MYANMAR/THAILAND BORDER — The violence continues to worsen in the wake of a military coup, and many displaced families in Myanmar are fleeing to the Thailand border for safety. These victims have left everything behind to run for their lives. They desperately need food, medicine, and shelter. “They were shooting and the bullets fell beside us,” one displaced person told Operation Blessing staff. “The whole village ran away… we ran here to seek help.”
The new military government has been violently cracking down on opposing groups leading to a widespread humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.
Many minorities who have greatly struggled in Myanmar for decades now face terrible persecution in their own country. Untold numbers have been forced to leave their belongings and their homes behind in search of safety. These Internally Displaced People (IDPs) have found refuge in camps along the Thailand border, but their needs remain great.
Those willing to stand up to the military also face violence and persecution, and their families can suffer too. As the soldiers go to fight the government forces, their families are often left to fend for themselves.
Thanks to your compassion, Operation Blessing is providing critical relief supplies to these desperate families, giving them hope and help in the midst of these extremely difficult times.
The people of Myanmar need your help. Click here to learn more about Operation Blessing’s efforts to help displaced families in Myanmar. Visit ob.org/obcrisis to get involved and bring aid to victims of disaster.
Around the world, Operation Blessing friends like you are shining the light of God’s love into some of the hardest and most difficult places. In Myanmar, and other hot spots of conflict and violence, Operation Blessing supporters are reaching out with powerful and effective humanitarian aid. Thank you for being a part of this important work.
MOZAMBIQUE – The following report comes to us straight from Mozambique where residents fleeing from internal violence have been suffering, in desperate need of food and supplies. It’s written by Operation Blessing Program Manager, Clayten Gouws, who is based in nearby South Africa. The report gives a detailed inside view of how your love reaches out to people seeking refuge and provides relief in Mozambique throughout even the most challenging circumstances.
Day 1: Mozambique Relief Preparation
We arrived in Pemba, Mozambique, on a Monday. Next we drove about 125 miles west with our partners on the ground, LifeChild. Our journey brought us to an area where a concentration of internally displaced people (IDPs) have come to find safety. They’ve fled from the horrible violence that has been terrorizing the Cabo Delgado region.
Our goal was to bring relief in Mozambique through delivering food to 400 families who had recently arrived in the area seeking refuge. We also hoped to assess any longer-term ways we might be able to help.
Day 2: Food Distribution in Mozambique
Our first full day in the region of Montepuez involved us meeting with the local governmental Administrator. We needed to get approval to go into IDP camps with the food and supplies. Local cultural tradition dictates that we receive the blessing of these leaders. This will help protect us in case we face any push back from locals or the military at the roadblocks that lay scattered all over the area to protect cities from attacks.
With the blessing of both the local governor and the minister of health, we proceeded to the site where we would distribute food aid the following day. We passed through a very rural region. Even using the main roads, it took us over 2 hours to travel 20 miles to the camp because of rough terrain.
On arrival we met the local officer in charge of coordinating the flurry of IDPs who come to their office every day. Many of these people have walked as much as 300 miles to reach relative safety. With the help of compassionate friends like you, the camp will care for their immediate food and medical needs. Later, each family will be assigned a piece of land so that they can re-start their lives. Many of the people arriving still appear very much in shock from what they have seen and experienced. Too often, they suffer from malnutrition and are in serious need of medical intervention.
We were able to speak and engage with some of the people who had arrived at the office. They amazed us with their resilience and determination amid circumstances none of us could even come close to comprehending.
Day 3: Expanding Our Humanitarian Efforts
This morning we learned that the president of Mozambique, who grew up in the Montepuez area, had heard about the food distribution we had planned. He contacted us directly to ask us to bring more relief to another site, which he knew had yet to receive any kind of aid. At this request, we re-organized our food packs. We wanted to be able to assist both of the camps with sufficient food and supplies to help the displaced people get back on their feet.
Though this was outside of our original plan, we felt led to go along with it. We knew that building relationships like this would only benefit further outreach. It would open doors for Operation Blessing and our partner, LifeChild, to bring more relief in Mozambique in the future.
After loading two trucks to the brim, we headed off to the first distribution site. Only four weeks earlier, the camp had been nothing but bush and high grass. Now it contained many structures made from mud and bamboo, which have become the new homes for the IDPs. Thanks to Operation Blessing partners, we were able to provide food and supply packs to hundreds of families. We also had an opportunity to share the love of God with these people during their difficult time.
What grabbed our attention was the way local administrative officers had already marked out and planned a “neighborhood” for the IDPs needing to restart their lives. It included plots for each family, alleyways, and even roads for supplies and aid to be brought in.
