USA – From all of us here at Operation Blessing, we want to thank you for another wonderful year. Your love has continued to break the cycle of human suffering all over the world.
From funding life-changing surgeries to providing relief for families struck by the Kentucky tornadoes, your generosity has changed lives this year! Thank you for coming alongside Operation Blessing as we continue our work here at home and across oceans.
With your help, we look forward to many more years of providing food to the hungry, clean water to the thirsty, medical care to the hurting, and relief for those affected by disaster. Thank you!
KENTUCKY – In one of the deadliest natural disasters to strike our nation in a long time, a string of powerful tornadoes swept through the Midwest in December. Nearly 100 precious souls, ranging in age from 2 months to 98 years, lost their lives due to the horrific storms.
At least six states suffered damage, homes were ripped off foundations, and entire towns were left in ruins. Thanks to you, the Operation Blessing disaster response team quickly sprang into action.
One of the hardest-hit areas was Dawson Springs, Kentucky. When the tornado approached, one resident named Samantha grabbed her 7-year-old son, Kendell, and ran to a shower in their basement. “You could just hear the train coming,” she said. “We heard booms and we heard crashes.”
But those frightening sounds were nothing compared to the chaotic sounds they heard once they emerged from their damaged home. “People were screaming,” Samantha said. “People were running. There was lightning. It was pouring down rain.” Everyone, including Samantha, was in a state of shock. The noise was so upsetting, she put noise cancelling head phones on her son to block out the sounds.
She said, “It’s been catastrophic. This is a small town, and everyone has known everybody. Everyone’s grandparents, great-grandparents grow up together. So this is just years and years of love and relationships being destroyed.”
We also met Denna, whose entire house was swept up in the storm, taking her two little dogs and all of her earthly belongings from her. One Operation Blessing staff member on the ground, Josh Blount, described the heartbreaking scene, saying, “It looked as though the neighborhood was thrown into a washing machine and then dumped back out onto the ground.”
These are the kinds of survivors that you sent help to following the storms. Compassionate friends like you provided food, water, diapers, tarps, cleaning items, and other vital disaster relief supplies. Even more importantly, you gave hope and encouragement to these embattled souls after these deadly tornadoes.
“This is going to be for the long haul,” said OB President Gordon Robertson. “We want to be there for them in their time of need.”
“It means more than words ever could tell,” Denna told us. “All these organizations, the churches, all the volunteers, you know everybody, I thank them from the bottom of our hearts! And may God bless them.”
DAWSON SPRINGS, KENTUCKY – Denna was at a friend’s home when the storm came. “The lightning and the thunder and the rain and the wind were so bad,” she told Operation Blessing staff. “It sounded just like a train coming through.” Thankfully, Denna and her friend were safe across town. But what they didn’t know was that the tornadoes were wreaking havoc in Denna’s neighborhood, and she would turn out to be a Kentucky tornado victim.
The next morning, Denna made her way back to her home — or what used to be her home. Devastatingly, the tornadoes completely destroyed Denna’s house. Even the cinderblock foundation was gone. “I just fell to my knees.” said Denna. “And I grabbed my face and screamed ‘Where’s my house? Where’s my little dogs? Where’s everything that I own?’.”
Denna’s story is one of many emerging from the aftermath of the Kentucky tornadoes. But thankfully, Operation Blessing’s partners and friends have a heart for victims of disaster. Your love is sending truckloads of relief supplies like food, water, blankets, and cleaning items to Kentucky and surrounding areas.
By partnering with local churches, Operation Blessing is getting these supplies into the hands of victims like Denna. All of this is thanks to your amazing generosity. Please help provide relief and hope to victims of natural disasters like this Kentucky tornado victim.
BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY – Senior Director for Operation Blessing Disaster Relief, Anthony Lloyd is leading Operation Blessing humanitarian relief teams in Kentucky after tornadoes that struck in December, leaving devastation in their wake.
Initial assessment found homes that had been destroyed, power lines downed, and families in desperate need of help. Because of your generosity, Operation Blessing teams have already been distributing relief supplies through local churches. These supplies include, food, water, and cleaning kits.
Please keep Operation Blessing and the victims of the Kentucky tornadoes in your prayers. As we head into the Christmas season, your love and support is needed more than ever to bring relief to these hurting families. Visit ob.org/obdisaster to help give hope and support to families affected by disaster.
