Someone You Should Know: Crystal Peterson

In our Someone You Should Know series, we interview Faith members to help us get to know them, see how God is working in their lives, and make new connections within our community. In this episode we get to know Crystal Peterson.

• Automated Transcription

• Seth Weber 0:00
  Today we have Crystal Peterson in the studio for another episode in our someone you should know series
  
  Seth Weber 0:12
  I'm Seth Weber, and you're listening to faith matters, a podcast designed to help you think biblically in matters of the Christian faith, and keep you updated on matters of Faith Bible Church
  
  Seth Weber 0:39
  Well, it's good to have you here. Crystal. Thanks for joining us. Thank you
  
  Seth Weber 0:51
  Why don't you tell us a little bit about your, your experience growing up, Where's your hometown and your history?
  
  Crystal Peterson 0:58
  We moved a lot when I was a kid, my dad I think had itchy feet. So I was born on the west side. And most of my extended family is on the west side of either Washington or Oregon. So Pacific Northwest, but when I was about nine, we moved to southern Texas for my dad to pursue work on the mission field doing Christian radio broadcast into Mexico. And then just before I started high school, we moved to Montana to do Christian radio. More stateside, we lived in the United States doing radio to Mexico, but it was right along the border. And the mission field was short, short, short staffed. So my dad was gone a lot with work. And with two daughters entering high school, he wanted more time with family. So he found a network of Christian radio stations in Montana and Wyoming. And so we moved there. And I lived in Montana until my late 20s. And then my folks had moved back out this way to be close to their aging parents and I followed my parents. Okay,
  
  Seth Weber 2:10
  so that's how you ended up in here and
  
  Crystal Peterson 2:12
  how I ended up here.
  
  Seth Weber 2:14
  Do you have any fun stories from your times growing up? Anything anything wild happened along the border, being
  
  Crystal Peterson 2:21
  from the Pacific Northwest, we were camping family. So we did lots of backpacking, lots of backpacking, my first backpacking trip was when I was three months old. Apparently, I was in the pack. So lots of backpacking, lots of car camping, and trying to do that in southern Texas. We had a lot of epic fails, trying to find a camp in southern Texas is just not the same as camping in the Cascades. Yes, a lot of bugs. And it's hot. Yeah, so we tried camping on the beach on Padre Island one, sand fleas and wind and you can't stay in a tent to the sand. So that tent went rolling down the beach with all of us chasing it. So many epic camping fails in southern Texas.
  
  Seth Weber 3:12
  So it was refreshing to get back to Montana and camping land. Yes.
  
  Crystal Peterson 3:16
  In fact, I think two months after we moved back to Montana. We were backpacking, first backpacking trip my family again so fun. Yes. Tell
  
  Seth Weber 3:26
  me about your Where did you go to high school and did you go anything beyond high school?
  
  Crystal Peterson 3:32
  I went to high school in Billings, Montana. Skyview. High. And I did two years at a community college in Wyoming. I studied vocal performance and home economics. Okay.
  
  Seth Weber 3:43
  So we know that you then ended up back in Spokane after that. You met Paul here at Faith Bible Church. Yes. And tell us about your family from that point.
  
  Crystal Peterson 3:55
  So I started coming to FBC because my parents were attending here. And several months after that was when Paul and I met through a singles group. We never called it a singles group. It was the secret singles group. It was like young working somewhere in grad school. little older than college age. I think we were all mid mid 20s and up maybe. And so we met and married and started our family. I think our kids were pretty young and my dad, his dream had been to own his own radio station. So they moved to the Oregon coast and bought a radio station. Not a Christian one, just a community radio station. So he would broadcast the high school sports games and he had local people in and did morning shows. That was his dream. It's really fun. Yeah, it was they he finally got to have his dream which was wonderful. We missed having them here. Of course yeah. But maybe five years after they bought that station he was diagnosed with cancer and it was a pretty quick, aggressive cancer. So about two months I think from diagnosis to his passing away so we worked with my mom to sell the station and move her back to Spokane. So she's in Spokane again. We have a 20 year old son will who is a sophomore at Whitworth. He's studying music education. He would like to be a high school band teacher Nice. Our daughter Mia is 18 she graduated last year. And she is working full time. And our youngest son Sawyer is 17 and he's a junior at Mount Spokane.
  
