2023 October Blessings Magazine

MUSHROOM FARM YIELDS INCOME AND INDEPENDENCE

YOUR COMPASSION BRINGS HOPE TO TORNADO-STRICKEN TEXANS

You Are Rewriting Stories HOPEwith

Happenings

Catch up with the goings-on at Operation Blessing!

4 6 9

Hope on the Horizon in Hawaii

You sent vital relief to survivors of the Maui wildfires

Celebrating World Food Day

HAPPENINGS

GUAM: Thanks to your support, Operation Blessing worked with church partners in Guam to provide 3,000 families with the tools they needed to recover from Super Typhoon Mawar.

COSTA RICA: Because of your generosity, 65 students like Geovannia now have a water treatment system in their school.

UKRAINE:

After a dam broke in Ukraine, leaving people like Zverev with contaminated water, you helped provide 16,200 six-liter bottles of drinking water to communities in need.

UNITED STATES: In the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, generous supporters like you sent vital supplies, hot meals, and a helping hand to residents in need.

TURKEY: Your love and support allowed Operation Blessing to mobilize and provide relief in Belen, Turkey, after a series of devastating forest fires raced through the mountains.

PHILIPPINES: Your compassion gave families food bags after the recent eruption of the Mayon Volcano in the Philippines.

HOPE ON THE HORIZON IN

YOU SENT VITAL RELIEF TO SURVIVORS OF THE MAUI WILDFIRES

In August, the Hawaiian island of Maui suffered the deadliest fire to hit the U.S. in over a hundred years. Following the blaze, tensions flared high on the island. As families grappled with grief over lost and missing loved ones, their suffering was made worse by the struggle for basic necessities. With more than 11,000 people displaced when their homes were destroyed, survivors desperately needed help. Thankfully, you were there for them through Operation Blessing.

With your support, our disaster relief team quickly deployed to Hawaii, responding to those in greatest need. In partnership with a well-connected network of local churches and other organizations like YWAM, you helped to procure and provide vital relief supplies. Our team gathered critical items including tents, clothing, hygiene supplies, tarps, lanterns, generators, grills and propane for cooking, and more.

Once the supplies were secured on the big island of Hawaii and set for transport, our intentionally small team traveled directly to the hard-hit area of Maui. With the island’s resources

already stretched far past capacity, only the most necessary relief personnel were being encouraged to visit directly. Although some relief organizations had been met with resistance, with much sensitivity and prayer our small team began reaching out to residents of the shattered island. Almost immediately, they encountered a group of survivors struggling without clean water. In partnership with Air Mobile Ministries, our staff secured a set of water filtration units for those families to use and also passed

clean water along to others in urgent need throughout the area. A Maui resident named Edward spoke to us, defeat and suffering plain on his face as he coughed and shared the pain his community had been experiencing on the island, including the severe lack of clean water.

Continued on page 8

We have to fight for bottled water and clean air.–Edward,

Maui

Lahaina resident

Edward said, “It’s so contaminated, we have to fight for bottled water.” But with the help of filtration systems provided by compassionate supporters like you, families could drink water and cook in safety without fear of getting sick.

“They can take their water, whatever the source, and make it clean,” said Air Mobile Ministries’ Joe Hurston. “Most importantly, they can get that water when they need it, and they can get it for their neighbors. It empowers people to

Joy broke through for these Hawaiian locals thanks to the water filtration units.

be able to give clean water.”

As Joe demonstrated the filtration you gave to them, you could see the anxiety lifting from the local residents’ faces as smiles began to break through. Hope was on the horizon. “Just to have a machine like this, to know that everybody is drinking healthy water, is going to mean a lot to these families,” said Edward. “It means a lot to us that people like you reach out to us in our time of need. We’re so thankful. Thank you.”

You Give Hope on World Food Day and All Year

As people around the globe celebrate World Food Day,

we’re so grateful that you send food to those in need throughout the year! In recent months, you’ve sent food to survivors of

You Lifted a Mother’s Burden in Kenya

Today, Rose is blooming in Kenya—and it’s all thanks to caring friends like you. It’s been a long time since she felt so free, strong, and capable. Compassion truly has lifted her burdens and given her hope for tomorrow through life-changing surgery. Her burdensome, disfiguring goiter is gone!

For years, Rose battled constant fatigue and debilitating headaches while striving to provide for her 10 children. Parenting them by herself was difficult enough, and farming to keep food on the table became that much harder as she got older. But when the glands in her neck began to swell out of control, Rose’s troubles pushed her to a breaking point.

