April 2026 Blessings Magazine

YOUR LOVE LIGHTS UP THE DARKNESS

At a Glance

Hope at Midnight

Thanks to you, a struggling family didn’t have to face hunger alone

New Life, New Smile

Friends like you gave baby Dinan a brighter future

Rubble to Redemption:

In a storm-darkened world, your love was a light

Hope

AT MIDNIGHT

Thanks to you, a struggling family didn’t have to face hunger alone

By the time you’re done paying for the necessities of the house, the electricity and everything else, you don’t have enough to actually survive,” said Chy. “So now you have to decide—am I going to pay my rent or am I going to feed my kids?”

Chy’s husband was trying to finish school while working five jobs. His income wasn’t enough to cover the family’s basic needs and food, yet it was five dollars too much to qualify for food stamps.

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One night, in a moment of desperation, Chy drove to OpenDoor FoodBank, an Operation Blessing food partner in Joshua, Texas. What she saw when she arrived was unimaginable. “It’s 12:00 at night. ... We’re sitting on the side of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. You only see trees. I didn’t even see a church. I just knew that there was a building because there was already a line of cars,” Chy told us. “In the morning, I got out of the car, and the line was like over 300 cars.”

The numerous cars lined up, waiting patiently through the

night for help, is a testament to how much your support matters to those in need.

Your love and kindness met Chy as her car was filled with food that morning. Thanks to you, she and her family drove away with enough to eat for two weeks! Not only did you help feed Chy’s family, but she also had extra to share with her neighbors.

You gave Chy the help she needed in her darkest hour. The burden of stress was lifted from Chy and her family. They no longer had to wonder where they would get their next meal.

“God is with you. God is with Operation Blessing. God is with the people that stand outside at Joshua and are handing out food.”

–Chy, mother of two

“I don’t think you truly know the impact,” Chy said. “You know of the change that you make when you’re visibly there ... but you don’t know the change that happens after you walk out of that person’s life ... the sigh of relief.”

Your generosity is sharing God’s love with those who need it most. Thank you for being the light in the darkness when hope seems lost.

Sending a special shout-out to all of our faithful volunteers for National Volunteer Week. We love you and appreciate you more than you’ll ever know!

New Life, New Smile

Friends like you gave baby Dinan a brighter future

The very first time a mother holds her baby, she experiences a special kind of joy. When Daphine cradled her newborn son, she felt that joy—but it was mixed with fear. “When Dinan was born, I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “I had never seen a child with a cleft lip before. I was confused … even scared.”

What should have been a season of celebration became shrouded in darkness. Each day seemed to bring new struggles, and feeding was a constant battle. Dinan choked, struggled to breathe, and was constantly sick. “Most nights we didn’t sleep,” Daphine said.

At a time when a new mother needs support, Dinan’s condition drew stares and painful questions that left Daphine feeling isolated and ashamed. “Everywhere I went,

people looked at my baby like something was wrong with him,” she said. “It hurt me so much.”

Overwhelmed, Daphine was unable to work. She had to rely on borrowed food and the kindness of friends just to survive. Her deepest prayer was a simple one. If only one day, Dinan could live a typical life.

“May

God bless you for giving my son a new life. … My heart is at peace.”

–Daphine, Dinan’s mother

That prayer was answered—thanks to friends like you.

Through our life-changing surgeries program, Dinan received cleft lip surgery, and the improvement was immediate. He could finally eat and sleep normally.

“When I look at Dinan now, I see a healthy, happy child,” Daphine said.

Today, Daphine is able to work again while Dinan attends day care. A life that began with fear has turned toward joy. Their future feels bright, and that’s thanks to the support of friends like you.

“It’s like a burden was lifted,” Daphine said. “May God bless you for giving my son a new life. … My heart is at peace.”

FROM RUBBLE to Redemption

You Lit the Way for Shaneka’s Family

In a storm-darkened world, your love was a light.

When Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, it didn’t just flatten homes—it shattered what little security families like Shaneka’s had left. A single mother of three, Shaneka had already been walking through her own storm—battling a serious illness that often left her too weak to lift a water bottle. Still, she stayed strong for her children: twin teenage sons, Gabriel and Miguel, and her daughter, Gabbrielle.

