GEORGIA – As a member of the disaster relief team, the gift-giving season is always upon us. We were in Atlanta during the flooding, in a community helping to see if we could help families or offer our assistance in any way. There was a gentleman, Mr. Willie Hunt, who was walking up the street just in despair.

I walked up to him and said, “Hey sir, how are you? My name is Clifton and I work with Operation Blessing. We’re in the neighborhood just trying to see if anyone needs any help. How can we be of assistance to you?”

As he looked at me and just said, “You know, I want to pack up and take the little bit I have left and just leave.”

So, the only thing I could think to say was, “Well, Mr. Willie sometimes you never know where your blessings going to come from. So just hang in there.”

This family did a lot of giving of themselves, they served the homeless, they clothed the homeless, they drove around in their vehicles making sure people had food and warm clothing. That family showed the true meaning of giving and caring.

Looking back at the story behind Mr. Willie’s family and their house getting flooded, their goal was, no matter what has happened to us, we still need to feed these people who need our help.

Time passed and things started to happen. I noticed that his name kept coming up on our list–we need to really reach out and touch this family.

We took upon ourselves to help. The teams came in and we revitalized their home. It became a special project. Everyone was involved in this project and everyone wanted to be a part of it and make it something special. And, to me, the emotions from the Extreme Home Makeovers and the blessings and the feeling of knowing that someone gave us the opportunity to help someone else…

I have actually personally gone back to Atlanta to visit with Mr. Willie, and they are doing twice as much as they were before we even knew them or before they told us their story.

For me, I will always look back at those moments and say, “Wow, I really did something with my life in helping other people.”

Operation Blessing’s Japan Disaster Relief Manager, Don Thomson, shares his firsthand account of the relief efforts in Japan.

JAPAN – Media is a big part of modern Japanese culture, with just about every home subscribed to one of the national daily papers, owning a TV set, and having Internet access through fiber optic cable or by mobile phone.

NHK, the national public broadcasting corporation, is the largest media enterprise in Asia. Along with four other commercial media conglomerates, it dominates the flow of information to the nation. So, what have the Japanese media been saying about Operation Blessing’s relief activities?

OBI has been enjoying wonderful press, and our unique activities in providing free eye clinics to tsunami survivors on the Tohoku coast caught the media by surprise. It, along with our program to provide equipment to fishermen, has been reported in national dailies, TV news reports, and online news sites. Our programs have even been tweeted and blogged about by other organizations.

A Nikkei Financial Times article about our eye clinics was titled “Seeing Hope.” Another major paper said, “Tsunami survivors grateful to be able to see properly again.” A commercial network affiliate station news report showed a teary eyed fisherman who received an OB boat wiping his eyes, saying, “I am so grateful, I want to cry.”

Miyagi TV, the local affiliate for the largest commercial TV network in Japan, came to one of our recent eye clinics to tape a news report for their midday news broadcast.

Thank you, Operation Blessing partners, for making it possible not only to share compassion with survivors through our relief efforts but also to share joy to homes throughout Japan.

Ms. Masaki Kobayashi is one of our team members at the Tohoku Operations Center who is responsible for preparing press releases for the Japanese media and keeping our Japanese website up to date.

By Jenn Wakefield

STUMPY POINT, N.C. – When most people think of the Outer Banks, they think of vacation. Some think of amazing seafood, and others think of their second home for the summer. When I think of out The Outer Banks, I think of two weeks that changed my life and a small fishing village called Stumpy Point.

After Hurricane Irene struck North Carolina, I was honored to work with Operation Blessing in their disaster relief efforts. Operation Blessing is an international nonprofit organization that is based out of Virginia Beach where I live.

On the drive down to Stumpy Point, I thought to myself, “What a beautiful place! I want to vacation here sometime.”

When we arrived, I learned that Stumpy Point was a small community with one main street. The homes there were mostly destroyed from water damage. Some homes received up to four feet of water—it broke my heart to see the devastation.

But it was Operation Blessing to the rescue! The residents were so excited to see us; one lady approached me and started crying. She said, “I know you haven’t done anything yet, but when you see Operation Blessing, you feel instant hope. Everything is going to be okay.” I couldn’t help but tear up myself.

I thought I was there to help fix homes, maybe do some administrative work, even help serve food; I was terribly mistaken. I was there to listen. I listened to their stories, gave hugs, and built relationships that I am sure will last.

A group of students from Rockford, Ill. came for five days to assist Operation Blessing. When I met these students, I had been there for a week already. I told them to get ready, they were about to be changed in ways they couldn’t imagine.

The day they left, I knew I was right. Brooke was a leader of the Focus One group out of Rockford, and she was so touched by a family she had been working with that week that she had to see them one last time to say goodbye. It was joyful and emotional—they hugged as if they had known each other their entries lives.