A Worthwhile Outreach
The long trip proved to be well worth it. The encouragement, hope, and resources that we brought helped restore dignity to these hurting people and provide vital relief in Mozambique. I’m hugely honored to have been a part of this project. We would never have been able to do it without LifeChild, or without the support of generous Operation Blessing partners like you.
Please continue to pray for the people that we met. And pray the thousands of people who have had to leave everything they know and own to escape the violence in hopes of finding a place of safety and rest.
You can give a special gift today to victims of disaster and crisis at: ob.org/crisis
WORLDWIDE – Security is something most of us long for, especially for our families. But we rarely have to think in terms of being food insecure. For much of the world, and even as many as 10 percent of Americans, a secure and reliable source of food can be hard to come by.
Food insecurity can take on several forms. For some it could mean lacking certain basic nutrients, or a home where parents skip meals to offer more food to their young ones. For others, it could mean ongoing hunger or even malnourishment.
That’s why, with your support, Operation Blessing fights to cut off food insecurity at the root by helping families to help themselves. Agricultural opportunities, skills training, and small businesses make it possible for people to earn more income to better feed themselves and their families—hopefully long into the future. You give them essential tools to help them in a food insecure world.
Agriculture
Mirna and Willy’s family in Mexico faced double tragedies last year between the COVID-19 pandemic and tropical storms that ruined their harvest. This farming couple lives in a tiny home with their seven children between the ages of 4 and 16. When the storm hit, their home and the area around it flooded. After a scary few days, the water subsided, but they lost their chickens, crops, and fruit trees. Mirna grew desperate. Since they reside in a remote area, it’s difficult to find any work. She asked, “My God, what will I feed my children?”
Then you came to the rescue of this precious family! Because you care, Operation Blessing in Mexico was able to deliver more than 150 pounds of native seeds so Mirna, Willy and their kids could replant their future and restart their business.
But you didn’t stop there! You also gave this family over a hundred pounds of groceries like beans, rice, lentils and more to help see them through to their next harvest. This was just one of many families in their village to receive these blessings. Our staff will also return to the village to follow up and offer more support, resources, and workshops for Mirna, Willy, and the others in her community.
Skills Training
Krishna in India is another parent who can feed her two children thanks to you! This single mother wept as she told us, “I owed my landlord 4 months’ rent, and I had to take care of the electricity bill and food expenses. No one wanted to help us. I had lost all my hope to survive.”
Then Krishna found hope through an Operation Blessing mask-making opportunity. There she received training and was even given a professional sewing machine. “I am very happy that I found some help to earn money,” said Krishna. “Now, I can take care of my children.”
Microenterprise Support
In Peru, Dora and Mamerto use their traditional ceramic skills to earn a living. During the pandemic, they had to shut their business down because there was no way to deliver their products. Desperate to feed their two boys, Mamerto tried fishing for food, but guards shooed him home and threatened to take his nets.
When the quarantine ended, sales started picking up, but they were so far behind financially that they had no funds to restock their supplies to continue earning money to support their kids.
Then you made a huge difference for this family! Not only did you give them the needed supplies to keep their business going, you also provided training that should enable them to increase their profits moving forward. Dora said, “Now with all this, I can work much better.”
And Much, Much More
These are just a few of the many people around the world that you bless by providing new opportunities to keep their families fed in a food insecure world. You’re not just giving them a hand out, you’re also giving them a hand up for the future, and helping to make food insecurity a thing of the past. Thank you so much for reaching out to people in need!
KENYA – “Just this week I have gone for four days without any food.”
That’s what Nempaso had to say about the situation in her area. She lives with her children in the Arapal Village of northern Kenya. Recently this village began experiencing a severe drought in Africa. It has devastated her community. Animals are left without water, crops are not growing, and many families are struggling with severe hunger.
Days Without Food Due To Drought
Nempaso did everything she could to alleviate the burden on her children due to the drought in Africa. She would often give them a cup of water and send them to bed. Nempaso never wanted to reveal that they had to no food to her children. She knew it would just devastate them. But her options were limited and time to find nutrition to stay alive was running out.
But that’s when YOUR love stepped in! When Operation Blessing learned of Nempaso’s situation, our staff delivered food supplies to her family and her neighbors! Nempaso could not believe her eyes, as she as her children praised God for the abundance your kindness provided. Thank you! TO learn how you can get involved, visit https://www.ob.org/hunger-relief.
LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA- Meet Mary, a proud life-long resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana. She has lived through countless storms, hurricanes, and severe weather patterns. But she has never experienced anything like the recent flood. As the waters rose, Mary could barely believe it. She had to escape her home. And she watched in horror as several feet of water engulfed her community in a matter of hours.
