ob summer edition

In This Issue

Page 4 Summer UpdatePage 6 Hunger ReliefPage 8 Freedom from PainPage 10 Wellspring of LifePage 14 Hope for LakenaPage 16 A Walk to RememberPage 18 Syria Update0 Nigerian Girls Return

Operation Blessing, PO Box 700, Hereford, UK, HR1 9EW

0800 849 5000 (Freephone UK)

[email protected]

Stay Connected...Facebook.com/obeuropeTwitter.com/ob_uk

Charity Registration No. 110 1659

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.

“

C. S. Lewis

In This Issue

Page 4 Summer UpdatePage 6 Hunger ReliefPage 8 Freedom from PainPage 10 Wellspring of LifePage 14 Hope for LakenaPage 16 A Walk to RememberPage 18 Syria UpdatePage 20 Nigerian Girls Return

Operation Blessing, PO Box 700, Hereford, UK, HR1 9EW

0800 849 5000 (Freephone UK)

[email protected]

Stay Connected...Facebook.com/obeuropeTwitter.com/ob_uk

Charity Registration No. 110 1659

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.

“

C. S. Lewis

going through everyday. They are more than a number or a statistic; they are individuals who need the opportunity to fi nd a solution to help get them out of the cycle of poverty, which they fi nd themselves in.

Thankfully Operation Blessing along with others, is working in many of these situations around the world. We are constantly looking to provide solutions for long-term sustainability and help, rather than providing a quick fi x, which is only able to bring temporary relief.

We are so grateful to you for partnering with OBUK; we couldn’t

Welcome to the latest addition of the Operation Blessing UK newsletter. I hope you like the new layout and OBUK logo? We felt it was time for a makeover, which would help bring a stronger awareness and would identify the work of Operation Blessing UK.

Everyday, I am in the privileged position of being able to read and hear stories from the UK and around the world, how individual lives and communities are being transformed because of the generous donations to OBUK.

As you spend time reading the stories and articles within this

newsletter, you will be able to get a greater insight and understanding of the work, we are doing, by bringing hope and restoration through practical solutions.

In this issue, you will read about ordinary families, living in diffi cult situations that many of us will never witness or experience in our lifetime. The majority of these lives will have experienced poverty, hunger, lack and the possibility of being orphaned or losing a loved one.

We cannot begin to know what it is to understand the heartache and pain which these precious lives are




do it without you, so “Thank you.” Your support of our ministry is having a huge impact one life at a time.

Allen Carter

P.S. please would you follow us on Facebook & Twitter and share our posts? We have so many great and inspirational stories to tell, but we don’t want to keep them to ourselves!

Facebook.com/OBEurope Twitter.com/ob_uk




4 www.operationblessing.uk




Welcome to the latest addition of the Operation Blessing UK newsletter. I hope you like the new layout and OBUK logo? We felt it was time for a makeover, which would help bring a stronger awareness and would identify the work of Operation Blessing UK.

Everyday, I am in the privileged position of being able to read and hear stories from the UK and around the world, how individual lives and communities are being transformed because of the generous donations to OBUK.

As you spend time reading the stories and articles within this







do it without you, so “Thank you.” Your support of our ministry is having a huge impact one life at a time.

Allen Carter

P.S. please would you follow us on Facebook & Twitter and share our posts? We have so many great and inspirational stories to tell, but we don’t want to keep them to ourselves!

Facebook.com/OBEurope Twitter.com/ob_uk




5www.operationblessing.uk

SINKING FROM HUNGER

For six months out of the year, Diana’s food business literally goes underwater.

When the river rises and fl oods her community, this young mother of four has to move her food stand into a leaky boat. Yet despite all her hard work, hunger remains a daily battle for her family.

With her husband often traveling to fi nd employment, working hard to provide, but barely earning enough to pay their rent, it is up to Diana to make sure her children don’t go without food.

