2022 December Blessings Magazine

Stories of how YOU help the hurting around the world.

Happenings

the

HAPPENINGS

VIRGINIA: In Virginia and around the U.S., you help make it possible to feed hungry children, families, and communities during challenging times.

POLAND: Your love is shining bright in Ukraine and Poland as children displaced by war receive food, love, care, and encouragement.

KENYA:

Thank you for sending hope and healing to Kenyan villagers in the midst of drought through food, resources, and even free medical brigades!

PERU: Families in Peru can better support their children because you have provided them with small business and agricultural opportunities to help them thrive. Thank you!

GUATEMALA:

A village in Guatemala is another step closer to having clean, easily accessible water because partners like you care.

JORDAN: Friends like you reach out to Christian refugees in Jordan—such as the children at this school—who fled from terror in other nations.

FOOD, FRIENDS, and HOPE

How you helped Olena and her twins survive the war in Ukraine

“The war has begun.”

Imagine waking up early one morning to see this message on your phone, knowing everything in your world is about to change in ways you can’t even imagine. That’s what happened to Olena in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

The days following the reports of a Russian invasion were peppered with a dizzying barrage of gunfire, explosions, and tough decisions. Olena and her twin 3-year-old daughters slept in their basement for safety the whole week after she got the

news, knowing their sleep would be interrupted again and again by air raid sirens. During the day, they would wait for sirens to cease and then rush to do simple activities like take baths and cook. Olena recalls, “The sounds were very scary and really frightened us.”

It wasn’t long before friends and family urged them to leave the country. Olena knew her girls wouldn’t be safe in Ukraine anytime soon, so she yielded, taking a journey into the fearful unknown.

They boarded a bus to Poland and headed off into the darkness. Olena, Mira, and Margarita endured the harrowing 15-hour trip in cramped quarters without light to avoid Russian

girls were welcomed with open arms by Operation Blessing partners offering shelter. Because of you, they knew they’d found a safe place to lay their heads. Olena shared, “Everyone took care of us, making sure we had everything we needed— for the children and for

me—making sure we were comfortable.”

You reached out in compassion to provide for the needs of many suffering Ukrainian families during this time. When Olena and her girls were hungry, Operation Blessing met their need, holding a food distribution event for the whole refugee community. Having full bellies made the future look brighter.

Mothers like Olena struggled with more than basic necessities, though. They knew their children were suffering emotionally and needed something constructive to do. Olena described the difficulty: “Right now, we as moms are very busy with work and different issues, and for kids there are not so many activities.”

So Operation Blessing family members like you took care of that, as well. Our teams held birthday celebrations along with other fun, encouraging activities that lifted the little ones’ spirits.

As you can see by their faces, Mira and Margarita have experienced joy thanks to your kindness. Olena offers her gratitude. “We are very, very thankful to you for such support—for your love and care for us and our children.”

Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10

world. Thank you for making this season merry and bright for so many!

Don’t forget about your special Christmas devotional we sent by mail in November.

THE GIFT OF HEALING

Before he was even two, sweet little Mohammed was often the center of attention— the wrong kind of attention. His facial deformity made him different, a difference that most children couldn’t understand.

Mohammed had a cleft lip and palate, and life wasn’t easy.

“Eating some types of food and drinking water was a problem,” his mother said, but his parents couldn’t afford the operation that would help him.

Mohammed’s family lived in a slum community in Kenya. As a contract laborer, his father earned the equivalent of about $50 per month, not nearly enough to pay for surgery and provide for the family. His mother stayed home to take care of the house and their three children.

Then, the family discovered the joyous news that Mohammed could get free surgeries through Operation Blessing’s Life-Changing

A child in Nairobi has a chance to belong thanks to friends like you

Surgeries program. Together, compassionate friends just like you provided the funds this struggling family needed to fix his cleft lip and palate and allow Mohammed a chance to live a healthy life. He would be able to eat, drink, and speak without a problem.

