You’re Blessing Lives in Extreme Ways

This family's tragedy turned to triumph with an Extreme Blessing Home Makeover.

NORTH CAROLINA – Divya, Terry, and their 12-year-old son lived through the heartache of seeing their home in Lumberton, N.C., destroyed not once, but twice by hurricane flooding. But thanks to The Home Depot Foundation and Operation Blessing supporters like you, their tragedy turned to triumph. They received an extreme home makeover they never imagined.

Divya grew up in Lumberton, and she received her grandmother’s house when she passed away. That place was very special to her and always takes her back to her childhood. She said simply, “It’s home.” So when Hurricane Matthew struck in 2016, the family decided to repair their home and stay put.

They felt certain that Matthew had been a “once in a hundred years storm.” They worked hard to get their home back into shape. Meanwhile, Divya continued working at her small salon in town, and Terry as a corrections officer. Both view their jobs as ministries. Divya said about her husband, “He wants to protect and serve.”

Hurricane Florence Wreaks Havoc

When Hurricane Florence headed their way last year, they heeded the warnings to get to higher ground to make sure they wouldn’t get trapped. And they took all the precautions they could to protect their house.

It wasn’t until after the worst of the storm, when a nearby river crested later that week, that tragedy struck for a second time. Divya experienced the heartache of seeing her home destroyed with contaminated water and mold once again. She said, “For lack of a better word, it’s a disaster… I was kind of numb. You don’t want it to be true.”

Facing the devastating floods for the second time proved truly challenging for the family. But they managed to maintain their faith. In the midst of it all Divya quoted Romans 8:28: “‘All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord.’ So that’s where I’m finding peace.”

As Operation Blessing disaster relief volunteers showed up on the scene to help remove soggy flooring, molding sheet rock, and damaged items from the home, matters began to look up for the family. Little did they suspect the relief they received at that time was just the beginning of the blessings in store!

An Extreme Home Makeover Blessing

On November 27th the couple were given the chance to attend The Tonight Show. But they had no idea the surprise waiting for them there. Jimmy Fallon asked them to stand and share a little about their story. Then, to their shock, he announced that The Home Depot Foundation and Operation Blessing had a huge surprise in store for their family.

Operation Blessing helped the family find a new home in a safer area away from flooding. Then Home Depot and Operation Blessing volunteers teams completely renovated it. They painted and provided new flooring and kitchen cabinets. They filled the house with new furnishings and beautifully landscaped the yard. The team also thoughtfully decorated to make the house feel like a home to the family.

Finally, the Extreme Blessing Home Makeover was ready for the big reveal. The family, who hadn’t seen any of the progress being made, was brought to their renovated home unsure what to expect. Then, OB semi-trucks pulled away. They revealed the new home lined with smiling, cheering volunteers waving signs and holding brightly colored balloons. It was a welcome home unlike any other.

The family’s expressions were priceless as they toured their house with its fresh paint, new furnishings, and fully renovated kitchen. Divya said, “It just felt like home when we entered the door. This is a miracle, because now we feel safe.”

Because of you, their tragedy has turned to triumph and this family with servants’ hearts can finally see purpose in it all. “To the donors and sponsors of Operation Blessing,” Divya said, “thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Fighting Hunger Today and for the Future

WORLDWIDE – According to the United Nations, one in nine people in the world don’t have enough food. And a lack of proper nutrition causes nearly half the deaths in children less than five years old. Those are astounding statistics. It’s clear our world is facing a massive hunger crisis.

But as a supporter of Operation Blessing, you can feel confident that you’re fighting hunger all around the world all throughout the year. In each region and situation, OB staff carefully look at the surrounding issues to choose the solution that will provide the most impact.

Because of this, not only are you helping hungry children, families and individuals with their urgent needs for food and nutrition, you are also helping them in lasting ways that will make a difference long into the future! Here are a few of the ways you are fighting hunger.

You Are Fighting Hunger

Famine Relief

When famine and drought strike vulnerable areas like Kenya and South Sudan, many are robbed not only of food for their tables but also of their income opportunities. Thanks to you, Operation Blessing rushes to the scene to provide immediate relief to the suffering and malnourished.

Agricultural & Farming Programs

In parts of Latin America and Africa, Operation Blessing supporters supply villages and schools with agricultural training, irrigations systems, chicken coops, and farm animals. These offer struggling families and individuals a chance to grow food for their families long into the future and sell the excess to better provide for needs like education and medical expenses.