At a small table near the local school she sells eggnog and masato, a popular beverage in the Peruvian jungle. If she earns enough, she may even be able to aff ord to send her children to school. However, during the wet season, roads turn into waterways and families must travel by boat.

This new landscape makes it even more diffi cult for Diana to run her small business, because she must use some of her profi t to rent a boat. Now, with less income to purchase food, Diana’s struggle to provide for her family is even greater.

“Sometimes there is only one plate of food for the fi ve of us, so I give it to them to eat,” Diana said. “They ask me why I am not

eating and I tell them, ‘I’m older and I can endure hunger.’”

When Operation Blessing learned about Diana and the hardships she was enduring, OB Peru purchased a more reliable boat for her as well as all the cookware and supplies she needed to run her business, during the dry months and the “fl oating season.” With these resources, Diana has been able to expand her menu and business and can now provide nutritious meals for her family, and even send her children to school to help break the cycle of poverty.

“My children are everything to me,” Diana said.

SINKING FROM HUNGER

Mirella’s dream is to be able to run and play with her brothers and sisters, but instead the nine-year-old spent her days sitting still to avoid the severe abdominal pain caused by a hernia she’d been born with.

“I am very sad to see the other children run and play,” she said. “I would go with them, but I cannot because when I jump, I start to feel pain.”

Then one day while walking with her siblings, Mirella collapsed in pain and was rushed to a nearby clinic. The doctor told her parents that her condition was endangering her life and the little girl desperately needed surgery. However, Mirella’s family simply didn’t have the resources to pay for it.

“I am very happy that I can run, jump and play,” Mirella said. “Thank You very much

Operation Blessing!”

When OB Guatemala learned about Mirella’s condition, staff immediately responded, making it possible for her to undergo surgery right away. OB Guatemala also provided Mirella and her family with food, through a special nutrition programme and even built them a safer home.

Today, little Mirella is healed and thriving. “I am very happy that I can run, jump and play,” she said. “Thank you very much Operation Blessing!”

We could never have helped Mirella or young children like her, if it was not for your amazing support! Thank You for being a Life Changer!

Just off the shores of Roatan—a Honduran travel destination made popular by its spectacular coral reefs—sits the small, forgotten island of St. Helena.

The island is home to some 1,200 people, most of whom have traditionally been fi shermen or farmers. Villagers here live largely without access to electricity, roads or modern conveniences, including running water.

However life is tough on this paradise island. For years, the families have struggled to secure the water they need to drink, cook, wash clothes and bathe. Although they sought to catch and retain what rain water they could using gutters and rain barrels, there was never enough to last for long. Two wells had been drilled at the highest point of the island, and a solar-powered pump and even some PVC pipe had been donated, but the project had never been fi nished, and instead most of the supplies sat useless in storage.

Many families were unable to climb the steep mountainside with heavy buckets or jerry cans to reach the hand pump, and the only alternative were nearby “crab holes,” where children would wade through the deep mud to collect stagnant water that was often contaminated, making them sick and even threatening their lives.Operation Blessing set out to complete the fragmented system of water wells, pipes and solar power to bring long awaited safe water to residents by purchasing missing components, then engineering and installing the entire system. Hardworking villagers joined the eff orts by providing much of the labour needed to dig the ditches to lay piping to each and every home on the island.

For years, the families have struggled to secure the water they need to drink, cook,

wash clothes and bathe.

Continued on page 12

Just off the shores of Roatan—a Honduran travel destination made popular by its spectacular coral reefs—sits the small, forgotten island of St. Helena.

The island is home to some 1,200 people, most of whom have traditionally been fi shermen or farmers. Villagers here live largely without access to electricity, roads or modern conveniences, including running water.

However life is tough on this paradise island. For years, the families have struggled to secure the water they need to drink, cook, wash clothes and bathe. Although they sought to catch and retain what rain water they could using gutters and rain barrels, there was never enough to last for long. Two wells had been drilled at the highest point of the island, and a solar-powered pump and even some PVC pipe had been donated, but the project had never been fi nished, and instead most of the supplies sat useless in storage.

