Responding to Deadly Mississippi Tornado

MISSISSIPPI – Operation Blessing is responding after a deadly tornado struck Mississippi Friday night (03/24/23), devastating homes and businesses across multiple communities.

The National Weather Service gave the deadly tornado a preliminary EF-4 rating. That means the storm potentially had wind gusts up to 200 miles per hour. The tornado lasted more than an hour and left behind a 170-mile path of destruction in Mississippi.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports that at least 25 people died in Mississippi, 55 people were injured, and two thousand homes were damaged or destroyed. The terrible situation drove a meteorologist at a local station to offer up a prayer on air during the storm.

“Dear Jesus, please help them. Amen.”

Teams Responding to Deadly Mississippi Tornado with Relief Supplies

tornado damage in rolling fork, mississippi

The monster tornado leveled most of the town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi.

Mayor Eldridge Walker said, “I’m not only just the mayor of this community, but I’ve lost personal friends. I’m also the local funeral director. Now I’m having to meet my families—those who have lost loved ones—and help them make it through this traumatic time.”

Jessica Davis says she was on the phone with her mother Wanda when the tornado hit Rolling Fork. She says her mother drove to a local store for shelter. Tragically, she never made it out alive.

Jessica said, “I’m hurt—nothing but hurt ’cause everyone lost something, whether it was a loved one, home. Everyone lost something.”

Yet, in spite of the tragedy and the huge task of moving forward and rebuilding from this disaster, many residents took time Sunday morning to go to church.

The mayor also spoke on matters of faith. “This is the Bible belt. And we were all taught that a family that prays together stays together. This is a family, a family of unity, a family of strength. And this is what we need to make this community come back once again.”

President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi early Sunday. That makes federal funding available to the hardest-hit areas, and relief teams are beginning to arrive and help the storm victims.

Operation Blessing assessment teams are on the ground identifying needs and building partnerships to send in relief. Today (03/27/23), the ministry is sending a shipment of bottled water, emergency meal kits, and cleanup supplies to Bethel Church in Amory, Mississippi.

Help Disaster Victims Now!

To keep up with our latest efforts in Mississippi, please visit https://www.ob.org/tag/tornado-relief/. To donate to disaster relief efforts, visit: https://www.ob.org/disasterrelief/

Harvest Of Hope

INDONESIA – Have you ever experienced a sudden loss? Imagine your main source of income being ripped from your grasp tomorrow, and there not being a thing you can do to replace it. What do you do when all is lost? According to Jorim, you pray. When powerful Cyclone Seroja blasted coastal communities in Indonesia, Jorim and his village lost their livelihoods. The storm’s fury tore apart homes, ruined boats, and washed away their entire seaweed harvest—and the village didn’t have adequate funds to rebuild. They desperately needed help from someone like you.

Cyclone Seroja Devastates Tablolong Village

“I was devastated. Since it is my main source of income, it felt like the ground crumbled. I lost everything—not only the seaweed, but also the ropes and other equipment. Everything was ruined by the storm,” Jorim shared.

For this community that had relied on seaweed farming to sustain them for generations, all hope appeared to be lost. That’s when the church of Tablolong Village committed to praying every week until their livelihoods were restored. Little did they know that you would reach out in answer to that prayer.

Because the whole community relied on the seaweed industry, everyone felt its loss—especially the children. Jorim spoke of how people struggled to obtain enough fuel to get their kids to school. Fifi is a widow who supports her two children through seaweed farming, and the storm made her already difficult circumstances nearly impossible to overcome.

Restoring The Village’s Livelihood After The Storm

But then love sailed in from a distant shore, and your compassion changed everything! Your generous gifts empowered Operation Blessing to provide a canoe, seaweed seeds, nylon rope, and all the necessary supplies to help 10 families restore their livelihoods and care for their children.

At last, the community is beginning to see the answer to their prayers because you cared. Triana, another seaweed farmer, said, “Praise be to God. We’ve had two harvests from this help already. May God always bless the Operation Blessing family to continue to be a blessing to everyone in need.” Friends like you are helping Trina feed her three young children—and her new income could also provide them a chance to pursue an education.

restoring a community in Indonesia after a storm

Give Clean Water to Yargüera This World Water Day!

