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Family 'Called by God' to Adopt 8 Siblings Until Phone Call about Their Mother Comes in

By Kayla Kunkel March 7, 2018 at 3:51pm

When Jacob and Peggy Smith saw a Facebook post about eight siblings in need of a home, they wanted to help.

The eight siblings were in two separate foster homes, but were very close. They just wanted to live together as one family again.

Jacob, however, was a full-time student. “I thought, ‘Man, if I had the financial means to do this, we would definitely do it,” he said.

Jacob’s parents, Thad and Loryn, had also seen the same Facebook post.

Thad and Loryn were not new to the adoption and foster scene. They had been full-time parents to 15 children and foster parents to over 100!

They were looking forward to a new life phase, but once they saw the post and talked to Jacob and Peggy, they knew that they weren’t quite done.

The two families prayed about for a little bit and felt like God was calling them to adopt the siblings together!

Thad and Loryn decided to adopt the five older children, while Jacob and Peggy would adopt the younger three. Their houses are only five minutes away from one another, so they knew it could be a good option.

Then they received an email saying that the siblings’ mom had just given birth to a ninth child. “So that’s when the ninth child came in,” Peggy said. “Oh my word! Okay God, I guess we’re going to have a baby. He’s been a dream. He’s been really fun to have.”

Loryn explained that they wanted to make sure that they were “directly in the center of God’s will” so they moved cautiously. But soon an emergency in the foster home sped up the adoption process.

Of course, adding so many into a family has come with some challenges. The two families are fundraising through Promise Love Foundation to buy bigger cars. Ones that can seat everyone!

Thanks to these two families’ willingness to open their homes and their hearts, these nine siblings are able to grow up together.

In James 1:27, the bible says, “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” The Smith families are truly living this out in their lives.

In response to those who think they are crazy for opening their home to these siblings, Loryn said, “There is no doubt we are crazy — we have parented 15 children full-time and fostered over 100 children through our years as foster parents.

“But we choose to be crazy for the sake of the Gospel rather than living an empty and self-centered life. We feel it boils down to this….If not us, then who?”

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