Many families were unable to climb the steep mountainside with heavy buckets or jerry cans to reach the hand pump, and the only alternative were nearby “crab holes,” where children would wade through the deep mud to collect stagnant water that was often contaminated, making them sick and even threatening their lives.Operation Blessing set out to complete the fragmented system of water wells, pipes and solar power to bring long awaited safe water to residents by purchasing missing components, then engineering and installing the entire system. Hardworking villagers joined the eff orts by providing much of the labour needed to dig the ditches to lay piping to each and every home on the island.

For years, the families have struggled to secure the water they need to drink, cook,

wash clothes and bathe.

Continued on page 12 11www.operationblessing.uk

Continued from page 11

Today, the wells, pump and catchment system at the highest point on the island, 275 feet above sea level, use gravity to create enough pressure to pipe water to all four villages on St. Helena. All of the houses here now have their own tap providing fresh water for residents whenever it’s needed, and the island of St. Helena is no longer forgotten.

Even the First Lady of Honduras, Ana García de Hernández, visited the island for the offi cial ceremony and celebration of the new system, marking the very fi rst time a president or fi rst lady had ever come to St. Helena.“Many times we take for granted that everyone

has access to water. Imagine the contradiction of living on an island surrounded by water, but being without access to water for your basis needs,” she said. “Today, thanks to God and the support of institutions like Operation Blessing, we have resolved this problem.”

With the success and the blessing of the safe water project for the people on the island, this is not just a convenience but also a lifesaver. There is now a renewed focus on helping the impoverished villagers that call this island home. Among other things, these families are still in need of community development projects, like livelihood and agriculture training, and Operation Blessing teams are already making plans to help.

With the success and the blessing of the safe water project for the people on the island this is not just a convenience but also a lifesaver.

(While Stocks Last)


Join the OB Family with a monthly gift of £10 or more, and receive a beautiful, handcrafted piece of jewellery made

by women in Haiti. Your regular support enables us to accomplish more and start

long term relief projects.

(While Stocks Last)12 www.operationblessing.uk

Continued from page 11

Today, the wells, pump and catchment system at the highest point on the island, 275 feet above sea level, use gravity to create enough pressure to pipe water to all four villages on St. Helena. All of the houses here now have their own tap providing fresh water for residents whenever it’s needed, and the island of St. Helena is no longer forgotten.

Even the First Lady of Honduras, Ana García de Hernández, visited the island for the offi cial ceremony and celebration of the new system, marking the very fi rst time a president or fi rst lady had ever come to St. Helena.“Many times we take for granted that everyone

has access to water. Imagine the contradiction of living on an island surrounded by water, but being without access to water for your basis needs,” she said. “Today, thanks to God and the support of institutions like Operation Blessing, we have resolved this problem.”

With the success and the blessing of the safe water project for the people on the island, this is not just a convenience but also a lifesaver. There is now a renewed focus on helping the impoverished villagers that call this island home. Among other things, these families are still in need of community development projects, like livelihood and agriculture training, and Operation Blessing teams are already making plans to help.


(While Stocks Last)


Join the OB Family with a monthly gift of £10 or more, and receive a beautiful, handcrafted piece of jewellery made

by women in Haiti. Your regular support enables us to accomplish more and start

long term relief projects.

(While Stocks Last)

When Lakena was born with a cleft palate, her mother worried that she wasn’t getting the nutrition she needed because she couldn’t swallow properly. Moreover, the little girl struggled with respiratory problems and would face societal shame in the community if she couldn’t learn to speak properly.

Her mother knew that Lakena’s condition could be corrected with surgery, but she couldn’t aff ord transportation to the city, much less hospital and physician fees.

Then one day they met a young girl who had been helped by Operation Blessing’s life-changing surgery programme. Lakena’s family reached out to OBI for help, and before long she was scheduled for her own surgery free of charge to her family.

“Because you care, Lakena has a good palate.”

Today, Lakena has healed from her surgery, and has a bright and promising future ahead of her.

