HONDURAS – No one plans to become a widow—especially when you have young children. In a moment, everything changes. Young mothers have no choice but to become both providers and caregivers. While the struggle is challenging in any environment, women in developing countries face truly limited opportunities. But you are giving them hope for a future!
After she lost her husband, Dilcia fought tirelessly to support her twins, who were just 5 years old at the time. She sold food and cleaned houses, but her income was never enough. Every day was a battle to provide for her children. As a widow in Honduras, She has struggled for the past eight years to make ends meet.
“I didn’t have enough money to buy school supplies,” she told us. Her growing children constantly needed new shoes and uniforms for their public school. Dilcia stretched her income as far as she could.
Cosmetology Training for a Widow in Honduras
Everything changed when she had an opportunity to participate in a training program you provided through our Canela y Miel cosmetology school. Dilcia learned how to cut hair, paint nails, and provide other cosmetology services to women in her community. While she was still training, she started receiving requests from family and friends for hair services, manicures, and pedicures.
Dilcia told us she was able to double her income and provide for her children, and that’s because of you. “Now I have the possibility to buy new shoes, uniforms, and what they need. This used to be difficult to achieve.”
Dilcia is grateful to God for your generosity to help women like her. She is using her new skills to inspire other women to overcome their difficulties and become financially independent. She said, “Thank you for the opportunity to help us train and be able to stand on our own in life.”
KENYA – Duncan faithfully serves his community as their pastor. A single adult with no wife or children, he is usually able to support himself as a farmer. But for the past several years, a health problem has disrupted his ministry.
During that period, Duncan struggled with painful growths around his neck and face called keloids. They often itched and swelled, leaking a discharge of pus that caused him even more discomfort and soiled his clothes. People in the community stared at him because of his disfiguring growths. Some even asked invasive and uncomfortable questions.
Because Duncan held a very public position as pastor, he began to feel self-conscious. He lost his confidence, and his self-esteem plummeted. How could he continue to serve God and his congregation with this condition?
He searched for a solution from several hospitals. Doctors advised that he needed surgery and radiation. But his income from farming wouldn’t cover the cost. Instead, Duncan kept struggling day after day with a condition that continued to worsen.
“I wanted so much for the surgery to be done,” he told us. He was able to save a little bit of money from time to time, but it was never enough.
YOU Provided Surgery For Keloids
When our compassionate Operation Blessing family heard about Duncan’s struggles, friends like you wrapped their arms of love around him and gave this beloved pastor the gift of a life-changing surgery—paid in full!
The operation was a game-changer for Duncan. “Now I can go do my day-to-day activities without any worries,” he said. “People don’t look at me so weirdly.” Unforgettable love from friends like you helped heal this pastor with surgery for keloids.
Duncan is grateful for your love and compassion in his time of need. “What you have done in my life is not something to forget. You have really changed my life.”
UNITED STATES – Imagine, one moment you’re going to work, playing with your children, and enjoying life. Then, suddenly life as you know it changes forever. In the blink of an eye, you feel your face become numb, your limbs begin to weaken. You can’t seem to understand what anyone around you is saying. Nor can you utter the words to say the things you’re experiencing. Your worst fears are confirmed. You’ve suffered a stroke. Now imagine that this terrible experience happens twice to the same family in a decade—to a mother and daughter who desperately need outside help.
That’s the reality sisters Charlotte and Tanya faced. Although their shared experience was a tragedy, the healing power of community and food built a closer bond for this family. The ordeal would also prove to be a triumph over the tragedy of hunger.
Health Issues Create Hunger Crisis
Nine years ago Tanya, a single mother, suffered a stroke that left her in need of love and support. Her sister Charlotte stepped in and did her best to help Tanya and her children. This was no easy feat, as it sometimes meant the needs of Charlotte’s own household weren’t completely met. And then, just as Charlotte began to hit her stride in her career, tragedy struck the family again.