Nutritional Support

Many children around the world lack the nutrients they need to grow and thrive such as protein and iron. In Burundi, you supply a feeding program for young children in partnership with a local hospital. And through our nutrition programs, you give school children in places like Kenya and Peru the extra support they need. Not only do you supply supplements and nutritious school meals, but in parts of Latin America you also offer cooking classes to teach mothers how to cook healthier for years to come.

Disaster and Crisis Relief

When crisis and natural disaster strikes, basic needs like food, hygiene supplies, and clean water often go unmet. But you send support to disaster victims in dire circumstances. Through hot meals following hurricanes in the U.S. and floods in Mexico; hamburgers for Venezuelan refugees; and the distribution of nonperishable food supplies for earthquake and volcano victims in Guatemala, you help provide relief during the darkest times of crisis and disaster.

Business and Livelihood Support

One of the best methods for fighting hunger long into the future is by offering a hand up rather than a hand-out. Through skills training and small business support, you are changing lives for generations to come. Whether it’s a handicraft business in Latin America, a small store in Africa, training in cosmetology or sewing for women in Pakistan, or one of the many other opportunities available, you are helping families to earn more income to consistently provide food for their children.

A Hunger Strike Force semi-truck is fighting hunger by delivering food to hungry Americans.

U.S. Hunger Strike Force

In the U.S., even many working families have a difficult time making ends meet. You bless them by making possible the distribution of millions of pounds worth of free food to local food pantries and other partner organizations. Large corporations donate food, and with your help, we send out our fleet of Hunger Strike Force semi-trucks to get that food into the hands of those who need it most.

Summer Feeding Program

Here in America, many children depend on free school breakfasts and lunches to get the nutrition they desperately need. These same children often go without food on the weekends and during school breaks. But caring friends like you are making a real difference through Operation Blessing’s U.S. summer feeding program.

Anita’s Angels – Dayton Tornado Relief

Single father, Juan, in his old dilapidated home.

OHIO – Anita Ellis, a 73-year-old retired grandma from Dayton, Ohio, faced quite a traumatic situation the night an EF-4 tornado hit her home. But with God’s help and a few angels along the way, she’s getting through it.

On that night, she had no idea the tornado was on top of her. The only reason she woke up was the sound of breaking glass. That sound – the glass from her next-door neighbor’s car windshield being smashed by the tornado – may have saved her life.

Moments after she got up, a tree came crashing through her roof, right over her bed. The place she’d slept just moments before now lay covered by tree branches and piles of debris. Anita knows that the Lord saved her. Had it not been for the His strong right hand holding her securely, she would have been in that bed when the tree came crashing down, and she might not be alive right now.

The Lord saved Anita, but her home didn’t fare so well. She still faced the task of picking up the pieces after the storm. Even though her insurance would cover the house, she had a decimated shed and piles of debris to cope with. “It’s things I could not do,” Anita said. “I’ve had two back surgeries, arm surgery, hand surgery. I can’t do it like I used to do.”

But thanks to you, Operation Blessing was on the scene providing disaster relief! A few days earlier we helped her daughter Nicole with damage she received from the tornado. That’s when Nicole told us about her mom, Anita. We met Anita and promised to come back and help her too.

Our volunteers showed up and started by praying with Anita, and lifting her spirits. They took the time to listen to her and show her the love of Christ. Then they got to work: hauling off debris, chain sawing that broken-down shed, and helping Anita sort through her belongings. They even found an old picture of Anita from high school days. They were so happy when they found it. The volunteers laughed and told her she looked like a model.

“They were like angels,” Anita said. “It was like I’d known ‘em forever. They’re God’s people.” She also said, “Please donate. They need it so they can bless others, like me. I thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart.”

Without your support, we couldn’t continue to help grandmas like Anita. Thank you for your prayers and gifts, and for supplying Anita’s angels. Please continue to help Operation Blessing and our efforts here in Dayton, Ohio.

Love in Physical Form

Wilson received a life-changing surgery for his cleft lip.

WORLDWIDE – Sometimes love takes on a physical form. Whether through a nurse’s tender touch, a doctor’s lifesaving intervention, a volunteer’s nurturing care, or a bottle of vital medicine, you show your love to the world’s most vulnerable every single day. By partnering with Operation Blessing, you make sure that our many medical programs keep blessing those in need. When they need it most. Thank you!

Life-Changing Surgeries
Through cleft lip repairs that heal smiles, surgeries to restore eye sight, heart operations that save lives, and more, you are literally changing futures around the globe through life-changing surgeries.

