OPERATION BLESS ING INTERNATIONALAUGUST 2015

Blessingsoperationblessing.org

Safe Water for Students

A water project brings hope to a little girl and her struggling

community in Honduras { P A G E 8 }

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A Message from THE PRESIDENTBill visits the site of a new project in the mountains of Haiti aimed at providing families with safe water.

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Of all the places I have ever been, I've never seen greater suffering than in

a country only 90 minutes by air from Miami. Haiti is a place where the

average person is poorer and more vulnerable to disease and crime than

anyplace in our hemisphere. But in spite of torturous challenges, most Haitians are

cheerful, peaceful believers who work hard every day.

When even a mild natural disaster strikes Haiti, its effects are catastrophic;

there are no public safety nets. Most Haitians must depend on each other and a

network of small churches led by heroic pastors on shoestring budgets. By working

with and through local pastors, we can most effectively reduce suffering and make

real, sustainable changes.

Recently, a remote mountainous area suffered a drought; it didn't rain for

about five months. A pastor called and asked for help. We sent tanker trucks filled

with chlorinated water and provided a lifeline to 10 villages for several weeks until

rains came. Our efforts were fruitful because we worked through local pastors who

organized orderly water distributions that ensured free, equal and fair distribution.

While there, we discovered a deeper problem: Almost half of the children

were dying before reaching age five. There's no safe water available in the region.

Parents have no choice but to let their children drink contaminated water, so

disease runs rampant. We are now training several lead pastors and community

health workers, equipping them with chlorine-producing equipment that will

enable them to disinfect drinking water so their ministries can become hubs of

healing and prevent waterborne disease and death.

Many people think that Haiti is hopeless. Don't believe that for a minute!

Haiti is full of God-loving people who are brimming with promise. Significant

progress is being made and we can do much more. Please continue to help us help

places like Haiti.

May God bless you,

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A Message from THE PRESIDENT 4 Food for Josephine’s Family An Operation Blessing agricultural program in Kenya provides hope for struggling families

6 Rescued from a Brothel A young woman trafficked into a brothel in India receives help and hope thanks to OBI partners

10 Hope for Hungry Families An Operation Blessing-supported food pantry helps a struggling family make ends meet

12 The Gift of Hope Georgina lost both her mother and father during the Ebola crisis, but today she has renewed hope

14 Help for Hurting Children Around the World OBI partners aid children suffering from a condition known as clubfoot

Inside this issue Cover PAGE 8

Safe Water for Students A water project brings hope to a little girl and her struggling community in Honduras

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PAGE 14

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KENYA

Trying to feed three teenagers is hard enough,

but for Josephine — a single mother in Kenya bound by the chains of poverty — it was almost impossible.

Josephine strug-gled to provide for her family, but without any livestock or other means of food or steady income, it was difficult to meet her family’s most basic needs and only her young-est was able to attend school because she simply could not afford to send all three.

However, through Operation Blessing’s agricultural farming program in her Maasai village, Josephine was given the tools and training to raise her own crops. Then with the harvest she collected, she was able to not only feed her family but sell her crops for extra

income — earning enough to purchase a goat.

That goat now provides Josephine with fresh milk to give her children. In fact, her situation has changed so much thanks to the tools and training from OBI, she is now able to send all three of her children to school. ◆

An Operation Blessing agricultural program in Kenya provides hope for struggling families

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Food for Josephine’s Family

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∂Bring help and hope to those in the greatest need.

Join Club Bless to provide timely relief when and where it is needed most. Visit ob.org/clubbless today.

∂

–– CLUB BLESS –– Monthly President’s Circle $500 Bless-The-Greatest-Need 250 Bless-A-Village 100 Bless-A-Family 50 Bless-A-Life 25

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INDIA

Rescued from a BrothelA young woman trafficked into a brothel in India receives help

and hope thanks to OBI partners

When she was a teen-ager, Roopa* was forced to quit school

because her family simply couldn’t afford it. She went to work, but her father forcibly took every rupee she earned.

Eventually, Roopa left her abusive home and was forced onto the streets. When Roopa returned home, her father disowned her.

Alone and with nowhere to go, Roopa didn’t know what she would do. Then she met a woman who promised her a good job. Instead, the woman sold Roopa to a brothel for just over $300 USD.

Roopa was rescued by authorities from her brothel prison, but she had a long road of recovery ahead of her. Struggling with insecurity and

fear, she found herself unable to trust those around her.

Eventually, she found hope at an Operation Blessing-supported aftercare program in partnership with Freedom Firm. There, she received counseling, education

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support, skills training, healthcare and even equine therapy to help her heal from the trauma.

Further, Roopa found people who cared about her wellbeing. “I don’t have a father,” she said, “The Freedom Firm national director is like a father to me. He protects me. When it was New Year’s, he invited me to celebrate with his family because I didn’t have a family.”

Now 22 years old, Roopa recently fell in love with a young man and married him, finally finding what she had been looking for her entire life — a family and a loving home. ◆

*Name changed to protect identity

Rescued from a Brothel

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Every day, 8-year-old Ariela goes to school in a makeshift classroom with black plastic tarps for walls. Due to the high tempera-tures of the region and the poor condition

of the school, she and her classmates are often exposed to intense and draining heat, and are at risk of dehydration.

