Breathing Easy Thanks to Your Heartfelt Giving – Blessings Magazine – December 2019

blessings OPERATION BLESSING

DECEMBER 2019

Stories of how YOU help the hurting around the world.

Breathing Easy THANKS TO YOUR HEARTFELT GIVING

PAYING IT FORWARD PA G E 6

A YEAR OF GIVING FROM THE HEART PA G E 1 0

BLESSINGS COME BACK PA G E 2 1

Happenings

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Catch up with the goings-on at Operation Blessing!

Paying It Forward

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Blessed with food, a family serves their community in the same way

A Year of Giving From the Heart

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Check out highlights of how you helped the hurting in 2019

Inside this this issue issue

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Breathing Easy Thanks to Your Heartfelt Giving

When Darwin needed urgent medical attention, your love was a breath of fresh air

Merry Christmas!

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Learn about a special Christmas gift from us to you

Gifts That Keep on Giving

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You sent widespread change to break the cycle of poverty in Kenya

Blessings Come Back

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Brenda volunteered after Hurricane Harvey, and gets help following Imelda

operationblessing.org | 977 Centerville Turnpike, Virginia Beach, VA 23463 | (800) 730-2537 3

OPERATION BLESSING

HAPPENINGS TEXAS: Victims of Tropical Storm Imelda receive love, support, and recovery help thanks to you.

KENYA: Sharon is getting the surgery, prostheses, and care she needs because of your generous giving.

BAHAMAS: Long after

Hurricane Dorian faded from the news, you continued sending relief to devastated victims in the Abaco Islands.

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ISRAEL: Single mother Oksana is thankful that you sent her the supplies and help to improve her sewing business and support her family.

INDIA: Villagers in remote

areas have free exams and medications because of our partnership with the Smile on Wheels mobile clinic.

IRAQ: As Kurdish

and Syrian refugees flooded into other areas to escape the Turkish invasion, you sent aid kits through the Barzani Charity Foundation.

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WEST VIRGINIA

PAYING IT

forward Blessed with food, a family serves their community in the same way

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lthough she’s endured a lot, Tina has a heart for serving others. Through widowhood at a young age, to being left by her second husband, she found herself without a family to love and cherish. Tina was never able to have children, but she still had a heart to care for them.

That’s why, 28 years ago, she decided to open a daycare in her home.

It was decades later that she felt a tug on her heart to consider foster care.

And through the gift of her son, Josiah, God answered the desire of her heart for her own child. Tina took

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in Josiah, who’s now 11 years old, at just 3 months.

He became a true miracle in Tina’s life.

But years later, Tina began to endure challenges with her health. Her leg became infected and then septic. Overall, it required five surgeries and kept her from work for a year and a half. This proved a confusing and difficult time for Tina.

“Bills still have to be paid whether you’re working or not,” Tina said. “I’m the sole provider of my family and I have to take care of Josiah, the home, everything.

It was hard.”

But early in that process, Tina found Operation Blessing’s partner, Five Loaves and Two Fishes.

This food bank provides groceries to families living in southern West Virginia,

serving 1000 to 1200 homes each month. Thanks to your support, Tina began to catch up on bills due to receiving the free food, which eased the burden on her mind.

“When I went the first time, I didn’t realize until I got it all in the house how much was there, from household supplies down to food. Everything!” Tina said. “It’s like a miracle.”

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Tina and Josiah enjoy a meal together.

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Eventually Tina’s health improved. And true to her nature, she began seeking ways to give back. She now shares the food that she receives with her neighbors and her daycare kids, many of whom come from lowincome households. In addition, Tina and Josiah volunteer at the food bank, a rewarding experience for both of them.

Tina now encourages people to donate to Operation Blessing.

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Through your generous gifts and kindness, families like Tina and Josiah’s have been transformed.

“It’s not about how much you can give,” Tina says.

“I don’t care if it’s not but five dollars! I just know that God said to give. Give it, so we can continue to bless the people.”

With heartfelt givers like Tina and our partners joining together, you are pouring out an abundance of love and hope.

