2023 April Blessings Magazine

BLESSING UKRAINIANS: BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT

FRIENDS LIKE YOU SENT A MIRACLE TO MONTEBELLO

A STORY OF TWO BARBS

Happenings

Catch up with the goings-on at Operation Blessing!

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Blessing Ukrainians: Body, Mind, and Spirit

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Making a Miracle, Changing a Life

HAPPENINGS

NIGERIA: You are helping struggling people in Nigeria earn better incomes by offering them training in trades like baking, soap making, and farming!

POLAND: Thank you for sending food and other vital supplies to refugee families in Poland. Your love and support has made a world of difference for them.

KENYA:

The villagers of Moirre celebrated the inauguration of their new clean water system, thanks to friends like you!

MEXICO: Families enjoyed an amazing event that included food, a puppet show, and gifts for the kids—along with a medical brigade that offered free dental and prenatal care.

PHILIPPINES:

Operation Blessing partners like you make it possible to offer free medical brigades in remote, poverty-stricken communities around the world.

ENGLAND: With support from Operation Blessing, a church in England is offering an abundant supply of groceries for a very small fee to help those suffering during this time of skyrocketing inflation.

BLESSING UKRAINIANS: Body, Mind, + Spirit

YOU HAVE FAITHFULLY SUPPORTED REFUGEES AND VICTIMS OF WAR

Throughout the war in Ukraine, you have faithfully reached out to refugees and victims of Russian aggression. But the help you’ve sent has gone far beyond the physical. You have been blessing their bodies, their minds, and even their spirits.

Of course, their most pressing needs were for food, fuel, and safety. And you offered all of these, from warm meals and tents to rest in at the border to truckload after truckload of groceries, hygiene items, and other vital supplies sent deep into the war-torn country. As time went on, you helped outfit refugee shelters with necessities like appliances. Our generous partners even helped establish a bakery in the war zone and provided heating supplies as winter set in.

However, for refugee mothers trying to raise their children with some sense of normalcy far from home, perhaps it has been the emotional and spiritual support that has meant the most. One mom named Antonina, widowed with three children, explained the dire situation. “My children were very scared when all the terrible actions began, and especially when

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ALTHOUGH WE REALLY HOPE THAT IT WILL STOP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, THE REALITY IS THAT HELP WILL BE NEEDED FOR ANOTHER LONG HOUR. –SVETLANA, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE

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we heard the first rockets hit our city,” she said. “The fear was even from the slightest rustle, and it was terrible. They cried all the time. They were very worried, and they hardly slept.”

After they fled horrific experiences in Ukraine, families like Antonina’s still had much adapting to do. Many refugee children left fathers, friends, and family behind. Once in Poland new culture with a different language and needed opportunities to connect with other Ukrainians and be encouraged.

In order to provide long-term care to these refugees, Operation Blessing has partnered with shelters, churches, and Superbook to hold special events for the children. There, the kids can watch entertaining Bible-based videos in their own language side by side with other Ukrainians. They sing and dance and laugh and play. Often, they’re given gifts, and the families

receive food supplies as well.

At one event, we met a mother named Svetlana who, like Antonina, also fled rocket attacks with her son. “There must be such activities—because children who have escaped from war are traumatized,” she said. “The war took away their childhood, happiness, faith in the future. Therefore, organizations that hold such events for them fill in these gaps we all have because of the war. During this event, we saw how

things are frightening, but we are believers. And the biggest and most important thing is when children can learn about the Word of God from a young age,” he said. “Therefore, it’s very valuable for us that our younger children were here and listened.”

Parent after parent shared with us how grateful they were to see their children having such a wonderful experience. Thank you so much for making these events possible! At the same time, we

Making a Miracle, Changing a Life

You restored a child’s hope and health in India

For little Princika, the day started out much like any other. The 4-year-old was happily playing with her sister at their home in central India, when suddenly she fell onto an open cooking stove— typical in her part of the world. She was suddenly overwhelmed by excruciating pain as her back, chest, and hand suffered severe burns.

She also developed serious burn contractures in her right hand, where the scar tissue tightened and prevented her from using it. Intense pain often stopped this sweet girl from sleeping or even

eating properly, which led to her becoming severely malnourished.

Princika spent 19 days in a hospital, but they were not equipped to fully treat her injuries. Princika needed more advanced care, including a skin graft and other procedures to restore the full use of her right arm.

With their limited resources, Princika’s parents knew it would take a miracle to make their daughter whole again.