ROSE IS HEALTHY AND BLOOMING TODAY

Rose would suddenly grow winded and weak as she worked the land, struggling to do activities she could once sustain for hours. If she went home to rest, the mountain of daily chores pressed in on her—as she labored to choke down a quick meal past the swelling in her throat.

As if these challenges weren’t enough, the massive lumps on Rose’s throat started to draw attention everywhere she went. She began to feel ostracized in the marketplace and even feared church gatherings. It became easier to withdraw and keep to herself rather than risk damaging her mental health and her business relationships.

But God saw, and He answered—through caring friends like you. Rose found Operation Blessing and received life-changing surgery. The masses on her neck were successfully removed, and she breathed a long-awaited sigh of relief. At last, the weight was gone.

“May God bless Operation Blessing for helping me,” Rose

shared. “I saw the hand of God and believe that He indeed uses people to bless others.”

Now, because of your compassion, she cooks and cleans for her family, works hard in the fields, and is building her business in the local marketplace. Rose feels welcome in public again, her confidence renewed. Headaches and heart palpitations are a thing of the past. Today, her mind is set on building a better future for her family. Those 10 kids have a much better chance to thrive, thanks to our partners like you.

TOMORROW Hope GIVING

Children ran through the grass, laughing and clapping. Some struck a colorful piñata in hopes of collecting a prized treat. Families gathered together to enjoy plates heaped with food and watch a lively puppet show. And some of the children, like 4-year-old Eliza, even received a bicycle!

On the outside, it looked like a typical Posada party in Mexico, where food is abundant and shared around the Christmas holidays. But this gathering was different. It was part of a special brigade you helped provide to give families living in three communities—El Tirol, Montebello, and El Caracol—medical and dental care that is not typically available to them.

4-year-old Eliza received a bicycle!

Most of the 150 residents who

SENDING CLEAN WATER AND MIRACLES

As a single mother, Lupita worried about leaving her three children alone just so she could fetch water—a 30-minute walk away. Her 2-year-old daughter, Juanita, was born with crossed eyes and often fell when she ran. She needed constant attention. But Lupita didn’t have a choice. She had to leave Juanita in the care of her two older brothers—Caleb, age 9, and Jonathan, age 11—so she could make the journey to the community’s only source of water. What’s worse, the water she brought home sometimes made her children sick.

Your generosity provided their entire community with a rainwater harvesting system that allowed them to access safe water right at their homes. Lupita’s children can now use a hygienic toilet, wash their hands, shower, and drink clean, clear water.

Then friends like you gave Lupita’s family the most precious gift of all—surgery to repair little Juanita’s eyes. Today she runs freely without the fear of falling.

Lupita couldn’t contain her joy!

“This is a true miracle!” she said.

“The doctors told me

And you did not stop there!

that Juanita would never be normal, but now seeing her so happy and healthy makes me so grateful.

… Thank you for everything that you do.”

HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE

Young families in the community, like Sandra’s, also struggled to put food on the table until you provided them with hope. At 18, Sandra had just given birth to a beautiful boy named Héctor. She and her husband needed extra income to provide for their growing family, but in El Tirol, even affording hens that would supply them with eggs was difficult.

Thanks to your support, Operation Blessing gave Sandra 15 hens and trained her in how to take care of them. Now, she uses the eggs for income as well as food—so that she will be able to provide for her son for years to come.

You are not just providing temporary solutions for people in need—you are giving them hope and resources that can last them a lifetime. Thank you for your heart to bless the people of El Tirol, Mexico, and the surrounding communities—giving them all a better tomorrow.

Mushroom Farm Yields Income Independence

You’re helping Thai families achieve self-sufficiency

Pitipath with his daughter

Climbing out of poverty often depends on getting a hand up from a caring individual. That’s the idea behind Operation Blessing’s microenterprise programs: supplying the training, tools, and opportunity people need to bridge the gulf between surviving and thriving—a move we couldn’t make without the compassionate support of friends like you.

Here’s how you helped 28-year-old Pitipath and his wife, Hunna, in northeastern Thailand. Their small beverage stall brings in less than $200 a month—barely enough for the family to survive on. Pitipath wanted more for himself, his wife, and their 9-year-old daughter.

He thought mushroom farming would provide additional income for his family—and they wouldn’t have to move to the city. But how could someone launch such

an enterprise when they had no assets to speak of?

