Five siblings, once torn apart by the foster care system, have found a loving home with Jared and Kayla Moffitt in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their story shows how God can bring hope and healing even in the darkest times.
God often uses ordinary people to do amazing things. The Moffitt family’s journey reminds us that love and faith can overcome even the toughest challenges. Their story shows how God can take broken pieces and create something beautiful, giving us all hope for a brighter future.
Lashay, the oldest sibling at 17, remembers the tough times that led to her and her brothers and sisters being placed in foster care. When she was just seven years old, she had to act like a parent, making bottles for her younger siblings with water because they didn’t have baby milk.
Things got really bad when her baby brother died. Lashay tried to save him by doing CPR, but it didn’t work. “When it started getting rough is when my baby brother died,” Lashay shared. “I was 7 at the time, and all I remember was me trying to do CPR on him.”
The situation got even worse when Lashay’s seven-year-old sister accidentally took crystal meth and had to go to the hospital. After that, Social Services stepped in and took the children away from their birth mother.
At first, all five siblings were placed in the same foster home. But then something terrible happened – Lashay, who was 12 at the time, was sexually abused by the foster parents’ son. Because of this, the children were split up and sent to different foster homes.
For Lashay, being separated from her siblings was heartbreaking. She had been like a mother to them, and now they were apart. “It was so hard for me,” she said. “I was all they knew. Our biological mom wasn’t around, so I was their mom. I thought I lost my children.” But Lashay never gave up hope. She kept telling herself that one day, they would all be together again.
Jared and Kayla Moffitt, who grew up in a small town in Arkansas, had been working as youth pastors for almost ten years when they felt God calling them to foster and adopt. At first, they thought they might take in one or two children. But God had bigger plans for them.
When the Moffitts heard about the five siblings, they couldn’t bear to see them split up. Even though it was a big challenge, and even though Kayla’s father had just died from COVID-19, they decided to adopt all five children. It wasn’t easy.
The children had been through a lot and had some mental health problems. Kayla knew she needed to learn more to help her new children, so she became a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner.
Jared explained, “The trauma they’ve been through doesn’t just go away. It shows up in different ways every day. From our youngest, who’s 6 now, to our oldest, who’s 17, we see how their past affects them. As their parents, it’s our job to help them through it.”
Kayla added, “I’ve learned so much about trauma and how to help children who’ve been hurt. One of our daughters had been in 30 different homes before she came to us. Can you imagine how hard it is for a child to trust and love new parents after being told goodbye so many times?”
The Moffitts knew their African-American children needed to see people who looked like them in their community. So they moved from their mostly white town in Arkansas to Charlotte, North Carolina, where there’s more diversity. This move has really helped their family heal and grow happier.
Despite all the hard times, the Moffitt family is doing well. Kayla is amazed at how strong her children are. “You hear that kids are resilient, and that’s so true for ours,” she said. “We have five of the happiest kids I’ve ever met. I don’t know how they can smile after everything they’ve been through, but they do.”
The Moffitts’ love story reminds me of the George Strait song ‘Check Yes or No’ from 1995. Just like in the song, Kayla and Jared’s love started when they were young and grew into a strong marriage. Now, their love has grown even more to include five children who really needed a forever family.
Lashay, now happy in her new family, says, “I would describe this family as a blessing. Some days are hard, but there are also really happy times.”
The Moffitts know they’re still learning how to be a family. Kayla said, “Just like our kids didn’t know how to live together in a house, we didn’t know how to be parents to five children overnight. It’s been challenging. But we keep showing each other grace, talking about the hard things, cheering each other on, and forgiving. Every day is a new chance to do better.”
Jared feels the same way. He said, “I love my family; I love my kids. They’re so special to me. Even though they’re not my biological children, I feel just as responsible for them. I want to be the best father I can be for each of them.”
The Moffitts’ story shows us how God can bring good things out of bad situations. It challenges us to open our hearts to people who need help, to be patient when things are hard, and to trust that God has a plan even when we don’t understand it.
As we think about this inspiring family, let’s remember that we can all make a difference for children in foster care. The Moffitts now speak up for foster care, telling people about the need in Charlotte and all over the country. There are more than 12,000 children in foster care just in North Carolina. We can help by fostering, adopting, or supporting groups that work with foster families.
Let’s pray for the Moffitt family as they continue to grow and heal together. May God bless them and guide them. And may their story inspire others to open their homes to children who need love. We should also pray for all the children in foster care, that they’ll find loving forever families where they can heal, grow, and be happy.
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