Hurricane Beryl Relief Efforts in Brazoria, Texas

TEXAS – Operation Blessing is on the ground in Brazoria, Texas, where a large hurricane hit just a few days ago. People here are suffering from massive numbers of downed trees and power outages affecting over 50% of the population. We’ve got heat indexes over 100 degrees, and there are very real concerns about people being overheated and dehydrated.

Operation Blessing is responding in numerous ways to this crisis as part of our Hurricane Beryl relief efforts. We have relief loads headed to many different cities in Texas. We have also established contacts with churches in various cities around the disaster zone, and we’re providing them with food and water to help suffering families.

We’re working with the Cajun Navy, Texans on a Mission, and a local church, First Baptist Church in Brazoria. We’re all working seamlessly together to create a relief effort that is really intended to serve the people of this community.

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Hurricane Beryl Relief: Preventing Dehydration

The major focus is on cooling people down and making sure that they stay hydrated in these very, very hot temperatures. The intense heat puts many at risk of dehydration.

We ask you at home to pray these people get their electricity back, so they’re no longer facing the danger of overheating. Pray for our volunteers and our Operation Blessing personnel, that we stay safe as we are out in the heat helping these folks. And as always, pray that these people, through this adversity, come closer to God and develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Your prayers and your support are incredibly valuable to us, and we truly appreciate that. If you’re able to volunteer, visit https://www.ob.org/disaster-relief/volunteer/ today! We would love to have you here. Thank you so much for your prayers and support, and God bless you.

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Operation Blessing Deployed in Texas After Hurricane Beryl

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (July 10, 2024) – Operation Blessing has deployed its U.S Disaster Relief team to the city of Brazoria, Texas, to help residents there recover from destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl.

Team leaders from Operation Blessing had pre-staged disaster relief equipment in the Houston area. Once the storm passed and it was safe to begin traveling, the team conducted assessments of the surrounding areas and met with local partners to determine the greatest areas of need. In Brazoria, they encountered large trees down “on almost every street,” along with half the city currently without electricity.

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First Steps Following Destruction Caused By Hurricane Beryl

The deployment includes a mobile kitchen capable of serving hundreds of hot meals daily, a construction trailer loaded with tools, a work order trailer, a skid steer for heavy debris removal, a shower trailer, a large electric generator, and various trucks loaded with food and emergency supplies.

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Setting Up a Base of Operations for Hurricane Relief

Today, Operation Blessing is setting up a base of operations at First Baptist Church (101 San Bernard St), where they will conduct disaster relief efforts in the coming days. Once it is operational, local residents whose homes were damaged will be able to submit work order requests for free volunteer help. Operation Blessing will also be overseeing mass volunteer efforts to help remove debris, salvage personal belongings, as well as distribute to residents a number of disaster relief kits donated by The Home Depot Foundation. Each kit includes items such as garbage bags, paper towels, cleaners, hand sanitizer, scour pads, and gloves.

ABOUT OPERATION BLESSING:

Operation Blessing (OB) provides humanitarian services such as strategic disaster relief, medical aid, hunger relief, clean water and community development. Founded in 1978, Operation Blessing has touched the lives of millions of people in more than 90 countries and every state.

 Transforming Lives Through Child Hernia Surgery

GUATEMALA – In the heart of Guatemala, a young girl named Melany and her family faced a daunting challenge that would test their resilience and hope. This story, emblematic of the struggles faced by families worldwide, underscores the impact that kindness can have to help people in need. This story of transforming lives through hernia surgery also shows the profound change it can have in the life of a child.

Diagnosed with a Hernia: The Beginning of a Daunting Journey

Melany’s journey began with a startling discovery by her mother, Anna. Anna noticed an unusual lump on her daughter’s body. Though small, the grape size of the lump was a source of concern. It was also a warning of the pain and discomfort that Melany would have to endure. Concerned, Melany’s parents sought medical advice. The diagnosis confirmed their worst fears: Melany had a hernia.