“It went really fast,” said Charlotte as she recounted the day their mother suffered a stroke. “In April she woke up one morning and said, ‘Hand me that.’ I thought she was talking about her toothbrush, but she looked at it like she had no earthly idea what it was.”
After her mother’s hospital stay and rehabilitation, Charlotte was left to pick up the pieces. Home alone with her mother, who could no longer move or advocate for herself, Charlotte knew it would be impossible to balance work and care for her mom, so she made the difficult decision to quit the job she loved.
You Help Provide Food for a Family in Need
Now needing to help her mother and her sister without employment of her own, she was close to being overwhelmed. “Worrying about food was the thing I thought was going to tip me over.” For many Americans, the loss of income leads to food insecurity issues and the tragedy of hunger.
As it turned out, although Charlotte was giving up something she loved, she gained so much more. DC Church receives food deliveries for their food pantry from Operation Blessing. Your support provides a wide array of healthy foods that nourish the body and feed the soul.
Charlotte received a flyer about the food pantry at her church. She said, “I think at first I was going to be a little too proud, but the name alone, Operation Blessing, it was like a light went off for me—that this is your blessing you need right now.”
The outpouring of generosity by donors like you helped provide blessings beyond measure for this family. “You have meats, you have your fruits and vegetables, you have snacks,” said Charlotte. “I’m making soups now.”
Triumph Over The Tragedy Of Hunger
Through this shared experience of dealing with sickness and avoiding the tragedy of hunger, Charlotte renewed her relationship with God, her family, and her neighbors.
She and her family offered immense gratitude to you. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” said Charlotte. “You have no idea how it has made a difference in my life. When you’re entrusted to take care of somebody, and you walk into your kitchen and you don’t have anything—the rock that sits in your stomach, the doubts that go through your mind. When an organization like Operation Blessing steps up and goes, ‘Hey, I can help you through this time’ it means everything.”
Thank you so much for being an important part of Charlotte and Tanya’s story and for giving food to the hungry—both in the U.S. and around the globe.
FLORIDA – A series of severe thunderstorms caused widespread damage across the country as tornadoes struck multiple states. Panama City Beach, Florida, was one area where a twister caused extensive damage, demolishing buildings and leaving the people in great need of Southeast tornado relief.
Relief Teams Deployed in Florida
Operation Blessing immediately deployed, utilizing supplies from our Ocala, Florida warehouse strategically positioned nearby. Our team of staff and volunteers from Lighthouse Church are on the ground in the community offering help and hope through roof tarping and removal of downed trees and debris. Though recovery is always difficult, friends like you make sure that Floridians won’t have to do it alone.
Preparing for Multiple Responses – Southeast Tornado Relief
Deadly twisters devastated communities across the U.S. and cost lives, impacting towns in Alabama as well. As storm survivors face downed trees and ruined homes and businesses, help is on the way.
One hard-hit area is Cottonwood, AL, and our relief team is assessing areas in and around that region to determine where the needs are greatest. Because of generous supporters who donated before these storms ever came, relief supplies are also on the way to affected areas—along with a mobile kitchen to serve hot meals! Sometimes it’s the little things like a hot meal that make all the difference for someone struggling in the aftermath of a disaster.
In times like this, we need to band together to help those in need. You can be a part of rescuing the helpless during disasters and restoring hope to those who have lost loved so much. As generous people like you give and pray, it truly makes a difference for those in need!
Thank you for your compassionate heart. Please remember to pray for those who are suffering after this tragic event. You can be part of changing lives after a disaster strikes when you partner and volunteer with Operation Blessing. Find out how when you visit www.ob.org/disaster-relief and www.ob.org/volunteer today!
ISRAEL – Last October, the world watched in horror what is being called the deadliest and most brutal attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
Lina and her family experienced it firsthand. “I lived in Ashkelon for 30 years, and I was used to missile attacks. During any normal day, a siren sounds and we’d have to hide. But this time it was like a horror movie. So many children, so many people, were killed for nothing. Ashkelon is like a war zone now. There is a smell of burning everywhere. The smell of war.”
