How a Virginia Beach Food Pantry Helped a Struggling Mother

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA- Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Nye, a single mother of four, was working as a nurse. Then one day she became a patient herself when she went into respiratory failure.

“They said I was gone for about 8 seconds,” Nye said. “The doctors believe that I had COVID, and that turned to pneumonia.” The single mom had to quit working as a nurse because she couldn’t risk further exposure to COVID. Nye explained, “It was a very scary time for me not to be able to support my kids, so we were just honestly living off of the savings that I had accumulated. And once that started dwindling, I started panicking.”

Out of the blue, her pastor at Freedom Church of Virginia Beach told her the church was starting a food pantry with the help of Operation Blessing. There, Nye received the food she needed to feed her family. “The food pantry actually helped me and my kids a lot. It gave us nourishment,” Nye told Operation Blessing staff. “God really answered my prayers,” she said. The Virginia Beach Food Pantry helped to make sure Nye and her family were no longer facing food insecurity on a regular basis.

Serving Others at a Virginia Beach Food Pantry

Nye’s pastor gave her the opportunity to run the Virginia Beach food pantry, and she seized the chance to give back to the community again. “Anything for the Lord!” Nye exclaimed. “When we partnered with Operation Blessing, it opened opportunities for me to do what I know the Lord put me on this earth to do, and that’s to meet others that are in need. Even though I had the opportunity to feed others, He was feeding my family too.”

Thanks to our ministry partners and friends like you, Nye’s family made it through the rough patch. Now Nye is back to working full-time as a nurse, and her family is thriving. “The Lord has carried me through so many storms. He has covered me in so many ways,” Nye said, overcome with emotion. “I’m filled with so much joy and happiness.”

God is so good and faithful! Because of the love Jesus Christ poured out on us, it is our mission at Operation Blessing to be used to pour out His love onto others. All throughout the US and the world, there are hurting people who need to know that God has not forgotten or forsaken them. In the midst of their struggles, they need that hand of hope to get them through the trials of life. Thanks to friends like you, families just like Nye’s are receiving the help they need when they need it the most.

Their Baby Had One Day to Live

CHINA – Imagine the devastation of being told your baby had one day 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 chance of surviving was very low. The reason the baby had one day to live was severe damage and dysfunction in his intestinal tract. 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.

With Jesus The Family Had Hope…And The Child Lived!

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.

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 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.

But God’s love touches lives in Turkey after the earthquake in so many ways. Compassionate friends like you sent an Operation 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.

Touching The Lives Of Turkey Earthquake Victims

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.

Food is critical after an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey and nearby areas

the arduous process of feeding earthquake survivors

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 or water daily from a local source via reverse osmosis while also offering in-homewater 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.

turkey earthquake survivors get access to drinkable water

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 of 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.

God’s Love in Action

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, you are showing that God’s love is touching lives in Turkey.

Your generosity is helping people find hope on the road to recovery through the support of friends like you, our Operation Blessing family.

Medical care for Turkey earthquake survivors.

medical support for earthquake survivors in Turkey

Chickens for Grandma: an Answered Prayer

THAILAND – Grandma Aon has been raising her grandkids alone ever since their parents abandoned them. Six-year-old Malik is grandma’s little helper.

She said, “Grandma loves me and my brother. She takes care of us. I love Grandma. I obey her and help her clean our house.”

Grandma often provided for her grandkids by raising chickens until the flood washed away her poultry farm.

She told us, “I was very stressed. I have nothing to invest to buy more chickens. And I thought, who will hire me? I did not know what to do.”

Chickens for Grandma: an Answered Prayer

A Desperate Prayer for Help

Soon Grandma ran out of money to buy food. All she could afford to feed her grandkids was a little boiled rice.

Malik said, “Grandma put salt on the rice for me because we had no money. She told me to eat first, and she would eat what was left. When I saw Grandma cry, I would wipe her tears and say, ‘Don’t cry. God will be with us.'”

