2023 May Blessings Magazine

THEIR BABY HAD ONE DAY TO LIVE

Happenings

Catch up with the goings-on at Operation Blessing!

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God’s Love Touches Lives in Turkey

Through You

You gave families hope after destruction

Their Baby Had One Day to Live

You answered the cries of desperate parents in China

HAPPENINGS

VIRGINIA: Jimmie is just one of the many people throughout America who has needed a helping hand lately, and you supported him with much-needed food.

UKRAINE: Refugee families in Poland and Eastern Ukraine continued to receive love, support, and supplies thanks to you.

CAMBODIA: Thank you for helping get vital medications into the hands of hurting people through our medical brigades.

PERU: With your kind-hearted support, our “Yo Digo No” (“I Say No”) program is still going strong in Latin America and empowering children to protect themselves from sexual predators.

UGANDA: You help vulnerable women and families by supporting a partner ministry that provides medical care, nutrition, and skills training to mothers in need.

MEXICO: A community garden, made possible by friends like you, has made a huge difference for families in Mexico by providing nutritious food.

God’s Love Touches Lives in Turkey Through You

Cries rang through the night, mingled with the ominous rumbling and cracking of concrete. Salim was jarred awake as his home shook violently, and he scrambled to collect his four young kids.

“My children started crying and screaming, and they were very scared. I had a hard time keeping them

Thanks to the generous gifts of friends like you, not only are kids getting the support they need to brighten up their days, but people in need are getting critical items like clothing, blankets, and solar lamps to keep them warm and provide light in the darkness.

close to me, but I managed to do it. After the earthquake calmed down a little bit, the sound of the collapsing houses was audible.” Amid the frightening sounds, they fought their way through obstacles and a jammed door and finally onto the street—which was quickly filling with homeless families. “We couldn’t put on our socks or shoes and came out barefoot on the shattered glass.”

Like Salim’s family, most survivors escaped the danger with few or no belongings. Since then,

they’ve slept in tents or in cars. That’s daily life for the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the massive earthquakes that destroyed over 160,000 buildings and took more than 40,000 lives. Thankfully, compassionate friends like you sent an Operation

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You gave families hope after destruction

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Blessing response team to Turkey the day disaster struck. With your support, we’ve been there ever since, offering a helping hand to traumatized survivors and displaying God’s love in a tangible way.

Salim’s 8-year-old son, Ali, told us what Operation Blessing’s presence meant to them. “From the first day of the earthquake, this organization came to help us. We played with one of the members of this team, and one of the ladies on the team made us balloons. Then I asked them for toy swords, and they provided them for me.”

VITAL SUPPLIES | Thanks to the generous gifts of friends like you, not only are kids getting the support they need to brighten up their days, people in need are getting critical items like clothing, blankets, and solar lamps to keep them warm and provide light in the darkness. Salim’s family has

been eating three meals a day with our Operation Blessing team. And many more families like Salim’s are receiving hot meals and food boxes to sustain them.

CLEAN WATER | In hard-hit Hatay Province, our team has been working to provide clean water after ruined infrastructure led to a highly contaminated water supply. Our relief workers quickly found a way to purify 300 gallons of water daily from a local source via reverse osmosis

You are helping in so many ways!

while also offering in-home water filters where possible. Through this, you are providing for the ongoing needs of families like Filiz’s.

Filiz, earthquake survivor and mother of three, said, “We don’t have water, and every time there’s an aftershock we get scared and scream.” Thankfully, because of your support, our team was able to comfort them and assist them by providing a household water filter to clean the dirty water they had been drinking.

MEDICAL CARE | Others were suffering from a lack of medical care because the local hospitals in Hatay were destroyed, and many with chronic conditions were cut off from their supply of

medication. So you helped us offer compassionate care to hundreds of patients through our mobile medical clinic. An expectant mother received an ultrasound to assure her that her baby was well after the tragedy. And an older man who was hurt during the earthquake also got the care he needed. He offered his gratitude. “We are very thankful to them because they did their work with high precision, humanity, and great focus. Everything was great.”