  Seth Weber 5:39
  Very cool. You guys are a just a generally a very musical family. At least all your your kids are did they get that from you? Or Paul or both?
  
  Crystal Peterson 5:47
  Paul did a little bit of music in school, I did a little bit of vocal stuff. But I've never played an instrument. I think our kids are far and away more musical than either one of us or both of us put together there. Each one of them individually is far above what the two of us put together could come up with cell phone. It's a God thing. It's not a US thing.
  
  Seth Weber 6:13
  Well, that's a that's a wonderful way that they've they've already been able to bless the church through their musical skills. So after college, what is your career path and like, I,
  
  Crystal Peterson 6:21
  I did a lot of retail. So I started retail at 16. Wow. And kind of had a retail focus with home economics. So garment construction, garment design, to put it in layman's terms sewing. That's a pretty simple way of putting it. And I I would not say that I ever did anything specific to what I studied because I had already been in retail. So I did retail management and was in retail management. When Paul and I met. He I had worked since I was 16. We met when I was 26. And he really wanted to gift me being able to stay home since I had worked since I was young. And so the first year that we were married, I actually didn't work and it was delightful, he would have two jobs. And he was a new firefighter didn't make much money. So he also did construction on the side. So I could be home, be a wife, make our home ours. And it was lovely. After that first year, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. But I wanted to be home in the evenings and on the weekends. And so I worked for teachers credit union up until the night before our son was born. And then I stayed home full time until our kids were I think about three, four and five. And at that point, up until just a couple years ago, I worked part time at the North YMCA as a fitness instructor and a personal trainer. Very fun. Oh, yeah.
  
  Seth Weber 7:52
  So how did you come to know Jesus?
  
  Crystal Peterson 7:57
  I was blessed to be raised by parents who love the Lord. And grandparents who love the Lord and spoke of him. I made a profession of faith at about 10 and worked through what that looked like. And what that meant with one of the pastors at our church at the time. And in preparation for baptism. Probably especially because I was only 10 to make sure but I that was also something they did with anyone who made a profession of faith. So then I was baptized. And I would say the rest of my testimony is learning God's faithfulness and learning obedience on my part. So it's been 40 years of learning obedience and learning how to live in faith and with faith and interest. And what that looks like,
  
  Seth Weber 8:52
  Well, God was gracious to save you wonder
  
  Crystal Peterson 8:54
  was yes, not without bumps along the way. Some really hard bumps, but for sure, yes.
  
  Seth Weber 9:01
  So what ministries have you been involved with? Since you've been here at Faith Bible Church?
  
  Crystal Peterson 9:06
  Initially, I was involved with a staff when John Dirks was here and did quite a bit of music
  
  Seth Weber 9:13
  worship ministry, for those of you who weren't around back when it's called. Thank you.
  
  Crystal Peterson 9:19
  Lots of choir stuff. And then when Paul and I got married, we did Sunday school, for fours and fives. Through our kids being about four and five. I think that was the first ministry that we did together. And we learned at that point that we enjoy being in ministry together rather than separately. Because it's already hard to find time to spend time together and I have done women's ministries things but our primary ministry has typically been serving together. So Sunday school, eight years serving in the marriage ministry, and now helping out with finance ministry, but doing Get together. We love mentoring. We love getting to know couples, especially younger couples, we love that time and we enjoy one on one with those younger folks. But we really together, are passionate about those marriage contacts where we get to know couples, that's cool.
  
  Seth Weber 10:17
  We need we need older couples in the church who are willing to meet with younger couples, myself who need
  
  Crystal Peterson 10:24
  help. It's so fun.
  
  Seth Weber 10:28
  So what has God been teaching you lately?
  
  Crystal Peterson 10:32
  How to let go my kids? They're young adults. And we know we've been raising them to launch we've been raising them to not need us. Yeah. Practically, as a mom, what does that look like? That's, that's what I'm learning.
  