Medical and Dental Brigades
In areas where health care isn’t readily available or affordable, you provide physical care through medical and dental brigades. These bring hope and healing to entire communities, enabling them to pursue a brighter and healthier future.

Community Health Workers
Your support allows Operation Blessing to train volunteer Community Health Workers to serve as front line health promoters in remote villages where medical care is hard to reach, bringing vital care and information to those in need.

Medicine and Supplies
When large corporations donate a wealth of medicines, medical supplies, and more, you help us collect, transport, and distribute these gifts. In this way we make the most of your generous support.

Disease Prevention
Often the best treatment is prevention. You provide classes in hygiene, health, dental care and nutrition, as well as health screenings for illnesses like cervical cancer and mosquito prevention supplies.

Finding Joy in the Storm of the Dayton Tornado

This mother and daughter found joy after the storms of the tornado in Dayton, Ohio.

OHIO, USA – When you have a 10-year-old daughter as joyful as Shiloh, it’s hard to feel down. Even if less than one week ago you narrowly escaped a devastating EF-4 tornado, only to be left with downed trees and mounds of debris strewn across your yard. Debris so thick you can hardly take a step without stumbling.

None of these things broke the spirit of Nicole, a 45-year-old single mom in Dayton, Ohio. The only thing that brought her to tears was when she talked about her daughter, Shiloh, and how much she loved her.

A Scary Night as Tornado Strikes

The night of the storm, rain fell hard and hail banged against the windows. Nicole was upstairs with Shiloh and her son, Jimmy. Their TV was turned off, and she didn’t hear any alerts come across her phone. But things sounded pretty bad and she started to grow concerned.

She got up to look out the window, and as soon as she did she was startled by a loud cracking noise. She had no clue what it was, but she knew it was bad. They hurried down to the basement together. Once they got down there the storm hit full force. “You could hear the transformers popping,” Nicole recalled. “It almost sounded like gunshots: pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.”

“We didn’t know how bad it was until we walked outside after it was over,” she said. Trees lined her lawn, many snapped in half and strewn in pieces across the ground. A massive blue spruce in the back yard was uprooted and laying on its side. Limbs from her neighbor’s trees had fallen all across her yard as well. The family couldn’t even get off their street because a huge tree blocked the entire road. It was a dead-end street, and that was the only way out.

Joy Comes in the Difficult Time

But, thanks to your support, Operation Blessing rushed in to help the community of Dayton with disaster aid. As our volunteers walked up to Nicole’s house you could see the relief wash over her face. Someone had come to her rescue. We prayed with her, encouraged her, and then got right to work. We took a chainsaw to those heavy limbs and hauled off the debris. By the time our volunteers finished, a giant wall of branches piled high on the edge of her front yard ready for pick up.

While we worked, Nicole told us her 72-year-old mother, who lives by herself, resides right down the street. Her house was also devastated by the storm. Our volunteers knew just what to do! They asked Nicole to get her mother so they could pray with her and find out how they can help. Nicole’s mother, Anita, will now have Operation Blessing come in to assist her as well!

“It made me tingle inside,” Nicole said, “because you’re just a group of people here to help. I’ve felt nothing but joy all day. This is the most normal I’ve felt in over a week. I’m so thankful.”

Thank you for your prayers and your support for Dayton, Ohio. Without you, moms like Nicole wouldn’t get the help they so desperately need.

Reaching Out to Virginia Beach Shooting Victims

A memorial to the victims of the Virginia Beach shooting.

VIRGINIA, USA – On Friday, May 31, 2019, in one of the deadliest workplace shootings in U.S. history, twelve members of the Virginia Beach community were shot and killed while at work in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. Four others survived the Virginia Beach Shooting, and have been hospitalized.

The generally safe, friendly and tight-knit resort community of Virginia Beach is reeling in the aftermath. Mayor Bobby Dyer called this “The most devastating day in history” for Virginia Beach.

When tragedy strikes, it is so important to come alongside those in pain, and let them know they are not alone. Operation Blessing regularly helps in times of disaster and crisis here in the U.S. and around the world.

In response to the shooting, we raised money to directly help these victims in Virginia Beach. These donations will provide practical help, but perhaps even more importantly, they will let these precious people know that others love them and care deeply about this tragedy.

Thank you for giving generously. Please continue to pray for those who have lost a loved one, and the Virginia Beach community.

From the War Zone of the Dayton Tornado

A sign in the rubble of the Dayton Tornado saying, "Pray for us all."

