HOLIDAY, Florida -- A chef at a Florida church was leaving work months ago when he came across several bags of trash. When he took a closer look, he saw two children, ages seven months and two years -- both only wearing diapers.
The boys’ mother was hiding around a corner nearby. It was soon learned that all three were homeless.
Pastor Ronnie Stewart and his wife Krystal had seen the family before at their soup kitchen and volunteered to take the boys home one night to clean them up.
“They were covered in bug bites, head to toe. They were so filthy that we actually had to bathe and drain and bathe again, two different times. The toddler who did have shoes on didn’t have any socks on. When we took his shoes off, the little skin on the top of his feet actually came off,” Krystal said.
Months later, the boys' parents approached the Stewarts as they were leaving church. They were with a social worker. They asked the Stewarts if they could take the boys in while they figured out what they were going to do.
“We just looked at each other and knew. There was no other option. Of course we said yes," Krystal said.
The boys' family eventually signed over custody to the Stewarts. Their family of five would become a family of seven.
“We don’t look at it as we are something special. We know that they are special, and we’re just excited to be part of their journey,” Krystal said.
The Stewarts are now working to raise the $10,000 needed to complete the adoption process in the next 45 days.
For more information, visit GoFundMe.com/stewartadoption.