Couple ministers to cancer patients
by: Lisa Watson - Apr 3, 2009
It is estimated more than 1 million people were diagnosed with cancer last year, according to a study by the American Cancer Society (ACS) Web site. Many will face months and maybe years of treatment along with fears of hair loss, weight loss, severe nausea, absences from work and death.
Isolation, depression and anxiety can also be problems for cancer patients, families and caregivers, according to ACS.
Daren Carter, a member of Friendship Church of Sherwood, has a lot of experience with cancer in his life. His wife Carolyn’s mother battled cancer for eight years before she succumbed to the disease. Countless friends and family members battled the disease throughout his life.
When his next-door neighbor, Lil Martin, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2005, he knew he had to do something to let her know she was not alone. He purchased a small, lighted angel as a reminder to her that Jesus would never leave her and that he and his family would pray for her. “I said, ‘This is your little angel. You can turn it on every night, and it lets you know God loves you and we’re praying for you,’” he said.
Carter also witnessed to Martin, who made a decision to follow Christ before she died in 2006.
Since that time, the Carters have sent out 1,800 angels. The couple founded Angel Heart Ministry (AHM), a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing the comfort and hope of Christ with people suffering from cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Daren and Carolyn conduct AHM out of their home and have set up a board of directors for the ministry. Daren also works for State Farm Insurance.
Through the organization’s Web site, http://www.angelheartministry.org, people can request an angel to be sent free of charge to someone who is suffering. The lighted angel figurines also include encouraging words and Scriptures.
For every angel that is sent out, prayer warriors lift up the needs of the person daily. The Web site is the hub of activity for the ministry. From the site, it’s possible to send an angel to someone, share a prayer request, sign up to be a prayer warrior and contribute financially to the ministry.
There’s a section for bidding on autographed sports and collectible memorabilia with the proceeds going to the ministry.
People who are a part of AHM can leave messages of encouragement and thanks on the Web site’s guest book and “touched by angels” sections. Visitors can also share prayer concerns online and send greeting cards.
The angels represent the light of Christ, the power of prayer and a physical or tangible reminder that the recipient is not alone in his or her cancer battle, says Daren. “The angels let people know we are praying for them,” he continues. “It’s a comforting thing.”
Angels have been sent to people in 41 states and to Canada and England.
The ministry has begun to take flight. Last month, Little Rock’s KATV news anchor Scott Inman interviewed Daren for a feature story. The news reporter first came in contact with AHM when Daren delivered angels and a framed poem to the staff following KATV Reporter Ann Pressley’s untimely death. Following the interview, which included video of the Carters putting angels together for shipping, they received 20-30 requests for angels.
God has brought about a big change in Daren’s life through AHM, says Carolyn. “A year ago, Daren didn’t even feel comfortable praying at the dinner table, “ she says. Now he prays, not just at the dinner table, but also speaks to church groups around the state. He and Carolyn also visit Relay for Life events throughout Arkansas, distributing angels to participants.
Phillip Ward, a member of Cornerstone Baptist Church of Springfield, Ga., serves as vice president on the AHM board of directors. Ward has been involved in the ministry since its inception in 2006. He handles many of the ministry’s administrative details, including searching for the best purchase prices for angels, batteries, packing materials and other resources so Daren can focus on “reaching out to people.”
He became involved in the ministry because he wanted to reach out to others who have lost family members to cancer. Ward’s grandmother died of cancer when he was just 10 years old. “I didn’t understand why God took her away, but now I know there’s a reason for everything,” he said. “There are people just like me who don’t understand but need God’s understanding when it comes to living through something like cancer.”
Prayer warriors
Cheryl Pack is an AHM prayer warrior. She found the ministry while searching online. When her daughter, Theresa, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, Daren sent her an angel. “With all the prayers that went for Theresa during that time, she is now in remission,” says Pack.
“Angel Heart Ministry is out there to help people, to let them know that someone cares, that someone is out there for them,” she says.
The Hartselle, Ala., resident sends out angles and encouraging letters to people who are suffering with cancer and other life threatening illnesses.
Recently, Pack has once again been on the receiving end of AHM since her husband Gary’s diagnosis in January with advance pancreatic cancer.
“The doctors never thought he’d make it,” said Pack, though he continues to fight the disease. He’s lost almost 50 pounds since he had surgery to remove tumors. She says Daren has sent her several encouraging and prayer-filled messages, many times leaving messages on her answering machine. “It’s been such a blessing to me to know there are people who care for us,” she says.
Though she’s never met Daren, Pack says he is her “brother in the Lord” and one day hopes to meet him and his family. “He’s a keeper,” she says, adding “and that ministry is a keeper.”
To learn more about AHM, go to www.angelheartministry.org or call Daren at 501-834-2624.
This article is reprinted from the March 12, 2009, issue of the Arkansas Baptist News, the newsjournal of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
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