“This (job) tears you to pieces. And this is my one chance to put those pieces back together.” -Tim Ballard

I didn’t think I was going to be emotional… Then I saw “the van scene.” In that moment not only did I cry (the only time while watching the film), but I also felt like I was reliving another moment in time and what I had always secretly wanted.

Flashback

That moment was in another van.  I will never forget that day. It was January 4, 2002… I was 14 years old.

That day, some of my younger siblings and I stayed in a van as my Mom went grocery shopping. The van was parked near the front of the parking lot. At the time it seemed like a safe and friendly town. 

Change In A Moment

We were just laughing and listening to music when suddenly we saw a man, dressed in khaki pants and a blue collared shirt, exit a truck nearby us. I didn’t pay much attention until he walked around our entire vehicle and peered in the tinted windows. Getting to the passenger side, he demanded that we open the door. Staring into his eyes, I could see and feel the darkness controlling him that glared back at me. It shook me to my core.

Split Second Decision

My sibling unlocked the door. Quickly, I hit the button on the door hoping it would relock. It did. I prayed under my breath as I muttered the word, “no.” After a long standoff of words, where he used every excuse possible to get in (including that we hit his vehicle), he walked to the store front. It was not over yet though.

Sitting on a bench with his hands crossed, he angrily stared at us. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he disappeared in the store. I wanted to get help but was afraid he would reappear.

Minimal Help

At that point, another man came out and began putting his groceries in his car trunk. Quickly, I told the new man what had happened and asked him to watch. Nonchalantly, he did. Going into the store, I found my Mom and we reported it to a manager who also seemed unconcerned about it.

At The Scene

Fast forward to July 7, 2023… After seeing the “van scene” on the film, I drove by the same store, where the attempted abduction had happened, when I was a kid. I saw the parking lot and reminisced. I also thought through other moments, in other places where I had faced similar evil later on in life. I hadn’t planned to be in that city, the same day after watching this film, but here I was on the way to an appointment. 

A lady who went to see the film with me asked me if seeing this place bothered me. I took a deep breath, and without a pause, I said, “Not anymore, especially not today.” Although I was looking at the same parking lot, I saw, heard, and felt something different. Freedom.

Collage

It’s almost like you paste a picture over another picture. Instead of the memory of evil in that guy’s eyes in the parking lot, I could now see the new “van scene” from the movie. 

Instead of the guy loading groceries in the parking lot and the manager being nonchalant (as I was protecting my siblings and getting help), I saw the main character in the film caring. 

Take Away

To me, “the van scene” represented a new wave of informed/alerted people. It represented them standing against evil to protect the vulnerable (whether from a stranger or so -called family friend(s)/family member(s)) and protecting them until they are able to stand up for themselves. 

Watching the film for me was a chance to reframe and put the “pieces” (caused by this moment and other moments where I have faced extreme evil in my life),  “back together.”

Info To Watch

If you have not seen this film, “Sound Of Freedom,” I highly recommend it. It may even help you put some pieces of your life into perspective. To buy tickets, claim a free ticket or pay it forward visit: https://www.angel.com/pay-it-forward/sound-of-freedom

Watching Sound Of Freedom In Theater