2023 February Blessings Magazine

Around the World Sending Your Love

Happenings

Catch up with the goings-on at Operation Blessing!

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The Miracle of Food

You came to the rescue of Kenyans facing severe drought

Thank You for Sending the Warmth of Your Love to Ukraine!

HAPPENINGS

GUATEMALA: Kindhearted friends like you are reaching out to a village in Guatemala with a clean water project. Soon this family will have clean water accessible right at their home.

INDONESIA: Following a storm that wiped out their crops, you came alongside seaweed farmers with new canoes, seeds, ropes, and other supplies to restore their businesses.

INDIA: Kanak and so many others like her are receiving surgeries that truly change their lives! Thank you for your support and compassion.

HONDURAS: Children in Honduras and Peru are learning how to say no to sexual abuse through the “Yo Digo No” or “I Say No” program made possible by generous partners like you.

UNITED STATES: With your help, Operation Blessing volunteers reach out to their communities through local distributions and neighborhood events in places like Virginia, Michigan, and Florida.

KENYA: Villagers in Kenya are so grateful to you for providing them with vital food supplies during a drought that destroyed their crops and livestock.

W hen F ood F eels l ike a

MIRACLE

You came to the rescue of Kenyans facing severe drought

For several days, Rasianae tucked all four of her children into bed at night without any food. She didn’t have a choice. All the food she had was gone.

“They are young and don’t really understand why you can’t give them food,” said Rasianae. “It is a very painful thing seeing your children

“It was painful waking up every morning hoping to see signs of rain, only to wake up to the sight of my animals dying,” said Rasianae. When she took them out to graze, they couldn’t find anything to eat.

Like so many people in Kenya, Rasianae has long relied on crops and animals to provide food and income for her family. With both gone, she had no money to purchase food when her own supply ran dry. She tried to find work at a local shopping area, but very little was available.

Desperate, she sold what remained of her animals in order to feed her family. “The money I got from

anything, and in no time, it was all gone,” she said. “Now we had no animals and no food, either.” The worst was watching her children suffer. Many nights, she simply had to send them to bed hungry. Once when she did find food to cook for her children, it made them very sick because they hadn’t eaten in so long. “All the food I had managed to get—and now it didn’t even help them,” Rasianae said, heartbroken. “That was such a loss!”

When we learned about the critical situation so many of our brothers and sisters were facing in Kenya, our Operation Blessing partners stepped in to fill the gap. Your love and compassion sent Rasianae and the families in some of

gone three days without,” said Rasianae. “I thank God because this is a miracle.”

Because you reached out to them, Rasianae’s children were able to eat and go to bed with their bellies filled. “I feel happy today when I see my children eating the food that you have brought us. May God indeed bless you!” And you continued reaching out to these villages in the months that followed.

Thank you for your heart to bless people around the world!

Because you reached out to them, Rasianae’s children were able to eat and go to bed with their bellies filled.

THANK YOU FOR SENDING THE WARMTH OF

YOUR LOVE TO UKRAINE!

We want to send you our sincerest gratitude for all the love and blessings you have poured out on people suffering in war-torn Ukraine. You have provided them with desperately needed food and supplies, to protect them from freezing in the cold Ukrainian winter after Russia decimated their In addition, you’ve continued offering supplies and encouragement to refugees who’ve fled to Poland. Your generous support has made a huge difference in their lives during this tragic time!

Love never fails!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at Operation Blessing and from children across the globe blessed by your amazing love.

One night I realized that the lump was and I told my mom. I got really scared and cried. – Ehimy ”

Because of friends like you, Ehimy’s pain is gone

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told my mom. I got really scared and cried.”

She also told us how she looked to God in her desperation. “Every day I ask God to remove the lump. I get sad because I don’t like having it.”

Her mother, Maria, was worried. She wanted to make sure Ehimy was safe, but they didn’t have sufficient income to handle unexpected medical expenses. Maria and her husband were field laborers in a small rural community and earned barely $8 per day. Maria said, “I cried before God, because we didn’t have the money to do a surgery for my daughter.”