“It was difficult to understand clearly what Mohammed was saying before due to the deformity, but now after the surgery I can comprehend what he is

saying,” said his mother. “My child is now fine. Thank you, Operation Blessing—I am very grateful for the support.”

Our Life-Changing Surgeries program doesn’t just change the lives of individual recipients—it changes the lives of entire families. When friends like you come together, we can give the gift of healing for so many who cannot afford it or who have no access to medical care.

PERU Mañazo

You H

e lp Bring

Joy to the World

You surrounded a mother and baby with love and care in scary times

One year ago, Gladys was pregnant with her second child. But something was terribly wrong. She began having strong pains in her abdomen. She desperately wanted to keep her baby safe, but what if her child was in danger?

Gladys lived with her family in Mañazo, a rural community nestled in the highlands of southern Peru. Her parents raised livestock while Gladys took care of the household chores. Her 12-year-old son helped, especially when she began experiencing problems during her pregnancy.

At one time, expectant mothers in Mañazo had no access to prenatal care. Most women could not travel the 27 miles to the city of Puno or even afford the cost of an ultrasound. Often, complications went

undetected and untreated, leaving women in terrible pain during pregnancy. Many even died during childbirth.

“I was afraid I would lose my baby because of my health,” said Gladys. “I couldn’t pay 70 soles to have an ultrasound performed.”

But thanks to your compassion, Gladys didn’t have to face this pregnancy alone. Since Operation Blessing launched the prenatal counseling program in Mañazo earlier that year, our staff were able to be by her side from the first stages of her pregnancy.

This program in Mañazo is just one of several

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prenatal programs you provided to serve the rural communities surrounding Puno. Gladys would need all the love and support she could get in order to face the journey ahead.

During her pregnancy, Gladys faced two separate health challenges. First she developed a female infection. Later, she suffered intense pain and discovered she had gallstones. The obstetrician and staff at the prenatal counseling program were by her side every step of the way throughout her challenging pregnancy. They monitored the baby’s health during both treatments through several ultrasounds.

To Gladys’s relief, her baby remained healthy.

“I couldn’t see how my baby was,” said Gladys. “Operation Blessing helped me. After seeing that my baby was okay, I felt relieved.”

Through the new prenatal counseling program, you also provided a safe place for Gladys and other women to receive the prenatal care they needed. Staff offered workshops to equip expectant mothers with techniques on how to carry their babies safely to term. Women like Gladys learned about childbirth and the warning signs to look for throughout their pregnancies.

“I didn’t know how to control my contractions, but after these workshops I learned how to breathe,” said Gladys.

“Thanks to the workshops that were given to us, I knew how to act when I had pain during my pregnancy. That’s what helped me the most.”

Today, Gladys is overjoyed to hold her precious healthy baby girl, Yuletzi, thanks in large part to the prenatal counseling program and to you.

Surviving the Terror of the Storm

Linda huddled in the tiny bathroom of her home with her dog Stitch as the winds from Hurricane Ian shook the walls around her. She heard the roof bounce up and down—before the storm ripped it off!

“This hurricane is different than other hurricanes,” said Linda. “It just wasn’t going to stop.”

For two days, tornado warnings alerted residents of Port Charlotte and communities on the Gulf Coast of Florida that dangers from Ian lingered. Linda stayed in the tight space—under a propped-up closet door. She had packed the room with pillows, blankets, and dog beds for comfort and extra protection. Her only

“Operation Blessing showed up— and they showed up full-force,” said Linda. “They worked super hard … and prayed with me.”

Your love reached out to hurricane victims in their darkest hours

connection with the outside world was her cell phone. Huddling there, she prayed.

“I could hear the rain and wind and everything inside my house,” Linda said. “I’ve been praying, ‘Lord God, You said You will never leave me or forsake me.’” Even as she prayed—unbeknownst to her but thanks to you—Operation Blessing was already on the move to help heartbroken Floridians during their time of need.

