Category Archives: Disaster Relief
Tornado victims show tenacity
JOPLIN, Mo. – Yesterday while visiting our various projects in Joplin, I kept thinking that something was different, but I couldn’t put my finger on it until late in the day. It was the trees! Trees that looked dead a … Continue reading
Opening doors to bring more aid to Japan
Operation Blessing’s Japan Disaster Relief Manager, Don Thomson, shares his firsthand account of the relief efforts in Japan. KESENNUMA, Japan – Our recent eye clinics have been in the city of Kesennuma, a decimated major fishing port in the northern … Continue reading
Weathering life’s storms: Couple recovers from devastating Joplin tornado
JOPLIN, Mo. – “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” The quote appears on an elegant plaque in John and Debbie’s home, but it’s more than just a saying—it’s something that … Continue reading
Helping fishermen in Japan return to work
Operation Blessing’s Japan Disaster Relief Manager, Don Thomson, shares his firsthand account of the relief efforts in Japan. URATO ISLANDS, Japan – Fishermen always suffer in the aftermath of a tsunami. The historically unprecedented tsunami that struck along 300 miles … Continue reading
Rebuilding a ramp, rebuilding hope
JOPLIN, Mo. – Ron and his wife, Norma, live in Joplin, Mo. where their home sustained considerable damage in the recent tornado that ripped through the city, killing 132 people and leaving countless families without homes. The insurance company told … Continue reading
How do the residents of Joplin move on?
JOPLIN, Mo.— When I asked Randy, a 51-year-old Joplin resident, how he would move on after the tornado, he simply answered, “You’ve just got to live it every day, and the next day will be better than the day before … Continue reading
Delivering hope in the form of rice and eye glasses
Operation Blessing’s Japan Disaster Relief Manager, Don Thomson, shares his firsthand account of the relief efforts in Japan. KESSENUMA, Japan – There is a general impression that most evacuees staying in emergency shelters are now being well supplied with basic … Continue reading
Eyeglasses offer a new “outlook” for the future
Operation Blessing’s Japan Disaster Relief Manager, Don Thomson, shares his firsthand account of the relief efforts in Japan. HIRAISO, Japan – We spent another day delivering long awaited glasses, this time to the survivors of the small fishing village of … Continue reading
Restoring clear vision: Operation Blessing delivers glasses to the Urato Islands
Operation Blessing’s Japan Disaster Relief Manager, Don Thomson, shares his firsthand account of the relief efforts in Japan. URATO ISLANDS, Japan – Today our team delivered to the Urato Islands eyeglasses that had been prescribed individually to the islanders at … Continue reading
Mission accomplished! Operation Blessing delivers generators to islands
Operation Blessing’s Japan Disaster Relief Manager, Don Thomson, shares his firsthand account of the relief efforts in Japan. URATO ISLANDS, Japan – We finally received the go ahead from the barge operator this morning, and Operation Blessing was able to … Continue reading
Teams continue to bring relief to Japanese villages in need
Operation Blessing’s Japan Disaster Relief Manager, Don Thomson, shares his firsthand account of the relief efforts in Japan. SHIOGAMA, Japan – On Friday we held our fourth eye clinic for the week—this time in Hiraiso Village, a small fishing and … Continue reading
Washing machines and glasses for Sabusawa Island
Operation Blessing’s Japan Disaster Relief Manager, Don Thomson, shares his firsthand account of the relief efforts in Japan. SABUSAWA ISLAND, Japan – Today was our third and last eye clinic in the Urato Islands—on Sabusawa Island. The mayor of Shiogama … Continue reading
Bill Horan
David Darg
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