After Enduring Absolute Horror & Spending Years Apart, These 5 Siblings Are Finally Back Together
August 26, 2024

Five siblings, having lived through horrible situations and heartbreaking separations, have been reunited, adopted, and are living—and thriving—with The Moffitts in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Jared Moffitt and his wife Kayla became a couple in 7th grade. She was a cheerleader, and he was a “band nerd.” Kayla asked Jared if he liked her via a note with a yes and no choice. Like the crushing kids in George Strait’s 1995 hit “Check Yes or No.”
RELATED: They Kept Sending an 11-Year-Old ‘Troublemaker’ to His Office, So the Principal Adopted the Student
Jared And Kayla Adopted Five Siblings and Life Has Never Been the Same
The two grew up in a “one-stoplight” town in Arkansas and married in 2011. They worked as youth pastors for approximately a decade before deciding to foster and adopt. And, while they imagined bringing only one or two children into their home, God had much bigger plans for this very special couple.
Jared and Kayla adopted five siblings four years ago, and life has never been the same.
Lashay, Arya, Willow, Mia, and Drew—four girls and one boy—are 17, 13, 10, 7, and 6, respectively. Removed from their biological home when their mother could not care for them, the siblings lived apart for three years. That was perhaps one of the most challenging things about being in foster care, particularly for Lashay, who had become a mother figure for the younger children.
The Siblings Were Sent To Different Homes
Lashay shared the horror of losing her baby brother. She was only seven and recalls doing CPR in an effort to save him. “That's when I started becoming a parent for them. I was 7 years old making bottles. We didn't have baby milk. I mixed it with water,” she told Kens5 News.
RELATED: Mom Gave up Her Son for Adoption, Then Runs into Him 18 Years Later at Walmart
The children remained in the home for two more years before Social Services removed them after another sibling was exposed to crystal meth and nearly died. Though initially placed in a foster home together, Lashay continued to provide a lot of caregiving to her siblings, and tragically, she was sexually abused by the foster parents’ son. She was twelve at the time.
This time, all five were sent to different homes. Lashay said, “It was so hard for me. I was all they knew. Our biological mom wasn't around, so I was their mom. I thought I lost my children.”
The Couple First Thought They Would Only Foster Two Children
It was three years before Lashay and her siblings met Jared and Kayla. Though Kayla and Jared had planned on fostering just two, the couple decided they couldn't split them up after being shown a sibling group of five and seeing how close the kids appeared in photos.
The children were scheduled to move in just as Kayla’s father died from COVID at 55 years old. Now, the support system they’d counted on was lost, and they were hurting. As Kayla began her parenting journey from a state of “brokenness,” she and Jared recognized that the children had experienced far more than their share of trauma.
Several of the children have been treated for mental health diagnoses like Bipolar Disorder, RAD, Childhood Schizophrenia, and more. Kayla educated herself on how best to support her children and build healthy family relationships. She became a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner, which she says has made all the difference.
RELATED: Devoted Dad Fights For Daughter After Mom Puts Her Up For Adoption Without His Permission
The Trauma The Kids Experienced Doesn't Just Go Away
Kayla shared on the AdoptUsKids blog, “I have learned so much about trauma and attachment, and about how much we must extend grace to one another. For one of our daughters, we were her 31st home. That meant we were her 31st set of caretakers, her 31st room, her 31st set of rules and morals and ways to live. How do you encourage a child to trust you and learn to love you when they’ve been told ‘goodbye’ 30 times before?”
Jared said “The trauma they've endured, it doesn't just go away, it manifests in unique ways every single day. From our youngest, who's 6 now, and our oldest, who's 17, that trauma from their past life shows up, and when it shows up, we're their parents. It's our job to take care of them.”
Despite the challenges, though, the Moffitt Family of seven is doing well and thriving. In addition to learning how best to care for their children and loving them every single day, Jared and Kayla are sensitive to the cultural needs of their African-American children. Recognizing that their hometown in Arkansas was very white and lacked the diversity and opportunity for the children to interact with people with black and brown skin, they searched for a community that would offer their family more diversity.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Stepmom Flips To Last Page Of Photo Book and Breaks Down Over Twins Ask For Adoption
The Moved To Charlotte For A Better Environment
They settled in Charlotte, and that move has contributed to the healing and happiness of the family, too. Charlotte has become the family’s true home. And, regarding her brood, Kayla said, “You hear that kids are resilient; that's very true for ours. We have five of the most joyful babies I've ever met. I don't know how you can go through what they went through and still smile, but they do.”
While Mom and Dad are still figuring it out as they go, they do it with love. “Just like they didn't know how to be together, live in a house, we didn't know how to be parents and becoming parents to five overnight proved to be challenging,” Kayla said. “But we constantly give grace, have conversations about all the hard things, the scary things, cheer each other on and forgive. Every day is a new day.”
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