Before the hurricane, the family lived in a modest home, with the four of them sharing one cramped bedroom. Life was already a struggle—but when the storm came, it stripped away what little they had. Thankfully, God wasn't finished writing their story. Operation Blessing arrived in their area to provide hot meals, clean water, and other vital supplies. Then, through a powerful partnership led by Operation Blessing with local collaborators and friends like you, Shaneka’s home became the first house of many we rebuilt after the disaster. And the family

didn’t just receive help—they took part in the recovery.

Shaneka’s children joined the team, helping however they could. Side by side with volunteers from various organizations,

The family didn’t just receive help—they took part in it.

Continued from page 9 they carried materials, watched the skilled laborers, and experienced something more than construction: They witnessed hope being rebuilt from the ground up.

In just three days, the house was finished—safe, strong, and filled with promise.

Shaneka dreams of one day giving back through nonprofit work herself. Because of friends like you, Shaneka’s family no longer lives in an unstable home. You gave them more than shelter—you gave them dignity,

stability, and a future.

That’s what happens when love shows up in the darkest moments. It turns a house made of wood and nails into a home filled with hope.

Thank you for being a light in the darkness—for Shaneka, and for so many others all around the world.

SMART WAYS TO GIVE LOVE AND SAVE

ON TAXES

Support Operation Blessing’s compassionate outreaches while maximizing your tax benefits.

GIVE FROM YOUR IRA

(70 ½ and older)

• Make a tax-free Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA.

• Counts toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).

DONATE STOCK

• Give appreciated stock held for over a year.

• Claim a charitable deduction for the fair market value.

• Avoid capital gains tax.

By giving to Operation Blessing, you can help reduce your tax bill while bringing help and hope to people in need all around the world. Connect with our planned giving specialists for more information. Learn more about these and other tax-wise ways you can give a meaningful gift without straining your monthly budget.

PROMISE PORTRAITS OF

You saved a child from a life without love

It’s all too common a story: a child born to teenage parents who can’t raise a baby on their own.

That’s how life began for Anna. The newborn was placed in the care of her grandmother, whose unloving attitude meant the child grew up neglected and afraid. When Anna’s father saw his daughter suffering, he took her to the House for Women and Children, a ministry you support through our Orphan’s Promise program. Because you care, the House for Women and Children is able to provide a place for starting over— one that envelops women and children in warmth and love. When little Anna arrived here, the 2-year-old was quite fragile. Afraid of strangers, she didn’t

*Name changed for her protection

want to interact with anyone and cried constantly. At night, she was terrified of the dark and being alone, but during the day she remained distant and withdrawn.

from a frightened child into a joyful, confident girl who believes in God.

In this remarkable home, your love brought healing. Thanks to your support, staff are able to be with the children around the clock—feeding them, comforting them, helping them come out of their shells. You help provide hot nutritious meals that nourish their little bodies. And under that kind of care, Anna blossomed.

Today, Anna is a second grader—lively and quick-witted. She gets excellent grades and helps struggling classmates. Most importantly, Anna has heard about Christ and loves Him with all her heart. “I know that … Jesus loves me,” she said.

“Jesus searches for us like a shepherd searches for a sheep, and he never leaves us.”

–Anna

That has made all the difference. Thank you for providing the loving home children like Anna deserve!

Rescued from neglect, Anna was given a new home filled with love and support. She’s grown

FROM FEAR TO FREEDOM, One Drop at a Time

Your love sent clean water and hope to a child in Guatemala

Dulmi (age 9) lives with her family in the small mountain village of El Pinalito in eastern Guatemala. Families in her community had no access to clean water. Four times each day, Dulmi and her siblings had to walk a quarter-mile downhill to collect water from a polluted well to use for drinking, cooking, and bathing— until you intervened.

“Drinking the water scared me—I thought I might die,” Dulmi shared.

The journey to the well was dangerous. Dulmi recalls being afraid of snakes along the path. “Once when I was going down to the well, I saw a snake. When I saw it, I froze until it left because if I moved, it would bite me,” she said. Carrying heavy water jugs back uphill was exhausting, and the water was contaminated. Dulmi often got sick—and when illness struck, medical care was hours away.

Dulmi’s father, Mario, works long days in the fields, earning only a few dollars a day—far too little to buy clean water. “I prayed to God that someday we would have water that would not make us sick,” he said. Because of your compassion, that prayer was answered. Your support helped provide a spring water catchment system,

“I prayed to God that someday we would have water that would not make us sick.”

–Mario, father of three