're influencing the minds of this generation.

00:32:11.760 And, and that is something that's very important to us is creating art that influences for the

00:32:18.340 good and is positive and brings hope.

00:32:21.780 And, and like you said, early on, like faith is a universal thing that everyone wrestles

00:32:27.260 with.

00:32:27.600 So why are we shying away from faith in Hollywood and putting it in this little corner of faith

00:32:32.200 based films when this is a universal thing that, that people are, you know, deeply moved.

00:32:37.980 Even in pre-screenings of Sound of Hope, even people that don't identify as Christian or

00:32:42.840 having a faith are walking out in tears and saying, you know, I felt something in that

00:32:48.520 movie.

00:32:48.980 What was it?

00:32:50.200 And they're saying, if, if church was like that, I would go to church and it's drawing

00:32:55.020 people.

00:32:55.640 They're saying they're, they're hungry.

00:32:57.260 I think there's a hunger and a thirst for, for truth right now because people are wanting

00:33:02.320 these universal truths and, and it's being expressed.

00:33:05.040 Well, they're running into dead ends with the other stuff.

00:33:06.960 It's like, it's not working.

00:33:08.020 Yeah.

00:33:08.260 And that's, and when you are living through a time of such tremendous darkness, I think

00:33:13.240 people naturally then go and pursue light and you're correct.

00:33:17.100 Maybe, maybe they don't have faith.

00:33:18.520 And that's why many of my listeners, and I love hearing, you know, listening to your show

00:33:22.360 made me want to go to church and some people are not there and you take a different step.

00:33:26.260 Well, I can promise you that if you are thinking about spirituality, if you're grappling

00:33:30.400 with the understanding that we are facing dark times, you're grappling with an understanding

00:33:33.960 that there's, there's a lot going on in this world and, and you, we can't pretend it's

00:33:38.100 not.

00:33:38.700 You are absolutely going to love this film.

00:33:41.200 It is going to compel you and move you in so many different ways.

00:33:44.280 And so I just want to, again, remind my listeners, please, please, please go to angel.com

00:33:48.460 slash Candace and use my code Candace25.

00:33:52.040 Buy tickets, buy more tickets than you need.

00:33:53.860 Give it to someone who, who maybe doesn't have the means to buy a ticket and go with them

00:33:59.160 to the theater and watch this and you will be forever moved by this.

00:34:03.240 You guys, I know that we are coming up against time here.

00:34:05.720 And I just want to say that I truly feel that God has his hand on you.

00:34:09.260 And I know that this film is going to be a tremendous success.

00:34:12.480 And I want to thank you on behalf of everyone, uh, for having the courage because it's, it's

00:34:17.660 not just the heart, but also having the courage to do the work, to bring this film to the

00:34:21.940 big screen.

00:34:23.920 Thank you.

00:34:25.080 And we want to shout out to angel studios too, because as you know, you've seen the

00:34:30.060 film, there's some hard things.

00:34:31.540 I mean, it's gritty.

00:34:33.480 Um, there's some scenes.

00:34:34.620 I don't know if you recognize Josh from the pastor scene, pastor Mark, he played the mega

00:34:38.580 church pastor.

00:34:39.440 Oh my gosh.

00:34:40.580 Yes.

00:34:41.820 I just put two and two together.

00:34:45.180 I know.

00:34:45.900 I told him, I'm like, people all over the country are not going to know who you are.

00:34:48.740 They're just going to not like you for some reason.

00:34:51.460 You know, that was a risky scene.

00:34:53.280 And, and there was a lot of companies and people that said, you know, you need to take

00:34:57.320 out that scene.

00:34:58.280 That's going to offend your core audience.

00:35:00.080 And, but it's not, I mean, people are walking out feeling really, you know, we had one pastor

00:35:05.000 walk out of a screening and say, I'm like that pastor and I need to change.

00:35:09.900 And so, you know, angel studios is taking risks that a lot of people aren't taking.

00:35:14.440 So we're grateful that for the distribution and, and thankful that you're using your voice

00:35:19.220 to bring people out and encourage people to see it.

00:35:22.140 So thank you.

00:35:23.260 Yes, definitely.

00:35:24.320 Thank you so much.

00:35:25.280 Well, to both of you, Josh, Rebecca, Weigel, this is going to be an amazing success.

00:35:29.340 God bless you.

00:35:30.400 And, and we'll be praying for you.

00:35:32.660 Thank you.

00:35:33.300 Thanks, Candice.

00:35:33.700 Thank you, Candice.

00:35:34.540 Great time being here.

00:35:35.200 God bless you.

00:35:48.520 Bye.

00:35:49.200 Bye.

00:35:49.800 Bye.

00:35:50.100 Bye.

00:35:50.360 Bye.

00:35:51.560 Bye.

00:35:52.040 Bye.

00:35:52.260 Bye.

00:35:52.520 Bye.

00:35:53.080 Bye.

00:35:53.440 Bye.

00:35:53.980 Bye.

00:35:54.320 Bye.

00:35:56.460 Bye.

00:35:56.500 Bye.

00:35:57.040 Bye.

00:35:57.500 Bye.

00:35:58.380 Bye.

00:36:03.680 Bye.

Candace Owens - June 29, 2024

The Conversation Every Married Couple Has

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