A water project brings hope to a little girl and her struggling community in Honduras

HONDURAS

Safe Water for Students

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“Classes are from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., but the heat is so strong that even I cannot endure it some-times,” said Ariela’s teacher. “The children ask me for permission to go drink water up to four times a day, and sometimes the smaller ones have to go home early because their bodies cannot stand the heat.”

But even when Ariela drank the water to keep herself hydrated, she was still at risk because the water sources in her community were contami-nated. She would often have such severe stomach pains after drinking the water that she would beg her mother for medicine.

“I drank a large glass of water because I was thirsty, but after a while I felt like there was a big fire in my belly,” Ariela said. “I fell down crying because I could not stand the pain, and I told mama to give me medicine because I couldn’t stand up.” Operation Blessing learned of the many problems facing Ariela’s

community and mobilized a team of specialists to construct a safe water system that would meet the villagers’ needs.

Soon a water tank with the capacity to store 5,000 gallons along with a purification and distribution system was installed. Now, the entire commu-nity has access to safe, clean water right from a tap in their own homes.

Teams also constructed a new school building so Ariela and her classmates no longer have to suf-fer through intense heat and can focus on their studies.

“Since Operation Blessing put in the water project, I do not have pain in my stomach,” said Ariela. “Thank you very much Operation Blessing!” ◆

The children used to have classes under the trees or in this makeshift building.

Children in Agua Clara enjoy their new school.

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An Operation Blessing-supported food pantry helps a struggling

family make ends meet

PENNSYLVANIA

HOPE FOR HUNGRY FAMILIESDustin works hard to provide for his wife Mariah and 6-month-

old son Zachary, putting in long hours to make ends meet.But even working 10-hour shifts at a local warehouse

and trying to cut expenses, Dustin and Mariah still struggled to come up with enough money to pay the bills and make sure baby Zachary had everything he needed.

Dustin and Mariah turned to an Operation Blessing-supported

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food pantry in their area. There they are able to get nutritious food and other much-needed items like diapers that help supple-ment their income and make it possible to pay the bills and put food on the table.

“The food that we receive from Operation Blessing and Bread of Life Outreach really helps us make it from paycheck to paycheck,” Mariah said. “Diapers are so expensive and it’s a huge blessing for us to be able to get them here — I don’t know what we would do without their help.”

Each month, Bread of Life Outreach receives more than 40,000 pounds of food and other resources from Operation Blessing, making it possible for them to provide hope and help for 1,500 local families.

“When our folks see the Operation Blessing truck pull in there’s just a lot of

excitement, because we know we have good product that we can distribute to so many people in need,” ministry founder Gary Bellis said. “I can’t say enough to Operation Blessing and to all the people that make Operation Blessing possible.” ◆

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Little Zachary’s family now has the food, diapers and other supplies they need to get through tough times.

“I don’t know what we would do without their help.” – Mariah

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LIBERIA

THE GIFT OF HOPE

When Garmai first met Georgina, the 16-year-old was grieving and in shock — sobbing uncontrollably as the Ebola body collection team carried her mother away in a body bag.

The very next day, Georgina’s father died at an Ebola treatment center in Monrovia, leaving Georgina and her younger sister Princess orphaned.

Georgina lost both her mother and father during the Ebola crisis, but today she has renewed hope

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An uncle who had contracted and survived Ebola took them in, but because of the stigma surrounding the deadly disease, he could not find work. Orphaned and living in extreme poverty, Georgina had lost all hope for the future.

Unfortunately, Georgina’s story is not an uncommon one, with many children in Liberia losing one or both of their parents to the killer virus. Many of the relatives who have taken these orphans in were already struggling to send their own children to school and make ends meet, and

now, with the added responsibility of more children to provide and care for, these families are barely able to survive.

But thanks to gen-erous Operation Bless-ing partners, these children are receiving

the care and resources they need.Garmai now runs Operation Blessing’s Ebola orphan program that

helps many of the children she met during her time on the body collec-tion team — including Georgina and her sister. Through the program, Georgina and more than 170 other orphans receive the precious gifts of food, clothing and scholarships.

“When I told them [they would receive scholarships], Georgina gave me a big hug — they were so happy, so happy,” Garmai said. “Georgina says she will always smile.” ◆

THE GIFT OF HOPE

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WORLDWIDE

Thanks to Operation Blessing partners and in partnership with Miracle Feet, children around the world are receiving treatment for clubfoot.

The debilitating condition these children were born with had the potential to impact the rest of their lives — preventing many from walking, running, attending school, gaining employment or getting married in the future.

But thanks to OBI partners, these children all have hope for a bright, beautiful future where they will not be held back by limited mobility. ◆

Help for Hurting Children Around the World

Meshack from Tanzania before his procedure.

Meshack after treatment.

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Rebeca from Mexico before her procedure.

Rebeca after treatment.

Gabriel from Brazil before his procedure.

Gabriel after treatment.

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With a death rate as high as 50 percent, many communities in Liberia have shunned those affected by the Ebola virus –– including these orphans –– for fear of contamination. Even though Liberia has been declared Ebola free, the stigma remains, and the few families willing to care for them often live in deplorable conditions.

Send a special blessing to bring God’s healing love to a child in need today. Visit operationblessing.org today.

The reporters and camera crews are gone...

but the suffering continues.

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