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A YEAR OF

Giving from the Heart

BURUNDI FEEDING PROGRAM

THAILAND WATER WELL

ZIMBABWE CYCLONE IDAI

HAITI MEDICAL BRIGADE

TANZANIA LIFE-CHANGING SURGERY

OHIO DAYTON TORNADO

COLOMBIA VENEZUELAN REFUGEES

NORTH CAROLINA EXTREME BLESSINGS

JORDAN PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

MICHIGAN FOOD DISTRIBUTION

BAHAMAS HURRICANE DORIAN

PERU MICROENTERPRISE

Breathing Easy

When Darwin needed urgent medical attention, your love was a breath of fresh air

PERU

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nastasia began to worry when Darwin had not stopped coughing for nearly a week. With the child just 2 years old, Darwin’s condition concerned his mother.

He wasn’t sleeping well and suffered from a fever.

After a few days, Anastasia grew frantic.

She had much to consider as she weighed her options.

The closest medical center was in a town far from her home. For a mother of five, this journey with baby Darwin would prove almost impossible. Her husband was away on a work trip for two weeks, and Anastasia didn’t even have the money to make the trip.

In her desperation, Anastasia shared her worries with a neighbor who happened to be a community health

volunteer currently training in Operation Blessing’s program. She gave Anastasia the happy news that generous partners like you helped provide a health center nearby in San Jeronimo de Ullagachi to serve the needs of the community.

Locals and neighboring villagers are all welcome to receive care in urgent times.

Anastasia’s neighbor assured her that Darwin would be seen right away and treated for his condition.

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“

He is sleeping fine and is feeling much better now. Thanks so much to Operation Blessing and staff in the health center. -Anastasia

”

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“I did not know they had all of this here, and it’s even close!” Anastasia said. “She also told me they treat you better, quicker, and kinder.”

When Anastasia arrived at the clinic with Darwin, the staff provided a full check-up of his throat and lungs. He was diagnosed with acute bronchitis, a condition common to the area caused by dry, cold weather in the mountains.

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The staff prescribed the proper treatment and provided medication.

Since then, Darwin has been restored to full health and Anastasia has been restored emotionally, knowing that her children can be cared for promptly in urgent situations.

“Since my baby finished that syrup, he is sleeping fine and is feeling much better now. Thanks so much to Operation Blessing and staff in the health center!”

Darwin is now breathing well and Anastasia is breathing a sigh of relief. Thank you for your heartfelt giving that has made a huge difference in his life!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MAY YOUR CHRISTMAS BE MERRY AND BRIGHT, FROM ALL OF US AT OPERATION BLESSING. Thank you for all you do to share the gift of God’s love around the world. To help get you in the spirit of the season, please check out our free Advent devotional at ob.org/advent

KENYA

GIFTS THAT KEEP ON GIVING FIELD REPORT BY OB KENYA MEDIA MANAGER, TIM WAINAINA

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ike the bright morning sun’s rays at dawn, Dora’s smile is bright and warm, her handshake firm, her hug motherly and reassuring. It’s hard to tell all that Dora has been through in her life.

As a mother of seven, Dora has single-handedly done everything possible to provide for her family. She has no education, so finding a job has been a challenge. And without land to farm, her family’s well-being depended solely on her ability to find daily work, which was hard for an aging woman with few skills.

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“I did not have the opportunity to go to school because during our times girls were not allowed to go to school.

Girls stayed home to help their mothers and to learn to become wives.

Because sooner than later, they would be married off,” Dora said.

Whenever she went out to search for work and found none, she dreaded the look of despair she would find on her children’s faces.

“There is nothing more saddening than returning home to your hungry children empty-handed.

It broke my heart, but what could I do? I only prayed to God and waited,” Dora said.

Not only did Dora not have enough food or money to take care of her family, they had no water in her village. Whenever she wasn’t out looking for work, she trekked many

miles through dangerous terrain full of wild animals for water. What she managed to carry back was hardly enough for her family and their few goats to drink.

“There is nothing more saddening than returning home to your hungry children emptyhanded.” -Dora

“I do not wish my children to go through the problems I have had in life, so I am always praying to God to help me take all my children to school. It’s not easy, but I have faith, and now Operation Blessing is here!”

Because of your generous gifts, today Dora and her family have a lot to be thankful for.

Her bright infectious smile tells of the miracles they’ve experienced.

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Several years back, your faithfulness allowed Operation Blessing to build a school in her remote village of Sompet right next to her home.