Fortunately, one of the things Operation Blessing’s Life-Changing Surgeries program specializes in is burn reconstruction— reconstructive surgeries to repair burns or scarring that affect range of motion or mobility. Thanks to caring partners like you, we received the funding needed to do the more complicated procedures. Because of your thoughtfulness, Princika received the skin graft

and contracture release surgery she needed, so she has completely recovered from her injuries. And now, her days are filled with joy and laughter once again.

“The life of my daughter has changed—she got relief from all her pain and suffering,” said Princika’s father. He is grateful that they don’t have to worry about Princika any longer—and the entire family can finally relax. “It would have been impossible for us, but by the generous support from Operation Blessing, my daughter is healed.”

Thank you for the extraordinary love you’ve shown this family in supporting donorfunded, life-changing surgeries. We never know when accidents will happen or disaster will strike. But thanks to the compassion of partners like you, we’re seeing a lot of miracles take place!

Among the First on the Ground in Turkey

Thank you for supporting Turkey earthquake victims

I’m very scared for my kids. Where will we go? How will we live? It’s very difficult. Help us—we need food, water, shoes, everything!”

Grace

Just days after earthquakes decimated a huge swath of Turkey, an Operation Blessing convoy drove through the night with truckloads of vital relief supplies to reach our disaster relief team already working in the affected area. Ongoing support from faithful friends like you enabled us to move swiftly to help victims of the earthquake as soon as we heard the catastrophic news.

Our international disaster relief team began deploying the very day of the initial earthquake, as aftershocks still rumbled. Multinational team members, including leader Diego Traverso, made their way to the center of the impact zone just as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, love and support poured in from friends like you in response to this historic quake—which decimated an area about 300 miles in diameter and took the lives of tens of thousands of people.

As many as 14 million souls

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were affected by this horrific tragedy. The survivors were left traumatized and reeling after losing family members, neighbors, homes, belongings, and even their entire communities.

One victim in Turkey, named Abdulkerim, explained to us the horror of his family awakening to an earthquake. “The ground floor of our building was gone. They threw a rope. I tied my children and they went down, then my wife, then me,” he said. “Of course, we had no socks, no shoes. Then, the building collapsed. We didn’t believe we would be

rescued. We thought death had come at that moment.”

A mother of three named Grace also made it out with her children, but she said, “I’m very scared for my kids. Where will we go? How will we live? It’s very difficult. Help us—we need food, water, shoes, everything!” Thankfully, these families survived. And soon, a wide-scale humanitarian effort involving charitable organizations and rescue teams from around the world was underway to help families like Abdulkerim’s and Grace’s. Operation Blessing staff and volunteers were right in the middle of it.

Diego Traverso said, “I never

Thanks to your support, the Operation Blessing team handed out hot meals.

thought, in 10 years of working in disasters, that the magnitude of this disaster was possible. The despair and the suffering are huge, and Operation Blessing is here to support the victims.” Our team of specialized staff and volunteers, including members of YWAM, was multinational, multilingual, and multigenerational, with expertise in medical care, clean water, and more. Because of friends like you, we were quickly able to distribute vital supplies in some of the hardesthit areas. We set up distribution centers and kitchens with stoves to cook hot meals. We handed out relief items like food, drinks, diapers, fuel, and solar lights.

Through these efforts, you provided help, medical care, comfort, and perhaps most importantly, hope. In some cases, you even brought smiles to the faces of these victims in the midst of their heartbreaking new reality.

Grace said, “Thank you for the help. We have pillows, we have blankets to cover ourselves because it’s very cold. Thank you for the food they are sending and the water.”

At the time of writing this story, the relief had only just begun. We will keep you updated as time goes on. Thank you so much for reaching out to the people in these shattered communities. God bless you for your heart to give.

Despite the tragedy, this young victim sends you love and thanks from Turkey.

Friends Like You Sent a Miracle to Montebello

The transformative power of clean water

Glady’s heart ached as she watched her young children, Emilio and Damari, struggle to survive without a reliable water source. The battle to find clean water was all Glady had ever known. She had grown up in Montebello, a small village of 28 relatives in the Mexican state of

Chiapas. For this small community, maintaining a ready supply of clean water was a lifelong burden. They desperately needed help from someone like you.

Glady was just 8 years old when she began helping her family carry water from a distant well—the only source available to them. The well was miles away and often difficult to reach. “As a girl, I started carrying about a gallon of water,” Glady said.“The journey would take me one hour at least, and it was very complicated, full of grassy, uneven terrain, very slippery at times.” Even worse—during the dry season, the difficult journey was often made in vain. The tired family, including little Glady, would reach the well only to find that it was completely dry.

