You’re
At a Glance
Portraits
A Tomorrow Full of POSSIBILITIES
Your love kept a family in Thailand together
I magine having to choose between your children going hungry and sending them away so you could find work in another country. That’s one of the difficult choices a woman named Phraeowanit faced not too long ago—a choice this loving mother couldn’t bear to make. Thankfully, God provided another way, through you!
“Some days we had no money,” she recalled. Even though Phraeowanit had a business selling chicken at the market, she didn’t earn enough to cover operating costs, let alone the children’s school fees. “Paying bills felt impossible … it was so stressful.”
MY CHILDREN ARE MY TOP PRIORITY
Despite her best efforts, her food stall had fallen into disrepair, but she had nothing left to fix the floors or the exhaust system. When she couldn’t afford ice to store her products, precious food often spoiled.
Phraeowanit truly feared her children would starve if something didn’t change. “I blamed myself— that I was a bad mother.” But she continued crying out to God, and your compassion intervened when she needed it most!
The generosity of our faithful donors provided ingredients, equipment, and training in finance and management, so that this dedicated mother could renovate and relaunch her food stall with maximum potential. Phraeowanit expanded her stock to include both chicken and pork, and with a new refrigeration system she no longer worries that food might spoil.
Phraeowanit’s children have also become actively involved in the
Phraeowanit, mother of four
business—measuring ingredients, steaming rice, and taking care of the chickens. After a year, she reports that she is now earning enough money to cover her debts, household expenses, and school fees for her children! She no longer worries that they might starve or that she may have to leave them to find work. “I don’t have to be far away from them,” she said. “I just want to be near them.”
You have given Phraeowanit
and her children the financial freedom and stability they needed to become a stronger family, physically and spiritually. And she says, “I thank God for you.”
HUNGER CAN DESTROY FAMILIES … BUT YOU ARE PROVIDING SOLUTIONS WORLDWIDE
THE
billion people cannot afford a healthy diet.
3.1 million people suffer from hunger around the world.
PROBLEM THE ANSWERS YOU PROVIDE
2
783 million children die every year from malnutrition.
*ActionAgainstHunger(2023)
A Future Restored in Ukraine
YOU’RE HELPING SURVIVORS OF WAR FIND HEALING AND HOPE AGAIN
In wartime, bombs fall on military and civilian alike, often with dreadful consequences. For Olexiy, living in the Donetsk region of Ukraine where shelling is fierce and frequent, life changed in an instant.
The day started much like any other. Olexiy had finished his shift at work and returned home to help his mother around the house, then tend his chickens and rabbits. Suddenly a Russian shell exploded nearby—throwing his world into chaos.
The blast shattered his left forearm, leaving Olexiy with what doctors called an “explosive injury” that would require a complicated surgical procedure involving bone grafting. “My hand was basically nonfunctional,” Olexiy said. “The injury left me unable to work.”
In fact, the trauma specialist told him that if the injury wasn’t treated properly, Olexiy would be permanently disabled—unable to support himself, much less a future family. But the advanced surgery and metal reconstruction he needed were far beyond what he could afford.
That’s when you stepped in.
Because of compassionate friends like you, Operation Blessing provided the orthopedic implants Olexiy needed and made
“Once my arm heals, I plan to work and just live my usual life.” Olexiy My hand was basically nonfunctional. “ ”
the surgery possible. He underwent the complex operation—and thanks to your generosity, healing is now within reach.
“I am glad that I can live and work fully with my left arm,” Olexiy said gratefully. “Once my arm heals, I plan to work and just live my usual life. Start a family, have children. … What else is needed?”
Since the start of the war, Operation Blessing has been offering emergency food, water, blankets, and generators—as well as critical, life-changing surgeries. For survivors like Olexiy, your love has meant the difference between despair and hope, creating a brighter tomorrow.
PROMISE PORTRAITS OF
How you blessed schoolkids in Kenya through a poultry farm
In the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya, Naneu is one of many children excited to go to the preschool that you’ve help provide for them. But for this young girl, there is a clear favorite among the school’s offerings. Where many children might choose the playground or the colorful classroom, Naneu’s attention is drawn to something different.
“The farm is my favorite part!” Naneu gushed, her voice bubbling with excitement.
A bustling poultry farm sits on the school’s property, housing dozens of hens and bringing endless happiness to the students like little Naneu. Most importantly, the farm provides a stable source of nutritious food in a region filled with poverty and need, where hunger among children is a constant reality.
“Thank you for giving us free meals that help us grow strong and stay healthy!”