These are just a few of the many lives you have touched. The needs in Turkey are huge. But one day at a time, people are finding hope on the road to recovery through the generous support of friends like you, our Operation Blessing family.

Their Baby Had One Day to Live

Imagine the devastation of being told your child has only 24 hours to live. That’s the terrible news the Yangs faced when their precious newborn boy became very ill. But your love came through for them in a mighty way.

The baby had kicked so often in the womb that they named him Qiangsheng—“born strong.” But not long after his birth, the parents knew something was terribly wrong. “He was unable to absorb nutrients effectively,” his mother said. “In less than a month, his weight dropped by 25 percent.” Their precious little boy became so weak, he couldn’t move. His skin turned yellow and his face became sunken. Desperate, his father turned to ancient Chinese rituals. “I went to the mountains to get herbs, and we asked our dead ancestors to put all their

blessings in this herbal package.” They tied it to Qiangsheng’s stomach, but the child’s health only worsened. Qiangsheng soon slipped into a coma. His breathing became faint, and his lips turned blue.

A doctor confirmed their worst fears. Without surgery, the child probably wouldn’t survive more than a day. Qiangsheng’s colon was perforated, and his intestines were twisted. On top of that, he had developed a dangerous bacterial infection.

His father couldn’t hold back the tears. “All I could think about was the way he smiled at me, the way he clapped his hands, and the way he kissed me.” He begged friends and relatives for help, but no one could lend them the money to pay for the lifesaving surgical procedure his son needed.

That’s when the hospital put them in touch with Operation Blessing, and friends like you paid for the operation that saved their baby boy’s life. “During all of this, the people told us about Jesus and

how He is the only God,” said Qiangsheng’s father. “So now we want to know about this God.”

Once he had recovered from the surgery, Qiangsheng began gaining weight and became the active boy his mother believed he was while in her womb. “He loves riding cows and herding sheep,” she laughed. “He high-fives and claps loudly and is always crawling around on the ground.”

She added, “Thank you to the donors for helping our son.” In bringing wholeness to this family, you also made a way for them to be introduced to a God of love.

Qiangsheng is now whole and thriving.

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You gave generations of blessings to a struggling family in Nigeria

THE STRENGTH OF A

Heart Mother’s

Tabitha has experienced tremendous heartache as a mother. She’s lived through the agony of watching her children get sick, month after month, but being unable to do anything about it. In her remote village of Madanya, Nigeria, this seemed to be all life had to offer.

She and her husband relied solely on their farm to provide for their four children. They worked hard, but the proceeds simply weren’t enough to give their children all the things they needed. Tabitha struggled to buy them clothing and pay their school fees. She couldn’t purchase nourishing groceries like fruit, vegetables, and baby formula. Most days, they lived on a diet of corn,

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rice, beans, and sometimes a little meat. All too often, her children had to skip a meal during the day, even though they were hungry.

Neither Tabitha nor her husband had the necessary skills to earn extra income and break the cycle of poverty so that their children—and future generations— could have a better life.

Then, last summer, you empowered Tabitha to create a new future for her family. When Operation Blessing offered the community a course in making pastries, petroleum jelly, and soap, she saw a unique opportunity and joined other local women to

acquire some profitable new skills.

“I learned a lot and was open to several possibilities,” Tabitha said. And she immediately put those various skills into practice. “I don’t have to buy petroleum jelly cream and liquid soap anymore, and for any special occasion in my family I make the cakes myself.”

She also took the skills you gave her to launch her own business. Every week, she sells the products she makes in her village and also sends them to other villages to bring in extra income. “I am indeed happy with what I learned at this training,” she said. “Now I am enjoying it.”

Local women learn cake baking.

Tabitha works hard at producing her products.

This new opportunity can now open new possibilities for Tabitha. She looks forward to more income for needs like groceries and school fees for her children. All of this has greatly encouraged her. Now, Tabitha and her family can look forward to a brighter future. But Tabitha is also taking it a step further. Whenever she can, she plans to extend a helping hand to her neighbors in their time of need—all thanks to your kindness and generosity.

