How do you tell our family story in 1500 words or less? What’s important? Interesting? It’s a daunting task. There’s too much to tell. We’re extraordinarily blessed with a rich and full life, but that doesn’t mean it’s always been easy. We’ve had our share of challenges and sorrows too. Life is like a tapestry, made up of many threads of different colors. Holocaust survivor, Corrie ten Boom, illustrated this best when speaking about her journey. She would show the underside of a weaving, which was all messy with a jumble of threads of every color, knotted and crossed in no perceivable pattern. You couldn’t tell what it was or even see a hint of the true beauty of the piece. But when she turned it over, you saw a lovely, majestic crown, beautifully woven out of all those messy threads from the underside. Life is like that tapestry. We often only see the underside, the messy, ugly, knotted threads with no perceivable purpose. But God is the Master Weaver, and He is creating something beautiful out of all our lives. No experience is ever wasted. The dark threads are just as important to the finished masterpiece as the threads of gold and silver. So, let’s pull a few threads to help you understand who we are, and how we came to have a family foundation with a mission to live as ambassadors of God’s grace for His glory.
Duane and Lynn, the patriarch and matriarch of the Carter Family, have been married for over 30 years. We have three remarkable sons, two beautiful daughters-in-law, and six precious grandchildren. This is the Carter Family. In 2019, we sold the hospitality technology business that Lynn had started with her sister back in 1996. Evidence of God’s providential care of every person involved in that acquisition could fill a book. But for starters, stop to consider what might happen to a mid-sized family business, supplying sales and catering software to the hospitality industry, if a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic were to close every hotel, restaurant and entertainment venue in the world. We would not have survived it, and the life work and life savings of every family invested in the business would have been destroyed. Thankfully, God was not surprised by Covid. We had not planned to sell the business quite so early, but everything just dropped into place and progressed at a speed that could only be divinely coordinated. God had a plan and He was taking care of us.
We were overwhelmed by the lavish grace God poured out on us and wanted to give thanks by offering back a portion of the abundant blessings He had given. With some of the proceeds from the sale of the business, we founded The Carter Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity. The original purpose was to establish a legacy of generosity and Christian charity in our family. We wanted to teach the kids and grandkids intentional generosity, and foster attentiveness to the needs of others. We put our three sons on the Board of Directors, and every Thanksgiving we meet to decide which charities we’ll support that year, and distribute funds as Christmas gifts to honor the birth of Jesus. It has been enlightening to manage the Foundation as a family. One of the most fun aspects has been to learn how each son has different passions and priorities for charitable contributions. These differences have led us to the four mission fields that we identify in our mission statement and on our website.
Fast-forward a couple of years and you find God weaving another common thread through the tapestry of the four Carter families. In Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas, we are all hearing a similar message: God has big plans and He has work for us to do! He has called us to be salt and light to a lost world, and we are strategically placed to complete the assignments He has prepared in advance for us to do. “We can do more,” our middle son, Zach, insisted. And all of us agreed. We’d felt the stirring in our hearts to think bigger, reach farther, be available, GO! While God doesn’t need us to accomplish His purposes here on earth, He chooses to work through people. We have the great privilege to participate in His divine plan and experience His presence. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)
So, we searched Scripture for guidance, prayed for discernment, and sculpted a vision and mission statement that informs our strategic planning and goals:
Vision
Live as ambassadors of God’s grace in our local communities, America and the world for His glory.
Mission
Preserve and promote every person’s God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness through education, rescue and rehabilitation, child protection, evangelism and missions.
Now, we are working to expand the reach of the Foundation by developing partnerships, recruiting ambassadors and intentionally raising funds for targeted mission fields. This expanded reach comes with increased operating expenses. However, each family member is committed to covering all operating expenses out of our personal finances so that 100% of all charitable donations are distributed to the mission field. We can’t see the tapestry God is weaving, but we’re going to follow each thread He lays before us and trust Him to reveal what comes next. We can’t wait to see what He’s creating! But, if we’re honest, it’s a bit overwhelming too. We all have busy lives and many demands on our time. Ephesians 3:20 tells us, “God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” A boy gave Him five loaves and two fish, and Jesus fed over 5,000 people. We don’t need to do it all on our own. Whatever we give, God will magnify.
We have a Bible verse that anchors our vision and plans for the Foundation:
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
Our logo captures this verse. The tree is not only a family tree, representing several generations of Carters; it is a tree planted by the water – living water. It has deep roots, firmly planted in the Word of God. It has no worries in a year of drought; God promises to provide for us and our confidence is in Him. It never fails to bear fruit. Our “fruit” is seen in the impact we have in our mission fields. The different colored leaves in our logo represent those fruits. As a family, and as a charity, we are focused on roots and fruits. “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16). It is our privilege to be Ambassadors of God’s Grace in every season of life. May God bless and magnify our efforts.
Soli Deo gloria!
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