2023 March Blessings Magazine

Happenings

Catch up with the goings-on at Operation Blessing!

4 6 10

Overcoming a Super Typhoon

You helped Filipino storm survivors rebuild

Destiny’s Future Is as Bright as Her Smile

The Dream of Water

You are fighting the water crisis, one community at a time

The Gift of Warmth

Heat for Ukrainians facing cold winter days, thanks to friends like you 16

More Than a Bag of Groceries

You met a single mom at her greatest point of need

A Harvest of Hope

Friends like you helped Triana’s village weather the storm and start again

HAPPENINGS

PERU: Parents in Peru can better feed their families, thanks to small business opportunities that you compassionately provide for them.

TURKEY: With your support, Operation Blessing immediately deployed a team of multinational specialists to provide disaster relief to hurting earthquake victims following the deadly quake last month.

UNITED STATES:

American families are so grateful to you for sending food to fill pantries and bellies during times of need.

INDIA: Thank you for playing a role in rescuing young girls from a brothel in India through our partnership with Freedom Firm.

HAITI: With help from friends like you, Evidaya in Haiti is receiving a secondary education, something she didn't dare dream about before. She likes biology and chemistry best.

following a destructive earthquake in the Cianjor area.

OVERCOMING

Your kindness helped Filipino storm survivors rebuild

osephine’s home lay in ruins. Just two days earlier, she and her family had evacuated in response to news of the coming typhoon, hoping against hope that there would be a home when they returned.

But when they went back, Josephine fell to her knees and wept. The house was there, but she could hardly recognize it. “The storm tore our whole roof off. Inside, years worth of property and appliances were destroyed,” she said. “Nothing was salvageable, and everything was washed out.”

Super Typhoon Rai utterly devastated parts of the Philippines. Torrential rains and heavy winds demolished homes and destroyed local businesses, displacing more than half a million people. Tens of thousands of residents were left homeless on Josephine’s island of Leyte alone. They had no option except to live in makeshift tents along the road. For families like Josephine’s— with no stable income—all hope seemed lost.

But thanks to friends like you, help came quickly to those in desperate need! Generous support from our donors made it possible for Operation Blessing to leap into action.

Our staff partnered with local government to help survivors of the storm by providing critical relief items that included food, sleeping mats, and blankets. And the Operation Blessing family didn’t stop there. Compassionate givers like you heard of the remaining needs of now-homeless families in southern Leyte and did something about it. Teams determined which communities had the worst damage and returned with muchneeded roofing materials, tools,

plywood, and sacks of cement. Now, families struggling to make ends meet could rebuild their homes with the free materials. Josephine was ecstatic. “I have no words. I’m just really happy that Operation Blessing is here, reaching out to island people like us.”

Josephine’s family weren’t the only ones whose lives were radically changed by the help. Many others were also given the resources to begin recovery because of the generosity of our partners.

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Josephine is ecstatic to receive building supplies to repair her home!

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Rosie and her husband, Rodrigo, were fellow typhoon victims. With a voice weak from stress and grief, 70-year-old Rosie shared her experience: “My husband and I were in Manila to visit our children at the time, and we did not expect to come back to the ugly sight of our ruined house after Typhoon Rai slammed into our hometown.” What made matters worse for them was the fact that Rodrigo was already permanently injured. He’d lost his toes in an accident and was thus unable to

get around easily to work and provide for his family’s needs. His wife said, “He was impaired and unable to continue his work as a carpenter because of that. It’s really hard. I don’t know how and where to start on recovery.” But faithful friends like you helped them! After receiving assistance, Rosie extended her gratitude to those who made this possible. “Thank you so much for these God-sent blessings. I am grateful and excited. I hope you will reach more people who are in need.”

Thank you so much for these God-sent blessings. I am grateful and excited. –Rosie

ISAIAH 58: 6, 10-11

Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

... If you pour yourself out for the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness

and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually

and satisfy your desire in scorched places

and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water,

whose waters do not fail.

As we prepare for the season of Resurrection, we remember that the fast God truly desires is for us to bless the poor and hurting. May God bless you for all you do on their behalf!

FutureDestiny’s

is

as Bright as Her Smile

How your kindness shone bright in Nigeria

s

ince before she was born, Destiny’s future has been uncertain. Her life was threatened first by the fire that injured her pregnant mother, Rose, and then by the cleft lip she had since birth.