Flood Damage
When she finally returned, the sight of her damaged home devastated Mary. Now she and so many others desperately needed someone to provide them with flood relief in Lake Charles. She discovered mold throughout the house. All the walls, floors, and furniture had to be removed. On top of that, Mary did not have flood insurance. The task of cleaning up and starting over seemed too expensive to hire help and too big to complete by herself. Mary didn’t know where to turn.
Flood Relief For Lake Charles
But that is when YOU stepped in! Your love made it possible for Operation Blessing teams to travel to her community and provide Lake Charles flood relief. Your kindness supports volunteers who work tirelessly mucking and gutting out these damaged homes, clearing debris, and offering spiritual support to disaster victims. Mary has been blessed by your generosity. Thank you! To learn how you can get involved, visit https://www.ob.org/obdisaster.
FLORIDA – In October of 2018, Hurricane Michael slammed into the Florida Panhandle as a category 5 storm. It made history as one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to make landfall in the United States. Communities all along the coast were left in ruins by the strong winds, torrential rain, and relentless storm surge. And as Denis and Kathy know all too well, rebuilding after a hurricane can take years.
Earlier that year, Denis and Kathy had moved to Panama City Beach. After multiple heart attacks, Denis’ doctors had suggested that the salt air would be good for his health. Just three months after their move, Hurricane Michael turned their dream into a nightmare.
“Hurricane Michael came out of nowhere,” Denis recalled. “In just a few short days, it was upon us. We left. We weren’t going to take a chance with a storm that size.”
When they returned to their home after the storm, what they found looked encouraging—or so they thought. “When we came back it appeared we were in pretty good shape,” Denis said. “It was a couple of months later that the walls started getting really soft… That’s when we knew we had a problem.”
Days Following the Storm
Unbeknownst to Denis and Kathy, the storm had permeated their house with water. Soon, mold began to grow. “The house just started disintegrating around us,” Kathy remembered. “Big pieces of sheet rock actually caved in, and when it caved in we saw that it was black inside the wall.”
Denis and Kathy were forced to move into their garage. While they received some money from their insurance company to help with repairs, it wasn’t nearly enough to cover the catastrophic damage their home had suffered. With Denis’ health issues and without the resources to pay for the repairs, Denis and Kathy grew desperate. Time stretched on without a solution. “I asked God to please help us,” Kathy said. “Please tell us what to do; show us which way to go.”
Then God sent YOU as an answer to their prayers! “We got a call from Operation Blessing, and they told us that they wanted to rebuild our house,” Kathy said. “We just couldn’t believe it. I could hardly talk I was so excited!”
Rebuilding After The Hurricane
Thanks to you, Operation Blessing soon began work on Denis and Kathy’s home. The generosity of Operation Blessing partners like you helps people with rebuilding after the hurricane, even years after the storm has come and gone. The house had already been taken down to the studs. Our team treated for mold before rebuilding with new sheet rock, ceilings, trim, flooring, window framing, cabinets, and more. Denis said, “They built the whole thing back up. Everything that you see they did.”
After two years of living in their garage and a camper in the backyard, Kathy and Denis finally came home again. “I pray that God will open heaven and pour out his blessings on Operation Blessing… I just pray that God will bless you like he’s blessed us,” Kathy exclaimed. “Just come look at my house because it’s a miracle house.”
LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA — Operation Blessing is still hard at work in Louisiana after unprecedented flooding swept through the area in May. Thanks to the compassionate support of friends like you, our staff and volunteers are still giving life-changing aid to victims of the storm. Elridge Dartez, a long-time resident of Lake Charles, needed help desperately. The record-breaking rainfall flooded his house two times within the last year, and he was ready to give up. But thanks to you, Operation Blessing arrived and helped Elridge get back on his feet!
Operation Blessing staff were also blessed to meet with Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. Mr. Nungesser met our staff members as we were clearing out Elridge’s home. “Today I wanted to come by and thank Operation Blessing for the hard work you’re doing here in the community,” he said. Your compassion is changing lives in Louisiana, and we cannot thank you enough! We are still hard at work in Louisiana helping people who are dealing with flood damage. To get involved with our ongoing disaster relief efforts, please visit ob.org/obdisaster. Thank you!
KENYA – Ngaiduana lives with her children in the Arapal Village of northern Kenya. Recently her village began experiencing a severe drought that devastated the community. Animals are left without water, crops are not growing, and many families are struggling with severe hunger. Because of the drought, the need for food for hungry families in Kenya has become a critical issue.