The idea that any illness or affliction is threatening your child is incredibly difficult. For Melany’s family, the situation was exacerbated by the financial constraints they faced. With the cost of the necessary diagnostic test far beyond their means, they found themselves in an impossible situation. Now they would be forced to choose between their child’s health and their basic needs.

Child Hernia Surgery in Guatemala: A Ray of Hope

It was at their lowest point that Melany’s family learned about a hospital partnering with Operation Blessing. This partnership made it possible for Melany to receive the hernia surgery she desperately needed. Because of the generous partners at Operation Blessing, the surgery would not come with a devastating financial burden.

The success of Melany’s surgery is a testament to the life-changing impact that Operation Blessing partners are having with families in different parts of the world. No longer hindered by pain, Melany can now run and play freely.

The Importance of Life-Changing Hernia Surgery

For many children like Melany, especially in places like Guatemala, the availability of such surgeries can change their whole destiny. It can mean the difference between a life of pain or a future filled with possibilities.

resuming a normal life after hernia surgery

YOU Help Transform Lives Through Hernia Surgery

Melany’s story is a testament to what YOU can do. You are making surgeries possible for families who do not have the means to help their sick child. You are changing the lives of the families for the better, one surgery at a time. Please continue to partner with us to make these kinds of incredible changes to the lives of such precious people.

A Happy Heart in El Salvador

EL SALVADOR — Within the bustling life of a young family, three-year-old Liam’s heartwarming tale unfolds. His story is a testament to the life-changing power of child heart surgery in El Salvador. Likewise, it is also a testament to the incredible power of your charitable giving.

child with health problems in
El Salvador

A Ray of Hope for Congenital Heart Defects

Liam’s life began with a medical challenge faced by many children globally. He was born with a congenital heart defect. Initially a small hole, it posed a threat that could not be ignored. As you would expect, surgery would be necessary to close the hole in his heart. In modern times, this surgery is available to help children dealing with this affliction. However, it comes with a large cost. For many the price of surgery is out of the question.

This was the case for Liam’s parents. Now they had a terrible dilemma before them. They were trapped at a crossroads between desperate need and lack of finances for surgery. What makes this situation even sadder is they are not alone. Other parents find themselves in this same gut wrenching scenario. Imagine knowing there was a way to help your child, but it was just beyond your reach? Thankfully, even in situations as challenging as this, there are people like you who care!

Transforming Lives Through Charity

Caring friends like you were there to make a difference for Liam’s family. Because of our generous partners, this family was introduced to a lifeline in the form of a partner hospital allied with Operation Blessing. And Liam got the child heart surgery in El Salvador he needed!

Liam’s journey shows the dire need for help in El Salvador and throughout others parts of the world. It also shows the difference that organizations like Operation Blessing can make.

The Generosity of Partners: A Key to Successful Heart Surgeries

It’s through the generosity of caring people that the world is changing, one child at a time. You make stories like Liam’s possible. Your support echoes far beyond the initial gift, bringing transformation to the lives of young heart patients. By enabling surgeries for children like Liam, your charitable contributions become the cornerstone of a life without constant struggle due to heart disease or other afflictions.

Your role transcends the act of giving—it’s a partnership in creating miracles for children in need of heart surgery.

The Lifesaving Power of Giving

Thanks to the outpouring of support from our partners, Liam now thrives as an active child, He is unrestricted by the limitations of his past heart condition. This outcome is a reminder of the lifesaving power of giving. Thank you for making child heart surgery in El Salvador a reality for Liam!

 Strengthening Food Security in Guatemala

GUATEMALA – In the heart of Guatemala, a story of resilience and transformation has unfolded. This story highlights the critical issue of food security and the power of microenterprise to change lives.

Margarita, a widow and mother of three, embodied the struggle of many families in Guatemala. She, like others, faced the challenge of inconsistent income and the daunting task of feeding her children. Her journey from uncertainty to empowerment, thanks to a chicken project initiated by Operation Blessing, offered hope as well as a model for hunger relief.

The Plight of Food Insecurity

Margarita’s story begins with a struggle familiar to many in Guatemala: the fight against food insecurity. Margarita’s income barely covered the basics. She and her children experienced the pangs of hunger. Sadly, it was a reality all too common in regions grappling with economic instability.

