It’s not every day a man gets a vision as clear as the one God gave Willie Carter nearly a decade ago.

"I could see a map of the whole US," he explains. "Then the map zoomed in on Asheville, and a black line went west out I-40 and stopped in Albuquerque and blinked, then backed off again till I could see the whole US."

It was clear that the Lord wanted him to do something far from home, but what? And how?

Soon after, Diane Collins, came to speak at Willie’s church of 30 years, the Biltmore Church of God in Asheville, North Carolina. During her sermon she spoke of the reservations out west and the Native Americans desperate need for the simplest provisions. The youth of Biltmore COG decided to take action in the form of a missions trip out to New Mexico. Willie’s vision of the map burned in his heart. He knew he had to go. It was there that the impoverished children moved him to action.

"Some didn’t have shoes, some wore the same clothes every day," he remembers. "The pastors there told me that some didn’t go to school in the winter because they had no winter clothing. I just said to myself, ‘We have to do something about this.’"

So Willie Carter put feet to his faith. Using his own money and a borrowed trailer he collected donated food and clothes and made the long 3 day trip out to the South West reservation.

"One woman stood in line for two hours just for a little bassinet," he recalls.

"I thought I would do a couple of trips a year but that turned into four or five trips. I thought if I had a bigger trailer it would cut down on the number of times I came out."

Willie bought a new 20 foot trailer but was still taking more and more trips to New Mexico. He bought a bigger trailer, trusting that would cut down on the amount of trips per year.

"It didn’t," he states. Even as he did this interview his newest, (biggest) 34 foot trailer was packed full of clothes, food, toys, appliances and furniture, ready to make the long drive early the next morning out to the Navajo people. Only this time, Willie is not alone. His home church has caught his vision and raised thousands of dollars for his gas, hotel costs and other expenses. Now, they have other area churches pitching in, filling shoeboxes for Christmas. Last year alone 200 shoeboxes full of necessities made their way to the children. The growing operation led Willie to officially incorporate his quest under the name: SonRise Vision, INC. It’s a non-profit organization complete with trusted board members that keep track of monetary donations and day to day business.

Doug Cline, overseer of the Church of God Southwest Indian Ministries, has been an intricate part of Willie’s success. The Church of God owns 500 acres bordering the reservation. Willie takes his donations to the warehouse and from there the Native American Pastors from the reservations come to help distribute the goods.

While Willie is busy collecting donations and heading up the road trips, his wife, Faye, serves faithfully back home as secretary, taking phone calls, writing thank you notes and the like.

"I was happy," she remembers of the time when Willie shared his burden with her.

"I said ‘Go’, I wanted him to do what God’s will was."

And although Willie’s vision has taken him out west for over eight years, he knows God is ready to expand.

"When the line stopped in New Mexico, it backed off again,’ he continues about his vision, "and then I saw an oval shaped outline around New Mexico all the way up to Canada. I just know, sometime or another I’m going to end up going north with this."

"When the Lord tells you to do something," Faye concludes, "you just have to do it."