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.

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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.

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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/

Making a Miracle, Changing a Life

INDIA – For little Princika, the day started out much like any other. The 4-year-old was happily playing with her sister at their home in central India, when suddenly she fell onto an open cooking stove— a traditional method still used in her part of the world. She was suddenly overwhelmed by excruciating pain as her back, chest, and hand suffered severe burns. The damage was so severe that she would need burn reconstruction surgery in the months to come.

She developed serious burn contractures in her right hand, where the scar tissue tightened and prevented her from using it. Intense pain often stopped this sweet girl from sleeping or even eating properly, which led to her becoming severely malnourished. Princika spent 19 days in a hospital, but they were not equipped to fully treat her injuries. Princika needed more advanced care, including a skin graft and other procedures to restore the full use of her right arm. With their limited resources, Princika’s parents knew it would take a miracle to make their daughter whole again.

Burn Reconstruction Surgery Helps Principe

Fortunately, one of the things Operation Blessing’s Life-Changing Surgeries program specializes in is burn reconstruction— reconstructive surgeries to repair burns or scarring that affect range of motion or mobility. Thanks to caring partners like you, we received the funding needed to do the more complicated procedures. Because of your thoughtfulness, Princika received the skin graft and contracture release surgery she needed, so she has completely recovered from her injuries. And now, her days are filled with joy and laughter once again.

“The life of my daughter has changed—she got relief from all her pain and suffering,” said Princika’s father. He is grateful that they don’t have to worry about Princika any longer—and the entire family can finally relax. “It would have been impossible for us, but by the generous support from Operation Blessing, my daughter is healed.”

Thank you for the extraordinary love you’ve shown this family in supporting donor- funded, life-changing surgeries. We never know when accidents will happen or disaster will strike. But thanks to the compassion of partners like you, we’re seeing a lot of miracles take place!

A Story of Two Barbs

increasing costs of groceries in Michigan

MICHIGAN – Barb and Barbara have more in common than their names. They both struggle with the increasing costs of groceries and other living expenses in southern Michigan, and and they both find help through an Operation Blessing ministry partner, thanks to you.

Barb works as a package handler with a shipping company while attending college, where she is studying to be a medical assistant. Unable to afford the rising cost of rent, she lives with friends but still struggles to pay her bills. Sometimes she has very little left to buy food. “I was trying to get by, like everyone is right now,” she says.

Meanwhile, Barbara and her husband, Roberto, feel the pressure as well. During the pandemic, both lost their jobs. Eventually, Roberto found work at a plastic manufacturing plant, but Barbara struggled with carpal tunnel syndrome and couldn’t return to work.

Your ongoing generosity met both Barb and Barbara at their point of need through Buist Community Assistance Center, an Operation Blessing distribution partner in Michigan.

helping hungry Americans fight inflation

Michigan hunger relief to battle inflation

Fighting The Increasing Costs Of Groceries

“I’m always happy coming here. It’s almost like when you go to a real grocery store!” says Barb. “There is abundant food. It’s an extra expense that you don’t have to worry about.”

And Barbara says that the cart full of groceries that you help provide goes a long way in meeting their needs. She says, “It’s been a huge blessing to not have to spend so much money on groceries each month. We don’t have to worry so much.” Then she adds, “Not only is the food great, but everyone here is nice and helps me if I need help.” Jenelle, who serves at the center, says that they are seeing more people in need of support and that they count on the truckloads of food that compassionate partners like you send them.

Both Barb and Barbara are thankful for the support your love is giving them during these difficult times. The increasing costs of groceries is impacting scores of Americans who battle food insecurity and inflation everyday. But as Barbara says, “Your donations are a big blessing to me and my family.”
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“It’s extremely helpful,” says Barb. “Not just for me, for everyone who comes here.”

Among The First On The Ground In Turkey

Just days after earthquakes decimated a huge swath of Turkey, an Operation Blessing convoy drove through the night to reach our disaster relief team on the ground with truckloads of vital relief supplies. Among the first on the ground in Turkey, they set out to make a difference. Likewise, ongoing support from faithful friends like you enabled us to move swiftly to help victims of the earthquake as soon as we heard the catastrophic news.

Our international disaster relief team started preparing to deploy the very day of the initial earthquake, as aftershocks still rumbled. Multinational team members, including leader Diego Traverso, reached Turkey shortly after and made their way through to the center of the impact zone just as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, additional love and support poured in from friends like you in response to this historic quake—which decimated an area about 300 miles in diameter and took the lives of tens of thousands of people.

As many as 14 million souls were affected by this horrific tragedy. The survivors were left traumatized and reeling after losing family members, neighbors, homes, belongings, and even their entire communities.

One victim in Turkey named Abdulkerim explained to us the horror of his family awakening to an earthquake. “The ground floor of our building was gone. They threw a rope. I tied my children and they went down, then my wife, then me,” he said. “Of course, we had no socks, no shoes. Then the building collapsed. We didn’t believe we would be rescued. We thought death had come at that moment.”

A mother of three named Grace also made it out with her children, but she said, “I’m very scared for my kids. Where will we go? How will we live? It’s very difficult. Help us—we need food, water, shoes, everything!”

how to give to help Turkey earthquake victims

helping children after Turkey Earthquake

In Turkey Providing Earthquake Relief

Thankfully, these families survived. And soon a wide-scale humanitarian effort involving charitable organizations and rescue teams from around the world was underway to help families like Abdulkerim’s and Grace’s. Operation Blessing’s staff and volunteers were right in the middle of it.