Like so many others, Lina and her children grabbed only a few items and fled. They escaped to the city of Eilat at the southern tip of Israel—far from the fighting. There, you offered them comfort, support, and a safe place to stay.
In partnership with our sister organization, CBN Israel, and compassionate friends like you, Operation Blessing provided them with a room in one of the hotels we had secured for displaced Israeli families. These safe spaces gave them a place to heal, to be with others in the same situation, and to rest and regroup for the future.
Offering Hope to Displaced Israeli Families
You supplied these families with the things they needed to get through this difficult time, like hot meals, transportation, trauma counseling, and educational supplies for the children.
“We fled from our houses with practically nothing, and we are left without work or income,” Lina said. “What you do is a blessing, honestly. You gave me a complete hygiene kit—toothbrush and deodorant and everything we need.”
“You also gave me some money to buy whatever I needed. So tomorrow I’m going to buy some clothes and toys for my children. I couldn’t bring any toys at all. I did not even think of that.”
Her young son actually jumped on the hotel bed in joy, so grateful to have escaped the terror and to have a place to stay. Lina said, “It’s helping us very much. My children are happy to be here. They can play, and for a moment they forget everything that’s happened.”
Thank you so much for reaching out to displaced Israeli families with a heart of love and generosity! We pray for peace in Israel and that God will comfort and protect innocent people throughout this region.
THAILAND – Baan Pa Kia Nok village in Thailand has long been a loving and hardworking community. Although this remote mountain village has over 500 residents, sadly they did not have a reliable source of water. The nearest source was muddy and undrinkable in the rainy season.
Other times of year they could boil it to make it safe to drink, but there simply wasn’t enough for everyone. In addition, they suspected contaminants from at least one of the sources they used were making their people ill.
With most residents unable to afford bottled water, they often had to walk to other villages and beg for help. Seven-year-old Mobai said, “My mother had to pay in the morning and fetch water at noon. I got tired every time I went to get water because we had to travel a long distance.” These dear people just couldn’t seem to win.
Then friends like you brought compassion from across the globe. You came alongside them through Operation Blessing. Through your generosity, we were able to provide not only a reliable well, but also a treatment system, chlorination, training on the system, and even classes on hygiene and sanitation! The community is delighted and so grateful that people like you from far across the globe care enough to help.
PERU – There is no place quite like it: the Floating Uros Islands of Lake Titicaca—the highest navigable lake on earth. Tourists flock to the southern highlands of Peru to see this remarkable site and learn about its inhabitants.
Here, on the outskirts of the lakeside city of Puno, Elsa lives with her husband and their children on the charming and unique island of Ccapi Uros. The floating island they call home is actually made of reeds, one their people built themselves. Says Elsa’s husband, Eduardo: “We only fish and craft for a living. Here where we live, we have a lot of visitors who come to learn about our lifestyle.”
The area is both lovely and remote. And while this brings some advantages—like a thriving tourism industry that helps support families like Elsa’s—that remoteness carries a hefty price for low-income residents: limited access to good medical care. It takes about an hour and thirty minutes to reach the closest city, Puno, traveling by boat and car.
Elsa and Eduardo already had two daughters—Cintia (17) and Mirian (11)—when they realized Elsa was again pregnant. Normally, native women in this region can’t afford much in the way of prenatal care.
Prenatal Counseling Program in Peru
But several years ago, after Operation Blessing learned of this community’s need, that changed. We introduced programs to train local health volunteers, offered nutritious food for preschool children, and introduced a prenatal counseling program in Peru. In fact, that’s how we learned about Elsa and her family.
Now, thanks to caring friends like you, expectant moms are prepared to enjoy their pregnancy, give birth to healthy babies, and strengthen the all-important bond between mother and child. The Operation Blessing team also performs monthly home visits.
When Elsa realized she was pregnant again, little did she and her husband know how big a blessing it would be. An ultrasound, provided by the Operation Blessing team, revealed that she would be giving birth not just to one child, or even two—but to triplets!
