QINGHAI, China – In the wake of the Qinghai Province earthquake, OB China launched an immediate relief response and began partnering with local churches to gather and distribute supplies to victims in the disaster area.

A truck with 10 tons of supplies was sent to Yushu on April 17. The supplies included tents, quilts, water, medicine and an electric generator. These items were sent to Jieguzhen (the center of the earthquake) and were distributed to victims with the help of the local Red Cross and volunteers.

Anny from the OB China team also traveled to that area and journaled about her experience:

“It started to snow early in the morning of April 21, in Xi’ning city.  When we arrived the snow stopped, but we could still feel the chilly wind.  The weather of the plateau changes so fast!

Operation Blessing China staff were concerned for victims in the disaster area and so we visited the victims in Xi’ning to help them with practical needs.

After we landed, we immediately went to the Women and Children Hospital of Qinghai Province, accompanied by several local volunteers. The volunteers helped us connect with this hospital, which had treated 107 children victims from Jieguzhen, the hardest-hit area.

Some children had been seriously injured and remained in the ICU. The injured children were accompanied by their parents or relatives, but some of the children lost their parents in the earthquake and they were being taken care of by volunteers.

Many volunteers from the university were in the wards and helped with Tibetan translation between the injured children, families and doctors. After speaking with some of the children’s parents, we learned that what was most needed was clothing and bedding.

OBI purchased and distributed blankets to 196 victims and clothing to 98 children in partnership with local churches and volunteers.

We then went to the Chinese Medical Hospital of Qinghai Province. The hospital had treated over 70 wounded. The needs of the wounded there have been met, but now the patients are concerned about starting a new life after going home.

Tomorrow we plan to go to the Red Cross Hospital and First People’s hospital and assess the needs of the wounded in those places. Our plan is to coordinate with volunteers of Xi’ning city to buy relief supplies and deliver them to those who have been injured.”

MYANMAR (formerly Burma) – For many residents of Western Myanmar, the decision was clear: let the children eat first.

Ripe harvests had been devoured by plagues of rats, causing a famine known as Mautam that occurs about every 50 years.

“When the rats suddenly flooded our land, we had to fight for our survival,” said one villager. “We had to scavenge for any food we could find. At times, we even ate the rats that had eaten our crops just to survive.”

For those families who couldn’t find food, children were given preference to eat first.

“As parents, we let our children eat what they needed first while we fasted from at least one meal a day,” said a father of six children.

To help meet the immediate needs of these desperate families, Operation Blessing sent relief teams to the affected areas.

After 3 days of travel and battling monsoon rains, landslides and broken bridges, teams arrived and were able to distribute over 32,000 pounds of rice to 927 hungry yet grateful villagers.

“I am amazed at their faith in God,” said relief team leader Cheich Maung. “Despite their dire situation, they could still rejoice, and never uttered words of complaint. They faithfully believed that God would send them the help they needed.”

MANILA, Philippines – Elad had no idea the “stir” he would create in his home country of Israel when he volunteered to help typhoon victims in the Philippines.

The mission was simple enough: provide emergency medical care to Filipinos still reeling from the devastation caused by back-to-back typhoons.

It was the partnership with Operation Blessing, however, that would turn this simple mission into a history-making project.

Last month, Elad and a team of doctors, nurses and paramedics with the Israeli organization, IsraAID, arrived in the Philippines to assist OBI with their ongoing medical missions to bring relief to typhoon victims.

“The Jewish people and Israel have a special corner in our heart when we see poor people or people in big trouble,” said Elad who served as the team leader.  “It’s…in the DNA.”

For several weeks, teams of Jewish and Christian doctors worked side-by-side treating victims, often traveling by boat to reach isolated residents.

It was the first-ever Jewish and Christian partnership of its kind for IsraAID, an umbrella organization of 17 Jewish groups that provide humanitarian aid to developing countries.
 
