A couple who were preparing to retire has revealed they felt compelled to adopt seven children after seeing an ad on social media detailing how the siblings' had been left without a 'forever home' when their parents died in a car accident.

Pam, 50, and Gary Willis, 53, from Menifee, California, who have five children and had been fostering kids for many years, explained that they were anticipating retirement and their last child leaving their six bedroom house.

However, Pam spotted a Facebook ad searching for a permanent home for Adelino, 15, Ruby, 13, Aleecia, nine, Anthony, eight, Aubriella, seven, Leo, five, and Xander, four, who had been in foster care for over a year after both of their parents tragically died in a car crash.

Pam told TODAY that she couldn't stop staring at their faces, saying: 'I can't explain it — I just knew I was supposed to be their mom.' 

Pam said she had never discussed adoption with Gary and expected him to call her a 'wacko' because they were preparing to retire, but still tagged him in the Facebook post.

She explained that they both felt 'it was what God wanted us to do,' but were told when they called the number on the ad that thousands of other people had already applied.