FROM THE OYSTER
Delois Carpenter
Executive Director - House of Pearls
A New Year Update from the Executive Director
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Dear Friends and Supporters,
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Happy New Year from House of Pearls!
As we step into this new year, our hearts are full of gratitude for your unwavering support and generosity. Because of you, lives are being transformed, hope is being restored, and God's love is shining brightly in the lives of the women we serve.
This past year, we’ve seen incredible breakthroughs—women overcoming addiction, families being reunited, and faith being reignited. Your prayers, donations, and volunteer hours have been the foundation of these life-changing moments.
Looking ahead, we are excited to continue our mission and expand our impact. With your continued partnership, we are closer than ever to realizing our dream of completing the first of four homes in Marshville. These homes will be a sanctuary of healing and growth for women in need, a testament to what God can do when His people come together.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Your love and support remind us daily that we are never alone in this mission. Together, we will make 2025 a year of hope, healing, and new beginnings.
May God bless you and your family abundantly in this new year!
With love and gratitude,
Delois Carpenter
Executive Director, House of Pearls
"Oyster" hmmm...
Being called an oyster didn't set well with me at first! My Pastor, Trent McLaughlin, was the first to refer to me in that manner and I remember flinching! Thinking "what did he just say"? But then I started hearing the reason... what comes from an oyster? Pearls!! How does this happen? I started looking up information about an oyster, here is what I found:
1. An oyster is tightly closed, protecting itself.
2. An oyster has a hard shell but is soft inside.
3. Although small, an oyster is a very tough creature.
Interestingly, that sounds a lot like me! Life has a way of doing that to you. You become harder, protective, tough. But then you meet a man named Jesus and He changes you on the inside. There is a softness, a caring spirit that didn't use to be there.
“Oysters make pearls in response to an irritant, such as a grain of sand. When any irritant makes its way between the mollusk's shell and mantle, the creature produces nacre, a protective coating that helps reduce irritation. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. This eventually forms a pearl.”
"The irritants, the stinging -- without them the oyster would not make the pearl, the thing of beauty, the object of great worth."
If you have been around our Pearls any amount of time, you will begin to love them. When they come to us, they are irritated from many things. If they stick around, you will begin to see these women heal from past hurts, brokenness, pain, & anger. God begins doing a might work in them. As Pastor Trent says: What He allows to happen TO you, He will do THROUGH you to help others.
That is exactly what He did through me. He took a broken girl, from a broken home of addiction. Gave her a family, and allowed addiction to even touch the life of her child, just so He could mold her, help her learn to forgive in order to help other women learn about the love of Jesus Christ and His healing power.
And He will do that through YOU as well. To every Pearl that has come through our 1 year program, He isn't finished with you. Let him use your story, to help others, for His Glory!
I now love my nickname "Oyster". I'm honored God saw fit to include me in His redemptive work at House of Pearls.
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Delois Carpenter
Executive Director, House of Pearls
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect. If you would like for us to come share at your Church, community event, ladies meeting, give me a call or text!
803-287-3906