  Seth Weber 10:47
  That's a big thing to learn,
  
  Crystal Peterson 10:48
  I can imagine it is, especially when you're right there. When to hold your tongue. And I think when they're younger, you're grabbing every single teachable moment possible, you are turning every chance into a teachable moment. And when they're this age, it's biting your tongue, and letting them be adults, and speaking less into their life, but more impactfully. When you do, then it's more quality than quantity. And making that shift from the quantity to the quality has been a hard one for me.
  
  Seth Weber 11:28
  We could do a whole episode on that. We probably should at some point. How can how can the church be praying for you?
  
  Crystal Peterson 11:37
  Exactly that, that I would let go of my kids. I know in my mind and my heart, that's the right thing to do. My parenting style has to change has to shift with that and parent them as the young adults that they are not the little children that they were. And that can be an easy trap to fall into. And especially. I mean, I see Paul, he has transitioned much better than I have. So I think it might be common for moms to have a harder time transitioning to parenting young adults and pulling back a little bit.
  
  Seth Weber 12:16
  I think, because dads just sort of aren't think they're parenting young adults the whole time.
  
  Crystal Peterson 12:20
  That's probably that's probably true. The trenches look a little different these days. Yes.
  
  Seth Weber 12:27
  All right. Well, we have come to the time now for the speed round. Okay. Are you ready? I am okay, here we go.
  
  Seth Weber 12:41
  Cats, dogs, dogs, pineapple on pizza. Gross. So if you and Paul after he gets the pineapple pizza and you get the non pineapple pizza and
  
  Crystal Peterson 12:49
  even picking it off is gross, because then you taste pineapple on apple juice. That was not a speedy thing. Do you have any pets? We have one dog and she's perfect. What kind of dog is she? She's a yellow lab finger book. I don't have a favorite because I love books. It's easier for me to say the books I don't like I love books.
  
  Seth Weber 13:10
  One book that you love what's like a top crystal book? Whew. I'm
  
  Crystal Peterson 13:15
  a novel reader. And I'm just coming to the end of reading the Louise Penny inspector Commercial Series.
  
  Seth Weber 13:21
  I think I have two left favorite band.
  
  Crystal Peterson 13:26
  A favorite band?
  
  Seth Weber 13:28
  Any bands you've seen live over the years. Okay,
  
  Crystal Peterson 13:30
  I'm not going to say I like her lifestyle. But I love brandy Carlisle. I love her voice. And we have seen her live. She just has a terrific
  
  Seth Weber 13:40
  voice. Yeah, favorite movie or TV show.
  
  Crystal Peterson 13:43
  We've watched Jeopardy every night at seven. It's been since COVID hit. And we were really particular about our kids watching TV and the kids couldn't go out and do stuff with their friends. And so, Sawyer, our youngest decided he was going to start watching Jeopardy and it has become like every night. Yes, it's fun. So we're nerds.
  
  Seth Weber 14:07
  By surprise gift.
  
  Crystal Peterson 14:08
  When I was pregnant with I believe our daughter, Paul worked with my mom to do a surprise overnight or two night getaway. Down at the Devon port. He had my bags packed Keven packed my contacts, my contacts case, my context solution, everything that I would need to be ready the next morning. And we were at dinner and he surprised me and said we're not going home. Your mom's watching the kids. Mom and Dad are watching the kids and we're gonna go stay overnight downtown. Nice,
  
  Seth Weber 14:35
  very fun. If you didn't have to sleep and you had extra time. What would you do with that extra time Reed favorite place to eat out in Spokane?
  
  Crystal Peterson 14:42
  Anywhere Kendall yards. I love Kendall yards. Okay. Well, thank
  
  Seth Weber 14:45
  you so much for joining us crystal. It's been fun getting to know you a little bit more.
  
  Crystal Peterson 14:49
  Thanks for having me.

Seth Weber

Seth is the Communications Director at Faith Bible Church and loves anything to do with design, video, audio and tech. He and his wife Kaitlyn have four children.

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