HONDURAS – Clean water access is precious, and people around the world without it are suffering daily—but they don’t have to.

Thankfully, since 1993, the world has taken a day each year to unite around clean water as one of our greatest common needs. This World Water Day is about accelerating change to solve the water crisis. And you can be part of that—investing in a better world and brighter future for families in need.

Give Clean Water Today

Clean Water Access Will Transform This Remote Village

We searched for a community that desperately needed clean water access, and when we met the families of Yargüera, Honduras, we saw a need we could meet—with the help of friends like you. Though they have water access from hand dug wells around their small community, they know it might make them and their children sick. They boil and strain the dirty, often contaminated water, but it’s not enough.

Michel shared, “I drank some water because I was very tired. Minutes later, I had a big stomachache. I told my dad that I didn’t feel well and needed to take medicine; I felt like I was being attacked in my stomach. I took some medicine, but the pain wouldn’t go away.”

It’s terrible to have to fear something you need to survive. The good news is, we have the power to rewrite their story. Together, we can give this community a new future where the constant danger of waterborne illness has faded as every household gets the chance to access clean water.

This World Water Day, we’re asking you to join Operation Blessing in building a new community water system delivering clean water to the nearly 140 people in this remote community. Help us realize Maria’s lifelong dream of having clean water to drink, and help us give the children like Michel peace of mind. You can deliver clean water and show this community God’s love by donating today!

Transform a Community

Feeding Earthquake Survivors in Turkey

partnership for feeding earthquake victims in Turkey

https://youtu.be/d7Kq-PNKDVU

TURKEY – Our team is still working hard in Hatay, Turkey, in an area where about 2,000 people have stayed behind since the earthquake and are currently living in tents. Many of these tents don’t have kitchens, so families must rely on mobile kitchens to provide food so they don’t starve. Staff in the area are forming partnerships to feed more quake survivors.

Help Disaster Victims Now!

Teams Feed Quake Survivors Hot Meals

A local Turkish organization is working to help with hot meals in the area, and our teams are empowering them so they are able to help more suffering people. As soon as the earthquake happened, they jumped into action and came here to help.

With the large number of people they serve, there is always a need for food and water, so Operation Blessing dropped off a load of supplies, many of which are already in use.

The people here receiving food are very grateful for it. In addition to the lack of kitchen preparation facilities, many residents have had their livelihoods essentially destroyed with the countless buildings that collapsed in the initial catastrophic quakes.

Saying Thank You is Not Enough

One beneficiary told us, “Saying thank you is simply not enough. I don’t have words for my gratitude. Your help is extremely valuable to us, and we are grateful for every hand that reached out to us.”

Right now, the immediate need for people living here is food and water. And that is what Operation Blessing is here providing. We are committed to serving the suffering in Hatay and beyond for the long term, expecting to keep providing aid long after the news media have left.

hunger relief issues in hatay turkey following earthquake

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/

Thank You!

We’re so incredibly thankful that you have joined with Operation Blessing to bless the poor and suffering. And we hope that you will consider partnering with us on an ongoing basis to help even more people who need hunger relief, clean water, medical care, and disaster relief. Together, we can make a huge difference and be the hands and feet of Jesus, as we reach out with love to a hurting world.

Thank you!

How You Helped Rachel Recover

RIVERVIEW, FL – Each beneficiary comes to Operation Blessing with a unique story of how God has used you in their lives. For Rachel, you not only gave her food, in the process, you helped her overcome drug addiction too!

Rachel grew up in a Christian family, going to church multiple days per week. However, her family’s faith was not her own. After getting married at a young age and moving away, she began to desire a taste of “freedom” she had never experienced before.

She started abusing alcohol, which led to the end of her marriage. Finding herself in a continual spiral of drug abuse, she bounced from one relationship to the next. She was searching for a way to fill the emptiness she felt inside. It was quite some time before she would begin her journey towards recovery from years of drug addiction.

After getting married for the second time and having a child, she was still unable to break free from her addictions. That marriage ended as well, but shortly after she heard a knock on the door from someone who would change the trajectory of her life.