WATCH: After Enduring Absolute Horror & Spending Years Apart, These 5 Siblings Are Finally Back Together
LISTEN: Devoted Dog Ran 4 Miles to Alert That His Owner Needed Help | Soldiers Are Adopting Dogs They Fell In Love With
h/t: Kens5
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WCNC
Hally is a freelance writer, blogger, and mental health advocate. A former school counselor, Hally works for a nonprofit that distributes tax dollars to mental health and prevention education providers that serve her county's kids and families. She's a contributor to a devotional and two essay collectives, and she shares resources and wisdom regarding parenting teens, mental health, faith, adoption, and more at http://www.hallyjwells.com where she strives to "Dig Deep and Reach High." She and her husband have three adult children and one rascally beagle pup. Hally loves travel, her book club sisters, personality tests, and a great glass of iced tea.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Suffering from Chronic Pain - Your Daily Prayer - June 21
When chronic pain feels overwhelming, God meets us with strength and comfort. He promises that our suffering is never unseen.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Suffering from Chronic Pain - Your Daily Prayer - June 21
When chronic pain feels overwhelming, God meets us with strength and comfort. He promises that our suffering is never unseen.
Past Stories
- Community Gathers to Remember 12-Year-Old Girl Who Died in a Scooter Accident
- After Surviving Family Tragedies, Stroke, and Coma, Teen Walks in Her Graduation Ceremony
- Civilian Stops to Save Woman in a Burning Car, 'It Could Have Been My Mom'
- They Adopted a Baby Boy, Then Extended Extraordinary Grace to His Birth Mother
- Cancer Survivor Shocks Everyone With His 4th Lottery Win
- Brian Wilson, Co-Founder of the Beach Boys, Passes Away at 82
- Vietnam Vet Passes Away, His Mailman Rushes to Adopt His Dog
- 4-Year-Old Called a Hero After Teacher Collapses at Daycare, and She Knows Exactly What to Do
- After 100-Mile Journey, Including a Swim, Missing Golden Retriever Mix is Finally Back Home
- Life Delayed Her Dream, But Didn’t Deny it. At 88, She Became a Graduate, and Witness to God’s Timing
- Gary Sinise Opens Up About His Son’s Death and the Gift of Grandfatherhood
- Young Girl is Saved by Good Samaritan After Falling 15 Feet Into a Waterfall
- Retired Alaska State Trooper Helps Rescue Husband Pinned by 700-lb Boulder
- 9 Year Old Boy Saves Mom and Newborn Sister By Calling 911, 'My Mom Could Have Died'
- Police Escort Paralyzed Teen to Prom Years After Childhood Shooting
- Young Boy in Wheelchair Walks at His Kindergarten Graduation, Surprising His Family
- Woman Credits Her Faith After Tire Flies Through SUV Windshield in Near-Death Crash
- 98-Year-Old Twins Cherish Life, Love, and Faith While Living Next Door to One Another
- Airman Served in WW2, Now He is Finally Coming Home 81 Years After He Died
- Teens Are Heroes After Saving Family From Fire On Their Prom Night
- She Survived 3 Weeks Lost in the Wild, Fighting Off Animals and Snowstorms
- Triplets Graduate From Texas Tech Together, All Earning Degrees in Media and Communication
- She Lost Her Son's Baby Book, But It Was Returned to Her at the Right Moment
- Man and His Dog Reunited After Being Hit by Drunk Driver
- Nurse With Caring Spirit Says Yes to Dying Mother's Wish For Her Son, and It's Beautiful
- She Never Told Her Friends She Was the School Mascot, Then Shares Her Secret at Graduation
- Mom Donates Kidney to Daughter, Now They’re Graduating Nursing School Together
- Grieving Son Finds Kindness When Trying to Print a Photo of His Mother Who Just Passed Away
- Nebraska Mom Raised Concerns About Husband's Mental Health Before Tragic Murder-Suicide
- Brothers Discover 1976 Message in a Bottle, Then Find the Man Who Wrote It
- California High School Discovers They Have 14 Sets of Twins in Their Graduating Class
- Paralyzed Pup Tyrion Finds New Life With a Doggie Wheelchair
- Autistic 8-Year-Old Boy Goes Missing, Found by Water Thanks to Quick Response
- Two Nurses Come to the Rescue of a Teen Girl in the Process of Being Kidnapped
- Brave Man Jumps Into Water to Save Woman After She Was Attacked By Bull Shark
- She Was Going to Miss Prom After Breaking Her Back at a Trampoline Park, the Hospital Had Other Plans
- Mom Finds Hope After Tragedy, Hears Her Daughter’s Heartbeat in a Child Who Got a Second Chance
- 90-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Has Saved Over 10,000 Animals, and She’s Still Not Slowing Down
- First Responders Rescue 9-Month-Old From House Fire By Going Through Window
- Playful Black Bear Climbs Playground and Rides the Slide, Just Like a Kid
- Singer Michael Bolton Opens Up About His Aggressive Brain Cancer Diagnosis
- Brave 5-Year-Old Climbs 35 Feet Up a Tree, Firefighters Rush to the Rescue
- Woman Finds Her Father After Almost 28 Years — And Learns the Truth About Why He Left
- Woman Saves Her Late Son’s Best Friend’s Mom With a Life-Changing Donation
- An Indie Bookstore Asked for Help, What Happened Next Will Warm Your Heart
- From Teen Sweethearts to 80 Years of Marriage: ‘God Was So Good to Give Him to Me’
- WWII Veteran Celebrates His 101st Birthday and 75 Years of Marriage to His Loving Wife
- 88-Year-Old Korean War Veteran and Great-Grandfather Graduates From College
- One Year After Losing Boys in a Fire, Parents Find Light in the Form of a Beautiful Blessing
- They Dress Up As Disney Princesses to Bring Joy and Hope to Sick Children, and it's Amazing
Top Music Videos

Bill and Gloria Gaither Guy Penrod's Stirring Live Performance of 'Then Came The Morning'

GodTube Music Billie Jo Jones Soul-Stirring Acoustic ‘How Great Thou Art’ Performance

Oak Ridge Boys 'Jesus Is Coming Soon' The Oak Ridge Boys

Jeremy Camp Jeremy Camp 'Ready Now' Powerful Official Music Video

GodTube Music Natalie Layne’s 'Fragile' Performance Is a Must-Watch
Blog
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.