Ngaiduana did everything she could to provide for her children. She could often only find herbs to feed them. Their goats were so weak that they stopped producing milk. Her heart grew very sad, as that of any mother of hungry families in Kenya would.
But that’s when YOUR love stepped in! When Operation Blessing learned of Ngaiduana’s situation, our staff delivered food supplies to her family and her neighbors! Ngaiduana could not believe her eyes, as she as her children praised God for the abundance your kindness provided. Thank you! TO learn how you can get involved, visit https://www.ob.org/hunger-relief.
Operation Blessing is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization dedicated to partnering with YOU to demonstrate God’s love by alleviating human suffering in the U.S. and around the world. For more than 40 years, your love has shown through OB as together we’ve provided hunger relief, medical care, clean water, and disaster relief to millions around the world.
Through compassionate, efficient, and locally-focused programs we are able to target the specific needs of those we serve and provide a gateway for our partners to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus for those who are suffering and in need.
MYANMAR – Many citizens in the nation of Myanmar (formerly Burma) have been living through a nightmare in past weeks. Few Americans are likely aware of this far off crisis in Asia, and even fewer understand it. However, as the military government violently attacks opposing groups, residents have fled to the border region and to nearby Thailand. These Myanmar refugees desperately need our help.
Although minority groups in this nation have struggled for decades, the situation recently came to a head following a coup in early 2021. The country quickly fell into violence, with the new regime attacking civilians who protested the coup. Thousands now seek refuge. Many of them are known as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), as they currently live as refugees within their own nation’s borders. And each of those many citizens has a personal and unique story of tragedy.
A Christian mother of four shared her experience with us. While Naw May’s husband served with the forces opposing the new government, her family’s situation grew more and more dire. She is part of the ethnic group known as the Karen people, who are now being attacked.
“There were shootings and the bullets fell beside our area. The village leader told us to dig a hole for hiding,” she said. “We had only spades and hoes to dig the ground. We used stones and wood to cover the hole.” During breaks between attacks, the family would emerge from the hole to cook and eat. “The battles go on and on. Guns and bombs can come anytime and anywhere.”
Like so many others, Naw May took her children and fled in hopes of finding safety. “The whole village ran away so we had a large group, but we had to separate to hide and run,” she said. They hid in temples and other villages along the way during the three-day journey. “We had to walk along the river and hills, and I carried my youngest child.”
Finally, her family reached safety in one of the Karen people’s camps near the border with Thailand.
And that’s where your love reached out to her, and so many others like her on both sides of the border. You have been sending relief supplies like tarps for shelter, bags of rice, headlights to see in the dark nights, and vital medications. The staff also prays with the recipients during this difficult time.
As Myanmar refugees, it’s hard for Naw May and her children to be away from their possessions, their home, their farm animals, and their father. They have no idea what the future might hold or what they might return to. However, your kindness and support have encouraged them, and she sends her blessings to you.
Please keep the people of Myanmar in your thoughts and prayers. And please consider making a special gift for victims of disasters and crisis today.
MEXICO – Humberto lives in Chiapas, Mexico, with his five young sons. For many years, each day he and his family would journey over an hour by foot to find water, desperate for a clean water solution in Mexico.
They undertook a tiresome trip along a dangerous road. Plants, dirt and rocks covered the path, making the trek a difficult one. But without a water source nearby, Humberto and his beloved sons had no other options. They had to find the water essential to their survival.
The family’s struggle began again every morning. Humberto and his sons each carried containers along the trail to their only water source. They filled their containers before beginning the grueling journey home. Humberto carried up to 10 gallons. Meanwhile, the boys would carry from one to five gallons each, depending on their size and strength.
The Need For Clean Water In Mexico
When they finally arrived home, Humberto and his family had to boil the water they found. Only then could they use it for everyday tasks like cleaning, cooking, washing and drinking. Clean water provided an essential resource that this family could not function without. The lack of a local water source and basic systems such as a pipeline or indoor plumbing made their daily trek to find water a continuous, backbreaking cycle.
Operation Blessing is dedicated to providing life-changing solutions to poor communities around the world in need of clean water. Because of YOUR faithful support, Operation Blessing was able to provide Humberto and his sons with a rainwater catchment system right in their backyard. This would offer the clean water solution in Mexico they so desperately needed. The device harvests, cleans and filters rainwater. This gives the family a sustainable water source that is readily accessible and safe to drink!
The new system has been a true blessing to Humberto’s family. His son, Mario, shared his gratitude that he and his family no longer have to worry about having enough water to survive. “I’m very happy now that I don’t have to go for water,” he said with a smile on his face. “We don’t have to go far away now because we now have it here. Thank you, Operation Blessing!”
