ABOUT
Our Story
For more than 27 years, we have served in full-time ministry while raising our six children, including 12 years overseas in Northern Thailand. In our personal experience, resources for relevant and affordable missionary care are hard to come by. After adopting our 2 daughters from China, both with special needs, we found it particularly difficult to find resources for missionaries who have adopted children or have children with more challenging needs.
The strain on missionary marriages and families is unique, and it is real.
Through years of working with missionaries, pastors, and ministry leaders, we repeatedly witnessed the same challenges: many faithful servants of God carry enormous pressures with very few places to rest, heal, and receive debriefing and encouragement. Missionary families often face isolation, cultural stress, marital strain, and the challenge of raising children far from extended family support. These challenges are even greater for families raising adopted children or children with special needs.
In our nearly 3 decades of serving as full time missionaries, we have watched dozens of marriages dissolve and families leave the ministry; multiple missionary children take their lives — leaving their family with life long grief, while other missionary children abandon the faith. These staggering losses so profoundly impacted people we love, compelled our hearts towards creating a space where people can come and heal.
In our nearly three decades of serving as full time missionaries, we ourselves have experienced many transitions within our own family and marriage; we and our children have suffered huge losses and experienced tremendous hardships that are all difficult to explain to someone who has never served as a full-time missionary. We’ve learned valuable skills to stay connected as a couple and make our marriage thrive, as well as staying connected to our children and balance home life with ministry life. We know how challenging it can be for missionaries and full-time workers to find an outlet to share their pain and struggle with someone who understands.
We want to create a space that allows missionaries to share vulnerably, feel heard, and find the healing and resources they need to really thrive on the mission field. Healthy families produce healthy ministries!
Thriving Families was born from a simple but powerful conviction: those who spend their lives serving others also need a place to be cared for.
What We Do
Core Ministry
Marriage coaching, parent coaching, and certified trauma-informed care (via Zoom or in-person at the office in Frankfort, KY).
Annual trips to various Asian locations.
Offered locally and nationally on topics including:
- Hearing the voice of God
- Character and nature of God
- God’s heart for the nations
- Inductive Bible study
- Biblical leadership
- Early childhood trauma, foundations of brain development, attachment issues, etc.
What We Do
Core Ministry Programs
Rest & Renewal
Missionary retreat experiences focused on rest, renewal, and family restoration.
The money factor
Initial Ministry Funding Goals
Goal 1 (start of non-profit and website cost)
Goal 2 (International ministry – restarting 2027)
Goal 3 (Initial development of ministry location)
GOAL 4 (property purchase for the service of Christian workers)
How can you help?
Partner With Us to Keep Missionaries Thriving
Prayer
Prayer support for the Ministry and the missionary families we serve
Donate
Provide financial partnerships to launch and sustain the Ministry
Volunteer
Volunteering professional skills or labor
Network
Introduce Thriving Families to churches and networks who care about the need for missionary care
Connecting
Connecting Thriving Families with missionaries in need of care
Sponsor
Sponsor retreat experiences for missionary families
Development takes time and resources
Three-Phase Development Plan
Phase One
Establish nonprofit structure, build a foundational donor base, and acquire a target retreat property.
Phase Two
Develop retreat property with initial lodging and meeting spaces. Deploy mobile missionary care infrastructure to serve families globally.
Phase Three
Expand retreat programs by building advanced lodging options and implementing a dedicated resource database for families seeking professional services.
Facing the Hard Truths of Kingdom Workers
The untold struggles of missionaries
Why?
38%
Missionaries at high risk of burnout
47%
Leave before first term ends
2X
Divorce rate for special needs families
20%
Feel supported during re-entry
The problems we help alleviate
The Need
The Foundation
Healthy families lead to sustainable ministry and long-term impact.
Thriving Families Retreat
Will offer a retreat environment designed specifically for missionary families to provide rest, encouragement, and the relational space needed to renew strength for long-term ministry.
Isolation & Burnout
Missionary families often experience intense stress, isolation, and burnout with limited support systems.
Marital Strain
Missionary marriages often face significant strain due to ministry pressures and cross-cultural challenges, again with limited support systems.
Special Needs & Adoption Demands
Families raising adopted children or children with special needs face additional emotional and logistical demands, often without the necessary resources of therapy.
Missionary Kids Reality
Missionary kids face unique challenges and pressures.
Affordable Care Vacuums
Affordable, relevant missionary care and retreat opportunities are extremely limited.