Naneu, student
“Before we had the poultry farm, I barely used to eat eggs,” Naneu said. “Thanks to the farm, I get to eat eggs three times a week at school!”
Not only did generous partners like you give these kids an education, you have provided generous funding to the poultry initiative as well, filling a critical nutritional gap for the
students. These eggs are often part of the only reliable meals the children can count on—since, for some, what they eat at school could be all they receive that day.
Naneu continued, “Our teachers tell us that eggs are very good for
Continued on page 10
EGGS, EDUCATION, AND Everyday Miracles!
Continued from page 9 us because they have important nutrients. I can run faster and play longer with my friends because of the good food we get at school.”
Thanks to the faithful generosity of supportive friends like you, hundreds of children have been nurtured and cared for through this school. Your compassion is showing children like Naneu that they matter and are loved. Just as the school gives them promise of a brighter future, each egg helps to tell
the story of dignity recognized and childhood preserved.
“Thank you for giving us free meals that help us grow strong and stay healthy,” Naneu said. “I love coming to school, and I love learning new things every day.
I am very happy and grateful!”
GIVE AND RECEIVE
Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) Payout Rates Are the Highest They’ve Been in 16 Years!
Donate cash, stocks, or a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to support Operation Blessing and receive fixed payments for life—at the best rates in over a decade.
BY MAKING A GIFT TO OPERATION
BLESSING, YOU SECURE:
• Higher fixed payments for life
• Potential tax benefits
• A transformative impact for God’s kingdom
Don’t miss this opportunity! Connect with our planned giving specialists today to learn how you can maximize your giving while securing lifelong income.
FROM ASHES to action
You made it possible for Brian to rebuild in Los Angeles
Life in Altadena, California, was never easy—but it was home. For Brian, that meant smiles on familiar faces, the echoes of his mother’s encouragement, and the tools of his trade as a local business owner and track coach. Fires had threatened the mountains before, but they had never reached his doorstep.
THAT CHANGED IN AN INSTANT.
“I saw embers fly down the driveway,” Brian remembers. “I turned and looked at my son sleeping on the bed and I said, we’re out of here.”
As the wildfire consumed everything in its path, Brian fled— hoping, praying, that somehow his home and livelihood would be spared. But when he returned, all he found was ash. His home, his plumbing tools, and the specialized track coaching equipment he used to mentor young athletes—gone. “You still have your memories,” he said. “But there are some things you never get back.”
Brian’s story could have ended in despair. But thanks to compassionate partners like you, Operation Blessing was there to meet him at the moment of greatest need.
Operation Blessing’s president, Gordon Robertson, stood beside Brian in the rubble and shared how your support made it possible to replace every essential tool he needed to get back to work.
From basic plumbing equipment to a high-tech running timer for coaching—so much of what Brian had lost was being restored. “It’s a true blessing,” Brian said. “It’s overwhelming.”
Rebuilding doesn’t just happen with tools and materials—it happens with heart. “The people want to rebuild,” Brian said. “We want to be ‘[Alta]Dena’ Strong. One big community. One family.”
Because of you, Brian’s tomorrow is looking brighter. He can work again. He can coach again. He can lead again.
“One big community. One family.” –Brian
KINDNESS Flows in Peru
A community’s journey to clean water thanks to friends like you
Imagine living in a world where you don’t have access to water in your home. No water to cook, to drink, to shower. For Reyna and the people of San Jerónimo de Ullagachi, no imagination is required because this was their reality. “Our old well does not provide enough water for everyone,” said Reyna.
At over 9,000 feet above sea level, in this remote village in Peru, an hour-long journey to gather water is a daily task for many people in Reyna’s community. And the water they bring home after their long, hard trek isn’t even safe to drink and can cause sickness.
Operation Blessing saw how dire this community’s need for clean water was, and—thanks to friends like you—we were able to provide a solution.
Your kindness helped provide 61 families with clean drinking water and access to sanitary restrooms at every home.
Operation Blessing installed a water system that treats the water and distributes it through the village.
“Now my family and I are very happy,” said Reyna. “The water we received is safe to drink without worrying about getting sick.”
Because of your thoughtfulness, Reyna, her family, and their
Reyna now has water that is safe to drink right outside her home.
community can focus more time on earning income and spending time raising their children. You restored dignity and hope to a neighborhood that was drowning in despair.
“Thank you very much, Operation Blessing, for making our dream of having water come true!”
You restored dignity and hope to a neighborhood that was drowning in despair.
