‘Beautifully Broken’ – The Power of Forgiveness, Love, and Child Sponsorship
by Clare Bruce, Hope 103.2
We’re all familiar with the idea of child sponsorship, but most of us will never get up close to the profound stories of transformation that can happen in the lives of those being sponsored – and, at times, the sponsors themselves.
Beautifully Broken, a feature film now screening in Australia, is a chance to move beyond the photo-on-the-fridge and see up close the true story of some changed lives.
The movie follows the journey of American dad Randy Hartley and his family, and two families from Rwanda that are being torn apart by the genocide of 1994.
A refugee’s escape, a prisoner’s promise, and a daughter’s painful secret converge in this inspiring true story of hope.
The three families cross paths when Randy and his daughter Andrea sponsor a young Rwandan girl named Umhoza – whose father is in jail for joining in the genocide backlash – and a Rwandan dad who comes to America as a refugee, and finds himself in Randy’s church.
Randy himself is the film’s executive producer, and chatting to Laura Bennett on Hope Afternoons he described the story as one of “three dads, and three daughters, and how far would a father go to save his family”.
The Universal Power of Faith and Forgiveness
Starring Eric Roberts and Benjamin Onyango (God’s Not Dead, Inception), Thomasina “Goo Goo” Atkins (Mary Mary), Toby McKeehan and Michael W. Smith making appearances in the film — McKeehan playing himself, and Smith in the role of Pastor Henry.
“It’s our family from the USA and two families from Rwanda, each facing a crisis that was beyond their control,” he said, “and in each situation they’re desperately trying to address their problems. The movie shows how the families come together through faith and fortitude and relying on each other. It’s just a beautiful outcome.”
Not only is it a story about diverse lives and cultures intersecting through child sponsorship and migration – it’s also a powerful tale of forgiveness and reconciliation.
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