August 2026 Blessings Magazine

blessings OPERATION BLESSING

Your stories of help and hope for a hurting world

YOU BRING

hope

INTO LIFE’S STORMS HOPE BLOSSOMS IN KENYA PA G E 1 0

PORTRAITS OF PROMISE PA G E 1 2

A HEART FULL OF HOPE PA G E 1 4

AUGUST 2026

At a Glance You Are Bringing Hope to Disaster Survivors

Thank you for rushing relief to those in need

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A Child Now Thrives, Thanks to You!

Clean water flows in Finci’s Indonesian village

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Hope Blossoms in Kenya

You helped a mother grow a garden in the desert

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Portraits of Promise

Your love turned hardship into hope for a boy in Ukraine

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A Heart Full of Hope

Friends like you saved a little girl’s life through surgery

Thank You for helping HURTING PEOPLE IN TIMES OF CRISIS!

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

–Psalm 34:18

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WORLDWIDE

You Are Bringing Hope TO DISASTER SURVIVORS Thank you for rushing relief to those in need

D

eadly typhoons. Floods. Earthquakes. This year, devastating storms have battered communities around the globe. Yet in the midst of heartbreak and devastation, your compassion reminded survivors that they were not alone.

Hawaii : A LIFELINE AFTER FLOODING

After days of rain, catastrophic floods tore through communities in Hawaii, destroying homes, roads, and belongings.

“One can’t prepare for that,” said Kiersten, a local mother.

“You just hear the neighborhood screaming and things slamming around, and in those moments, you feel how fragile life is.”

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Thankfully, Kiersten’s family escaped safely, but many neighbors lost nearly everything. Floodwaters and thick mud pushed homes from their foundations, ripped roads apart, and swept away treasured possessions.

Your compassion brought relief to families like Wiwiana and her 8-year-old daughter, Tatyana. After they received boxes of food and hygiene supplies, Tatyana’s smile radiated her relief—and pure joy.

Kiki also received much-needed cleaning supplies and food. “It’s a blessing to have you come and help us out,” she told us. “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” What first looked impossible slowly became a testimony of compassion and unity. Thanks to you, the people of Hawaii could begin taking their first steps toward recovery.

Mariana Islands: COMPASSION AFTER THE STORM

That same compassion reached families thousands of miles across the Pacific in the Mariana Islands.

When fierce winds began to howl against Susan’s house in this U.S. territory, she knew it was the big one. In fact, Typhoon Sinlaku was so powerful that nearby Guam declared a state of emergency prior to its landfall, but many families had nowhere to go.

“Of the many typhoons that happened here in Saipan, this is the worst,” Susan said.

The storm left 43,000 people in the Mariana Islands without power and resulted in the deaths of 12 people. For many, like Susan, the hard part had only just begun: staying alive.

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Families cooked outdoors, waited in long lines for gasoline, and rationed what little food they had. Fallen trees and ruined crops made it difficult to find something to eat. “We need to budget a little bit just to survive with whatever we have,” Susan explained. “We cannot cook; we cannot eat; I cannot feed my grandson. But we try our best.”

Just days after the typhoon, your love reached Saipan. Despite the miles of destruction, your love brought hope. Alongside our church partner, Life in the Sun, and a local restaurant, our compassionate supporters provided 400 hot meals to families desperate for help.

And for those who couldn’t travel, like Susan, you sent the food to them—reminding them of a deeper hope that remains steady even in life’s fiercest storms.

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Venezuela: HOPE

AFTER DESTRUCTION Your kindness also reached families facing unimaginable loss in Venezuela after the worst natural disaster to strike the country in more than 100 years. Not one, but two deadly earthquakes, less than a minute apart, took the lives of thousands of people and left thousands more injured.

The people of Venezuela were already facing an uncertain future due to ongoing political and financial crisis. But friends like you stepped in to met them at their point of greatest need.

Your support made it possible for Operation Blessing teams to rush emergency aid and care 6

to survivors. Together with your compassion and care, we provided much-needed food and medical care to families facing incredible hardship and loss.

