NAGALAND, INDIA – Merry Christmas from Nagaland! During Christmas in India, no Christmas is complete without smoked pork. Watch as we show you how to cook this delicious traditional Indian dish inspired by Christmas in India. This tasty dinner features shiitake mushrooms and axone. What is axone? Axone is a specialty from Nagaland with a unique, pungent flavor. Because it is made from fermented soya beans, it gives the dish a distinctly Indian flavor. This smoked pork dish can be served over freshly steamed rice, or is delicious on its own.
The full recipe is listed at the beginning of the video. And if you want to learn about even more traditional Christmas recipes, you are in luck! Operation Blessing has gathered delicious holiday recipes from all over the world. Go to ob.org/holidayrecipes to learn how to cook more tasty Christmas meals.
Free Christmas Craft Guide Offer
Explore the holidays with this free Christmas craft booklet filled with decoration ideas you make yourself. These include Christmas craft projects from different places around the globe.
Cristina lives in Mexico with her husband. The property where they live with their animals is their own piece of paradise. A paradise threatened with the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. Cristina and her husband earned income by opening their own small store to the community, selling sweet and savory snacks. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Mexico, mass quarantine mandates significantly impacted their financial lives. Income was scarce and competing stores began opening up around the community as people struggled to make ends meet. Additionally there were very few buyers or sellers due to the economic impact of COVID-19 in Mexico. On top of that, Cristina’s sheep was stolen from her barn one night, a sheep she planned to breed and use for income. Cristina was feeling very frustrated and fearful of what the future held.
But thanks to generous partners like YOU, Operation Blessing heard of Cristina’s situation and swiftly responded! OB Mexico delivered bags of rice, beans, oil and more right to her front door. You provided these goods along with supplies for Cristina and her husband to begin growing their own garden, creating sustainability for the years ahead. Thank you for your kindness! Your gifts and prayer support will be multiplied as Cristina is sustained by your generosity. To learn about how you can support men and women affected by the COVID-19 crisis, visit https://www.ob.org/covid19.
PHILIPPINES – After a typhoon destroyed Angel’s home in the Philippines, her family had nowhere safe to stay. Angel and her siblings did their best to sleep through the storm, but they were frightened. “I am scared of the typhoon and strong winds,” she told OB staff. “It makes my chest hurt. But my little sister was scared too, so I covered her with a blanket.”
The typhoon left the family in a dangerous living situation. But due to the COVID-19 crisis, Angel’s father Roland lost his job. The single father built his family a makeshift shanty using scrap wood because he was unable to afford anything else. “I worry about my kids, ” said Roland. “I worry about how I can rebuild my house.”
But thanks to your generosity, Operation Blessing stepped in to help. When OB staff delivered a food package to Roland and his children, they saw how dire their living situation was. And thanks to your support, we were able to build the family a new home. Now, Angel has a safe new home in the Philippines. “We have a new house!” she exclaimed joyfully. “I’m happy!”
This is all thanks to your generous giving during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for the support you show to families like Angel’s at home and around the world. God bless you for your faithfulness.
TANZANIA – Innocent was born with a small cyst on the back of his head that soon turned into a life-threatening health issue. The cyst grew so large, Innocent couldn’t move his head. Ultimately, this child’s life could only be helped through surgery in Tanzania.
Innocent’s mother told OB staff, “He cries a lot, and cannot move his head. At times, he tries to grab at the mass because it hurts.”
Innocent’s life was in danger due to this mass. If it were to rupture, Innocent could have died from meningitis. His mother was unable to afford the surgery her baby desperately needed. “I do my very best to care for him and make sure he does not bump into things. I’m afraid he will die,” his mother said. “I pray every day that he will get treatment somehow and that God will heal him.”
And thanks to you, Innocent did get that treatment for the cyst on his head. Innocent and his mother traveled six long hours to Operation Blessing partner Plaster House, where the baby’s surgery was provided by your generosity.
Thanks to you, Innocent has much to look forward to. The happy baby is growing up big and strong because of your incredible support. “I’m amazed that you were able to help me,” Innocent’s mother exclaimed. “He is such a happy baby now, and has grown so strong. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible!”
This is all thanks to friends like you. Click here to learn more about Operation Blessing’s life-changing surgery program. You are giving the gift of life to patients like Innocent all over the world.
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Operation Blessing is providing hope for victims of Hurricane Delta. The Category 2 storm ripped through Louisiana on October 9th with devastating force. Because of Delta’s high winds and torrential rain, many victims were deeply affected by the storm. Hurricane Delta is the third major storm to hit the Gulf region of the United States, in one of the most active hurricane seasons in recorded history.
Trudy Faulk is one victim who was left without hope, her possessions and home largely damaged or destroyed. After Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Delta, Trudy’s home had sustained severe water and mold damage. But because Trudy’s family is older, and not in the best of health, she was left alone to pick up the pieces of her life. This would be a herculean task for one person to do alone. “I probably would have ended up having to gut the house and move stuff by myself,” Trudy told OB staff.
But you provided hope for Trudy and other victims of hurricane delta when they needed it most. Thanks to your generosity, OB staff arrived ready to work. Operation Blessing helped Trudy remove debris, rip out moldy drywall, and sift through her precious belongings. “It’s awesome. It’s really, really awesome to know that somebody cares,” Trudy said thankfully.
None of this would be possible without your generosity and support. Because of you, Operation Blessing is able to respond in times of crisis. To learn more about how you can get involved, please click here. Thank you and God Bless.