Still, they persevered until they could pay for an exam. The doctor told them Ehimy had a benign cyst and confirmed that she needed surgery. That was

far, far out of reach for them— but it wasn’t for friends like you! Thankfully, Operation Blessing saw their situation and reached out to them quickly with love and support from caring partners like you.

The Life-Changing Surgeries team in Guatemala offered Ehimy the chance of a lifetime. We would provide her surgery for free, and her family would even have their travel expenses paid. It seemed like a miracle to this family.

And her surgery was a tremendous success! Because of the compassion of our

Every day I ask God to remove the lump. I get sad because I don’t like having it. – Ehimy

Operation Blessing family members like you, Ehimy can envision a future without throat pain. She can play freely without fear. And eating can be a joy again! She doesn’t have to fight to swallow anymore.

Ehimy was so grateful. “After they operated on me, I thanked God because that cyst was no longer there.” She appreciates all of you whose support made this possible. “Thank you for helping me, I am very happy!”

Thank you for helping me, I am – Ehimy

SO NO CHILD GOES TO BED HUNGRY

Your love provided food to a single mom in her time of need

Delionne works as a medical assistant in Virginia. On the weekends, she leads worship at her church, Kingdom Investing Outreach Center. But as a single mother of three children, sometimes her income just wasn’t enough—especially when the cost of food and fuel began to rise.

She found help and solace at an Operation Blessing distribution center—her own church’s food pantry. “It’s already hard to have to come

to a pantry because you don’t have enough,” said Delionne. But, she says, “As soon as you walk through the door, you experience God’s love.”

God showed that love through friends like you! Your care and heart for Delionne and her children gave her plenty of food to get them through the most difficult times.

“I love that it’s not expired stuff. This is good stuff,” she said, “that my kids will actually eat!”

Addie, the ministry director

“Sometimes, I just don’t have enough.”

of the pantry, says that’s exactly why they are there. “If somebody’s hungry, we want to feed them,” she told us. “We are about blessing people because we know that God is drawing people to Him through the food.”

Because of your love and support, the pantry faithfully serves the community. Addie said, “We’re trying to get to almost 200 families a month this year. We were at 100 a year ago.”

“Times are getting worse, and more and more people are needing food,” said Addie. “We

think it’s a little thing, but it’s really not. It’s a big thing when a child doesn’t have to go to bed hungry at night.”

Delionne invites her friends and family to use the food pantry whenever they need to. “I know that when they come in, they’re going to feel good, and I know that they are going to feel the presence of God.” She is thankful for partners like you who make it possible. “Because of your heart, we are able to sustain. And if it wasn’t for your heart, we wouldn’t be able to sustain.”

Dry After the Storm

Imagine living on only $2.50 a day.

That’s less than a cup of coffee here in the U.S. But sadly, such meager wages are a reality for many people around

the world. People like Kongea’s mother, Saru.

As a single mom, Saru worked hard in the rice fields to support her two children. When she could find work, her daily

You blessed a family after they lost the house their father built

wage was in fact about $2.50. Last year, she worked only a couple of months.

For shelter, Saru and her children relied on the hut her husband had built for them out of bamboo and palm leaves before he died. Then, even more tragedy struck their family. Heavy winds and rain pounded their only home.

“I got scared when the wind and rain came and blew my house so hard that it shook,” said Saru. Water leaked through the roof and rain fell on them while they slept, but the family had no money to build a new house. “I tried to fix the holes,” Saku explained further. “But there were so many.”

Her 4-year-old son, Kongkea, was scared. “When it rains, I have to stay in the house,” he said. “The roof leaks and the house moved. I am afraid my house will fall down.”

That’s when you came to their rescue! Your love for Saru and her children made it possible to build them a new home, where they

would be protected from violent winds and downpours. You gave them solid walls and a new roof that didn’t leak when it rained.