“I did not expect these results, but I thank God that He wants to bless me with another baby,” said a jubilant Elsa when she learned the news. “I will be waiting for all of them!”
Your compassionate aid meant Operation Blessing could also help Elsa meet the special needs of having a multiple birth. We taught her how to have a safe pregnancy and delivery— and provided her with a newborn kit filled with essentials like diapers, wipes, clothes, socks, and baby soap.
The new mother was delighted with this support. “With my first pregnancies, I didn’t participate in this kind of workshop; we don’t have those kinds of things around here. But thanks to Operation Blessing, now I could participate in a very useful program like this.”
And there were some unexpected benefits. “Thanks to this workshop, I could see my babies’ gender,” Elsa said. “I am also happy because the doctor said they are healthy and in a good position for giving birth.” And so you helped this grateful mother bring three new children into the world: sons Yosep, Yosias, and Juan.
Thanks to the continued support of generous partners like you, this family in the Peruvian highlands received abundant blessings—along with the miracle of three new lives!
JAPAN – Following an earthquake in Japan, Operation Blessing Japan (OBJ), an international NGO, began emergency disaster relief activities on January 4th, following the 7.6 M earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture at 4:10 p.m. on January 1st, 2024.
Earthquake Damage in Ishikawa Prefecture
According to Ishikawa Prefecture, a total of 84 people (now 161) died in the prefecture as of 10 p.m. on January 4. In addition, many collapsed houses have been confirmed in Wajima City, Suzu City, and Noto Town, and the total extent of damage has not yet been confirmed.
Accepting Donations Following the Earthquake in Japan
In response to requests from the local community, on January 4, 2024, we began accepting donations for the “2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake” and began emergency relief activities. The same day, we loaded a 2-ton truck with water, rice porridge, blankets, sanitary supplies, emergency toilets, and other items provided by FUKUSHIMA Inochi no Mizu (NPO) of Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, and distributed the water and blankets to Uchinada Bible Church in Uchinada Town, Ishikawa Prefecture.
Earthquake Relief in Nanao City
On the 5th, we delivered foodstuffs for the elderly in a special nursing home in Nanao City in response to their request, including Japanese drink jelly and rice porridge. We also gave a generator in response to the shortage of diesel fuel and polyethylene tanks. The head of the facility commented, “For the first time in a long time, I could see the staff smiling and happy. We are very grateful for your help,” he commented.
Responding to Past Earthquakes in Japan
OBJ has been dispatched to disaster sites around Japan, including the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011), the Kumamoto Earthquake (2016), and the West Japan Torrential Rain Disaster (2018), to provide material support to isolated individuals and facilities, psychological care for children and the elderly, and operation of children’s spaces. We also share information with churches and local facilities, and focus on support activities to prevent the isolation of people who are vulnerable to disasters, such as the disabled, elderly, and welfare facility users who are unable to evacuate to shelters. We will use this knowledge and work together with our partner organizations and related institutions to support people living in the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake to be able to return to their daily lives.
As of 3:00 p.m. on January 3, 355 evacuation centers had opened in Ishikawa Prefecture, with a total of 33,000 people taking shelter. Food and supplies are in short supply in many areas, and there is an urgent need for continued material support and assistance with cold protection measures to prevent secondary disasters such as hypothermia.
If you would like to give a special gift to help victims of natural disaster and crisis at this time, please visit ob.org/disasterrelief
ISRAEL — Jovelle is alone now—because terrorists took her husband’s life. “He didn’t even see our son,” she said, weeping. “It was only 3 weeks before my due date.”
On October 7, Hamas militants invaded Israel near the Gaza strip, brutally murdering civilians without mercy. One of their victims was Jovelle’s husband, Paul. And she received the heart-wrenching news just before she was about to give birth to their son. But there is still hope for them and other trauma victims in Israel.
Offering Hope to Trauma Victims in Israel
“It’s been a long time since we dreamed of having a child—10 years,” shared Jovelle as she spoke with an Operation Blessing team member. The news of her husband’s passing was that much more devastating because they had hoped for so long to have a child together.