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (December 13, 2021) – The Virginia Beach-based humanitarian organization, Operation Blessing, has launched several tornado response efforts following the weekend’s deadly tornadoes.
A member of the organization’s US Disaster Relief team concluded damage assessments in and around middle Tennessee today. The team member will also travel to KY tomorrow morning to meet with partners and conduct damage assessments in the Bowling Green and Mayfield areas.
Operation Blessing has deployed a truck filled with Disaster Relief Kits, donated recently by The Home Depot Foundation, to its Bristol, TN warehouse for distribution in the hardest hit areas. Operation Blessing will also deploy one of its Hunger Strike Force trucks containing bottled water, nonperishable food, and disaster relief supplies to Mayfield, KY tonight. A second truck is being readied for Bowling Green, KY.
In addition to these efforts to help meet immediate needs, Operation Blessing is assessing long-term relief efforts, to potentially include coordinating volunteers for debris removal from damaged homes and helping residents find and sort salvageable belongings.
Please stay tuned to www.ob.org for further updates.
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 territories, including the U.S. For more information about Operation Blessing, please visit www.ob.org.
As reports continue to roll in from the shattered Midwest about the December tornado victims, our heartbreak continues to grow. You might have heard that officials now fear as many as a hundred people might have died from this string of devastating storms.
Homes, businesses, communities, and lives have been torn apart. Victims of these deadly tornadoes desperately need help from friends like you.
Help for December Tornado Victims
Because of the ongoing support of our generous partners, Operation Blessing is already reaching out to the affected areas. With help from friends like you, we are sending an initial shipment of disaster relief kits, water, trash bags, food, and other disaster relief supplies.
And please continue to pray for the victims of this tragedy and for all those affected. We’re so grateful to have you as a vital part of our team. God bless you.
UPDATE 12/13/21 – With help from compassionate supporters like you, Operation Blessing is already sending relief and assessing damages following the string of devastating tornadoes in the Midwest. Continue to check back for more details, and please continue to pray for the victims and communities affected by these tragic storm.
MIDWEST – Last night a series of deadly tornadoes ripped through the Midwest. Will you join us in praying for all of those impacted by these devastating storms?
Tornadoes in Midwest Cause Devastation
According to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, no less than 24 twisters were reported across five states including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. At least 50 fatalities have been reported by officials in Arkansas and Illinois. There have also been at least 50 reported deaths in southwestern Kentucky, including mass casualties at an Amazon warehouse facility.
Meanwhile, the death toll is expected to continue to rise. One tornado’s path—extending from Arkansas to Kentucky—if verified, is potentially the longest traveled of any since 1925. Currently, more than 300,000 power outages are being reported across eight different states.
Operation Blessing’s disaster response team is currently assessing the situation to determine how we may be able to provide compassion, comfort, and relief.
Please Pray for Tornado Victims
Please pray for the victims of this tragedy and all affected. There are surely many broken hearts today as these families deal with injury, destruction, and lost loved ones. Thank you for being part of our Operation Blessing family that provides light during these dark situations.
PERU – James, age 5, and his brother Jampier, age 3, go to great lengths to get an education—literally traveling a long way to get to school in Peru each day. Unfortunately, the conditions of the local schoolhouse they travel to had long left much to be desired.
Each morning their dad, Angel, would pile them onto a small motorbike and begin the long drive to school. While that might seem surprising from our American perspective, this is simply life in the remote highlands of Peru. Angel said, “It’s complicated to live in the countryside.”
Then, after that long and often-cold journey, James and Jampier would reach a cramped and borrowed classroom space that didn’t truly meet the children’s educational needs. For the rest of the day, Angel and his wife would farm the land—like most people in the village of Charamaya.
Angel’s family, along with their neighbors, dreamed that someday the area might have a better school for young children like James and Jampier.
A New School In Peru
When our team in Peru heard about the situation, they thought this would be the perfect opportunity for a new school project! Thanks to friends like you, they worked with the community to build a special new octagonal classroom building on the land of the existing school. This shape would offer the little kids plenty of space to learn and play while still keeping them safe and warm in the chilly highlands.
