Fred and Karleen founded Mercy Ministries (now Embrace Mercy) in 1986. They have tirelessly welcomed and fought for children from hard places—in their family, in their Denver community, and around the world. Through Embrace Mercy they started many programs to empower youth and families – from providing preschool education, to training teen mothers, to bringing hope and quality care to Romanian orphans. Karleen was one of the first people to teach attachment theory to caregivers in western Romania, radically changing the understanding about the damage done by early institutionalization. For decades Karleen and Fred have used their own life-experiences and specific training to support adoptive and foster parents. In 2007 Karleen authored The Place of the Mourning Doves, detailing their work in Romania.