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The family would return without any water to replenish their quickly diminishing reserves. Still, returning with water was only half the victory. The well’s water supply was greasy, dark, and contaminated with harmful bacteria. The Montebello community didn’t know how to properly sanitize the water before drinking it or giving it to their children. Glady’s son, Emilio, would often become sick after drinking the contaminated water. As a single parent,

she felt helpless in the seemingly endless struggle to provide clean, safe water for her little ones. The weight of finding the water needed for survival constantly pressed on Glady and her community. Montebello needed a miracle.

When Operation Blessing became aware of the hardships endured by the precious families of Montebello, we worked quickly to bring much-needed aid to Glady and her neighbors. With help from friends like you, we provided a rainwater harvesting system for each family. Then, your faithful support empowered Operation Blessing to educate the community on how to properly treat their water supply. A water committee was formed, and the women of Montebello were encouraged to participate in learning longterm solutions that would guarantee safe water for themselves and their families.

Your generous giving not only brought a new standard of health to Montebello but also helped Glady grow into a leader

within the community. Once shy and reserved, Glady became secretary of the newly formed water committee. Now, she joins Operation Blessing managers while visiting new communities benefiting from similar water programs to share her knowledge and experience. Glady even joined the board of counselors regarding water in her regional government!

“It’s been marvelous,” Glady said. “I don’t struggle with lack of water anymore, and I also gained confidence to express myself.”

The kindness of friends like you was the miracle Montebello needed.

The impact of your generosity has been truly life-changing for Glady, her children, and their neighbors. You helped supply this community with the essential resources they need to survive and gave mothers like Glady the opportunity to thrive. The tears that once filled her eyes as she struggled to provide have been replaced with laughter and hope for a better

Exciting News About Charitable Gift Annuities (CGA)

• Payout rates increased January 1, 2023. Earn more each quarter for your (or your and your spouse’s) lifetime. Minimum gift is $10,000.

• The newly passed Secure 2.0 Act allows a one-time rollover of $50,000 from an IRA to a CGA. How it is different if you fund a CGA from your IRA:

• the annuitant must reach an age that has a 5% or higher payout rate

• the payments from the CGA must benefit either the IRA owner or the IRA owner and spouse

• all future annuity payouts from a CGA funded from an IRA will be reported as ordinary income in the year received by the annuitant

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Story Two Barbs

Barb and Barbara have more in common than their names. They both struggle with the increasing costs of groceries and other living expenses in southern Michigan—and find help through an Operation Blessing ministry partner, thanks to you.

Barb works as a package handler with a shipping company while attending college, where she is studying to be a medical assistant. Unable to afford the rising cost of rent, she lives with friends but still struggles to pay her bills. Sometimes she has very little left to buy food. “I

I’m always happy coming here. It’s almost like when you go to a real grocery store!” –Barb

was trying to get by, like everyone is right now,” she says.

Meanwhile, Barbara and her husband, Roberto, feel the pressure as well. During the pandemic, both lost their jobs. Eventually, Roberto found work at a plastic manufacturing plant, but Barbara struggled with carpal tunnel syndrome and couldn’t return to work.

Your ongoing generosity met both Barb and Barbara at their point of need through Buist Community Assistance Center, an Operation Blessing distribution partner in Michigan.

“I’m always happy coming here. It’s almost like when you go to a real grocery store!” says Barb. “There is abundant food. It’s an extra expense that you don’t have to worry about.”

And Barbara says that the cart full of groceries that you help provide goes a long way in meeting their needs. She says, “It’s been a huge blessing to not have to spend so much money on groceries each month. We don’t

have to worry so much.” Then she adds, “Not only is the food great, but everyone here is nice and helps me if I need help.”

Jenelle, who serves at the center, says that they are seeing more people in need of support and that they count on the truckloads of food that compassionate partners like you send them.

Both Barb and Barbara are thankful for the support your love is giving them during these difficult times. “Your donations are a big blessing to me and my family,” says Barbara.

“It’s extremely helpful,” says Barb. “Not just for me, for everyone who comes here.”

Not only is the food great, but everyone here is nice and helps me if I need help.” –Barbara

Children like sweet little Sonareaksa from Cambodia are so thankful that you have reached out to rescue them from pain and change their lives. But so many are still suffering and crying out for help!

They need hope, they need compassion, they need you.

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