OPERATION BLESS ING INTERNATIONALJULY 2015

Blessingsoperationblessing.org

Rescued From the Rubble

Disaster relief teams come to the aid of two-year-old Bihani who was

pulled from the debris after the Nepal earthquake

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A Message from THE PRESIDENT

Bill holds a solar-powered H2gO unit like the ones used to disinfect water in remote mountain villages in Nepal following the April earthquake.

Recently, a person sitting next to me on a plane noticed the OBI logo on my shirt and asked me what we do. It was a long flight, so I explained the many humanitarian efforts we are engaged in. Just before we landed he

asked, "Of all the ways that your organization has found to help the poor, what is the single most important strategy that you use?" I didn't have to think for long: providing safe drinking water prevents more disease, death and human suffering than anything else we do.

Historically, we drilled thousands of wells, each providing a village with safe water and freedom from the scourge of water-borne disease. In recent years, however, the quality of ground water has dramatically changed for the worse. Contaminated aquifers have caused us to develop strategies that turn bad water into safe water.

We started using chlorine in disaster relief about ten years ago, then, follow-ing the Haiti quake in 2010, began using electrolytic technology to manufacture our own chlorine. We add salt to water, run it through specialized equipment that turns the solution into chlorine. The beauty of chlorine is that just a tiny dose (2 or 3 parts per million) kills disease-causing elements and also disinfects the containers people use to carry and store the water. Since 2010, we have deployed chlorine generators all over the world.

As I write this column, OBI teams are engaged in Nepal quake relief where safe water supplies are scarce. We are manufacturing and distributing enough chlorine to disinfect over 800,000 gallons of water a day! We use small motorcycles to deliver jugs of chlorine all over the city and charter helicopters to reach remote mountain villages where we distribute small, handheld, solar powered chlorine generators. By disinfecting contaminated drinking water we save more lives and alleviate more suffering than anything else we do.

May God bless you,

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A Message from THE PRESIDENT 4 Off the Streets Operation Blessing brings nutritious meals, education to children in Havana

6 A Steady Stream of Blessing The special gift of water for a small village in Thailand

11 Finding More Than Food A struggling single mom finds the help she needs at an Operation Blessing-supported food pantry

12 Escaping ISIS Forced to convert to Islam or die, Bashar and his family flee Iraq for their lives

14 Every Time it Rains A little boy and his mother receive the life-changing gift of a new home to protect them from the elements

Inside this issue Cover PAGE 8

Rescued From the Rubble Disaster relief teams come to the aid of two-year-old Bihani who was pulled from the debris after the Nepal earthquake

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CUBA

OfF ThE StreetsYoung Retzel has grown up

largely on the streets of Havana, Cuba — without

parents to watch over and raise him.

He lives with his aunt in a tiny, one-room apartment in less than ideal condi-tions — she does what she can to get by, but the struggle to provide for Retzel is a daily concern.

He is one of many “street kids” in Havana, whose parents have left in search of work or migrated to another region. Some are orphaned, others abandoned. Like Retzel, they live with extended family members who have opened their doors to these children in need. But without con-structive activities, these children languish. And as they grow into teenagers, many are expected to learn to take care of themselves.

Thanks to Operation Blessing partners, OBI is working in the heart of Cuba to aid struggling children like Retzel through a special program that provides daily nutritious meals, tutoring, homework help and even weekend events to give the children hope for a brighter future. ◆

Operation Blessing brings nutritious

meals, education to children in Havana

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OfF ThE Streets

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Jeom and his neighbors would often wish for rain, hoping enough would collect in the gutters and containers they set out to provide drinking water for their families. Other than rainwater, the only water

sources available to the small village were a few shallow wells. Jeom, a farmer like most of the other villagers, would have to wait in

long lines to get water for his family, but the wells rarely provided enough and would often stop flowing altogether dur-ing the dry season.

“We had a lot of trouble getting the water we needed,” Jeom said. “We had to wait for many days without water until the water started flowing again.”

Operation Blessing came to Jeom’s village and installed a well that provides a steady stream of safe, clean water that Jeom and his family can use whenever they want.

“We give [Operation Blessing] our highest thanks for sharing this water with us. Thank you!” ◆

THAILAND

A Steady Stream of Blessing

The special gift of water for a small village in Thailand

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∂Live your faith.

Bless the least of these.

Do unto others.

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∂

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When a 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook the foundations of Nepal in April, two-year-old Bihani’s mud brick home collapsed with her in it. It was a moment that changed her life forever.

She was pinned beneath the rubble, unable to free herself from the debris. Her mother, just a few feet away from her, did not

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Disaster relief teams come to the aid of two-year-old Bihani who was pulled from

the debris after the Nepal earthquake

NEPAL

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survive the collapse.Miraculously, Bihani sustained only bruises

and scrapes and she was quickly pulled from the rubble. She was taken in by her aunt and lived with her extended family in a makeshift tent as they had lost nearly all their posses-sions during the quake.

An OBI disaster relief team arrived in Bihani’s village to install a community water sta-tion for safe drinking water, utilizing special H2gO units — handheld devices that can produce a high-grade chlorine solution out of salt and water, which can then be used to disinfect whatever water is locally available during times of crisis. In fact, Bihani received the honor of being the first person in her

community to turn the faucet of the water station.Operation Blessing also provided desperately-needed relief including

food supplies, blankets, flashlights and more for Bihani’s family and others in her village.