This baby girl from Nigeria and her parents live on very little income. She desperately needed cleft lip surgery, but that was far out of reach. Her mother shared, “I am a housewife with no job. My husband can barely meet our family needs; most days we can only afford to eat twice. The thought of saving for the surgery is such a big challenge.”

and this precious baby was stigmatized by the surrounding community. Destiny’s parents constantly worried about what this might do to her self-esteem as she grew older. They wanted her to have a bright future.

Then your love found a way! The kindness of friends like you gave her the chance of a lifetime through a free surgery. She could have her cleft lip repaired, and her life would change dramatically.

Before long, Destiny was in the operating room surrounded by physicians and Operation Blessing staff eager to help her. The moment Destiny came out of surgery, her mother was full of

relief and praises to God. “I am so happy!” she said.

Destiny’s surgery was a tremendous success. Now, she can eat without difficulty, and she will never have to worry about a future filled with silent stares or teasing. Her future truly is as bright as her new healthy smile because of compassionate givers like you.

Thankfully, Destiny’s recovery has also gone beautifully. Rose said, “The first night after the surgery, I hardly could sleep. I could not take my eyes off my baby. The transformation was so much, she looks like a different baby. Thank you, Operation Blessing, for helping my baby.”

Emilia started her day at 4 a.m. to make the trek to collect water that wasn't even protected from contamination.

The DREAM of Water

YOU ARE FIGHTING THE WATER CRISIS, ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME

Since I was born, I remember never having bathrooms or clean water,” Emilia said, but she wanted a better life for Luis, her 12-yearold son. With their village a three-hour drive from the nearest city, the families who live in the small community of Turputia, Peru, had never known anything else. They grow food for themselves and their cattle but had no source of fresh water nearby. The closest wells were a long distance by foot and remained uncovered, exposed to animals and other kinds of contamination.

to the well to collect the water in containers or buckets.

When 12-year-old Luis was not in school, he went with her. The path was very slippery, especially after the rains.

“Once I remember I fell and spilled all the water,” said Emilia. “I hurt my leg and we had to go back to get more water.”

Once home, she boiled

the water for their livestock and to wash potatoes for them to eat, but she felt like it still wasn’t safe.

“My greatest dream is to have water, especially for Luis, my son. It hurts me that he suffers like I did when I was little. I want to see him happy,” said Emilia. “Everyone in this community wishes to have water.”

Thanks to the support of friends like you, their days of struggle for water have finally come to an end. Operation Blessing installed a complete water system that brings water to the remote community from a reservoir higher in the mountains. The water is treated and piped to each house in Turputia.

But your love didn’t stop there. Together, we were able to build bathrooms that contain a biodigester toilet, shower, and exterior sink for each household in the community. With your support, Operation Blessing is able to provide clean water solutions

to an area that previously had no access to clean water, preventing waterborne illnesses and even death to the most vulnerable.

“This is something we never had here in Turputia. We were always sad. Now we are happy,” said Emilia. “Thank you, Operation Blessing, for everything!”

Water is

This month we celebrate World Water Day. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving clean water to people in need around the world all throughout the year.

Luis now has a bathroom and a place to wash his hands!

HOW YOUR SUPPORT MAKES THE CLEAN WATER PROGRAM WORK

ASSESS

PARTNER

3.

Local staff assess a potential community to determine the level of need.

1. DESIGN

2.

With input from the community, the team plans the optimal clean

Selected volunteers from the community are trained as a water committee and a plan is established for sustainability.

4. IMPLEMENT Community members participate in construction of the system and in WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) training.

EQUIP

After a long lifetime without clean water, Emilia now enjoys the new community water system in Turputia, Peru.

Water committee members are trained to use and maintain the system, and we provide them with tools to continue with upkeep.

MONITOR

Local staff follow up with the community after project completion to ensure success.

THE GIFT OF WARMTH

As bombs exploded and gunfire echoed across cities in Ukraine, many women and children fled for their lives. Those who remained in or near the war zone faced the unimaginable. With businesses, shops, and homes destroyed, these precious people had no jobs and no place to find food. And with winter fast

approaching, they faced an even greater threat: the cold.

Oksana and her two children, Alexandra (10) and Alena (3), huddled in the basement of their home as bombs exploded in their hometown of Lyman, a mere 12 miles from the front line. They survived by eating the only supplies they had available: canned food and potatoes. When the fighting

How friends like you provided heat for Ukrainians facing cold winter days

moved on, humanitarian organizations like Operation Blessing were finally able to reach them with more food and other supplies. But food alone would not be enough for them to make it through the harsh winter ahead, when temperatures can dip down to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

“There are no heating facilities left here,” said Oksana. “I was worried because the house is cold.” In the hope of staying warm, she moved her children into another house with a boiler, but they had no electricity or firewood to power it in the months ahead.

