PEPPER CARTER
CHILDREN'S ASSOCIATE
PCARTER@BROADMOOR.ORG
I suppose you could safely say I grew up in a very traditional
Southern Baptist home. I was very blessed to have two Christian parents
who believed that it was important for us to be in the church any time
the doors were open. Not only did I learn the books of the Bible and
all the important lessons that went along with them, but I also learned
the importance of giving back a portion of what God has given you
through time and talents.I met my future husband at my very first
social function in college. I knew he was the one, but he took a little
more convincing! When we finished college, we got married and I went on
to work for a very successful advertising agency and quickly worked my
way through the ranks until I was Vice President Director of Media. It
was a job that I thoroughly enjoyed but always asked myself “at the end
of the day, did I really make a difference in the world?” At the time
my husband was a teacher and a coach and I found myself wishing I had
an impact on the world as he did.
Years passed and we had our
first child, Spencer. Talk about a life changing experience. Things
took on an entirely new perspective. I continued to feel a tugging at
my heart about making a difference, especially now that I was holding a
small part of the future, but with a husband in the teaching
profession, a change of careers for me was out of the question. The
amazing thing was that through all of this, God was laying the
foundation for something great. Not only was I feeling a burning desire
to do something different with my life, but my husband was experiencing
the same feelings as well. When Spencer was 2 years old, Allan changed
careers and our course in life began to change directions. The
possibility of me doing something different seemed like a more tangible
thing.
It was just at that point that I learned my plans weren’t
the same as God’s plan. I was so close to making the change and then I
learned I was pregnant with our second child. I was in no position to
walk away from my health benefits so I had to continue working for the
ad agency. Again, this was not a heavy burden to bear because I did
like what I was doing – I just felt like I should be doing something
different.
This pregnancy was far different from the first one
because there were several complications beginning in the fifth month.
It was through this process that our family had to learn what it meant
to trust God with something that we knew we could not control. It was
complete submission of ownership and turning everything over to the one
who knew what the fate of our child was going to be. There were tears,
fears, and anxiety, but through it all we had an overwhelming sense
that God was right beside us and was going to carry us through this
time. The power of prayer is an awesome thing, because we were blessed
with another beautiful baby boy who was 100% healthy and complication
free.
Through this process I learned to totally submit and
surrender to God. It was this lesson that gave me the courage to take
the leap of faith and leave my job. My plan was to stay home and raise
my two beautiful boys. God’s plan was entirely different.
Before
I finished out my 3 month notice at the ad agency, I had agreed to
volunteer as a leader in our preschool area. I wasn’t quite sure what
it entailed, but it just seemed right at the time. Little did I know
that God was preparing me for the adventures that were in my very near
future. After 3 years serving as a Preschool Associate, I began to feel
pulled in the direction of our Children’s Ministry. I can’t explain it
because I loved the Preschool Team that I worked with. The Preschool
Minister was as close to me as my own mother and the thought of not
working on her team seemed unbearable, but conversely the thought of
not working with our older children gave me pain as well. We were
without a Children’s Minister so I really did not know what I would be
doing, but I knew that I had to surrender to where God was leading me.
I certainly didn’t want to fight Him. I’ve learned through the past
what that feels like and it was not something I wanted to go through
again!
I have learned many things working with the children of
our church. I have learned that I am nothing more than a big kid
myself. I have learned that 5 Mentos dropped into a Diet Coke have an
explosive affect. I have learned how to make palm trees out of carpet
rolls and that Silly String REALLY does deteriorate in a few days. Most
importantly, I have learned that children are an amazing gift from God
and something that should be cherished daily. I consider it such a
privilege and honor to work with our children at Broadmoor. Sometimes I
wonder who is getting more out of it – me or them.
|