“It has been amazing to work with OBI, especially as Jews and Christians,” Elad said.  “I feel like we are one, serving one God.”

As for the reaction from the homeland, radio stations and newspapers peppered Elad with questions about Operation Blessing.

“It has caused a big stir in Israel, Christians and Jews working so well together,” he said.  “I was proud to tell them about who Operation Blessing is.”

In all, OB Philippines teams and partners helped reached more than 168,000 typhoon victims with emergency relief such as food, water, medical care and cleanup assistance.

PADANG, Indonesia – Lenny was in the kitchen of her restaurant the day the ground shook.

“The building began to shake. At first, I thought it was an airplane that had crashed nearby. And then, in a matter of seconds, my kitchen was on fire,” she said.

“I ran out of the building screaming, ‘God help me! God help me!’ “

Almost a month after a deadly earthquake struck Indonesia’s West Sumatra province killing over a thousand people and leaving more than half a million people homeless, victims like Lenny and countless others are now working around the clock to help other survivors.

“So many people here are still suffering. I can’t bear to see others suffer.  So I help by cooking, preparing meals for them,” she said.

She helped setup this makeshift relief tent next to her badly damaged church.

Recently, Operation Blessing partnered with several churches in the area to deliver much needed relief supplies to some of the hard-to-reach areas of the disaster zone—areas accessible only by motorcycle or by walking.

“That’s why I am so glad that Operation Blessing is here today. Nobody else wanted to come up here since this village is very difficult to get to.  It means a lot to us that you are here,” said Karim, the village leader.

Local volunteers joined the Operation Blessing team to deliver food and water.  Several Operation Blessing doctors were also on hand.

For Lenny and others who are reaching out to help fellow survivors, the aid they received gives them the strength and courage to move on.

“We’ve all lost so much but I know something good will come out of this tragedy,” Lenny said.

YAO JIN, China – On May 12, 2008, the village of Yao Jin was completely destroyed by the 7.9-magnitude Sichuan earthquake that struck central China. Buildings crumbled, tens of thousands were killed and millions left homeless. Six Yao Jin villagers died and the survivors endured a living nightmare, losing their homes, their possessions and their main source of income – their farm animals.  For the shocked villagers of Yao Jin, the future seemed bleak.

But only one year later, things are very different in Yao Jin. Through Operation Blessing’s support and the villager’s hard work, 54 new homes stand tall where there was once rubble.  

On May 12, 2009, the one-year anniversary of the earthquake, we held a special ceremony in Yao Jin.  At the start of the event there was a time of commemoration and a minute of silence.  It was a solemn moment as the villagers thought back to their lost loved ones and friends.  But then the ceremony took a cheerful turn to celebrate new beginnings and their new village.

One by one, each family was called forward where they were given gifts by OB team members.  Every family was presented with a framed family photograph and a DVD containing hundreds of photographs taken by OBI team members throughout the course of the project.  Most families lost their photo albums in the earthquake and were very excited to have such a comprehensive photographic record of their lives over the past year.  Every family was also given a copy of the book produced by OBI about the project, and then the entire village was presented with a giant “Welcome Home” card on behalf of OBI donors and well wishers around the world.

Then came the moment where OBI officially launched the livelihood restoration project. During the construction phase, the entire village was very focused on building the homes and they were paid to do the work.  Now that the project is finished, families must begin generating an income through other means and need help to jumpstart their economy again.

Since the villagers specialize in the raising of pigs, the original plan had been to deliver the first round of baby piglets for the village’s pig farm that OBI is helping to establish. Unfortunately the movement and sale of pigs was restricted due to “swine flu” control, so the ceremony proceeded with the distribution of ducklings. 

Once the project is fully up and running, each family will be raising a combination of pigs, ducks, chickens and geese.  For now, the villagers were ecstatic to receive OBI’s commitment to the project and a “sea” of cute yellow ducks.  In the morning, a few of the OBI team members had fun tying red ribbons on as many ducks as possible, which the villagers thought was hilarious.

