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.
Hurricane Sally victims in Florida need help. Thanks to friends like you, Operation Blessing is sending vital disaster relief supplies like ice, water, food, and recovery items to help them get back on their feet after the huge storm devastated their community.
Hurricane Sally Strikes
This week Hurricane Sally, a category 2 storm, slammed into the Gulf Coast. Areas like Gulf Shores and Pensacola were especially hard hit.
In addition to causing floods and damaging homes and buildings, the storm left around a half a million people without power. The ice you sent to Hurricane Sally victims is vital to keeping their food supplies cold, and the water and groceries you provided will help keep them stocked until the crisis passes.
You also sent tarps for damaged roofs and THDF disaster kits full of cleaning supplies that can be difficult to access so soon after a hurricane.
Providing Help for Sally Victims
Our partner on the ground, Brownsville Church, is making sure these supplies get into the hands of victims who so badly need them. And they’re so very appreciative for your help.
Our outreach to the victims of Hurricane Sally is continuing to expand. Disaster kits from our faithful partner, The Home Depot Foundation, have arrived in Florida. We’re now partnering with Liberty Church as well, and reaching out to more churches in the area as potential disaster relief distribution centers.
UPDATE 9/18 – Our first shipment of ice, water, food, tarps and bags has arrived to Pensacola, Florida. It’s been distributed to victims of Hurricane Sally by our partner on the ground, Brownsville Church. They’re so grateful that friends like you are sending disaster relief at this time, especially as so many struggle without power. Much more help is still on the way.
GULF COAST, U.S. – During what some suspect will be a record storm
season, the Gulf Coast has been struck once again. Hurricane Sally hit the
coast as a Category 2 storm, and the massive tropical system packed a strong punch
for Gulf Shores and a huge area from Alabama to Florida.
Strong winds and torrential rainfall caused extensive damage and flooding. In some areas, highways became waterways, walls were ripped from buildings, and bridges were damaged. Hundreds of people needed to be rescued, and approximately 500,000 have lost power. As the storm continues to cause harm, at least one death has already being connected to Hurricane Sally.
Disaster Relief for Hurricane Sally
Although still hard at work helping victims recover from Hurricane Laura, thanks to you, Operation Blessing is sending help to Hurricane Sally victims as well.
Trucks with disaster kits, ice and other vital disaster relief supplies are already on their way to the area. We are also continuing to monitor the situation to assess more opportunities to bless the people of Alabama and Florida.
JORDAN – Imagine if you will: Islamic extremist overrunning your home city with terrifying violence. You grab your family—along with a handful of belongings—and suddenly become persecuted Christian refugees on the run.
In desperate fear for your life, you flee down dark roads
through the night. So many have already died. Eventually you reach the safety
of Jordan, a neighboring country much more accepting of your faith, and you
breathe a deep sigh of relief.
The New Nightmare For Christians
But your nightmare is not really over. Not yet. In your new
country, you’re denied refugee status, which might afford you a right to
assistance. At the same time, you’re not given resident status, a work permit,
or access to public education for your children either.
Yours is one of thousands of Christian families termed
“guests” in this nation; you have few rights or recourses as you await the
decision that determines your future. The small savings you managed to bring
with you from home is quickly running out. And this goes on…for years!
Persecuted Christian Refugees Need Our Help
This is exactly the situation for far too many Christian refugees right now. Although they escaped the terrible persecution of terror groups, their hometowns in Iraq and Syria have been decimated and remain unsafe. These Christians still suffer for their faith. Caught in limbo as refugees in places like Jordan, they badly need us to help.
And wonderful friends like you have stepped up to do exactly
that! You are blessing these dear people with the humanitarian aid they need
like food, supplies, and medical clinics.
Friends like you also helped provide a wonderful Christian school for refugee children who don’t have access to education. Even during the COVID-19 crisis, Christian refugees continued to be blessed with food, and the children took their school classes online just like here in the states!
You’re also supporting persecuted Christians in places like
Kenya and Pakistan. Thank you so much for your love and for reaching out to
suffering brothers and sisters around the world with hope and encouragement.
Nancy Ryan is a single-mother and grandmother living in Lake Charles, La. When Hurricane Laura hit her community, her home was completely destroyed. A few years ago, Nancy had to recover after Hurricane Rita, but Laura left her house unsalvageable. Nancy has been spending her days recovering what she can of her belongings, but finding a place to stay has been a challenge. All nearby hotels are full and her daughter’s home in town was also destroyed. Nancy has resorted to living in her shed in the meantime, but many singles were blown away in the storm. She felt overwhelmed and devastated after her home was destroyed by Hurricane Laura.
Operation Blessing Volunteers Arrived to Help Nancy in Her Time of Need
But thanks to generous partners like YOU, Operation Blessing teams arrived to help Nancy in her desperate hour of need! You made it possible for volunteers to tarp her roof, clear debris, and clean up the tree branches in her yard after her home was destroyed by Hurricane Laura. More than that, your love transcended time and space to offer encouragement to a woman in the midst of trouble. Thank you for your heart to see Nancy supported as she continues to recover from Hurricane Laura.
Danielle is a single mother in Georgia fighting for her family amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Before COVID-19 hit the United States, she was living with epilepsy and Grave’s Disease. So when high-risk individuals were recommended to be extra careful, Danielle decided to leave her job in the medical field. She suddenly found herself with no job, no income, and no sight of when the mass lockdown would come to an end. She was struggling to decide whether to pay for electricity or food for her children.
Your Generosity Helped This Georgia Single Mother
But thankfully, Danielle saw a flyer for Operation Blessing partner Destination Church in Blackshear, GA, and her life was changed. Thanks to YOU, Danielle and her family can now regularly visit DC Downtown to receive food supplies while their budget is tight. Thank you for your heart to see a single mother supported in these trying times!
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Volunteering with Operation Blessing is a great way to give back to the community after disasters like Hurricane Laura. Hurricane Laura devastated Lake Charles, leaving massive trees downed and many homes severely damaged. Because of the widespread destruction caused by the storm, OB is in dire need of volunteers. Ivonne Adame is one individual who gave up her time to volunteer with Operation Blessing. “There’s such a big need here,” Adame said. “And mostly for volunteers. These things can’t get done without hands.”
Volunteers like Adame are a great help to Operation Blessing staff during cleanup. Like Adame said, things cannot get done without the hands of generous volunteers. When you volunteer with Operation Blessing, you will receive all the tools, supplies, and first class volunteer coordination that you need to make the most of your time on the ground. And knowing that you are helping people at their most vulnerable is a great gift. “It’s been amazing to get the opportunity to come out here and get to help them!” Adame exclaimed joyfully.
We here at Operation Blessing thank God for all of our wonderful volunteers. Please click here to learn more about volunteering with Operation Blessing. Because of you, we are able to respond to crises like Hurricane Laura. Click here to show your support for disaster victims here at home and around the world. Thank you!