If tears could tell a story, they might tell of Margarita’s many struggles. These would include the nights of having nothing but tortillas and coffee. The agony of seeing the tears on her children’s faces while they stared at empty plates. Images like these underscore the urgent need for solutions that address both immediate and long-term food needs.

Microenterprise as a Pathway to Hunger Relief

The intervention by Operation Blessing through a chicken project, marks a turning point in Margarita’s life, illustrating the potential of microenterprise to provide sustainable hunger relief. By equipping Margarita with the skills to raise healthy chickens and manage a poultry and egg business, Operation Blessing not only addressed the immediate nutritional needs of her family, but also laid the groundwork for lasting economic independence and food security.

The Impact of Chicken Projects on Food Security

The success of the chicken project in transforming Margarita’s circumstances is a testament to the effectiveness of such initiatives in bolstering food security. Collecting 150 eggs a day, with the potential to earn around $780 a month, Margarita’s story highlights how microenterprise projects can elevate families from the depths of food insecurity to a position of hope. This model of empowerment through sustainable agriculture offers a scalable solution to hunger relief, providing a roadmap for similar efforts across Guatemala and beyond.

Operation Blessing: A Catalyst for Change

Operation Blessing’s role in Margarita’s journey underscores the organization’s commitment to fighting hunger and poverty. By focusing on microenterprise and agricultural projects, Operation Blessing partners not only feed the hungry, but equip them with the tools to feed themselves.

Your Support Makes a Difference: the Power of Generosity

It is through the incredible generosity of our partners, that stories like Margarita’s become possible. Your donations fuel projects that provide immediate relief. Just as important, they empower individuals and communities to overcome the cycle of poverty and hunger.

Join Us in Making an Impact

As we continue to support families like Margarita’s, your continued generosity is vital. By contributing to Operation Blessing, you are investing in a future where food security is a reality for all. Your support enables us to expand our projects. Accordingly, it helps us reach more families in need.

Shay Lee’s Journey to Vision Through Cornea Transplant Surgery

SOUTH AFRICA – Shay Lee lives in the vibrant landscapes of South Africa, but her world was blurred by cornea problems. Despite her struggles with vision, Shay Lee’s story is one of hope, transformation, and the incredible impact of cornea transplant surgery.

Shay Lee’s Path to Clear Vision

Shay Lee’s blurred vision made daily tasks like reading and concentrating in school a challenge. Born with inherent cornea issues, Shay Lee and her devoted mother navigated through various treatments, ranging from eyedrops to gels. Nothing offered a lasting solution. Then they learned that Shay could have a cornea transplant and had hope.

However, in South Africa, donor corneas were scarce. After five long years on a waiting list, their hope faded. Then Operation Blessing stepped in with a solution that would change Shay Lee’s life forever.

Corneal Transplant and a New Beginning

Thanks to the generosity of partners like you, we were able to import the much-needed corneas for Shay’s transplant from the U.S. Your kindness offered Shay Lee the chance to experience a life full of vision and possibility. Now she could see the world in all its clarity and beauty.

Shay Lee didn’t have to wait long. Two weeks after her operation, her world came into focus. For the first time in her life, with glasses, she could see everything close up and far away. She couldn’t contain her joy. “Mommy, I have never seen so well before.” Her words resonated with gratitude. She had been given a most precious gift—the gift of sight!

Transforming Lives Through Generosity

Shay Lee’s story is a powerful illustration of how your generosity can transform lives. Cornea transplant surgery can make the hope of restored vision a reality for precious people like Shay Lee thanks to the incredible support from partners who believe in making a difference.

You are the reason miracles like Shay Lee’s happen. Your support enables us to provide life-changing surgeries for those in dire need and offer them a chance at a brighter, clearer future.

A True Vision of Hope and Gratitude

As Shay Lee begins this new chapter of her life, her story serves as a beacon of hope for many others waiting for similar miracles. Your love makes those miracles happen.