But our supporters didn’t stop there. They sent them a strong, character-based curriculum. They provided a kitchen so the kids can enjoy nutritious meals comfortably in their new building. And they gave them a bathroom to facilitate and teach good hygiene.
Angel said, “We are thankful to Operation Blessing for all of this building process. It is beautiful. Now our kids will learn today and, in the future, become leaders. God bless you!”
Now, when James and Jampier head to school, they’re met by a warm, cheerful building that’s conducive to learning and growing. Their classroom is as merry and bright as their sweet young hearts.
PHILIPPINES – When a massive storm struck their hut of a home in the Philippines, Maribel was focused on keeping her children safe from danger.
As the typhoon continued to pummel the small community, the roof of their house caved in. Maribel’s husband heroically helped his family escape the crumbling structure. They made it out alive, but he did not.
The home was left in shambles. Her family now desperate and homeless as disaster victims in the Philippines. So Maribel and her children were forced to stay in shelters and relatives’ homes. Just when Maribel thought it couldn’t get worse, fallout from COVID-19 complicated matters. Her hope for rebuilding suddenly came to a halt.
“How can we survive if no one helps us?” Maribel worried. “I was afraid we wouldn’t have a house again. I was scared for my kids.”
For Marilou, Maribel’s oldest daughter, the loss of her father and her home also hit hard. “I lost all hope, because I can’t really build a house for my family,” the young girl said. “Only my dad was strong enough to build one for us.”
But your love was already traveling to Maribel’s family! Thanks to our generous partners, Operation Blessing teams first provided Maribel with food bags full of rice and other groceries to feed her family.
Two weeks later, they arrived again with more food supplies and a life-changing message: Operation Blessing partners were making it possible to build a new home for Maribel and her children.
“I remember telling my kids that we should pray,” Maribel said. “I thank the Lord for hearing our prayers! He sent us all the help we needed.”
In addition to a home, your kindness provided pigs for Maribel to raise and sell as income. You surrounded Maribel and her children when they felt completely alone.
Your love has galvanized this young widow and other disaster victims in the Philippines to carry on for their children. Thank you!
Experience Christmas In Japan With This FREE Origami Snowflake Project
It’s Christmas time in Japan! Follow along with Operation Blessing partners as we make a Japanese origami snowflake.
Similarly, you can find Christmas traditions all over the world. These holiday traditions come from just about every corner of the globe, from North America to the Far East. When it comes to Japan, origami is a great way to celebrate the holidays with their unique cultural art form.
Christmas In Japan And Origami Decorations
Origami is a tradition with origins in the Far East. The meticulous art of folding and manipulating paper to create designs has become a tradition in the “Land of the Rising Sun.” Bring to this elegant craft the joy of Christmas and you have a new way to celebrate the holiday. Come learn how to make origami snowflakes and create a beautiful ornament or holiday decoration.
Origami Snowflakes
Now it is time to immerse yourself in this holiday craft project. There are a couple of ways you can do this. One way is to follow along with this simple video. You can do this here at the Operation Blessing website or directly on the YouTube platform. One advantage of using the video is you can pause the screen as you complete different steps. This allows you to work at your own pace without the pressure of having to keep up.
If you click over to YouTube you can use the time stamp as well. The time stamp has all the steps in an easy clickable format. At any time you can click on any part of the time stamp and go to that part of the video. Before you know it you are making Origami snowflakes inspired by Christmas in Japan.
Time Stamp For Origami Snowflake Project
Here are the different steps broken out by when they occur in the video
00:00:09 First Steps: Paper
00:00:25 First Folds
00:00:37 Top Right Corner
00:00:49 Top Left Corner
00:00:55 Fold Triangle Corners
00:01:12 Folding Sides To Center
00:01:26 Folding Up And Left
00:01:37 Folding bottom Corners
00:01:47 Fold Over
00:01:53 Folding Backwards
00:01:57 Then Flip
00:01:59 Make A Tail
00:02:06 Fold Tail In Half
00:02:13 Repeat 5X
00:02:25 Insert Tail Into Pocket
00:02:31 Connect The Pieces
Works Cited
“History of Origami – How Origami Came About.” Origami-Instructions.com, 2019, www.origami-instructions.com/history-of-origami.html.
