Our Story
It all began in 1989.
"God can do things and can use people and can use you in ways that if you let Him, you will be like me. You will be surprised, you will be amazed, and it will increase your faith to keep on doing things for God.”
Gator Carter, Founder
In 1989 God spoke to Gator Carter to move to Mexico with his wife Deanna. They obeyed and moved to Mexico to serve at an orphanage. After about ten years of learning and serving, is when God spoke again to open Big Heart Orphanage. The first Big Heart location was in Reynosa and opened its doors to kids in October of 2000.
When God called Gator and Deanna to open an orphanage they did not know how they would have the funds or the means to run an orphanage but they trusted in the Lord, and that if He called, He would also equip them. Their obedience and simple yes to the Lord would move mountains in Mexico. They would soon begin caring and homeschooling the kids in their care. This is when God showed them a need for education in their community, once again calling Gator and Deanna to step out in faith and open a school in their community called “Colegio Regents”.
In all Gator and Deanna would be in Reynosa faithfully serving the Lord from 1989-2018. They would watch their school go from under 70 elementary students to today over 500 students. Colegio Regents is now offering education from preschool through High School. God was moving in incredible ways, but He was not done, asking Gator and Deanna to step out in faith once again.
In 2018 a friend in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila asked Gator to come visit his orphanage. Gator went and visited and even took a few groups of friends. Gator was then asked by the current owners of the orphanage if he would be willing to take over and copy what they were already doing in Reynosa. In Gator’s mind, he thought "There is no way”. How would he have the manpower to fund and run a 27-acre property four hours into Mexico? But, after much prayer and family meetings Gator and Deanna would leave Reynosa and go start Big Heart Ramos Arizpe, their now second location. Leaving behind Micah, his wife Jenny and Opal to run Big Heart Reynosa. What once was a calling on Gator and Deanna’s life had now become a family calling.
"When God speaks, we want to do what He says. It wasn’t that we were running away from something or looking for something more exciting or anything like that. How would God provide for us? We have never stepped out on our faith; we never did anything like this but because of the word that we got from God and the call on our lives, we knew we needed to do what He said, and we knew He would take care of the rest.”.
- Gator Carter
From 2018- 2023 Gator and His family trusted that God would provide everything for their two orphanges. Then again in the spring of 2023, God would then again ask Gator and His family to take their biggest leap of faith. In Matamoros, Tamaulipas Gator and His son Micah heard of an orphanage in a difficult season. As brothers in Christ, they went to visit and encourage their fellow brothers and sisters. From the beginning, they knew there was nothing they could do but pray for their friends and encourage them.
Gator and his family in 1996
God would soon make it clear that He planned for Big Heart to take over the orphanage that was previously known as “Angels of God.” As the family sat down, they agreed it did not make sense and they did not know how they would do it, but they felt that was what God was asking them to do. In July of 2023, Big Heart opened its third location now known as “Big Heart Matamoros.” One Yes in 1989 has now transformed into two ministries across three locations impacting hundreds of children and mothers all through the love of God.