Grandma and Malik are Christians and prayed to God for help.

She said, “I prayed and asked Him to provide money so I could raise chickens again. One night I had a dream about some people from Bangkok who would teach me about raising something.”

Chickens for Grandma: Operation Blessing Provides Livestock & Training

A few days later, their church pastor shared that Operation Blessing from Bangkok had offered to help. First, we provided her with the training she needed to run a business. Then we gave Grandma 300 chickens along with feed and other items needed to raise them. Finally, to help the family until their chickens were ready to sell, we provided some food supplies.

Malik celebrated, “I’m glad Grandma has work to do and has an income. I clean and fill the water buckets for the chickens, and I also feed them. I am glad that I can help her.”

Grandmother’s chicken farm is doing well. She’s been able to raise and sell nearly 700 chickens since the business started. And she says that her family no longer goes hungry.

She said, “God answered my prayer. God has brought his people to care for me. I have peace and joy now. Thanks for helping us.”

You can be part of more stories like this when you partner with Operation Blessing at www.ob.org.

Generosity Across Generations

VIRGINIA – Alisha and her husband are a hardworking couple trying to make the most of their limited resources in the face of inflation and food insecurity. 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 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 were times when Alisha could not afford the high cost of cereal or was worried about the scarcity of canned goods. Like for so many Americans, the strain of inflation and food insecurity seemed like a constant threat. But your continued partnership helped to provide her family and community with food free of charge!

Providing Relief From Inflation And Food Insecurity

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 feels good when I help. 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 of those around them.

fighting food insecurity with generosity

A Mother’s Blessing

PERU – 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 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 long-term health. And Sofia was delighted to receive a special mother’s blessing in the form of an ultrasound, which confirmed the well-being 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.”

Even More Blessings for a Mother in Need

However, Sofia had no idea there was more! This mother’s blessing would keep coming in additional ways. She gave birth to a beautiful little girl in early November. The kindness of partners like you allowed Operation Blessing to present Sofia with a newborn kit filled with essential items, including diapers, wipes, clothes, socks, and baby soap.

Your kindness set Sofia free from the chains of worry and helped provide for the needs of her precious baby girl. You have shown the love of God to Sofia’s family and their many neighbors.

“I never imagined I was going to receive all this support,” Sofia said. “God is good. He takes care of my family. My baby girl is blessed. Thank you to everyone who made this possible for my family. I hope you can continue to bless and help other families like mine.”

The Strength Of A Mother’s Heart

NIGERIA – 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. Regardless, the strength of a mother’s heart has no bounds.

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, 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.”

blessings for mother and family in nigeria

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! Truly, Tabitha is an example of the strength of a mother’s heart to overcome obstacles and provide for her beloved family. 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.

Praising God for Food in Turkey

TURKEY – Weeks after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, so many families are still struggling to recover. They desperately need food and other basic necessities. Thankfully, friends like you are making the difference, providing life-sustaining boxes of provisions that have families praising God for food.

Families Receiving Help are Praising God for Food

Operation Blessing met with Turkish father Ali Doghrou. He shared his family’s experience with the devastating earthquakes.

Ali told us, “I haven’t experienced something like this in my whole life. The earthquake was horrible.”

At one time, Ali’s whole family had to huddle together in one tent just to be safe from future aftershocks.

“My home did not collapse, but it has a lot of cracks, and honestly we are scared to go inside,” he said. “The first few days were very bad because we did not have enough food and a good tent to stay in. Thank God we received a lot of help after a few days.”

Operation Blessing immediately responded and helped the survivors of the deadly earthquake in Turkiye. Our team traveled to Ali’s community and brought food boxes to satisfy basic needs, enough for the coming weeks.

Ali celebrated with us, “It is very helpful that we get food, water, and many other things. Thanks to God.”

The need is great in Turkey, and with the support of friends like you, more families like Ali’s will be reached with life-sustaining food. Thank you so much for your love and generosity. You are helping to give families like Ali’s hope for the future.

