2023 July Blessings Magazine

Happenings

Catch up with the goings-on at Operation Blessing!

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Providing Americans with More than Just Food

How you’re enriching the lives of older Americans

A Brighter Day

Along the Nile

You

Fulfilling Dreams in Costa Rica

Sawdy

The Power to Choose Life Over

Your love gave a family in India the chance to save their child

HAPPENINGS

PERU: Residents of Ossoco, Peru, now have biodigester toilets, handwashing stations, and a community clean water system, thanks to you!

TURKEY: Your compassion gave children in Turkey the chance to celebrate their birthdays in the wake of the devastating earthquake.

KENYA: Women in Tubcha, Kenya, are growing fresh vegetables to feed their families using the sack gardens provided by our generous supporters.

PHILIPPINES: Filipinos suffering from a crippling muscle disorder on Panay Island received free wheelchairs thanks to your love and support.

MEXICO: Pregnant women in Cintalapa, Mexico, can now get better prenatal care at their local clinic—thanks to the donations made by generous friends like you!

HONDURAS: Friends like you helped 37 women graduate from the Canela y Miel Beauty School with the skills to become professional cosmetologists.

More than 1 in 15 older Americans suffer from lack of food. Sadly, that number has gone up in the past two years due to inflation and other factors. And hunger can affect well-being in ways beyond inadequate nutrition—it puts people at risk for chronic health conditions like diabetes,

depression, and asthma. Thankfully, you are helping to address this issue every day.

Your kindness helps people like Sandra in Virginia, who’s had a rough time these past few years. It started with a debilitating fall that left her unable to work—and making ends meet on her husband’s single income as a welder can

PROVIDING AMERICANS WITH MORE THAN JUST

be difficult. “It’s really hard,” she explained, “with the prices going up the way they have.”

But then Sandra heard about one of our distribution partners, a food bank in her area run by Atlantic Shores Baptist Church, and she found the support her family needs to weather these difficult times. Your generosity makes it possible for Sandra and her husband to do so much more.

“Now we can put some of that money toward things we need,” she told us, “and other bills.”

Moreover, the food pantry offers Sandra a place where she feels welcomed and loved.

“We come here because we like people here,” she said. “We don’t feel like we’re a burden.”

its way to many other tables, as well. It has blessed people like Donald, who spent 27 years at a shipyard

making boilers—a critical job that had long supported his wife and son. Unfortunately, he had to leave that job due to disability and now he and his wife have been trying to make ends meet while living on social security. Fortunately, he has found much-needed support at the same Operation Blessingsupported food pantry Sandra visits—and said it’s made a huge difference in his life. “I feel blessed for what all of you do and the food that your help provides us.”

And your kindness reaches out to this community in

named Jimmie gathers food from the pantry you faithfully keep stocked and delivers it to struggling families in his neighborhood—neighbors who can’t afford the gas to pick up food themselves. “I get to minister to them,”

Jimmie shared this belief: “Giving is like part of the Father’s heart. So, if you want to share the love of Jesus, then be a giver—food, money, time, life, and so forth. Scripture says whoever would be great among you must be servant of all. So it’s good to serve.”

Clearly, providing seniors with nourishing food and peace of mind isn’t the whole story. By offering food to these lonely seniors, you are also opening doors for them to find fellowship and camaraderie. And your support reinforces the local food pantry’s mission to be the hands and feet of God. As one volunteer said, “We’re offering more than just food. This is about connecting them with Jesus and letting them know that Jesus loves every one of us and loves them.”

Giving is like part of the Father’s heart. So, if you want to share the love of Jesus, then be a giver—food, money, time, life, and so forth.

Let Freedom Ring

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed. –Luke 4:18

A brighter day along the Nile

InJinja, Uganda, a family’s fate can rise and fall with the waters of the Nile. There, on the edge of Lake Victoria—the birthplace of the great river— Mariam attended a training that would change her life. And you helped make that possible. The year the world seemed to fall apart—2020—Mariam tragically lost her adult son. After he drowned in Lake Victoria, she was left to care for his five children alone. Her meager income selling silver fish was stretched to the breaking point by her son’s burial expenses, and she thought she

might never come back from that and be able to properly care for her grandkids. But you didn’t leave her there, hopeless. When you decide to sacrificially give toward helping people break the cycle of poverty around the world, your gift goes to work in places like Uganda—helping struggling entrepreneurs like Mariam.