“Thank you for changing my daughter’s life,” her mother said. “She can eat and drink properly. She will be able to attend school happily when she grows up. Thank you!”

When Lakena was born with a cleft palate, her mother worried that she wasn’t getting the nutrition she needed because she couldn’t swallow properly. Moreover, the little girl struggled with respiratory problems and would face societal shame in the community if she couldn’t learn to speak properly.

Her mother knew that Lakena’s condition could be corrected with surgery, but she couldn’t aff ord transportation to the city, much less hospital and physician fees.

Then one day they met a young girl who had been helped by Operation Blessing’s life-changing surgery programme. Lakena’s family reached out to OBI for help, and before long she was scheduled for her own surgery free of charge to her family.

“Because you care, Lakena has a good palate.”

Today, Lakena has healed from her surgery, and has a bright and promising future ahead of her.

“Thank you for changing my daughter’s life,” her mother said. “She can eat and drink properly. She will be able to attend school happily when she grows up. Thank you!”


Gift a Surgery

Did you know that you could put a smile on a child’s face or provide a life-changing surgery for only £300.

Visit our website or call us on the number below for more information and to donate:

0800 849 5000

When Typhoon Yolanda unleashed its fury in the Visayas, security gaurd Argie Maloloy was diligently guarding his post. His wife, Jennifer, and two children however were left in Ormoc, another city badly battered by the Super-Storm.

Argie desperately wanted to rush back home to his family, but the furious rains and howling winds prevented him from doing so. His biggest fear was that the fl oods had wiped out his entire family.

Back in Ormoc, his wife Jennifer was gripped with fear. After Argie failed to come home for two days, Jennifer was slowly trying to accept the notion that her husband might be amongst the thousands of casualties of Yolanda.

Argie thought the same thing, and the thought that he would have no family anymore, broke his heart. Still, Argie started his 100-kilometer trek back home by foot, taking him over two days.

When he reached Ormoc, he was tired and hungry, his feet were covered in blisters and he saw that the home he shared with his family was reduced into a pile of debris.Argie then went to his parent’s home, and there he found his






entire family! “We are so pleased because we thought that everyone might have died due to the brutality of Yolanda. My concern was that we would not meet again,” Argie said.

The medical mission of Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines, then treated the family who were were suff ering from diarrhoea.

“Thank You Operation Blessing, because you

came to our area & helped,” Jennifer tearfully said.

To date, Operation Blessing has already served over 111,000 individuals in their simultaneous relief and rehabilitation eff orts, medical mission, trauma and prayer counselling in the areas worst hit by Yolanda.

Operation Blessing is committed to demonstrating God’s love by alleviating human need and suff ering around the world.

If you wish to support fi nancially then please visit our website, found at the bottom of this page.











entire family! “We are so pleased because we thought that everyone might have died due to the brutality of Yolanda. My concern was that we would not meet again,” Argie said.

The medical mission of Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines, then treated the family who were were suff ering from diarrhoea.

“Thank You Operation Blessing, because you

came to our area & helped,” Jennifer tearfully said.

To date, Operation Blessing has already served over 111,000 individuals in their simultaneous relief and rehabilitation eff orts, medical mission, trauma and prayer counselling in the areas worst hit by Yolanda.

Operation Blessing is committed to demonstrating God’s love by alleviating human need and suff ering around the world.

If you wish to support fi nancially then please visit our website, found at the bottom of this page.


With the violent fi ghting in Syria, Hundreds of refugees are making an attempt to reach the European Union, by travelleling through Turkey and Bulgaria.

What they don’t realize is that entry into the EU does not give them the right to travel beyond to Hungary, Germany, or the UK, where most of them want to go. The majority, have no passports or identity documents, so Bulgaria faced an unexpected infl ux of refugees with nowhere to go and no place to stay.