“I ended up getting served papers saying that my ex-husband was going to do an emergency injunction to take full custody of my daughter. And I knew at that point, I needed to get a different kind of help than I had ever received,” Rachel said.

Help That Aided Rachel in Her Recovery from Years of Drug Addiction

Having come to the end of herself, Rachel entered into Faith Home, an 18-month rehabilitation program run by Lighthouse Gospel Mission, an Operation Blessing partner. “The Bible started coming alive. It wasn’t just a story that I was reading anymore; it was me in that story and how Jesus saved me,” Rachel said.

During her time in the program, Rachel received food provided by Operation Blessing. She described the experience. “To have that freedom of not being able to worry about how am I going to get this week’s groceries. You just focus on your relationship with the Lord.”

That helped Rachel receive the breakthrough and healing she needed. “Well then I started to believe that maybe restoration with my daughter could happen. Maybe it would be where someday she could come and be with me, you know, because at that point, that would be a miracle,” Rachel said.

Freedom to Heal

spending time with daugther following recovery

After Rachel graduated from the program, she got remarried and eventually became the Faith Home’s Women’s Supervisor. And God wasn’t finished yet! He then restored Rachel’s relationship with her daughter. “My God’s promises are, ‘Yes and amen.’ She comes here now every Thanksgiving, every Christmas, every spring break. She’s here six weeks in the summer. Every day after school, she calls me, and I do her homework over FaceTime, and I’m her mom,” Rachel said with great joy.

Thanks to friends like you, Rachel and many others get the support they need while they recover and heal. With a grateful heart, Rachel said, “To everybody that is giving to Operation Blessing, I personally can’t thank you enough. And I just ask that you continue to bless Operation Blessing with any means that you can, because I know for me, my life was worth it, and my daughter’s life is worth it, and the women in the Faith Home—their lives are worth it. And it’s all because of you.”

To give today to help the hungry, visit https://gifts.ob.org/shop/gift/feed-hungry.

Giving Earthquake Survivors Hope

TURKEY – 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.”

Help Disaster Victims Now!

Teams on the Ground Giving Survivors Hope

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.

Thankfully, 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.

Salim’s eight-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.”

Thanks to the generous gifts of friends like you, not only kids are 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 mentioned that they’ve been eating three meals a day with our Operation Blessing team. And many families like Salim’s are receiving hot meals and food boxes to sustain them.

Clean Water and Medicine Give Families Hope

In hard-hit Hatay province, our team has been working to provide clean water as ruined infrastructure has led to a highly contaminated water supply. Our relief workers quickly found a way to purify 300 gallons of water daily from a local source via reverse osmosis while also offering in-home water filters where possible. Through this, you are providing the ongoing needs of families like Filiz’s.

This 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.

Others were suffering from a lack of medical care because the local hospitals in Hatay were destroyed, and many with chronic conditions were cut off from their supply of medication. So you helped to offer compassionate care to hundreds of patients through our mobile medical clinic. One older man who was hurt during the earthquake got the care he needed and 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, people are finding hope on the road to recovery through the generous support of friends like you, our Operation Blessing family.

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/

Destiny’s Future Is As Bright As Her Smile

NIGERIA – Since before she was born, Destiny’s future has been uncertain. Her life was threatened first by the fire that injured her pregnant mother, Rose, and then by the cleft lip she had since birth.

This baby girl from Nigeria and her parents live on very little income. She desperately needed cleft lip surgery, but that was far out of reach. Her mother shared, “I am a housewife with no job. My husband can barely meet our family needs; most days we can only afford to eat twice. The thought of saving for the surgery is such a big challenge.” Still, finding a way to get cleft lip surgery in Nigeria was very important to Destiny and her family.

Life was already hard, but after Destiny was born, the child struggled to eat—and silent stares followed the family everywhere they went. People just didn’t understand Destiny’s condition, and this precious baby was stigmatized by the surrounding community. Destiny’s parents constantly worried about what this might do to her self-esteem as she grew older. They wanted her to have a bright future.