A disaster might shake us, destroying treasured possessions and leaving uncertainty in its wake.

But thanks to you, hurting families around the world are discovering something stronger than fear: hope.

Smart Planning Today Will Create a Beautiful Future National Make-a-Will Month is a timely reminder that a will is more than a legal document. It’s a final expression of love and care that demonstrates what you value most.

Creating or updating your will brings clarity for those you leave behind, reduces uncertainty in a difficult time, and ensures your life’s priorities are not forgotten.

Why it Matters

• • •

Peace of mind – Helps make things easier for your loved ones later Clear intentions – Ensures what matters most to you is known and honored Lasting impact – Can include a gift to a ministry you care about

A Reflection of Hope Some of our compassionate supporters choose to prayerfully include Operation Blessing in their will, helping bring food, clean water, medical care, disaster relief, and hope to children and families in need. It's easy to do.

Legal Name: Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation Tax ID: 54-1382657

Take the next step

Request your FREE Will & Trust Guide to help you get started.

800-333-2373 | PlannedGiving@ob.org

A Child Now Thrives, THANKS TO YOU Clean water flows in Finci’s Indonesian village

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ine-year-old Finci has a laugh that lights up her whole village. She loves running with friends, playing in the afternoon sun, and simply being a child. But for years, a quiet and relentless struggle cast a shadow over her childhood. The desperate search for clean water clouded these early years with uncertainty that no child should have to endure.

When Finci’s father died, her mother had no choice but to leave home and travel far away to work on a plantation, just to keep the family afloat. Finci, the youngest of eight children, stayed behind with an older sibling. Life was already fragile, but unsafe water made every single day even harder.

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INDONESIA

Before friends like you stepped in, families in Finci’s community had no better option than to use rainwater pooled in earthen pits or murky water drawn from roadside ditches. It was cloudy. It smelled. It was laced with invisible dangers. And yet this was the only water available for drinking, cooking, and bathing.

“I often suffered from skin rashes and stomachaches and had difficulty concentrating at school,” Finci shared.

A child shouldn’t have to speak those words. But too many do— until someone like you chooses to help.

Your compassion transformed Finci’s life. Clean and safe water flows to her house every day through a rainwater harvesting system. Finci can finally let go of the fear of drinking contaminated water. She can sit in class and actually focus instead of worrying about a stomachache. Most

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This clear and healthy water has truly changed our lives.

–Finci

important of all, she can just be a happy little kid.

“This clear and healthy water has truly changed our lives,” she said.

In places where hardship feels endless, your kindness becomes a real and tangible lifeline. Through the simple gift of safe water, you are bringing healing, dignity, and renewed hope to children like Finci and to families all around the world.

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KENYA

Hope Blossoms in Kenya You helped a mother grow a garden in the desert

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reen is widely considered the color of life. Of renewal.

Vitality. Growth.

But until a few years ago, there hadn’t been much greenery in Mary’s world. Living in Korr, Kenya, this mother of seven struggled to provide for her family in the harsh, rocky terrain of the vast Kaisut Desert. Here, food can be scarce—and fresh, nourishing vegetables hard to come by.

That is, until your kindness made it possible for Mary and other women in her community to raise their own vegetables through sack gardening. The garden enables them to feed their families more nutritious food.

“I never imagined I would one day harvest vegetables from my own home.”

–Mary

“I never imagined I would one day harvest vegetables from my own home,” Mary said. “We used to depend on market days or relief food. But now, I wake up and just pick from here!”

Once used primarily to fetch water and firewood, Mary’s hands now gladly tend to seedlings each day. “These vegetables grow with love,” she said warmly. “I talk to them like they are my children.”

Designed to offer greater food options for people living in arid regions, the sack gardening project in Korr has seen Mary’s hope for the future blossom— as she realizes her family might never have to go to sleep hungry again.

Today, the color green is seen much more often in their village—holding the promise of a new life and new hope for Mary, her family, and her community.