Your partnership with Operation Blessing empowers Abide Family Center to train poverty-stricken mothers in sound business practices and equip them with the means to succeed.

Mariam’s training provided her with key insights that opened doors for her business she’d not yet explored—like new markets where she could sell her wares. You didn’t just offer training, either. You then gave her the capital

to get a fresh start. And you provided a way for her to revive her business and care for her precious grandchildren.

“I thank Abide for giving me capital for my business,” she said. “I am so full of joy and happiness. The profits will help me buy a plot of land, build a beautiful home, and pay my children’s school fees.”

Now, Mariam can see the horizon, and it isn’t all darkness. Armed with knowledge and new opportunities, Mariam’s future looks bright. There is a light shining—all thanks to friends like you.

BREAKING FREE from the Threat of Sickness and Snakes

YOU HELPED BUILD THE BLESSING OF A SAFE WATER SYSTEM IN SUICHE

“All the children get sick. They suffer from stomach pain and headaches. I think we adults are able to hold on a little longer—we’re used to it,” said one resident of Suiche, a remote community in Guatemala that struggles with clean water access.

Can you imagine the conditions that led to that statement— the countless days and nights fighting sickness and fatigue? Think about the long hours spent by children’s bedsides, worrying and attempting to comfort them as illness kept them awake. And why is their life so difficult? Simply because there’s no clean water.

The people in this village work hard, most of them farming bananas, but they still suffer in poverty. If someone in Suiche needed water and couldn’t afford to pay for it, they’d have to hope the hand-dug watering hole was free of dead animals. And if it had dried up, as happens every summer when the temperature soars as high as 104 degrees, they’d be forced to brave the snakeinfested waters of the nearby river to find enough dirty water to get by. It wasn’t even unheard of for a thirsty soul to return from such a journey with a poisonous bite.

For sisters Mirely and Darling in Suiche, their parents managed to scrape together enough money to pay for drinking

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water to keep them from getting sick. But that expense put a huge strain on the family’s finances— and they still had to meet other household cleaning and bathing needs with the dirty water available to them. Mirely shared, “When I take a bath, I always suffer allergies, and I feel like I’m never clean.” Her sister added, “One day we went with my mom to buy something at the store, and I felt uncomfortable because of the bad smell of my skin.”

The residents have done their best to provide the cleanest possible water to their children, often improvising to create handmade filters from buckets filled with sand and lime. But that didn’t stop waterborne illness from devastating the community. Even Darling’s family faced this obstacle, despite buying as much better quality water as they could.

She recalled, “When I take a bath, sometimes I accidentally swallow water in my mouth, and the next day my stomach hurts a lot.”

That is no kind of life for a precious child. But the kids in Suiche now have hope—because friends like you cared.

Together with you, Operation Blessing has long invested in Guatemala. When we heard about the situation in Suiche, we knew there had to be something that could be done to help these families. Our team set to work providing a solution in partnership with the community.

They needed a way to eliminate harmful bacteria—and you sent help their way. Because there was no adequate water source, our Guatemalan team dug an 80-foot well to reach an underground source of water, which was then pumped through a series of

contaminant-removing filters before being collected in a 2,700-gallon tank to provide a clean, reliable water supply for the long term.

You gave this community a chance to live free from waterborne illness—what a miracle! And the people not only have nearby access to this water, it’s being pumped directly to every household, church, and school. Their water worries are now behind them, and they can look forward to a brighter, healthier future. Mirely was overjoyed. “Now the water smells

very good, and it tastes nice!”

And now, 30 families and two churches are free from the burden of contaminated water. Parents don’t have to force their kids to drink something they know might hurt them. Children will grow and learn more effectively as they attend school without constantly battling sickness. Darling’s words say it all: “Thank you for what you’ve done for our community. God bless you!”

VOLUNTEER Spotlight

A Ukrainian Serves Her Countrymen Through Operation Blessing

Today we tip our hats to a very special volunteer. Olga has been through quite a lot. She, her husband, and their three daughters fled the violent attacks on Ukraine by Russia. The family then undertook a dangerous journey to Poland as refugees.

But once Olga arrived there, because of her previous work with our organization, she was called into action helping translate at the Operation Blessing tents near the border. There she volunteered to encourage other exhausted refugees, give them warm food and drinks, play with their children, and provide invaluable information and supplies to help them along their way.

