Meet Claire Carpenter

When we moved back to Texas five years ago, I had high hopes about living near family again and finding a new church family. But my husband Donnie’s new job turned out to be a struggle, and I began sinking into depression as we left behind friends who were like family in Oregon. Then I found the After the Boxes Are Unpacked class in Fall 2016. And all of the feelings I hadn’t been able to figure out how to handle suddenly made sense. I was mourning a loss, and that was okay. The support in that class rescued me emotionally and renewed me spiritually. I’ve now been co-leading the After the Boxes class for the past two years, helping other women realize that what they’re feeling and experiencing is completely normal and that no matter where we live, we are firmly rooted in Christ.

Then suddenly in August 2017, my husband lost his job and we were left without an income. When we told our kids, our son announced that we were in a “financial famine,” and that couldn’t have been more true. Ten days later Hurricane Harvey hit. Let’s just say that life felt overwhelming. Donnie began working to launch his own business, and together we worked five part-time jobs to make ends not quite meet.

We’re still in this season of struggle, but through it all, God has shown His faithfulness again and again. In those first few months especially, people whom we’d only known for a year stepped up to help with groceries, gift cards, and even clothing. Anonymous gifts showed up just when we needed them. God has provided for our needs through people we never would’ve expected. Surprisingly we received the most help from people we barely knew or didn’t know at all. Instead of close friends stepping into the gap, it was the Church body. For us, this is a beautiful picture of what it means to be part of the Church. And while we would never have asked for all of this hardship and struggle, we’re thankful for the opportunity to receive so much grace and love and to give others the opportunity to demonstrate Christ’s love toward us. We're just so thankful.