FAQS

Thistles & Thorns Holdings LLC is a veteran-owned small business that operates our apparel and online store while also supporting Calen’s professional leadership development training and executive coaching work. Through our apparel, we create faith-inspired designs intended to spark conversation about Christ and encourage bold, faith-filled living.

Although Thistles & Thorns Holdings LLC is a for-profit company, its heart is missional. One hundred percent of online apparel profits are donated directly to Thistles & Thorns Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), to help fund ministry and mission efforts.

1. Online Faith Apparel Sales
➡ 100% of apparel profits are donated to Thistles & Thorns Foundation (501(c)(3))

2. Thistles & Thorns Foundation (501(c)(3))
➡ Stewards funds with transparency and accountability
➡ Supports missions, retreats, outreach, and ministry programs

3. Leadership Development and Coaching Services
➡ Operated through Thistles & Thorns Holdings LLC
➡ Revenue supports business operations, personal livelihood, and aligned initiatives
➡ Not funded by apparel purchases

Why This Structure Matters
This model allows us to keep apparel purchases fully mission-focused, while leadership and coaching services sustain the broader work and calling God has placed on our family.

Each member of our family has contributed to some part of our designs. We utilize several different tools to create our unique flavor, but ultimately, we only decide what to put up as long as we all would be willing to wear it. So if we love it, we wear it, we share it.

All items are printed and shipped through Printful, our print-on-demand partner. This allows us to offer high-quality products and ship globally, without carrying large inventory. Your items are printed just for you!

Orders typically process in 2 to 5 business days, with shipping times depending on your location. You’ll receive a tracking number as soon as your item ships. Most U.S. customers receive their items within 7 to 10 business days.

Yes, we accept returns and exchanges on unworn, unwashed items within 14 days of delivery. Custom or personalized items are final sale. Please visit our Return Policy for full details.

We are moving forward with plans to serve in Dumbarton, Scotland, where we believe God has called our family to support the local church and community through discipleship, hospitality, leadership development, and outreach.

At this time, we are in the process of Administrative Review following a visa decision received in December. We are actively working through the review process and preparing to resubmit our visa applications once the necessary corrections are identified and addressed.

While timelines may shift, the calling has not changed. We remain committed to this mission and are continuing to plan, prepare, and steward resources faithfully as we move toward what we believe God has placed before us.

Thank you for your prayers, patience, and continued support as we walk this season with trust and obedience.

For the next two years, our family will be serving in Dumbarton, Scotland, through the local church and community. Our work will focus on:

• Supporting and strengthening a local church plant.

• Walking alongside displaced women by creating spaces of healing, discipleship, and hope.

• Hosting retreats and faith-based gatherings.

• Mentoring youth and supporting ministry leaders.

• Living as faithful neighbors who share the love of Christ in everyday ways.

This is a family mission — Calen, Candice, and our children will all be part of the work God is doing in Scotland. At the same time, we will continue to maintain both Thistles & Thorns Holdings LLC and Thistles & Thorns Foundation, ensuring the business and the nonprofit stay active, accountable, and focused on supporting ministry while we are on mission.

Our family’s mission is supported through a combination of personal giving, partner support, and mission donations.

Mission support and donations
Many of our supporters choose to give through GiveSendGo, which helps cover mission-related costs connected to our calling and preparations.

Personal contributions
We also contribute personally. We are committed to carrying responsibility for our family’s needs and to funding parts of the mission through our own income and savings.

Thistles & Thorns Foundation (501(c)(3))
The Foundation exists because we want to help fund and support other missions, retreats, and ministry initiatives, especially those that do not have the financial stability or resources we have been blessed with. When the Foundation receives charitable gifts, those funds are stewarded with transparency and accountability and directed exclusively toward qualified Kingdom-focused purposes.

This approach allows us to move forward faithfully as a family while also building long-term capacity to bless and support other ministry work.

YES, the Thistles & Thorns Foundation has been formed as a nonprofit corporation in Texas, and we are recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
https://www.thistlesandthornsfoundation.org/donate

Please note: purchases from Thistles & Thorns Holdings LLC (our apparel and online store) are not tax-deductible, since they are sales through our for-profit business. However, all store profit is donated to the Foundation to help fund ministry and missions.

Tax-deductible donations may be made directly to Thistles & Thorns Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization recognized by the IRS as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3).

Donations to the Foundation are used to support missions, retreats, outreach efforts, and ministry initiatives in alignment with its charitable purpose.

If you are looking to support our family’s mission directly, those contributions are currently accepted through GiveSendGo and are not processed through the Foundation.

If you have questions about the best way to give or would like guidance on which option aligns with your intentions, we are happy to help.

GiveSendGo support is used to help cover costs directly related to our family’s mission and preparations. These gifts support us personally as we move forward in obedience to the calling God has placed on our family. GiveSendGo contributions are not managed through our nonprofit Foundation.

Foundation giving supports Thistles & Thorns Foundation, our nonprofit 501(c)(3), which exists to fund and support other missions, retreats, outreach efforts, and ministry initiatives. Gifts to the Foundation are stewarded separately and are directed exclusively toward qualified Kingdom-focused work beyond our own family.

In short, GiveSendGo helps support our family’s mission, while Foundation giving helps support the broader mission of others.

Thank you for partnering with us in the way that best aligns with your heart for ministry.

Yes! If you’d like to give above and beyond your purchase, we are deeply grateful. You can donate through our Give page or mission partner link. Every gift helps us continue the work we've been called to do.

We’re each traveling with just one checked bag and a carry-on, so we’ll be starting fresh. Your support helps us purchase basics like beds, cookware, school supplies, and clothing—after we land.

We’re currently planning to bring one of our four pets with us to Scotland.

We’ve confirmed a loving foster home for our dog Oreo—huge thanks to the Wright Family for graciously caring for her until we return.

We’re still looking for foster homes for our two cats. This has been a difficult decision, but we’re doing our best to balance the emotional needs of our family with the practical challenges of international relocation.

We hoped to be in Scotland by early to mid-September 2025, however due to visa processing we are still waiting for the UK government to provide our sponsors with approved confirmation number.

You can follow our journey through our newsletter signup, social media, or our blog right here on our site. We’ll post regular updates, answered prayers, and stories from the field.

Please contact us through our contact page for any questions about our mission or business that isn’t covered in our FAQ page.