When the Operation Blessing family heard about their situation, friends like you stepped in to help. Together, we provided stoves and firewood to heat homes and keep families like Oksana and her children warm for the winter. The supplies arrived at just the right time.

“If Operation Blessing had not brought us heating, we would have frozen here,” said Oksana. “I don’t know how my children and I would have lived.” Your kindness touched Oksana’s heart. “Thank you so much for caring for people like us,” she said. “I would like to wish you health. And I wish there were more people like you.”

You have surrounded so many Ukrainians in crisis with warmth, food, and love during their most difficult days this winter. Thank you!

Oksana and her children are grateful that you care about them.

More Than a Bag of Groceries

You met a single mom at her greatest point of need

or Stephanie, a single mom in Texas, supporting her three children on her own was difficult. Her struggles worsened when she lost her job during the COVID-19 shutdown and was unemployed for six months. By the time she found another job, the bills were piling up. Money was tight, so she began searching for local food banks in Texas. That’s when she saw a posting on social media about Open Door Food Bank, a distribution partner of Operation Blessing. That Saturday, she visited for the first time and experienced your compassion firsthand.

“When I drove up to that food bank, I was feeling hopeless,” said Stephanie.

“I didn’t have very much in the fridge, and I was getting worried.” In the past she could turn to her mom for help, but her mom didn’t have much either. “I had to look for another way to provide for my kids.”

Stephanie waited two hours in a line of cars, but it was so worth it. While she waited, a woman greeted her warmly and offered to pray. “I felt like they were speaking directly to me,” said Stephanie.

“I never experienced that before, and I knew it was God speaking through that individual to get that message across to me.”

When she reached the front of the line, volunteers filled her car up with food that you helped provide. “I felt grateful because I was able to feed my kids,” she said. “It wasn’t just a few things. They filled the whole car up.” Later, her 7-year-old daughter, Faith, was especially excited to organize all the food in the refrigerator.

Even though Stephanie grew up in church, she had not gone since the beginning of the pandemic. But after experiencing your love that day at the food bank, she decided to visit the affiliated church. And

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there she found the peace she had been looking for. She recalled, “It opened the door for me to experience a new church community, people who actually are there for me, to care about me, feed me, even clothe me.”

Before long, her mom began attending the church with Stephanie and her children. Soon afterward, they were baptized together. Today, Stephanie’s finances have improved, but she still uses

the food pantry from time to time. “It’s nice to know that even if I’m not fully making it, I can still rely on them, because they’re there.”

Stephanie is grateful for your heart and generosity to meet their physical needs and so much more during the difficult times. “I was going for the food and I ended up getting blessed spiritually in a way that I needed,” she said. “It gave me new hope to want to continue pursuing God.”

I was going for the food and I ended up getting blessed spiritually in a way that I needed.

– Stephanie

A HAR EST of HOPE

FRIENDS LIKE YOU HELPED TRIANA’S VILLAGE WEATHER THE STORM AND START AGAIN

Have you ever experienced a sudden loss? Imagine your main source of income being ripped from your grasp tomorrow, and there not being a thing you can do to replace it. What do you do when all is lost? According to Jorim, you pray. When powerful Cyclone Seroja blasted coastal communities in Indonesia, Jorim and his village lost their livelihoods. The storm’s fury tore apart homes, ruined boats, and washed away their entire seaweed

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all hope appeared to be lost. That’s when the church of Tablolong Village committed to praying every week until their livelihoods were restored. Little did they know that you would reach out in answer to that prayer.

Because the whole community relied on the seaweed industry, everyone felt its loss—especially the children. Jorim spoke of how people struggled to obtain enough fuel to get their kids to school. Fifi is a widow who supports her two children through seaweed farming, and the storm made her already difficult circumstances nearly impossible to overcome.

But then love sailed in from a distant shore, and your compassion changed everything! Your generous gifts empowered Operation Blessing to provide a canoe, seaweed seeds, nylon rope, and all the necessary supplies to help 10

families restore their livelihoods and care for their children.

At last, the community is beginning to see the answer to their prayers because you cared. Triana, another seaweed farmer, said, “Praise be to God. We’ve had two harvests from this help already. May God always bless the Operation Blessing family to continue to be a blessing to everyone in need.” Friends like you are helping Trina feed her three young children—and her new income could also provide them a chance to pursue an education.

Thank you so much for helping to make this possible!