From Operation Blessing’s U.S. Disaster Relief National Media Liaison, Justin Jenkins, in Ohio

“It looks like someone dropped a bomb in our city.”

As we slowly approached Troy Street, the flashing lights of police cars were shining off the vehicles in front of us. We drove past houses where the roofs were ripped off and debris was strewn across the road. Then we came to a stop in front of something that let me know we were exactly where we were supposed to be. There was a sign – a piece of mangled tin ripped off someone’s roof, cast among a pile of shattered tree branches – with these words scrawled across the surface in purple and blue marker, “Pray For Us All!”

Today, that is exactly what Operation Blessing is here to do. We are here to assess the situation and figure out how we can best meet people’s needs. We are here to meet with local pastors and local emergency management officials. We are here to learn how we can best partner with the local community and bring in resources to help these families in their most desperate times of need. Later, we will bring in supplies to meet physical needs. But today, we are here to meet families devastated by this disaster, pray for them, and show them the love of Christ.

Thank you for praying for these communities and our team as we prepare to deploy volunteers to the hard hit areas.
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Please consider sending a special gift to bless disaster victims today. And check out all the latest info on this war zone and the Dayton Tornado relief efforts.

Medicine For Ailing Venezuelan Refugees

CUCUTA, COLOMBIA – The humanitarian crisis in South America continues as thousands of Venezuelan refugees pour into Colombia. Many emigrants are making stops along the way because of the long journey. The Colombian slum of El Talento, located just across the Colombian border, is full of hungry, tired, and dehydrated Venezuelan travelers. Thanks to generous partners like you, Operation Blessing is bringing medical brigades to these refugees, including treatment from our staff of doctors and free medicine. To learn more about how you can help these crisis victims, visit ob.org/crisis.

Sending Help to Dayton Tornado Victims

The team prays as Operation Blessing sends relief to the Dayton tornado victims.

OHIO, USA – Following a string of deadly tornadoes, thanks to our faithful supporters, Operation Blessing has quickly deployed to the devastated area of Dayton, Ohio.

During one of the worst months on record for tornadoes in the U.S., Monday evening, a dense pack of destructive twisters swept through Ohio and Indiana, sadly leaving at least one victim dead. One of the hardest hit areas was Dayton, Ohio, where a powerful EF-4 tornado tore away roofs, flattened homes and businesses, and left the area looking like a war zone.

Operation Blessing sprang immediately into action, sending a preliminary team to assess the damage. Today we’ll be deploying our Mobile Command Center and a disaster relief trailer filled with tools and equipment to the Dayton area.

In the meantime, our assessment team is meeting with local officials as well as community and church leaders to see how we can best serve tornado victims and to choose our base of operations.

Whenever disaster strikes, like the Dayton Tornado, you send light into the darkest places and hope to those in desperate need. Be sure to check back on how our Operation Blessing friends like you are making a difference with Dayton tornado relief.

On the Front Lines Helping Venezuelan Refugees

COLOMBIAN BORDER – Flies buzzed all around. The smell of feces lingered in the humid air of the decrepit, open-air shelter where Venezuelan families stopped to recover from the strenuous three-to-five-day walking journey.

Forced by the socioeconomic collapse and humanitarian crisis in their country, these Venezuelan refugees had crossed into Cúcuta, Colombia, and had walked up the perilous Colombian mountainside—malnourished, dehydrated, and in need of basic medical aid.

Helping Venezuelan Refugees In Need

This is the heart-wrenching reality for thousands of Venezuelan refugees, but on this day, the staggering need brazenly stared us down at the resting place in Bochalema. A foul, murky river was the huddle spot for the bedraggled migrants to soak their feet, and, shockingly, to fill up their water bottles.

Children were drinking from this polluted river, and the majority were suffering from diarrhea and stomach infections.

Clean Water for Refugees

A few minutes later, kids were drinking from the water filtration system, which pumped the polluted river water and converted it to clean, potable water.

On this day, Venezuelan children saw the love of God in a real, tangible way. Our words were not empty; they were life-giving and provided a vital resource for their survival.

This was possible thanks to the generous support of Operation Blessing partners who, like you, have joined our mission to demonstrate God’s love by alleviating human need and suffering around the world.

Yet the need is ever-growing. As thousands of Venezuelan refugees travel for hundreds of miles to cities in Colombia and neighboring countries, clean drinking water is paramount. We need your support to continue helping Venezuelan refugees. This includes mobilizing and setting up more water filtration systems along the route.

Roberto Torres was on the ground in Colombia, helping Operation Blessing respond to the needs of Venezuelan refugees.