“Operation Blessing has put joy in my heart and a smile on my face,” she said. Her children wear the same smiles of joy! Thank you for your heart to bless this precious mother and empower her with the ability to provide for her family for generations to come.

Operation Blessing has put joy in my heart and a smile on my face. –Tabitha

Look at those smiles on her children’s faces!

A Mother’s Blessing

How your kindness eased a mother’s anxiety and blessed a family

Your kindness set Sofia free from the chains of worry and helped provide for the needs of her precious baby girl.

Perhaps nothing on earth is stronger than a mother’s love. And few things can provoke more worry than the safety of her children. This was the case for Sofia, a 32-year-old mother living in the community of Las Brisas, about a 30-minute drive from the jungle city of Iquitos, Peru.

Sofia was already providing for three children—Anderson (12), Genesis (9), and Nilson (4)—when she learned she was pregnant with her fourth child. Attending checkups with her obstetrician provided a measure of peace, but Sofia couldn’t afford a costly ultrasound. Understandably, Sofia worried about the health of her unborn baby. But thanks to partners like you, her anxiety would soon be replaced with excitement for her growing family.

Your faithful support enabled Operation Blessing to hold a medical brigade at the local community center in Sofia’s area. The brigade offered various services in

You bless families in need through our Operation Blessing staff and volunteers around the world.

areas such as nutrition, obstetrics, dentistry, and family medicine. It even offered free medications.

Sofia’s children received care from the nutritionist and dentist, which will help promote their longterm health. And Sofia was delighted to receive an ultrasound, which confirmed the well-being

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of her developing baby.

“This opportunity is one in a thousand,” Sofia said gratefully.

“Nobody does these things for free. It was a great help for my family.”

Have a Special Place in the

Mothers Heart of God

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

ISAIAH 40:11

As we celebrate mothers this month, we’re so grateful to you for supporting them as they raise their young ones. You provide moms with food, medical care, clean water, skills training, business opportunities, and so much more. God bless you.

GENER SITY

across generations

How your support empowered Alisha’s family to give back

Alisha and her husband are a hardworking couple trying to make the most of their limited resources. She homeschools their children, Mackenzie (7) and David (10), and works as an online tutor while her husband serves as an aircraft mechanic in the Navy. But sometimes it’s been difficult for them to make ends meet. Despite their tight budget, this family believes in giving back to their community.

Generous partners like you have not only kept food on this precious family’s table but have

It helps us out more ways than you can ever imagine and think. –Alisha

also empowered them to help their struggling neighbors!  Alisha takes her children to an Operation Blessing distribution center at Rescue Church to pick up food for their family and their neighbors who can’t go themselves. She recognizes the impact that Operation Blessing has had on her community. According to Alisha, the food they’ve received has helped to save her and her neighbors hundreds of dollars on grocery bills each month. There

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Alisha’s experience at the food pantry has inspired a spirit of generosity in her community, as she and her neighbors now regularly exchange food and rely on each other for support. Alisha says, “It helps us out more ways than you can ever imagine and think. We are thankful for everything that you have given so that we are able to feed our families.”

As a mother, Alisha is also showing her daughter the importance of serving others. Young Mackenzie is learning to be selfless and to demonstrate God’s love through her actions. Alisha says, “She can see God using her.” Mackenzie adds,

It makes me happy that it makes them happy!”

Faithful partners like you have helped to bring healing and hope to Alisha’s family and her neighbors. It is a beautiful example of how your generous giving can make a profound impact on the lives of others. Alisha, Mackenzie, and their family are passing your kindness forward in a continued effort to make a positive difference in the lives

It feels good when I help. It makes me happy that it makes them happy! -Mackenzie

THANK YOU for Blessing MISSISSIPPI !

Following a deadly EF-4 tornado in Mississippi, Operation Blessing friends like you sent a flood of support to help hurting residents during their time of need.

With your help, we moved quickly to provide hot meals, emergency food kits, bottled water, cleanup supplies, and volunteer support, along with the invaluable gifts of comfort, hope, and love.

Twonda and her children are receiving support in Mississippi thanks to you.