The Miracle Of Cleft Lip Surgery In Nigeria

Then your love found a way! The kindness of friends like you gave her the chance of a lifetime through a free surgery. She could have her cleft lip repaired, and her life would change dramatically. Before long, Destiny was in the operating room surrounded by physicians and Operation Blessing staff eager to help her. The moment Destiny came out of surgery, her mother was full of relief and praises to God. “I am so happy!” she said.

Destiny’s cleft lip surgery in Nigeria was a tremendous success. Now, she can eat without difficulty, and she won’t have to worry about a future filled with silent stares or teasing. Her future truly is as bright as her new healthy smile because of compassionate givers like you.

Thankfully, Destiny’s recovery has also gone beautifully. Rose said, “The first night after the surgery, I hardly could sleep. I could not take my eyes off my baby. The transformation was so much, she looks like a different baby. Thank you, Operation Blessing, for helping my baby.”

God’s Love on Display in Turkey

Help Disaster Victims Now!

TURKEY – All across Turkey—spanning 300 miles of devastation—people are suffering terribly. With over 100,000 buildings collapsed and intermittent aftershocks, no one feels safe to return home. Instead, displaced families are dwelling in tents and cars. But God’s love is on display there because of friends like you.

God’s Love on Display Amidst Devastation

Your love is tangible in Turkey! Operation Blessing teams have been on the ground in hard-hit Hatay since the devastating earthquake struck in early February 2023. Thanks to your support, our teams are continually providing tangible relief for families affected by this tragic disaster.

People whose places of business have been destroyed are receiving boxes of food until they can find a way to make ends meet again. Operation Blessing is purifying hundreds of gallons of clean water daily so the thirsty can have something to drink. We’re lighting up the dark with solar lanterns for those who still have no power. And we’re providing hygiene supplies to everyone we can. For people grasping for hope, having basic necessities taken care of can make a world of difference.

And our mobile medical team is treating the sick and injured. Tens of thousands have suffered from earthquake-related injuries, and our physicians are there to offer compassionate help. Those with chronic illnesses who have lost access to their medications are desperate for help, and together, we are providing them with the assistance they need.

Turkey earthquake relief hygiene products

Thank You for Your Compassion

Diego Traverso, Director of International Disaster Relief, expresses his gratefulness for your generous support. “This is such an honor for me to be part of Operation Blessing,” he said. Your support is providing a way to be the hands and feet of Jesus on the ground in Turkey.

And you are putting that relief directly into the hands of those who need it most. Thank you for your generous prayers and for providing a tangible display of God’s love in Turkey.

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/

The Dream Of Water

PERU – “Since I was born, I remember never having bathrooms or clean water,” Emilia said, but she wanted a better life for Luis, her 12-year-old son. With their village a three-hour drive from the nearest city, the families who live in the small community of Turputia, Peru, had never known anything else. They grow food for themselves and their cattle but had no source of fresh water nearby. The struggle for water in Peru is a way of life for people like Emilia and her family.

The closest wells were a long distance by foot and remained uncovered, exposed to animals and other kinds of contamination. Emilia got up at 4 a.m. to start on the long journey to the well to collect the water in containers or buckets. When 12-year-old Luis was not in school, he went with her. The path was very slippery, especially after the rains.

“Once I remember I fell and spilled all the water,” said Emilia. “I hurt my leg and we had to go back to get more water.” Once home, she boiled the water for their livestock and to wash potatoes for them to eat, but she felt like it still wasn’t safe. “My greatest dream is to have water, especially for Luis, my son. It hurts me that he suffers like I did when I was little. I want to see him happy,” said Emilia.

Ending The Water Crisis In Peru For Emilia And Her Community

“Everyone in this community wishes to have water.” Thanks to the support of friends like you, their days of struggle for water in Peru have finally come to an end. Operation Blessing installed a complete water system that brings water to the remote community from a reservoir higher in the mountains. The water is treated and piped to each house in Turputia. But your love didn’t stop there.

Together, we were able to build bathrooms that contain a biodigester toilet, shower, and exterior sink for each household in the community. With your support, Operation Blessing is able to provide clean water solutions to an area that previously had no access to clean water, preventing waterborne illnesses and even death to the most vulnerable.

“This is something we never had here in Turputia. We were always sad. Now we are happy,” said Emilia. “Thank you, Operation Blessing.”