It was the early hours of the morning when Joy Carpenter, at crisis point, cried out to God.
A relationship breakup had left her with a home in need of huge repairs, and she couldn’t see how she would ever be able to move.
Even before the split, she admits to being “hard-hearted and selfish”.
“I was very much just out for myself. I’ve had a difficult life as a single parent and due to family circumstances. I’ve been caring for my grandson Jenson, who’s 11, since he was a baby.”
Now alone, things seemed even worse.
“In the middle of the night I was at my lowest, shouting at God to show me why this was happening.
“Then at 2 a.m. my sister texted me. She said, ‘I’ve just woken up and I don’t know why, but I need to tell you everything is going to work out OK’.
“I just knew it was God and gave my heart to him there and then.”
From that moment, Joy (pictured above, left, with sister Leanne) felt complete peace, even though the way forward was still unclear.
Soon, a buyer came forward willing to pay full price for the house despite the rebuilding work needed and Joy was able to buy a new home – across the car park from the Longton Elim Church in Stoke she started attending.
She felt her heart soften as her faith grew and says: “I’m completely different now I’ve given my heart to the Lord. He’s shown me love I could never have understood before.”
One of the most remarkable transformations has been in her attitude to the homeless.
“Before, I would have walked past and thought they deserved to be on the streets. Now I feel completely different.”
One day, after seeing lots of homeless people on the streets of Stoke, she prayed and decided to start helping. She began by enlisting the help of her church.
“We asked everyone for coats, hats and scarves. People were amazing and we had bags and bags of donations.
“The week before Christmas we went out around the area with parcels of hats, scarves, coats and chocolate. We also bought everyone a hot drink and gave out tracts about hope and giving your heart to the Lord.”
After Christmas, Joy was keen to continue. So, for the past year and a half, she has kept the boot of her car stacked high with goods, so she can help homeless people as she meets them.
“I’m always on the lookout,” she says. “If I see someone I’ll go over and have a chat and see what they need.”
Her church has been amazingly supportive, she adds. “One time we asked for donations for six-foot heat mats that can be put underneath tents, because lots of the people we work with sleep in tents.
“People’s hearts were touched and they gave generously. We managed to buy 20 heat mats, and tents and sleeping bags too.”
Helping the vulnerable has also helped Joy.
“The biggest thing for me is the love and strength the Lord has given me and the way he’s filled my heart with love for others. I never had that before and it still amazes me every day.”
