A Grateful Update on Our Mission to Scotland
Over the past couple of months, our family has experienced something truly incredible. When God calls you into a new chapter, you expect a measure of uncertainty, challenges, and stretching. What you do not always expect is the overwhelming amount of support, encouragement, and confirmation He sends along the way through His people. We have felt that support at every turn, and our hearts are full.
A few days ago, we shared an update on Facebook about our next steps toward Scotland. Since then, something beautiful has happened. Stonewater Church in Glen Rose has officially become our sponsoring church for this mission. This means more than we can put into words. Stonewater has been our home, our community, and our spiritual family, and for them to place their blessing, covering, and confidence over this mission is both humbling and deeply affirming. We are honored to be sent out by a church that is bold, generous, and committed to reaching people for Christ.
At the same time, two major parts of our mission structure have come to life in a way that only God could orchestrate.
The Thistles and Thorns Foundation
The Foundation is not just a legal structure or a nonprofit on paper. It is the heart of our mission work. It exists for one purpose: to serve the Gospel. Through this Foundation, we are working to build long-term sustainability for ministry in Scotland and beyond. It allows us to support church outreach, discipleship programs, community care, mission teams, retreats, and opportunities to walk alongside individuals who are hurting, searching, or longing for hope.
The vision God placed on our hearts is to create a place where Kingdom work is funded, strengthened, and multiplied. When someone gives to the Foundation, they are not just giving to a trip or a project. They are directly investing in life change, in the strengthening of the church, and in reaching people who are spiritually starving and may not even realize it yet. This Foundation is a way for people to partner with us in a meaningful, lasting way that will continue to bear fruit long after a single moment or event.
Thistles and Thorns Apparel
Alongside the Foundation, our apparel brand has launched and taken on a life we could not have imagined at the beginning. Thistles and Thorns Apparel is not simply clothing with Christian themes. It is a conversation starter. It is a tool for everyday believers to gently and authentically share their faith. Every design is built around Scripture, identity in Christ, and values that point people toward hope. Each shirt or piece of apparel becomes a seed planted in a grocery store line, at work, at school events, or even just out walking through town.
We created this brand with the desire to help Christians feel confident in expressing their faith in simple, relatable ways. When someone wears a piece from our shop, they are helping spark conversations, share truth, and open doors for others who might be quietly longing for the peace, purpose, and love that only Jesus can give. 100% of the profit from each and every purchase helps fund our mission, but just as importantly, it helps spread the Gospel through ordinary, everyday encounters.
We created this brand as a means for us to invest eternally, not personally. Which is why 100% of profits from apparel sales goes straight to ministry and supporting the Foundation.
Why We Share This
As we prepare for our move to Scotland, we know that the road ahead will take resources, support, prayer, and community. What God is calling us into is bigger than our family. It is something meant to be shared and built together with people who feel connected to the mission and want to be part of what God is doing.
Every prayer matters.
Every donation matters.
Every purchase from the shop matters.
Each one becomes a brick in the foundation of what God is building through this calling.
We want people to feel invited. To feel included. To feel like this mission is not just ours but something they can take ownership of as well. And the truth is, you are already part of it. Your encouragement, your messages, your support, your generosity, and your belief in what God is doing have strengthened us when we needed it most.
We do not take any of this for granted. This journey has already changed us. It has humbled us. It has brought us to our knees in prayer and lifted us back up with renewed faith and gratitude. We have seen God open doors that were once impossible to push on our own. We have watched Him align resources and relationships with perfect timing. And we know He is preparing even more ahead.
If God nudges your heart to walk with us, we would be humbled to have you join the mission. Every form of support, whether spiritual or practical, helps create opportunities for the Gospel to reach those who are quietly searching for hope. Your involvement helps build something that will echo into eternity.
Thank you for being part of our story. Thank you for believing in what God is doing. And thank you for loving our family so well.
With sincere love and gratitude,
Calen and Candice