More than 300 had to be housed in an old school building with no toilets, bedding or kitchen. As more asylum seekers came into the country, Bulgaria was hopelessly unprepared to handle their daily needs, including medical attention. The facility, became known as the ‘camp’. In fact, with no money, no ability to speak Bulgarian,

no documents, and no transport the situation confronting these refugees is highly uncertain.

Operation Blessing, working with an Israeli humanitarian project, joined in with the Bulgarian Red Cross, the UN Refugee Agency and the EU to rush in equipment, clothing and other necessities to greatly improve living standards in the camp. Now, the families have proper beds, individual rooms for families, cooking facilities, washrooms and even classrooms for the children. Additional camps have been set up to ease crowding in the main facility.

It will take many months before the EU bureaucracy can sort out the future of these asylum seekers. In the meanwhile, they will have safety and security, thanks in part to the partners of Operation Blessing.




18 www.operationblessing.uk

With the violent fi ghting in Syria, Hundreds of refugees are making an attempt to reach the European Union, by travelleling through Turkey and Bulgaria.

What they don’t realize is that entry into the EU does not give them the right to travel beyond to Hungary, Germany, or the UK, where most of them want to go. The majority, have no passports or identity documents, so Bulgaria faced an unexpected infl ux of refugees with nowhere to go and no place to stay.

More than 300 had to be housed in an old school building with no toilets, bedding or kitchen. As more asylum seekers came into the country, Bulgaria was hopelessly unprepared to handle their daily needs, including medical attention. The facility, became known as the ‘camp’. In fact, with no money, no ability to speak Bulgarian,







Nearly two months ago, students at a boarding school in northeastern Nigeria were evacuated to safety and their school closed down after more than 200 girls were abducted by Boko Haram from another boarding school in the region.

Now, the children here are returning to their studies. Monday was their fi rst day back at the school, and Operation Blessing was there to help support these courageous students.

“Despite the threat, the children bravely and defi antly resumed classes today,” said OBI’s David Darg, vice president of international operations, who traveled to the school under armed escort.

To help better secure the school compound and protect the children, Operation Blessing provided razor wire for the perimeter wall, and to ensure nutritious meals for those returning, OBI donated much needed staples like rice, oil, milk powder, sugar and more. Additionally, Operation Blessing provided supplies like new computers and books to start a school library.

Operation Blessing will continue aiding the students by providing a well for the school and making improvements to the children’s dormitories.

David Darg with students

Not all of us can do great things,

but we can do small things with

great love.

“Mother Teresa

JOIN THE OB FAMILYPlease would you consider joining the OB Family? The work we do around the world can only be accomplished when we work together!

You can join the OB Family for as little as £3 a month! That seemingly small sum of money can do a great deal of good! It could:

- Prevent a Child getting Malaria- Buy school supplies for a Child- Provide dental care for a family

and much more! Please read the back of this page if you would like to join our growing family.

Limited O� er: When you join OB Family with a gift of £10 per month or more, we’d love to send you a beautiful, handcrafted piece of jewellery made by women in Haiti. (See page 13).

Turn to the next page to fi nd out how you can set up your support and join OB Family. Thank You!

Donate...P

hone/Online

Partner P

ackC

heque/Postal O

rderIf you would like to know more about the work we do, why not order a free Family Partner Pack? It has lots of information and includes forms to set up your support through your bank and a free OBUK Money Box!

If you would like to donate via Cheque or Postal Order please make it payable to: Operation Blessing and return it to the address: PO Box 700, Hereford, United Kingdom, HR1 9EW

The easiest way to make a donation to Operation Blessing is by visiting our website or donating securely over the phone. When you call us, our friendly staff would love to answer any questions you might have, update you on recent projects and give you feedback on the impact of your giving.

0800 849 5000operationblessing.uk

First Name: ________________ Last Name: ______________

Address: __________________________________________

Town: _____________________ Post Code: ______________

Email: ____________________ Phone: _________________

Send me a Pack:

First Name: ________________ Last Name: ______________

Address: __________________________________________

Town: ____________________ Post Code: ______________

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Amount: £_________________ Date: __________________

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