Traverso said, “I never thought in 10 years of working in disasters that the magnitude of this disaster was possible. The despair and the suffering are huge, and Operation Blessing is here to support the victims.” Our team of specialized staff and volunteers was multinational, multilingual, and multigenerational, with expertise in medical care, clean water, and more.

Because of friends like you, we were quickly able to distribute vital supplies in some of the hardest-hit areas. We set up distribution centers and kitchens with stoves to cook hot meals. We handed out relief items like food, drinks, diapers, fuel, and solar lights. Through these efforts, you provided help, medical care, comfort, and perhaps most importantly, hope.

In some cases, you even brought smiles to the faces of these victims in the midst of their heartbreaking new reality.

Grace said, “Thank you for the help. We have pillows, we have blankets to cover ourselves because it’s very cold. Thank you for the food they are sending and the water.”

At the time of writing this story, the relief had only just begun. We will keep you updated as time goes on. Thank you so much for reaching out to the precious people in these shattered communities. God bless you for your heart to give.

Friends Like You Sent a Miracle to Montebello

MEXICO – Glady’s heart ached as she watched her young children, Emilio and Damari, struggle to survive without a reliable water source. The battle to find clean water in Mexico was all Glady had ever known. She had grown up in Montebello, a small village of 28 relatives in the Mexican state of Chiapas. For this small community, maintaining a ready supply of clean water was a lifelong burden. They desperately needed help from someone like you to find clean water in Mexico.

Glady was just 8 years old when she began helping her family carry water from a distant well— the only source available to them. The well was miles away and often difficult to reach. “As a girl, I started carrying three liters of water,” Glady said. “The journey would take me one hour at least, and it was very complicated, full of grassy, uneven terrain, very slippery at times.” Even worse—during the dry season,the difficult journey was often made in vain. The tired family, including little Glady, would reach the well only to find that it was completely dry. The family would return without any water to replenish their quickly diminishing reserves.

Still, returning with water was only half the victory. The well’s water supply was greasy, dark, and contaminated with harmful bacteria. The Montebello community didn’t know how to properly sanitize the water before drinking it or giving it to their children. Glady’s son, Emilio, would often become sick after drinking the contaminated water. As a single parent, she felt helpless in the seemingly endless struggle to provide clean, safe water for her little ones. The weight of obtaining this essential necessity for survival seemed a permanent fixture in the life of Glady and her community. Montebello needed a miracle.

Operation Blessing Helps Glady Find Clean Water In Mexico

When Operation Blessing became aware of the hardships endured by the precious families of Montebello, we worked quickly to bring much-needed help to Glady and her neighbors. With help from friends like you, we provided a rainwater harvesting system for each family. Then, your faithful support empowered Operation Blessing to educate the community on how to properly treat their water supply. A water committee was formed, and the women of Montebello were encouraged to participate in learning long- term solutions that would guarantee safe water for themselves and their families.

Your generous giving not only brought a new standard of health to Montebello but also helped Glady grow into a leader within the community. Once shy and reserved, Glady became secretary of the newly formed water committee. Now, she joins Operation Blessing managers while visiting new communities benefiting from similar water programs to share her knowledge and experience. Glady even joined the board of counselors regarding water in her regional government!

“It’s been marvelous,” Glady said. “I don’t struggle with lack of water anymore, and I also gained confidence to express myself.”

The kindness of friends like you was the miracle Montebello needed. The impact of your generosity has been truly life-changing for Glady, her children, and their precious neighbors. You helped supply this community with the essential resources they need to survive and gave mothers like Glady the opportunity to thrive. The tears that once filled her eyes as she struggled to provide have been replaced with laughter and hope for a better future for her children.

Clean Water and Daily Food for Turkey

TURKEY – Weeks after the devastating earthquake in Turkey, so many families like Ayesha’s and Gamze’s are still reeling from the events of that night.

Ayesha told us, “My grandchild and I were sleeping during the earthquake, and everything started shaking. We couldn’t move from where we were sleeping, so I held my grandchild tightly.”

Gamze said, “After the first earthquake stopped, we tried to leave the house. My elderly grandmother was with us, and the refrigerator fell on her. We struggled to lift it off her.”

Both Ayesha and Gamze are grieving the loss of family members and friends, all while trying to survive in difficult conditions.

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Teams Provide Clean Water and Daily Food Staples to Needy Families in Hatay

clean water for turkey earthquake survivors

clean water charity for turkey earthquake

Gamze told us, “Currently, because we don’t have a home, we are living in a car. We are very distressed because of everything that’s happened. We’re grateful to be alive, but we don’t know what to do other than cry and pray.”

Ayesha said, “Our houses were destroyed, and we are now living in a tent. And earthquakes still happen. It’s very difficult.”

Right now, the greatest needs for these families are daily food and clean water. “We have problems with electricity, and we don’t have clean drinking water,” Ayesha said.

Gamze said, “There is a water shortage. We do not have water for bathing or cooking.”

With the generous help of Operation Blessing partners, disaster relief teams are delivering clean water and boxes of food to families in need. Operation Blessing was also able to install a water filtration device for Ayesha and Gamze. Now they have clean water for their families to drink and cook with.

Ayesha told us, “I even give clean water to people who don’t have it; it’s a very good thing.” she continued, “Operation Blessing has helped us a lot and treated us very well. We thank them again and love each and every one of them.”

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/