Thank you for your unwavering support and generosity. Together, we are changing lives for Shay Lee and many others, one surgery at a time.

jubilant after cornea transplant surgery

How Generosity Supports Widows Facing Inflation

VIRGINIA – At a time when inflation hits hard, the vulnerable sectors of our community feel it the hardest. Widows like Beatrice represent a group often overlooked, yet profoundly impacted by the inability to afford food—where once manageable, living expenses now loom large and unyielding.

The Rise of Inflation and Living Costs

For someone like Beatrice, the end of a long working life has not brought rest, but rather a struggle with the static nature of her Social Security income in the face of escalating living costs. Beatrice, like many widows facing inflation, is trying to survive the difficult challenge of food insecurity. But she is not alone.

Cupboards for Christ and Operation Blessing

Humanitarian organizations such as Operation Blessing, and their partners like Cupboards for Christ, are vital in this fight against hunger. Their combined efforts ensure that individuals and families who cannot afford food, including the elderly and widows, find the support they need, all thanks to the kindness of Operation Blessing supporters.

Your Role as Partners: The Foundation of Hope and Aid

We are so grateful to you, our partners. With your support of Operation Blessing, you provide not just the food, but hope for seniors and families struggling to survive in times of ruinous inflation. You are showing that you care. Your generosity is the embodiment of kindness offering a lifeline to those who otherwise might feel forgotten.

food secure in Virginia in the face of inflation

Help for Young Girl Suffering with Childhood Cataracts

PHILIPPINES – Watching your son or daughter suffer with childhood cataracts can be a devastating blow. This affliction of the eyes can rob little ones of their precious eyesight, jeopardizing their ability to learn, play, and fully engage with the world around them.

potential blindness withough child catraract surgery

Catriona’s Struggle with Childhood Cataracts

At just 3 years old, Catriona in the Philippines was facing this very challenge. Born with double cataracts, she was in a race against time to receive the surgery she desperately needed. Her worried mother, Clarissa, knew the stakes were high. “The doctors said the longer she went without getting eye surgery, the greater the risk that she would lose her eyesight,” she recalled.

Tragically, the cost of removal and lens implantation surgery placed this life-changing treatment out of reach for Clarissa’s family. Earning just $6 per day, they had exhausted all options, even pleading with local government officials for help. “They gave us empty promises,” Clarissa lamented.

Operation Blessing Steps in to Restore Catriona’s Sight

Fortunately, thanks to caring friends like you, Operation Blessing sprang into action when we learned of Catriona’s plight. Excited about the opportunity of a future with clear vision, Catriona said, “When I get my surgery, I won’t cry.”

True to our mission, Operation Blessing covered the full cost of Catriona’s procedure, removing the cataracts and replacing her lenses. With your help, we also addressed a small issue with her crossed eye, restoring her vision and giving her a new lease on life.

Her mother said, “We’d been looking around for help and there was none. And then you found us and helped us. God gave us Operation Blessing as an answer to our prayer. Thank you.”

cataract surgery funded by Operation Blessing

Empowering Families Through Surgery

Catriona’s story is a poignant reminder of the life-changing impact of child cataract surgery. Yet, for many families across the Philippines and around the world, accessing this critical treatment remains out of reach due to financial constraints.

That’s where the generous donors and partners of Operation Blessing step in. Through their contributions, Operation Blessing is able to provide free cataract surgery and other vital surgeries to children in need. You are the reason families like Catriona’s can reclaim the gift of sight and look forward to a brighter future.

Learn more about Operation Blessing’s life-changing surgery program as well as how you can make a difference. Together, we can help children suffering from childhood cataracts and other curable conditions. Your partnership can give them a brighter future!

“We’d been looking around for help and there was none. And then you found us and helped us. God gave us Operation Blessing as an answer to our prayer. Thank you.”
-Clarissa

The Greatest Love of All for Americans Facing Hunger

UNITED STATES – As a married couple, Brenda and Ben know what it means to love and to be loved. They understand that love is patient, kind, and not boastful. They know what it means to cherish and support one another through thick and thin. Until recently, they had not known the ordeal of Americans facing hunger due to circumstances beyond their control

But, in their time of need, Ben and Brenda experienced one of the greatest examples of love. The kind that is shown by friends like you, who selflessly extend a helping hand to Americans facing hunger. Your generosity became a beacon of hope in their darkest times.