Stay tuned for more information about Operation Blessing’s Turkey response.

Help More Disaster Victims Now

More Than a Bag of Groceries

TEXAS – For Stephanie, a single mom in Texas, supporting her three children on her own was difficult. Her struggles worsened when she lost her job during the COVID-19 shutdown and was unemployed for six months.

By the time she found another job, the bills were piling up. Money was tight, so she began searching for local food banks in Texas. That’s when she saw a posting on social media about Open Door Food Bank, a distribution partner of Operation Blessing. That Saturday, she visited for the first time and experienced the compassion of friends like you firsthand. “When I drove up to that food bank, I was feeling hopeless,” said Stephanie.

A Single Mom in Texas Gets Help

“I didn’t have very much in the fridge, and I was getting worried.” In the past she could turn to her mom for help, but her mom didn’t have much either. “I had to look for another way to provide for my kids.” Stephanie waited two hours in a line of cars, but it was so worth it. While she waited, a woman greeted her warmly and offered to pray. “I felt like they were speaking directly to me,” said Stephanie. “I never experienced that before, and I knew it was God speaking through that individual to get that message across to me.”

When she reached the front of the line, volunteers filled her car up with food that faithful supporters like you had helped provide. “I felt grateful because I was able to feed my kids,” she said. “It wasn’t just a few things. They filled the whole car up.” Later, her 7-year-old daughter, Faith, was especially excited to organize all the food in the refrigerator.

Even though Stephanie grew up in church, she had not gone since the beginning of the pandemic. But after experiencing your love that day at the food bank, she decided to visit the affiliated church. And there she found the peace she had been looking for. She recalled, “It opened the door for me to experience a new church community, people who actually are there for me, to care about me, feed me, even clothe me.” Before long, her mom began attending the church with Stephanie and her children. Soon afterward, they were baptized together.

Today, Stephanie’s finances have improved, but she still uses the food pantry from time to time. “It’s nice to know that even if I’m not fully making it, I can still rely on them, because they’re there.” Stephanie is grateful for your heart and generosity to meet their physical needs and so much more during the difficult times. “I was going for the food, and I ended up getting blessed spiritually in a way that I needed,” she said. “It gave me new hope to want to continue pursuing God.”

Expanding Aid in Turkey

TURKEY – It has been several weeks since the earthquakes in Turkey devastated the lives of countless families. There is still a massive need for outside aid. In times like these, partnerships are crucial for all that we do at Operation Blessing. Our work in Turkey has expanded beyond the original location of Hatay where we first offered relief near some of the most concentrated damage. Expanding aid in Turkey means we’re working all over the region in other provinces such as Kahramanmaras, Mersin, and even hours away in Mardin province.

Through the use of local partnerships, particularly churches, wherever we go we can make a much greater impact through their existing strong connections to communities in need. Whenever we go to a city or town in Turkey where we have partners, they really welcome us, and they’re so thankful to Operation Blessing for reaching miles and miles of devastated communities.

Help Disaster Victims Now!

Relief Team Helps Church Ongoingly

A local church leader, Muammer, told us, “We’ve been in contact with Operation Blessing for almost a month now. Since then every week they’ve been providing us with non-perishable food and also hygiene kits. It is very important to work together because we only have a few churches in Turkiye. Thank you so much Operation Blessing.”

Disaster relief teams also organized psychosocial children’s activities to bless traumatized little ones, and we provided medical interventions for those in need of medical care. The help people receive is making a world of difference at this critical time.

Operation Blessing is working together with local and international partners and volunteers to reach thousands of families affected by the deadly earthquake in Turkiye. And we’re committed to keep going. Will you join us in offering critical relief to those in need?

Help Disaster Victims Now!

Stay tuned for more information about Operation Blessing’s Turkey response. To donate to disaster relief efforts, visit: https://www.ob.org/disasterrelief/