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA – Hurricane Delta made landfall in the United States, hitting the coast of Louisiana. Operation Blessing teams have mobilized and stand ready in Birmingham, Alabama, to respond to the victims of the strong winds and rain. Trucks full of supplies and tools will provide the first stages of relief for these families, still recovering after Hurricane Delta made landfall.
Louisiana’s coast was hit earlier this summer by catastrophic Hurricane Laura, making this an already vulnerable area. But thanks to our generous partners, Operation Blessing’s Disaster Relief team is poised to respond quickly! Your prayers and donations are so helpful as Hurricane Delta victims begin to seek help and support. Thank you for your heart to see these men, women, and children cared for in these trying times.
ALABAMA, USA – Operation Blessing is preparing for Hurricane Delta by pre-staging disaster relief supplies in Alabama. Early in the morning on October 7th, OB sent a team of disaster relief staff down to a safe location. Here, the staff will be on standby, ready to spring into action after Hurricane Delta hits. Please keep our team in your prayers as we spend time preparing for Hurricane Delta.
To learn more about Operation Blessing’s disaster relief efforts, click here. Because of you, we are able to respond whenever disaster strikes. Your generosity provides disaster relief for hundreds of families at home and round the world. Thank you and God Bless.
UPDATE 10/10/20 – Hurricane Delta made landfall as a category 2 storm in Louisiana, following a similar path as Hurricane Laura just weeks ago. Floods and high winds have caused extensive damage in an area that was still reeling from the last hurricane. Tarps were ripped from roofs of homes that have yet to be repaired. Hundreds of thousands are without power. Thanks to you, Operation Blessing stands by to deliver much needed disaster relief just as soon as the storm passes and the pathway is clear.
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GULF COAST – Hurricane Delta has strengthened to as high as a category 4 storm. It is heading across the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. Thanks to friends like you, Operation Blessing is ready to respond.
Although it is too soon to know precisely how strong it will be when it hits along the Gulf Coast, it seems clear that it will strike with significant impact. If you are in the projected path of the storm, we encourage you to be vigilant as you monitor the potential impact and follow the directions of your state and local officials.
Just outside the projected impact zone in Birmingham, Ala, our disaster relief team is currently pre-staging. We are preparing our equipment, conversing with local and state emergency personnel, and standing ready. We have resources available to provide immediate aid and recovery support. OB’s Deployment Manager, Scott Phillips, is on the scene. He said, “We thank you because we cannot do this without your support and donations.”
Disaster Relief in Gulf Coast
Meanwhile we’re still responding to this season’s previous hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, especially with volunteer support to help victims recover from property damage from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana. Over the past weeks we’ve provided huge quantities of food, clean water, ice, and disaster kits to areas throughout the Gulf Coast, as well.
Be a Blessing During Disaster
Please pray for all those who are in the path of Hurricane Delta, and for this monstrous storm to weaken. If you’d like to give a special gift to help disaster victims at this time please visit: ob.org/obdisaster. And God Bless you for caring about people in need.
KENYA – Around the world, COVID-19 has hit poor and struggling communities especially hard. In the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, the lockdowns have prevented many who were already vulnerable from being able to work. These struggling families in Kenya do not even have the opportunity to work.This puts them and their families in danger of going hungry or losing their homes.
Joyce and her husband, Boniface, are two hardworking parents who struggled to provide for their family even before the pandemic. Joyce recalls, “As a mother, there were times I would get very worried, because I did not have any food at all in the house to give to the children. But I never lost hope. I kept praying to God each day that He would provide for us.”
Then the coronavirus caused both Joyce and Boniface to lose their jobs. “Before COVID-19 hit our country, my husband and I were employed,” Joyce lamented. “He worked as a welder, while I was employed as a cook at a local school. But because of the pandemic, both of our workplaces closed. This left us without any source of income.”
Struggling Families in Kenya Plant Sack Gardens
However, even before COVID-19, your compassion reached their family. Thanks to you, OB had helped Joyce and Boniface, and many other struggling families in Kenya, plant sack gardens to provide them with a source of nutritious vegetables. These innovative gardens consist of large sacks filled with fertile soil–an innovative form of personal farming in Kenya, They can produce lots of nutritious veggies and are easy to plant and cultivate.
The gardens that you helped plant began to bear fruit just as COVID-19 sent Kenya into lockdown. The timing couldn’t have been better for Joyce and Boniface. “The sack gardens started thriving just as COVID-19 hit our country,” Joyce said. “We believe that it was God at work. He made the garden thrive just when we needed it most!”
The vegetables grown in their Kenyan garden now provide an important source of food for Joyce and Boniface, and other families facing these difficult times. Thank you for being such a cheerful giver, God has truly blessed what you have done!
“Thank you so much Operation Blessing for this sack garden,” Joyce exclaimed. “You came just at the right time. I don’t know what I would have done without this garden. God bless you so much!”
Cynthia lives in Boerne, Texas. Before COVID-19 hit the United States, her health was already at high-risk as she has been battling stage four carcinoma. Cynthia was devastated from the diagnosis. But matters were made even worse when the coronavirus shut down her office where she has worked for the past 8 years. Her income was cut by more than 75%. Cynthia was forced to choose between buying groceries or paying the utility bill.
Groceries or Utilities?
But thanks to generous partners like YOU, Operation Blessing partner Hill Country Daily Bread in Boerne was stocked and ready with food for struggling men and woman like Cynthia! Your love is providing groceries for Cynthia to be able to feed her family with nutritious food while keeping up with her monthly expenses. Your continued support means she will not have to choose between groceries and utilities. Cynthia is extremely grateful. Thank you for caring for the vulnerable during these trying times.