“At first, I didn’t believe it. I said that I wanted to see my husband—they only showed me pictures. He was unrecognizable,” she said, wiping away her tears. “I only identified him through his tattoo, which is my name.”
Paul’s body had been so severely burned they couldn’t even imagine having a funeral. Now, with him gone, Jovelle will try her best to raise their new son alone.
But she hasn’t been alone through this experience—because friends like you are there. Operation Blessing staff were close on hand to help Jovelle process her grief and turn her eyes toward hope.
Standing with War Survivors through Sadness and Joy
Our relief team and CBN Israel have been working together since the war began to help some of the nearly two million people who have fled the conflict zone in Israel. When war broke out suddenly all around them, families like Jovelle’s had no choice but to flee for their lives. They had no time to pack; they just had to go.
Today, our team is working with displaced people in the city of Eilat, four hours from Jerusalem. There, we’re providing families with shelter in local hotels along with food, clean water, and hygiene supplies. And for the traumatized souls who are willing, we’re providing psychosocial intervention.
Jovelle opened her heart to us, and we offered encouragement and a warm embrace. You also provided diapers, formula, milk, and other baby supplies to help her have a great start with her new baby. Our team was able to rejoice with her to see the new life God brought out of such darkness and pain. And we’re thankful to you for your part in it.
Thank you for caring for families affected by the war. You can support more families in crisis when you visit https://www.ob.org/mc/obcrisis/.
MOROCCO – Just as 14-year-old Oumaima’s family settled in for a good night’s rest, suddenly the shaking began. Cups and plates clacked, and items started leaping from their shelves. The crash of glass breaking mingled with muffled shouts as the walls and roof groaned. Panicked, Oumaima and the others fled for their lives. In the days to come, it would again be YOUR kindness that brought hope after an earthquake.
Thankfully, her family made it out safely. But they had nothing to go home to. “Our house was completely destroyed, and not just our house, but every house in the village,” Oumaima shared, vividly remembering that terrible night.
The village of Ait Said was one of many remote mountain villages in western Morocco that was completely destroyed by the 6.8-magnitude earthquake. The September event was the strongest to hit Morocco in more than a century, and its destruction reached even to some of the ancient parts of Marrakesh more than 40 miles away from the epicenter.
Worse than the structural damage is the reality that thousands of people were killed or hurt in the quake. Sadly, these rural communities rarely have much access to medical care as it is, so many people with earthquake injuries were in serious danger.
Thanks to your support, our international disaster relief staff began working to transport critical supplies to the mountains where the need was greatest, and it was there that we got the chance to help the injured. Operation Blessing gathered our volunteer doctors and nurses from around the world and formed skilled medical brigades.
Another pressing need was for food. The earthquake decimated stores and roads, and people had no way to quickly restock. So faithful Operation Blessing supporters sent food bags to bless families. When these grateful survivors opened the parcels full of staples like rice, tuna, lentils, and oil, it made their day.
OUMAIMA’S FAMILY SAID: “WE ARE VERY THANKFUL BECAUSE WITHOUT THIS GENEROSITY WE WOULD DIE OF HUNGER.”
As people’s hunger was eased, they began to have a brighter outlook on life and a better chance to survive and work toward restoration. But clean water and sanitation still presented significant obstacles, especially for people living in tents.
Our team of experts immediately set to work creating a solution by providing water filters to families so they could safely drink, cook, and bathe. Then we installed bathrooms with sinks for better hygiene—all thanks to you. Now, displaced Moroccans can wash their hands and live with dignity even in temporary shelters.
Hope After An Earthquake Through Compassion
The difference compassionate givers like you are making in Morocco is astounding. You’re helping bring joy to their world during a painful time. A resident named Mohammed shared his gratitude: “Thank you, guys, for helping us with food, water, tents, and clothes. People are coming from around the world to help us. Thank you so much for wanting to help us in our time of need.”
