Nicole: Poverty is a thief and it stole a lot. You feel guilty. You feel stupid because you think,‘I’ve got myself in this mess.’ Scavenging through the back of the cupboards to see what you could find. See if there’s some bread or anything.
There was times where we’d all huddle on a sofa with duvets and blankets because we were that cold. It was, you know… it was hard.
My previous partner, he racked up so much debt in my name. I’d managed to get a better job in a hotel so it wasn’t just behind the bar. So I was actually making all right money. But then, with the bailiffs at the door and the debt letters coming through and really trying to pay stuff off… it’s just impossible. I just couldn’t do it.
It kind of got to a point of,‘I can’t do this anymore, I need help.’
Voiceover: No one should face debt or poverty alone. For 30 years, Christians Against Poverty has supported the local church equipping people like Tim to provide practical help that restores hope for the future.
Tim: So, we turned up on her doorstep. She opened the door and she looked terrified. So, we kind of – all the booklets, everything – we just put to one side and we just sat and chatted. We just talked about her family. So, we just did life together in a very simple, very laid back way.
Predominantly, you need to walk alongside somebody and the thing about CAP is you take them by the hand and you walk them through the process.
Nicole: Through CAP I went through a repayment plan – that was the best route for me. But just knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere that really made – made things hopeful again.
Voiceover: The free debt help offered by CAP and the local partner church means they can visit clients in their homes, negotiate with debt collectors on their behalf, and walk alongside them throughout their journey.
Nicole: They really supported us. That first Christmas was really hard, we had nothing. And that Christmas, the church turned up with presents, Tim turned up with this – all this food and these treats.
I was like,‘Crisps… chocolate…’ The kids had a selection box. It was… oh, it was amazing. And I thought,‘Wow, if these are people of God and they can have that much love for someone who they don’t really know.’ Yeah. It just – it changed everything.
And from that, me and my mum started to go to Hope Church. The best thing I ever did. We felt like we were at home… and I hadn’t felt like that for a very long time, and neither had my mum. Me and my mum were baptised together. It was amazing and since then my faith has really grown.
I’ve had my life back and I’ve been able to grow not just in my faith, but, in knowledge as well with how to deal with money. And I’m so much better now with money. It’s amazing, I actually save. I’ve just saved for a wedding. We’ve just had a wedding and I’ve got married with you know, my family is really complete now. I would never in a million years have been able to do that before.
And it’s, yeah, God has really restored my family.
Tim: There isn’t words to explain the difference from where she was to where she is now. The… the transformation in her and how she is as a person is phenomenal.
Our church has changed, I think, as I have changed with this work. So, God has reshaped me. Sorry, God is reshaping me… but he’s made me more of the person he wants me to be for the people he wants me to meet.
Nicole: I can’t… ever… ever say how grateful I am for the support of the church, for everything they’ve done because they’ve really, through CAP and them, they’ve changed my life!
