The costumes have been chosen with care; the scenes studied intensely. Once that first note of Disney hits, Joy, Timmy and Jennifer Woertman transform from all business to all entertainment, reenacting their favorite movie moments as grand prince and princesses. 

And were it not for Freddy and Candy Woertman, these three wouldn’t even know each other. 

“The three of them are the best of friends,” says their adoptive mother Candy, a 57-year-old prekindergarten teacher. “Jennifer loves doing whatever Timmy and Joy are doing.” 

Freddy and Candy, meanwhile, love what they themselves are doing: raising 11 children — including seven adopted from American foster care, China and Ecuador — to be world-changers. 

“In the beginning, I didn’t know we would adopt seven kids,” Candy says. “But we kept finding kids who needed homes, and they all seemed to be good fits, so we continued to adopt.” 

It’s a unique life that started in Candy’s childhood. Whenever missionaries came to her church and shared photos of orphans, her heart broke, and it kept breaking when she visited a Mexican orphanage in high school. Those kids needed families, so why shouldn’t she give them one someday? 

Thankfully, after growing up and getting married, Candy’s husband agreed, and their family’s mission came into focus: provide a home for children who had none. 

First came two biological children, Caroline and Jordan. Then came their first adoption, a sibling group of three from the North Carolina foster system, where the Woertmans had moved from California. Less than a year later, Candy gave birth to Woertman #6, Ricky. Three years later, at age 43, she had Colby. 

Despite having seven children at the time, including a trio with trauma backgrounds, Candy’s heart was moved when a missionary friend floated the idea of adopting Grace, a three-year-old with cerebral palsy from China. They said yes and brought her home to North Carolina in 2014, quickly discovering that orphanage neglect was a far larger issue for Grace than her medical diagnoses. 

“Grace learned to walk around five years ago,” says Candy. “She is 14 now and nonverbal but uses communication device to do her school work. She plays baseball and is involved in the middle school ministry at our church.” 

Eventually, through a friend, the Woertmans discovered Reece’s Rainbow. Page after page of beautiful children and heart-smashing stories left Candy wondering if their four adoptions were just the beginning. Grace had been so easy to love that maybe they had room for another just like her. 

So in 2017, Candy and Freddy, a middle school math teacher, went back to China for Joy, a seven-year-old with Down syndrome. She proved to be a pure delight, impressing her new family with her athletic abilities and ability to bond with them quickly. There was a crucial reason for that quickness: unlike many adopted kids in China, who live in institutions, Joy had been living with a foster family who adored her. 

“They wanted to adopt her, but China said they were too poor,” Candy explains. “I have been able to send them updates and pictures of Joy. They are heartbroken and yet at the same time very thankful for the love she has and the life she’s living.” 

Just two years later, they returned to China once more, this time for Timmy, a nine-year-old with Down syndrome. Named after Tim Tebow, the boy once known as “Blaine” on Reece’s Rainbow made his mark on the Woertmans even before becoming a North Carolinian. 

“I had several mothers show me his picture and tell me stories of how he took care of their children while they all still lived in the orphanage,” Candy says. “Once we committed to adopt him, they started mailing us checks to help with adoption fees.”

Timmy came home in rough shape — underweight, undereducated and with mouth, teeth and jaw troubles — but dove into life inside the cocoon of a family. Though he needed immediate surgery to prevent a type of cancer, Timmy just as immediately demonstrated his love for service. 

“He finds so much joy in serving others and is our easiest child by far,” shares Candy. “He is very capable of learning, loves school and the many friends in his special needs classroom.” 

Even though the Woertmans were in double digits with their kid count, they still weren’t done. Before adopting Timmy, Candy had found “Rebecca,” an Ecuadoran preschooler with Down syndrome. For four years, the mother had watched as a quartet of other families attempted to adopt “Rebecca,” but it never worked out. 

Instead, Freddy and Candy adopted the girl known as Jennifer the day before her eighth birthday in 2022. Their kid count now stands at 11, with six still at home. 

The best part of it all? That’s easy, says Candy. 

“It’s just the kids themselves. Just the joy they bring to us,” she says. “They’re just funny and appreciative and loving.” 

There are a lot of logistics, of course. Grace, for example, still needs diapers and uses a wheelchair for longer walks. All three with Down syndrome are involved with sports. There are church activities, special events like the yearly Night to Shine special needs proms and plenty of medical appointments. The family dreams of going to Disney together someday. 

But some things, like work and family bonding, get to delightfully combine. So far, 10 kids have attended the middle school where Freddy, now 56, teaches, and Jennifer, the caboose, will someday, too. For now, she gets to go to the school with her mother while she teaches. 

“I’m enjoying the bonding time with just she and I,” Candy says. 

Because it’s those little moments, the flotsam of life that could never be quantified on an itemized list, that are the true recompence. 

“I think the reward is getting up every day and having that feeling of, ‘Yeah, I’m doing the right thing,’” Candy says. “It’s that satisfaction of just knowing that your life has a purpose.” 

Including, of course, being dazzled by three dreamers in a living room.