“Bihani’s uncle told me of their ordeal and how they were so relieved to

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Operation Blessing’s David Darg, vice president of international operations, trains local leaders how to use a handheld H2gO unit to produce chlorine and disinfect drinking water.

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have rescued her,” said David Darg, OBI’s vice president of international operations. “He explained that they lost almost all of their possessions and their food stores, so they were very grateful when Operation Blessing came to their village to deliver aid.”

Operation Blessing responded immediately after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake ravaged Nepal, killing thou-

sands and leaving many more homeless. Thanks to Operation Blessing partners, relief teams were able to provide safe water, food and other critical supplies in short supply after the devastating quake.

“So many Nepali have experienced trauma and loss beyond imagina-tion,” Darg said. “For Operation Blessing to come deliver supplies not only provides a life-line, it provides hope.” ◆

Operation Blessing teams distributed several tons of critical supplies that women carried back to their mountain homes in the Himalayas.

“All the villagers love [Bihani],” Darg said, “and I had the sense that she will be well

taken care of in a loving environment.”

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A struggling single mom finds the help she needs at an Operation Blessing-supported food pantry

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GEORGIA

FINDING MORE THAN FOOD

Christie worked hard at her full-time job as manager for a fam-ily owned restaurant, but after her divorce, it was simply not enough income to provide for her nine-year-old daughter,

Marli, and 68-year-old father, Phillip, who was very ill. Struggling financially and finding it extremely difficult to put

meals on the table for her family and manage the growing pile of bills, Christie knew they needed help, but didn’t know where to turn.

Someone told her about an Operation Blessing-supported food pantry in her area, and though it was hard for Christie to ask for help, she went and found more than just the food her family desperately needed — she found support, love and encouragement.

“The people [there] were so welcoming and non-judgmental the first time that I went, which made things a lot easier,” Christie said. “They provided me with so much great food that we were able to eat through the month and I was able to put that money towards paying the bills — it really is a lifesaver.”

Christie now has a new job that provides enough income to sustain her family’s needs and get them back on their feet. So impacted by the love and support she received from Operation Blessing and its partners, she now enjoys giving back financially to help other families in need. ◆

Christie receives nutritious groceries from the food pantry to feed her family

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TURKEY

ESCAPING ISIS

To Bashar and his wife, Marlin, it seems like a lifetime ago that they were peacefully living in Iraq — he worked hard as an English teacher, and they were invested in raising their three children.

But when militant ISIS forces took control of Mosul last year, they were threatened. They would be forced to convert to Islam or be killed.

“Christianity, my religion, respects all other ones,” Bashar said, “but these guys (ISIS), they don’t. They started recognizing us because of our names.”

The couple changed their names in an attempt to protect their family, but it was impossible to continue living in Mosul without being forced to

Forced to convert to Islam or die, Bashar and his family

flee Iraq for their lives

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denounce their beliefs.So Bashar and Marlin fled to Turkey with their children. There they

remain, safe but in tenuous circumstances as they await the next step.“I can’t go back to Iraq,” Bashar said. He wants the best possible futures

for his little girls, so they wait for approval to move to a safer country. But the law does not allow him to work meanwhile, so he is unable to earn an income to provide for his children.

Operation Blessing is aiding ISIS victims in Turkey by providing much-needed resources such as food, hygiene supplies, medicine and more. OBI teams also started a feeding program for refugee children up to 12 years old who are attending a makeshift school run by refugee volunteers. Teams even provided school supplies so these children can continue their educations.

Thanks to Operation Blessing partners stepping in to fill the gaps, refu-gees like Bashar have the supplies they need to take care of their families while they transition into their new lives, away from the threat of ISIS. ◆

ESCAPING ISIS

Refugee children attend a makeshift school.

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PERU

For the past few years, seven-year-old Cristian and his mom Miguelina would have to leave their home in Iquitos during the rainy season and relocate to a higher elevation.

Their home, which was in extremely poor condition and had several holes in the roof, was unlike most homes in their village — sitting only four feet off the ground. This was not high enough to protect them from the flood waters that some-times reached over nine and a half feet, forcing them to spend months living away from home in the only other shelter they had — a small tent.

“I don’t like to go away from my house,” Miguelina told Operation Blessing staff. “I feel sad because staying in a tent with very little space is not the same as your own home.”

But even when they lived at home, Cristian and his mom were at the mercy of the elements, because they couldn’t afford the materials needed to repair their home.

“Sometimes I feel like my house is going to collapse, and I get sad and I pray: Lord, do not let my house collapse,” Cristian said. “I

A little boy and his mother receive the life-changing gift of a new home to protect them from the elements

Every Time it Rains

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pray every time it rains.” Operation Blessing learned of little Cristian’s situation and

immediately started the process to build a new home for him and his mother before the next rainy season. Teams built a sturdy

house that stands ten feet above the ground — high enough to escape seasonal flood waters — and has a roof that doesn’t leak, providing the protection needed all year round.

Teams also helped set up Miguelina with a microenterprise business to help her provide for

young Cristian; even providing a new cart she can use to sell candy in their community.

“Thank you so much Operation Blessing for my new cart and everything you are doing for my family,” a very grateful Miguelina said.

Now, every time it rains, Cristian can rest assured that they will be safe and dry in their new home.

“I’m happy in my new house,” Cristian said. ◆

“I pray every time it rains.”

– Cristian, seven

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Miguelina's new micro-enterprise business selling candy in her community.

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Copyright © 2015 by Operation Blessing International, P.O. Box 2636, Virginia Beach, VA 23450. For more information, call (800) 730-2537 or visit our website at operationblessing.org

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