This made it possible for her younger children to attend preschool, where they learned for free, got a snack, and ate a healthy meal each day.

You also sent abundant clean water right to her village through a new well.

“It’s incredible that just a few years ago, we would go for days without bathing.

Our goats would go without water. But now, we can drink clean water, wash and bathe as many times as we want! God is 18

great!” She laughed as she shared her story.

But you didn’t stop the blessings there. Operation Blessing provided Dora with a plot of land to farm as well as seeds and supplies, so she could grow crops to sustain her family. She’s also part of our poultry project, which generates both food and income. Now her family has plenty to eat and doesn’t have to worry about going hungry.

You’ve given Dora the best gift of all, the gift that keeps on giving—the opportunity to advance in life through hard work!

Dora said, “I can’t thank God enough. I can’t thank Operation Blessing enough for everything you have done for my family. I don’t know what I would have done without your help and kindness. May God truly bless you!”

DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE SPECIAL BENEFITS to DONATING via

stocks OR IRA ?

RECEIVE DOUBLE TAX SAVINGS

Donate stock to OBI and receive double tax savings. You can receive an immediate income tax deduction for the stock’s fair market value and pay no capital gains tax.

GIVE A TAX-FREE GIFT

By giving a “tax-free” gift via your IRA you are turning your required minimum distribution into a gift to help the hurting.

Do you want to know more about your options and give a meaningful gift today? Email plannedgiving@ob.org for more information.

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TEXAS

Blessings

COME BACK IN THEIR TIME OF NEED BRENDA VOLUNTEERED AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY, AND NOW GETS HELP FOLLOWING IMELDA

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ne of the amazing experiences in disaster relief work is the opportunity to bless those who bless others.

But rarely do we actually have a chance to bless someone who’s volunteered with us before—which is exactly what happened with Brenda from Beaumont.

Two years ago Brenda volunteered with us as we helped the good people of Beaumont recover after Hurricane Harvey.

Then came Tropical Storm Imelda. According to the Continued on page 22

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ALABAMA

“Operation Blessing cares so much about the hearts, not just the houses.”

– Brenda

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forecast, Imelda wouldn’t bring nearly the amount of rain that Harvey had, and Brenda’s home had never flooded in over 60 years.

But the morning of the storm, as Brenda enjoyed her coffee, water began to rush into the house.

It covered her ankles and then the tops of her boots “just that quick.”

There was nowhere to escape because the whole surrounding area had flooded. So she and her family sat tight and 22

prayed, hoping for the best. Thankfully, the family and the animals stayed safe, which was the truly important part.

“Our dog was surfing on the mattress,” Brenda joked. But immediately after she broke down and said, “It’s devastating. It’s heartbreaking.”

Although her home only received 6-8 inches of floodwater, it took days to recede. By that time, incredible damage had already occurred. And in

the aftermath of the storm Brenda slipped, spraining her wrist and ankle. She and her husband, Gerald, faced an enormous challenge.

They needed help removing ruined sheetrock, paneling, flooring, cabinets, and more. “Of course I thought about Operation Blessing,” Brenda said, “because I had served with OB during Harvey. And I was hoping you guys would come. And you did.”

The team arrived on the scene to help Brenda and her family, as well as many other Beaumont residents, with their recovery work.

She felt truly thankful and blessed for all you’re doing to assist her community.

She said, “You’re helping a whole lot of people who’ve lost everything….

Operation Blessing cares so much about the hearts, not just the houses.”

As someone who has been on both sides of disaster relief, Brenda strongly encourages

whoever is able to volunteer with Operation Blessing.

She said, “You will get blessed more than the person you help. Trust me.”

During this difficult time, Brenda has found joy in catching up with old disaster relief friends and making new friends among the volunteers as well. In the true spirit of Southern hospitality, she said, “I wish I could fix you up a huge meal and serve you iced tea.”

As a final thought, Brenda said, “Donate, donate, donate. Please donate to Operation Blessing, because they do so much for so many! And they can’t do it without your help.”

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URGENT YEAR-END NEED! Don’t make them wait another moment for the help they so desperately need. Visit ob.org/urgentneed

operationblessing.org

977 Centerville Turnpike Virginia Beach, VA 23463 Copyright Š 2019 by Operation Blessing

(800) 730-2537