And Kongkea loves the house that you gave him. “I am not afraid like I was before,” he said. “Thank you so much to the people who helped build it for us!”

Your compassion touched Saru’s heart. She couldn’t contain her smile. “I never dreamed I would have a house like this,” she said. “I am at a loss for words.”

Thank you for sending your heartfelt generosity around the world to bless those who are hurting and in need. You are changing lives and making a difference!

A BETTER TOMORROW for TURPUTIA

FRIENDS LIKE YOU GAVE VALERIO’S CHILDREN A BRIGHTER FUTURE

Valerio was thirsty. And that meant his kids were, too. His shoulders slumped as he contemplated the long trek to the contaminated well near his village—the village of Turputia. This remote community in the

Valerio and his fellow villagers helped supply labor for a new water project in their village.

per day—wasn’t treated to be safe to drink, nor was it close by. You see, the people of Turputia had to get water somehow, so they tried to dig their own wells, but the water was stagnant and likely contaminated.

Since Valerio was a child, there had been no clean water access or adequate sanitation facilities in Turputia. That was just life as he knew it. And when he was little, he endured it, though he told us he often struggled with frequent ailments caused by impure water. Now, his own children, Diego (18), Dilan (7), and Abigail (3) were at risk.

Valerio wanted his children to have a better life than he’d had; he just wasn’t sure how he could give it to them. “This is my biggest worry. I can’t stand

when my children don’t feel well; my children are the most important to me. I didn’t want them to grow up in the same condition I did.”

Valerio must have watched his kids play with mixed emotions, enjoying their sweet voices but feeling mounting pressure to leave them so they could have something to drink. Once again he would prepare himself to leave and go fetch more water. The path to the well was long and dangerous in bad weather, but no matter the conditions, the need for water remained.

The good news is that friends like you heard about

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end. When Operation Blessing first arrived, the local people couldn’t even fathom how much life would change when clean water became available. With their help digging trenches, our team got to work. Your compassionate support soon provided a well and treatment system connected to a network of pipes that carried the clean water to every house in Turputia, including Valerio’s. This happy father was delighted that his kids could now turn on the tap and water would come streaming out— water that would have taken hours to get before. And it was clean and safe to drink!

The Operation Blessing family also built biodigester bathrooms for all the homes in the village and trained residents about

proper hygiene and sanitation.

“This is a big blessing,” Valerio said, overwhelmed with gratitude. “We never had bathrooms or water. This is changing my children’s lives. It is a blessing. With this water, my children won’t get sick anymore. They will be happy. Thank you!”

Valerio and his family watch clean water stream from the tap right next to their home.

THE heart OF YOUR LEGACY

God’s Word encourages us to fix our eyes on the things that endure. An inheritance is temporary and fades as it’s spent. However, a legacy is something tangible you place in the hands of others—something that lives on. Today we’d like to invite you to join our Lasting Legacy Society!

Through a simple beneficiary designation to Operation Blessing in your will or estate plan, you partner with our mission to provide hope and help to suffering families, transforming lives.

A planned gift to OB can provide help to desperate parents so they’ll be able to feed their hungry children, offer emergency relief to those devastated by disaster, give medical care and clean water to communities facing disease and drought, and much more—all in the name of Jesus!

If you’ve included Operation Blessing in your will, trust, or other beneficiary designation, please let us know. We’d love to officially add you to our Lasting Legacy Society. And more importantly, we want to make sure you’re thanked today and your legacy is honored tomorrow.

BENEFICIARY DESIGNATIONS SHOULD MENTION THE FOLLOWING:

Name: Operation Blessing International Relief and Development

Address: Planned Giving, CSB 112 977 Centerville Turnpike Virginia Beach, VA 23463

Tax ID: 54-1382657

For more information, call Planned Giving at 800-333-2373, email PlannedGiving@OB.org, or visit OB.plannedgiving.org