Helping children in crises has been a lifelong mission for Mark and Kristin Orphan.

Early in their marriage, the Orphans became legal guardians for Mark’s younger brother, who is developmentally disabled. The couple also adopted two young girls, both of whom are now adults, through private foster care.

Mark was a strategic planner for COMPACT Family Services, an Assemblies of God agency that provides foster care and adoption assistance and oversees a range of programs, including Hillcrest Children’s Home in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

As AG church planters, the Orphans encouraged congregants to become foster parents. However, they soon realized many couples quit fostering because of limited support.

“We were teaching parenting classes at church, but found, as equipped as we were, we needed a completely different skill set for foster kids,” Kristin says.

In 2008, the Orphans founded Finally Home, a ministry that equips foster, adoptive, and kinship families in building healthy homes where children can heal.

Based in Windsor, Colorado, Finally Home has expanded nationally through partnerships with churches and ministries across the U.S.

The nonprofit develops programs with Northern Colorado families and congregations, while also working with church leaders who want to replicate these initiatives elsewhere.

“As we work in partnership with churches, our heart is to remove barriers in order to keep families in the game,” Mark says. “Healthy Christian families that step up and say ‘yes’ to the biblical mandate of caring for orphans often discover that they are not equipped to face the unique challenges of caring for kids who have experienced trauma.”

Most children who have spent time in foster care have a history of trauma, and many have one or more mental health diagnoses.

The cost of specialized mental health care is a strain for caregivers. While foster children typically receive Medicaid-funded mental health support, they often need help from specialists outside this network.

Through its Revive and Thrive initiative, Finally Home offers scholarships that help bridge the gap, paying out-of-pocket expenses for specialized therapy and securing discounts from providers.

The program offers educational resources for parents and caregivers and hosts respite retreats for foster, adoptive, and kinship parents.

Revive and Thrive has three levels of case management. At the basic level, it helps families navigate resources in their communities.

The intermediate level connects families with the organization’s training, conferences, and materials.

Most children who have spent time in foster care have a history of trauma, and many have one or more mental health diagnoses.

The most involved stage offers wraparound care, including individual coaching, mentoring, and assistance with paying for therapy.

Charitable foundations and partner agencies provide some supporting funds. But increasingly, Finally Home relies on the sponsorship of congregations. For example, Timberline Church (AG) in Fort Collins, Colorado, provides ongoing monthly financial support.

Kari E. Stewart, missions pastor at Timberline Church, understands the challenges foster and adoptive parents face. She and her husband, Jeff, have a racially diverse household that includes three biological children and six adopted children.

The Stewarts are one of 32 families at Timberline who have navigated foster care or adoption.

Stewart, who hosts training events for Finally Home, says the organization has been a lifeline for families like hers.

“At Timberline we saw marriages begin to fall apart as people said ‘yes’ to foster care and adoption,” she says. “But Finally Home helps foster-adoptive parents realize there is someone who understands what they’re going through.”

Chris and Liz Brodzinski attended a Finally Home conference in 2020, a year after adopting a boy and girl through the foster care system.

The couple already had a young biological son when they became foster parents to the two siblings. Chris and Liz cared for the pair three years before finalizing their adoption.

Attending the Finally Home conference as a new family of five, the Brodzinskis found a network of guidance and encouragement.

“All five of us left the event with smiles on our faces,” Liz says. “We felt happy, relaxed, and supported.”

As the children grew older, however, the Brodzinskis realized the whole family needed counseling.

“Triggers came up from their past,” Liz recalls. “Family therapy gave us the support we needed.”

During 2023, Revive and Thrive helped the Brodzinskis by paying for a year of their family therapy sessions. The family’s daughter is now 11, and the boys are 11 and 8.

The organization’s investment in their lives made such an impression on Liz that she joined the Finally Home team and now organizes conferences for other families.

Over 16 years of ministry, Finally Home has served more than 1,800 families.

“We’ve been successful at building a funding coalition, so now we can serve more families,” Mark says. “Often, a kid needs to be in 12 months of therapy for it to be effective.”

Finally Home developed Survival Skills for Healthy Families, a research-based adaptation of a core curriculum from Family Wellness.

These materials reinforce skills and characteristics of healthy families.

The Orphans and their team are committed to helping children heal, families thrive, and congregations reflect the love of Christ.

“Kids need families,” Kristin says. “This is the place God designed for children to be cared for, loved, and taught about Him.”

In 2022, the Orphans became foster care chaplains through AG U.S. Missions.

“This is a mission field,” Mark says. “We always work in partnership with local churches to serve families, even if they are referred to us by other agencies.”

This article appears in the Winter 2025 issue of Influence magazine.