You had an important hand in brightening their world.

For them, it’s not just about food—it’s about dignity, growth, and proving that even in the dry deserts of Kenya, life can flourish when given a chance.

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P O R T R A I T S

O F

PROMISE

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Your love turned hardship into hope for a boy in Ukraine

ven at the tender age of 6, Ilya knew there must be more to life than the storms he regularly faced. He struggled to survive with his parents and eight siblings in a crowded house where opportunities were as limited as the small space they shared. Food was scarce and education wasn’t valued.

How could any child thrive under these conditions? As with most other families in his Roma community, simply getting through each day was a challenge for Ilya and his siblings.

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UKRAINE

“I dream of a nice house for me and my family.” –Ilya But when Ilya heard about a place where children could eat, learn, play, and hear about God, something stirred in his heart.

Because of your love, our Orphan’s Promise Training Center in his area offered a turning point for Ilya. No one told him to go. He simply showed up. Then, he kept coming back.

Isn’t that amazing? Even at such a young age, Ilya was already reaching for a better life. And you helped to provide that for him.

Today, Ilya has the courage to dream of a better future, and this young boy’s words radiate hope.

“I dream of a nice house for me and my family. I understand that in order to have something, you have to be educated. So, I will study, and I will not be poor.”

Through your kindness, Ilya found more than just a comforting place to spend his time. You gave him the opportunity to learn, grow, and begin understanding how deeply he is loved by God. You also helped care for his family by providing food packages and clothing during difficult times. In the middle of hardship, that kind of support reminds vulnerable children like Ilya that they are not forgotten.

And your love didn’t stop with him. As Ilya continued to learn about Jesus, he started sharing what he was discovering with his family—opening the door for them to encounter that same hope. Today, Ilya is thriving in school and at home. The shy, reluctant boy that started at the Training Center has grown into an outgoing child who is eager to learn and help others.

EL SALVADOR

A HEART

full of hope Friends like you saved a little girl’s life through surgery

imena’s parents thought they were taking their little girl to the hospital for a simple checkup. Instead, what they learned turned their world upside down. But thanks to generous partners like you, they didn’t have to walk the journey alone.

After a relative contracted tuberculosis, Ximena’s parents

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wanted to make sure their energetic 4-year-old daughter was healthy. But during the examination, doctors discovered something completely different.

Ximena had a life-threatening hole in her heart.

Too much blood flowed into her lungs, putting dangerous strain on her tiny body. Without surgery, her condition could lead

to heart failure and permanent lung damage. For Ximena’s mother, Gricelda, the news felt like a storm crashing over their family.

“I thought, my first baby has heart problems?” she recalled.

Ximena’s father worked long hours as a truck driver to provide for the family, but the cost of surgery was impossible for them to afford. Still, they prayed and held on to hope that somehow help would come.

As time went on, Ximena became weaker. She tired easily when playing and running, and one day while walking with her mother, she suddenly fainted.

“My daughter turned pale and cold, her lips purple,” Gricelda said. “I knew she could die.”

In the middle of that frightening season, God became “a very present help in trouble” through friends like you.

Because of our generous partners, Ximena received the heart surgery she urgently needed.

Doctors repaired her heart, and the operation was a success.

Today, everything is different.

Ximena can run, play, laugh, and enjoy life like any little girl should.

“Now she doesn’t get tired anymore,” Gricelda shared with joy. “She can run and play.”

Because of you, a little girl’s heart is stronger. Because of you, a mother’s prayers were answered.

And because of you, hope is shining through life’s storms for families like Ximena’s.

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SCAN HERE TO GIVE

WHEN ALL SEEMS LOST...YOU CAN OFFER

hope on the horizon!

When homes are flattened, hearts are shattered, and sorrow overwhelms victims in need—your light can shine bright. Again and again, friends like you have shown up, bringing help and hope in people’s darkest moments.

Will you show up for those in need today?

Visit ob.org/giveblessings

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Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers.

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