Fortunately, a local pastor has been partnering with Operation Blessing and supporters like you to bless families from the community that need to develop more income. Seventeen people have already participated in the mushroom farm training program. Operation Blessing staff determined that Pitipath and Hunna, who were no strangers to agriculture, would be a good fit for the program.

At a professional mushroom farm in the area, experts taught participants the skills and techniques needed to run a successful mushroom-growing

Who would have thought mushrooms would be the key to a brighter tomorrow?

operation. Managing costs and expenses—the financial aspect of running such a business— was taught by the Operation Blessing team.

You provided 1,500 packs of mushroom spawn—comparable to seeds—to get it started.

But knowledge alone isn’t enough. To help jump-start this dream, Operation Blessing and generous friends like you also provided the supplies needed to build Pitipath’s mushroom hut— bricks, nails, a watering hose, plus materials to protect growing mushrooms from the sun’s UV rays. Once the small farm was built and equipped, we provided 1,500 packs of mushroom spawn—comparable to seeds— to get it started.

Then, because you care, we were able to monitor the progress and serve as mentors for several months. In addition, Operation Blessing and

the church team contacted merchants who would buy Pitipath’s nutritious produce directly, ensuring income opportunities for him.

Success at mushroom farming has meant all the difference to Pitipath and his family. “This project has greatly improved our living conditions, especially giving me and my wife hope to serve God and serve others,” Pitipath said.

“When the income from the project starts to stabilize, we will give back to the church in order to continue to help others.”

In this way, you are enabling grateful families in Thailand to achieve financial independence and help pay it forward. That’s what we call rewriting a story with hope!

YOUR COMPASSION BRINGS HOPE TO TORNADOSTRICKEN TEXANS

How you helped a town recover in the Lone Star State

On the fateful evening of June 21, 2023, destruction arrived in Matador, Texas. Seemingly out of nowhere, a merciless tornado tore through the close-knit community, leaving it in shambles. The terrifying twister claimed the lives of four precious souls and injured at least 15 others. Local resident Danika heard the surprising news of the tornado while visiting another town with a friend.

The close-knit community of Matador was left in shambles.

She recounted her experience: “We blew off the warnings at first … then I called my husband, who was working, and he said, ‘I’m heading that way.’ Later he called me when he’d made it to the house and said, ‘Our house is gone.’ I was like, ‘What? You’re joking, right?’ He said, ‘No, it’s gone.’”

The residents of Matador were faced with the gut-wrenching sight of their homes reduced to rubble. Vehicles had been tossed about like toys, and power lines lay in a tangled mess between battered municipal buildings. The once-vibrant town had been plunged into darkness, devoid of electricity and basic resources. But there was a glimmer of hope. Help was on the way.

The tornado completely

Fueled by the generosity of faithful partners like you, an Operation Blessing team rushed to the scene. With compassion and dedication, our supporters, volunteers, and staff worked together with local groups to bear the community’s burdens and provide critical support during this trying time.

Continued on page 22

Continued from page 21

Though help was at hand, the extent of the damage was still overwhelming for victims of this powerful twister. Danika had raised her family in the home she’d just lost. Struggling to find words to describe the devastation she witnessed, she said, “That was the bad part, seeing it in the daylight … I feel numb. It’s surreal, hard to comprehend.” She recalled the storm’s “complete and utter devastation—the roof was ripped off, and things were thrown around. My oldest daughter’s valedictorian medal ended up four blocks away.”

Operation Blessing wasted no time. With your support we immediately started setting up a base of operations in collaboration with the local First Baptist Church, forming a partnership to meet the most pressing needs of the community. This collective effort provided a much-needed lifeline for the residents, who now faced the daunting task of cleaning up and rebuilding their lives from scratch.

Thanks to you, Operation Blessing set up a mobile food truck to meet the most urgent needs of the community. Nourishment and other essential supplies were in high demand, and the team was quick to deliver. For people who couldn’t cook, you provided hot meals to give them strength to

You gave these young girls hope in their dark hours.

keep going. You also made it possible for emergency meal kits and cleaning supplies to be distributed to help in the days ahead.

“It’s just an outpouring of resources, love, and care,” said local EMT Doug. He expressed his gratitude to Operation Blessing and to you. “Just for being here and responding to the need of a community that for two to three days didn’t have food because of the electricity being off. It really is a blessing for the whole community.”

The journey to recovery might be long and difficult, but your compassion became a beacon of hope for the Matador community and helped begin the healing process. The people found solace in knowing that they were not alone in their struggle. Instead of their story ending with fear and despair, you helped rewrite their story with hope.

Thank you for blessing the community of Matador!