In the evening there was a big dinner in the village which culminated in OBI team members giving speeches and preparing to leave.  After a year working in the village, this was to be the last official day of the project.  It was an emotional time for the OBI team and the villagers. During the last year we had been one team and had accomplished an amazing feat. 

As our departure grew near, we were very surprised and moved as the villagers began to tie red bows to the OBI team members in an expression of thanks, making sure to hug us and shake our hands.  The feeling was mutual.  This project has had a huge impact on us, and seeing people survive and work so hard in the face of adversity was an incredible lesson for all of the OBI team members.

One man began to cry as he thanked us for our assistance. “The village will not be the same without you,” he said, “thank you for your love.”

In a final show of appreciation and celebration, the villagers lined the entire village road (approximately 100 yards) clapped, waving, cheering, and setting off firecrackers as we drove away.  I was so touched and it showed just how important this project had been to them.  They had become our family and friends and the OBI team will forever be welcome in this village that we helped to rebuild. 

As we drove away that night, we left a very different Yao Jin than the wrecked village we first entered after the quake.  The villagers lives have been forever impacted by the love and outpouring of OBI donors and team members, and the homes will be a blessing for these families and their generations to come!

A team from Operation Blessing’s Chengdu office (3 hours from Yao Jin) will continue to work with the village on the livelihood restoration project.  We will soon begin the construction of the piggery and begin distribution of the other animals and tools. 

If you would like to be a part of Yao Jin’s livelihood restoration project with a gift to help start a farm for a family, please click on the button below.

Beijing, China – Yesterday we unveiled a dramatic photo exhibit – near Beijing’s Tiananmen Square – depicting the recovery of Yao Jin village following the Great Sichuan Quake. The event is part of the 1-year anniversary celebration recognizing the incredible courage of Yao Jin’s villagers and their journey of recovery over the last 12 months. It was a huge success among government dignitaries, a U.S. embassy delegate and around corporate sponsors of OB China including Nokia, UPS and the International School of Beijing.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the village the people were stirring, building their houses.

Christmas is here and I am preparing for a rather unusual holiday this year as I will be spending Christmas day in Yao Jin with the villagers. It will not be a typical Christmas. There will be no turkey, and the closest I will be getting to stockings is the thermal underwear I’m wearing to keep out the bitter cold.

The project is progressing extremely well, the buildings have really taken shape and yesterday the first roof beams began to be placed on one of the buildings. From a vantage point up on the crane, the view is excellent. Everywhere I look there are villagers and workers scurrying around, each attending to their assigned task. In order to keep the construction process fluid, everything needs to be timed so that there are no hold ups. The crane needs to drop off a load of bricks in one spot then pick up a load of concrete and if the concrete is not ready the next load of bricks will be late and the bricklayers will be sitting around waiting, etc. Trucks are constantly arriving in the village with building supplies and bricks. As soon as the brick trucks arrive, a group of village women descend on them like ants and begin unloading. The project will consume around 1.7 million bricks in total and they all need to be manually unloaded. It’s a huge back straining task. All of the villagers are working so hard and I’m amazed at their stamina.

After a hard day’s work yesterday we gave the villagers a first-ever experience…we threw a Christmas party! The idea started when we cut a small Christmas tree from the mountain side and dragged it though the village to our accommodation. The villagers were very curious and when they saw how we had decorated our tree they wanted one too! So the villagers erected a few Christmas trees around the village and decorated them. I got together with Paul, our site manager, and we bought three pigs and a goat for the village to spitroast at the celebration.

Yesterday after work, we lit a fire and began to roast the meat as the villagers began to gather for the party. As darkness fell there were about 400 people in the village. Many had come from neighboring villages and the construction workers were there too. It was a cold night but spirits were high. The villagers were really excited with this being the first time they had ever celebrated Christmas! They started singing traditional Chinese songs and some of the children danced around the fire. Then the Mayor and other dignitaries gave speeches. The occasion was also a send off party for Paul who had been managing the project for two months. He was asked to say a few words and the crowd went crazy and cheered for him after every sentence because he has contributed so much to the project and has worked hard alongside the villagers each day.