Thank you for your service, Olga.

God Bless You!!

Even after the outreach at the border finished, Olga jumped into action working to provide supplies for refugee centers in Poland and to bless children through uplifting activities. You made these programs possible and opened the door for Olga to reach out with love.

Fulfilling dreams in Costa Rica

It’s amazing to see how love crosses borders, like the way your generosity is touching lives in Costa Rica. Every day, children in impoverished areas go to school with big dreams, but difficult circumstances all too often stand in their way. And for those with vision problems, getting proper eye care can be the difference between

thriving and just surviving.

Sawdy is one of those children. She’s a driven 11-year-old girl, passionate about becoming a doctor one day. Already, she shows leadership skills—her student body made her class president. But she had really begun to struggle with reading and doing her homework. Dry eyes and headaches were plaguing her studies on a regular basis.

She shared, “I have to tell the teacher that I need to get closer to the blackboard because I can’t see well.”

Her family lives in a poor area, and her parents have tried with all their might to get her the glasses she needs, but saving that much money would require them to go without food or utilities for a time.

Thankfully, Sawdy doesn’t have to go without anymore. Operation Blessing partners like you came together to answer this family’s prayer!

Sawdy can see a clear path to the future thanks to you!

An Operation Blessing eye care team was sent to her area to give free exams to hundreds of children across multiple communities. Now, because of you, Sawdy has new glasses, and she can see a clear path to a brighter future! “I feel happy, because my mom always worries about me and my siblings. With the donation of the glasses, she can save money to buy clothes and food.

Your compassion provided an eye exam and glasses for Sawdy.

Every time Sawdy wears her glasses over the coming years, your love will be right there with her.

THE POWER TO CHOOSE OVER DEATH Life

Your love gave a family in India the chance to save their child

If left untreated, little Priyansh could have died. Can you fathom having to make this agonizing decision for your child: a surgery you have absolutely no way to pay for or possible death? What would you do if the option for surgery wasn’t even available in your region? Can’t you feel the pain of this mother’s heart, knowing that she could do nothing to save her baby?

Yet this is the situation that the parents of millions of vulnerable children like Priyansh face every day. They are bound by the chains of poverty—unable to access or afford the

resources they need. Thankfully, friends like you are connecting them with proper medical care when it’s needed most!

That’s exactly what you did for little Priyansh and his family. This sweet baby boy was born with a severe cleft lip and palate, which made it difficult for him to get the nutrition he needed. He couldn’t breastfeed, so his mother, Ram Bai, fed him liquids with a spoon. Priyansh quickly became malnourished. He also

struggled to breathe.

“I am worried about my son,” Ram Bai told us. Even when he was old enough to consume solid food, Priyansh couldn’t eat properly and struggled to swallow. Ram Bai often cried as she watched her boy suffer. But what could they do? Her husband farmed their small piece of land in a tribal village in India to the best of his ability. During the off season, he worked odd jobs to support their family. Still, the cost

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You provide so much joy to desperate families when you give the gift of surgery.

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of surgery was too great for them to meet.

And Priyansh didn’t need just one surgery—he needed two. The first would fix his cleft lip. Then, the family would wait six more months before he could undergo a second surgery to repair his cleft palate—the roof of his mouth. He needed both procedures to eat and speak properly and to improve his health. Ram Bai and her husband had no choice but to rely on the compassion of others to save their son.

Then friends like you answered their plea for help through our Life-Changing Surgeries program—and provided both operations for this precious child completely free of charge. “Priyansh was in a vulnerable condition. His health was deteriorating,” said Achel, a worker at Padhar Hospital in India. “This generous support of Operation Blessing has saved and changed his life.”

As Ram Bai watched her son receive the treatment he desperately needed, she could not contain her tears. Today, she is overjoyed as she watches her baby boy eat and drink properly— getting the nourishment he needs to grow healthy and strong.

“I am grateful to Operation Blessing for their generous contribution to the Life-Changing

Surgery,” she said. “Our entire family will remain thankful to God.”

You provide so much joy to desperate families when you give the gift of surgery. And for Priyansh’s family, you gave them a gift that once was so far out of reach—the gift of life. Thank you for your compassion to help the hurting in their time of need.