When the storm finally passed, Linda emerged to the depressing sight of drenched carpets and damaged walls. The Category 4 hurricane had flattened the trees and destroyed the fences in her yard. Her roof was almost Continued on page 18

The Category 4 hurricane had flattened the trees and destroyed the fences in her yard. Her roof was almost completely gone.

completely gone. She’d already been struggling with rising costs due to inflation. And now, overnight, she and her dog had become virtually homeless. She had no choice but to rely on God to provide.

Hurricane Ian destroyed homes across Florida, flooding entire communities and leaving more than a million people without power. In the days following the disaster, the death count rose to over 100. But your compassion met Linda and many others at their point of greatest need. Because of our generous supporters, Operation Blessing was on the ground in Florida even before Hurricane Ian made landfall. You provided the emergency equipment, food, water, and disaster supplies that so many would need in the days ahead.

Your love and care surrounded Linda in a tangible way.

Volunteers provide help and encouragment.

After the storm, you made it possible for our team to move into the hardest-hit areas to offer help and assistance. “They might have had trees fall in their yard,” said Anthony Lloyd, senior director of OB’s U.S. Disaster Relief. “Some of them have had massive flooding.”

But friends like you volunteered your time and resources to help those with the greatest need—those who were struggling to find a way to begin the journey to recovery.

“Operation Blessing showed up—and they showed up full-force,” said Linda. “They worked super hard … and prayed with me.”

Together with your

loving support, we cleaned up Linda’s yard and tarped her roof. Then we removed water-soaked furniture and secured what was salvageable in protected areas. Your kindness meant so much to Linda and so many others like her in Florida.

“I have hope now. I have faith,” said Linda. “Operation Blessing has given me opportunity to have a direction to where I need to start—where I need to go.”

You have lifted Linda up and enabled her to face the future after a disaster! Thank you for your heart to reach out and care for victims of disaster in their time of greatest need.

REFRESHED

and full of

Hope

Friends like you gave Antoni’s village the gift of clean water

When

Antoni’s stomach started to burn, he knew something was wrong. Only moments after he drank a little water, waves of nausea and pain struck him.

He grew so sick his family had to rush him to the only clinic available— more than an hour’s drive from their home. The worst part was, the emergency visit cost nearly half of Antoni’s father’s wages for an entire month. Antoni survived, but he wasn’t unharmed. His father said, “The doctor told me that Antoni had developed parasites because of the type of water that he has been drinking.”

And there was no guarantee this wouldn’t happen again, because Antoni’s family didn’t have another source of water.

You see, little 9-year-old Antoni lives with his family in a remote mountain village in Honduras where water access had always been scarce, and what they could find wasn’t safe. His father explained, “The water we have consumed has never been clean. The hoses don’t have any filters. We see insects and dirt in the cloudy water.” He and others in

frightening moment: “One day we went with my dad to check the spring where the hoses come from. When we arrived, there was a dead animal in it. We removed it with some sticks. It really smelled bad. Dad said we had to wait for a while before we drank the water.” On days like that one, it was hard for Antoni’s family to hope circumstances would improve.

Then they met Operation Blessing, and friends like you changed everything! Young

work evaluating the problem and potential solutions with the help of the locals. First, they identified a new freshwater spring higher in the mountains for a springwater catchment system that would replace the dirty, exposed pools the community had been using. Then, together with community members, the team laid a pipe system, built a 5,000-gallon storage tank, and added purification. Water ran free and clean for the first time—right to residents’ homes.

Antoni was ecstatic. “The water that Operation Blessing gave us is very refreshing. There is a strong stream of water right in the house faucets! It feels as cold as if they had put ice in it,” he exclaimed. “Now my family and everyone in the community are happy because of the water that God sent us. Now everyone who drinks this water will not suffer!”

His father’s words perhaps express it best. “First of all, I want to thank God, and then thank the donors of the Operation Blessing project. For us this has been excellent; it is a blessing for this community and for each family. Thank you!”