Brenda’s health had been on the decline for a number of years when she was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure and needed a transplant. This devastating news put a huge strain on the couple emotionally and financially. Then, just when it seemed the darkness might overtake them, the support of compassionate partners like you became a bright ray that pierced that darkness, giving them hope that everything would be okay.

Providing Food for Americans Facing Hunger and Hard Times

“Operation Blessing and the food was one of the first signs of hope,” said Ben. “Seeing that we were able to load up our car full of food and put all that food on the table and look at it—the manifestation of God’s blessing.”

The food Ben and Brenda received was of high quality and met Brenda’s strict dietary restrictions and also alleviated the strain on their wallets.

“Operation Blessing was there for us when we needed it,” said Ben. “We needed a sign of hope. Operation Blessing gave us that. It gave us that in a time in our lives that we needed to see a little light in the darkness.”

As their circumstances began to turn around, Brenda was blessed to receive a healthy new kidney after only 10 months, despite the average wait often being five years long.

“It’s overwhelming sometimes because I think back to where I came from or where Brenda came from, and it’s an overwhelming feeling of gratitude that I wake up with in the morning,” Ben shared. “It almost seemed surreal at times. … The sun is out, the day is good. She’s able to walk and move around. She has her independence back. It’s a heart of gratitude that I have.”

Ben and Brenda are grateful for the outpouring of support from Operation Blessing and our community of friends like you who continue to share such amazing love.

Hurricane Otis Recovery: A Beacon of Hope for Mexico

MEXICO – In the wake of Hurricane Otis, communities across Mexico faced unprecedented challenges. The Category 5 hurricane left a trail of destruction. In minutes of concentrated fury, it uprooted lives and damaged livelihoods. Amidst this devastation, stories of resilience and recovery have emerged. These stories highlight the critical role of Operation Blessing’s disaster relief efforts and the amazing difference that friends like you made for victims in need. These efforts related to Hurricane Otis Recovery were essential for women like Raquel, whose homes and businesses were decimated by the deadly storm.

Terror By Night That Changed Everything

For Raquel, a local food vendor known for her corn esquites and fried plantains, Hurricane Otis was a nightmare. The storm threatened her family’s survival. Her son Edwin, only seven years old, described the fear: “I heard the roof fly away and that scared me. There was water all around us.” Raquel’s business, the source of her family’s livelihood, was washed away in the deluge.

Building Hope by Providing for Simple Needs

In the aftermath, Raquel’s encounter with Operation Blessing marked the beginning of a new chapter. The organization stepped in to provide Hurricane Otis Recovery. This essential effort included food and clean water for Raquel, her family, and many others. This gesture of kindness was more than just relief; it was a spark of hope. Raquel invited the team to see the remnants of her home and business. Despite the loss, her spirit remained unbroken: “Right now, I have no business. We have nothing. But I will keep fighting for my children.”

Rebuilding Dreams After Hurricane Otis

Operation Blessing didn’t stop at just meeting basic needs. An important aspect of hurricane recovery is getting people back on their feet. Understanding the importance of empowering individuals to rebuild their lives, we provided Raquel with the tools to restart her business. This included a new pot, utensils, and raw materials.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to start selling corn GOD willing,” Raquel shared with renewed optimism. Her resilience, supported by the generosity of donors, underscored the impact of targeted hurricane relief efforts. Who would think that something as simple as a you providing a new pot could bring someone such joy and help restart a business?

Your Role in Hurricane Otis Recovery

Behind every bottle of water or every package of food delivered during Hurricane Otis recovery was kindness. YOUR kindness! Without your help, caring for families like Raquel’s would not have been possible. You gave them hope. Your generosity helped supply their basic needs. In addition, You showed them the love of Christ through your generosity.