Parents with One Son Adopted 7 Siblings in 2017, but Then a Phone Call Changed Everything

A Georgia couple went from being a family of three to being a family of ten in one day after adopting seven siblings. They now hope to further expand their family following a life-changing phone call.

In May 2017, Rincon couple Jessaka and Joshua Clark adopted seven siblings from a group foster home in Georgia. The bundle of seven joined their biological son, Noah, making them a family of ten.

The couple first spotted the siblings, Maria, Elizabeth, Guillermo, Jason, Kristina, Katerin, and James, in April 2016 and immediately became convinced they belonged to the family.

Jessaka recalled, “It was a surreal experience. We knew these were our kids when we first saw a photograph of them. We had prayed so much and for so long. God brought us the perfect situation.”

The parents admitted they always dreamed of keeping a sibling group together. Growing up in foster care, Jessaka knew what it felt like to be separated from one’s biological family and wanted to save other kids from going through that.

They soon got their wish when they met the super seven, aged 5-14 at the time. Jessaka and Joshua became drawn to them instantly, as they began addressing them as “mom” and “dad” at their first meeting.

The adoption process took almost a year but eventually became a success. Before long, the siblings embraced their newest little brother, Noah, and transitioned into their forever home. But their joy was not complete.

One day, one of the kids let her in on the existence of an eighth sibling, which set the parents on a new mission. Jessaka recalled:

“We didn’t know anything about another sibling until Maria recently asked. Their sister is considered a separate case, but we do very much want to keep them all together if possible.”

Since learning about the eighth sibling, the Clarks have vowed to do everything to bring her home. After reaching out to the agency, they discovered the eighth sibling, which the Georgia Division of Family and Children Service considered a separate case, was also in foster care.

Jessaka and her husband decided to reach out to the family fostering the eighth sibling and discuss the possibility of adopting her into their large family.

However, to do that, they needed a larger space, as their three-bedroom apartment already proved too cramped. After sharing their predicament in 2017, they started a GoFundMe campaign to seek assistance for purchasing a larger home as part of the agency’s requirement.

They received support from well-wishers and exceeded their initial target of $10,000, as people joined their cause to bring the eighth sibling home.

Jessaka was positive that the only thing standing between her family and the eighth sibling was if pulling her away from her foster family would prove detrimental to her wellbeing.

In that case, she believed establishing some sort of lasting communication with the family would bridge the gap and enable the eighth sibling to grow up knowing all her siblings.