“A blessing”: Couple with 6 Biological Children Adopts 7 Orphaned Siblings

A New Jersey couple recently adopted seven orphaned siblings from Ukraine. They already have six biological children.

When Wade and Michelle Torppey learned about the Ukrainian siblings who were living in an orphanage in Mokrats, they knew right away they have to bring the kids to the US, the Morristown Daily Record reported.

After years of visits and a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wade and Michelle were able to bring the kids — Olena, 17, Leeza, 14, Slavik, 12, Alina, 11, Anhelina, 9, Senya, 8, and Jenya, 6, into their Wantage, Sussex County home.

In July, the siblings were officially adopted into the Torppey family.

“I would like to think that’s a gift we have that God gave us, and he’s asking us to do it a little longer than we planned,” Wade told the Record.

“When they hear seven plus six, they go, ‘What?’ We get a lot of that… The mood of the house is often chaotic, but full of love and laughter,” added Michelle.

The Torppeys, who are members of the Lafayette Federated Church, also see kids adopted through a program by the nonprofit organization Open Hearts and Homes For Children.

The nonprofit arranges for American families to host orphans from Ukraine and Latvia for Christmas and over the summer. Some members of the congregation, like their pastor Aaron Robb, became so attached to the children that they decided to adopt those they hosted.

“I think [Wade] was looking for a way for the whole family to take in and support and care for some less-fortunate kids,” Robb told the Record. “If anybody can handle it, the Torppeys can.”

The Torppeys hosted the seven siblings for Christmas in 2017.

“Their father died in 2016 and their mother died in 2018,” Michelle told the outlet. “There were 10 siblings in all. Two had already aged out of the system and one stayed with relatives.”

“Right off the bat, I knew this would be something more than just Christmas,” said Wade.

The siblings returned for a longer visit the following summer. Later, they made plans to reunite at Christmas 2018. By that time, Wade and Michelle knew they want to take them in as their own.

“We certainly have no regrets,” Wade said. “It’s tough at times and a bit of an adjustment. But when you know their hearts … For us, it’s being obedient to God and what he’s put in front of us.”

Wade and Michelle have received financial help from their church community, including gift cards for groceries and monetary donations to help pay for their education at Sussex Christian School and Veritas Christian Academy, the outlet reported.

“Our church family has been absolutely amazing,” Michelle told the Record. “We’ve been overwhelmed. It’s a very humbling experience. We like to be the people who are donating. We’re not used to being on the receiving end.”

Some people say the number 13 brings bad luck but for the Torppeys, it is a blessing from God.

Source: People