Two years after they were married in 1951, they adopted their first child, Lin Lu-teh, and thereafter decided to devote themselves wholeheartedly to charity work with children.
民國四十年他與林鳳英結婚了，從此在六龜便開始了夫妻同甘共苦的長期奮鬥生涯。四十二年，他們收養了第一個孤兒，是個山胞啞女，取名林路得。這時長男子江也剛出生，廿三歲的楊媽媽同時得養育兩個孩子，可萬萬想不到有一天然竟會同時養育一百多個孩子。