Then, in one of the most surreal moments of my life, we were asked to sing some songs to the crowd. So we broke into “Joy to the World” followed by “O Come all ye Faithful.” The crowd was silent as we sang our carols but erupted into applause when we finished. Since the quake hit back in May, my wife and I have spent more time in Yao Jin than anywhere else in the world. It has become our home away from home and the villagers have become our family and friends. I was watching a group of teenagers perform a dance when there was a tug at my shirt. Some of the village Children had mad Christmas cards for us. It was very touching. Inside the cards were heartfelt messages of thanks and friendship such as, “Thank you for your help. I can remember your love. Happy Christmas. Friend, Chen Xue Lin”.

The party was set up right in the middle of the village among the new homes. We swung the boom of the crane over and used its halogen lights to illuminate the site. It was an awesome sight to see so many people crammed in among piles of bricks, sand and timber. One of the village girls had written a poem about the horrors of the quake and the new hope in reconstruction and the villagers once again erupted in cheers. I was asked to say a few words to the crowd and was able to tell them about what Christmas is about and why it is important to us. The barbequed pigs were then distributed to the crowd. The meat had been basted with some local spices by a villager who used a paintbrush wired onto a long bamboo pole as his basting tool. Then for a grand finale, we unleashed an arsenal of fireworks that Paul and I had bought. The whole event was really fun and was a good break for the villagers who have been working so hard. I wouldn’t be surprised if they continue to celebrate Christmas in the years to come.

Today the sun made a rare appearance and lit up the valley bringing a little relief from the cold. It was all hands on deck once again as bricks clattered into piles and the sawmill sent up a haze of sawdust into the afternoon rays. The roof beams on building four were finished and the roof team have started on building one. I walked around the site marveling at the progress. Three months ago this site was full of rubble and debris. Two months ago, the site was nothing but level ground and today, the site is full of huge two story brick buildings. It’s simply amazing. I met Paul in one of the buildings and he explained some of the building techniques that he had implemented in the project. Paul is a master builder from Australia and is used to building to strict earthquake codes. He made sure that the Yao Jin houses would be able to withstand a massive quake.

In his thick Aussie accent, Paul explained how the walls are “tied into the beams” with lengths of steel running through the brickwork. A quake can shake the building, but the concrete columns will not pull away from the walls which is what happened to most of the homes during the May 12 quake. The Yao Jin homes will really be solid as there is steel and concrete running over every corner, even the top of the gables, so the roof won’t fall in.

This afternoon I put on a pair of gloves and helped a group of women load bricks on building two. The crane can only reach one corner of the building so we had to load bricks into wheel barrows and cart them over to the brick layers at the other end. Then we had to hand bricks up to the layers who were on scaffolding. After a few hours, my back and arms were hammered but the women just kept going with smiles on their faces. I am making it a point to work with the villagers each day as much as possible. It is good for them to see how committed we are to helping them and it gives them a good laugh to watch me sweat while they take things in stride. The hard work is extremely satisfying. Working alongside the villagers as they build new homes is an amazing experience and a privilege. I have to be honest though and say that I was originally reluctant about spending the holiday in a freezing village in China. I had been craving a big Christmas meal and afternoon TV with my feet up, and now it will be a normal work day with heavy lifting and frozen fingertips.

But being here I have realized that, for me, this year will be the best Christmas ever. Christmas is about giving and goodwill. This year I am able to really give something special on Christmas day. And to the donors who have been so generous in supporting this project, know that your gift will be in action on Christmas Day as construction races ahead. The village celebrated Christmas for the first time ever and you are helping to give them a new village, what a wonderful gift!