Being God’s hands and listening ears, and showing His love, is more powerful than one might think. In a time of disaster, sometimes that is all we need. Someone to help, listen and love.

These two weeks have changed me forever.

HATTERAS ISLAND – Today was a bit eerie as I awoke on the island after a long night of high winds and thunderstorms. I walked to the sliding glass doors that overlook the sound and, to my surprise, the water was gone!

The water in the sound had been blown out by the high winds. The part that is eerie is that this is the exact thing described by every local resident who rode out the storm here. Their first sight was the water being sucked out of the sound.

After I talked with a few locals, I found out that it’s normal for the water to go out of the sound during high Northeast winds. It usually doesn’t affect “normal life” too much, but now that everyone is depending on water transportation it is a really big deal!

After our morning meeting we learned that the ferry has been shut down and is not expected to be running for at least another three days, or until the water returns to the sound. That means no deliveries of food, fuel, mail, etc. The locals are now dependent on the ferry to get to doctors appointments, work, and other personal business on the mainland since the highway washed out.

A ferry captain who is part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation measured the water depth to make sure our privately chartered boat would have enough water to make the trip. Thankfully, our seasoned captain, Carson Forrester, was able to navigate the boat in to drop off volunteers (who had driven all night to get here from Michigan) and pick up key staff to take them back to the “mainland.”

Just a little snapshot of “Life on the Island” after the storm…

HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C. – Today was the second day for our new group of volunteers and there was a lot of excitement in the air because yesterday they fell in love with the residents.

Bob, a widower, lives in an old school house here. His wife had a business making dolls that were absolutely beautiful, according to the volunteers. OBI volunteers helped Bob move the precious dolls to a protected area; then they salvaged a lot of his personal belongings and began the clean-up process.

On the other side of the sound, in the Tri-Village area (Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo), OBI volunteers worked on five properties today, cleaning and gutting homes. One home belonged to a family who had lost their house to foreclosure earlier this year. They had moved into a mobile home and remodeled it, only to have it flooded by Irene. They do not have insurance, so the volunteers were helping them clean out soggy insulation in an effort to save their newly remodeled home.

We also assisted a lady named Myra who lives in the same building where she conducts business. Her home/business was flooded and was beginning to mold and mildew. She does not have insurance, is on a very limited income, and is on oxygen.

Myra was quickly given priority for the day because the combination of mold and her health condition are dangerous. Volunteers worked incredibly hard gutting her home and business, but most importantly, we all spend time talking, encouraging, and loving Mrs. Myra.

Myra has lived in Rodanthe all of her life. You would have to talk with her to understand, but spending time with her on the front porch was a good reality check on what is important in life as she shared her stories, pausing for air from time to time.

Tragedy and disaster bring unexpected lessons when you lend a hand to help someone.

OUTER BANKS, N.C. – It was an eventful Labor Day weekend in the Outer Banks. There was a ferry accident involving a semi that damaged the dock cancelling the ferry for at least 24 hours or more. The ferry has been relocated and, hopefully, it will resume 24-hour service. I’m told that the ferry will now take 4.5 hours one way instead of 2 hours to get to Rodanthe.

We had a team of 57 amazing volunteers arrive tonight from Rockford, IL. This is a group that has partnered with us before, formally known as Rockford Master’s Commission, they called Focus One.

They are an incredible group of volunteers and having them for an entire week is going to help us make an even bigger impact in both Stumpy Point and the Tri-Village area (Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo). The homes there flooded with between two and four feet of water, and some homes have not been opened since the storm so we are likely going to be dealing with mold issues there.

We have chartered a dive boat that 26 volunteers will board with OB staff and the dive company’s crew in the mornings to take us to Rodanthe in only one hour! There will be a volunteer team of 32 serving in the Tri-Village area and another team of 25 working in Stumpy Point.

From residents to senior emergency management, everyone here is grateful and appreciative of OB’s work. It truly is making a big impact.

OB staff spoke at a community meeting held on Sunday in Avon for the Tri-Village and Hatteras areas, letting them know of our services. We will be focusing on the primary residences of locals, many of whom have no insurance or are under-insured.

STUMPY POINT, N.C. – Today we sent an advance team of staff members to check on residents in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When we checked in with the Dare County Emergency Operations Center, they asked us to help a small community known as Stumpy Point.

When we arrived in the small community, we knew within minutes that this was a place Operation Blessing needed to be. The people felt like they were alone and when we met them you could tell that they were resilient people but very tired and overwhelmed.

Help Disaster Victims Now

There are only 61 homes in Stumpy Lake and only 50% have insurance. There is neither a grocery store nor gas station in the community. There is no cell service at all, so our team is using a satellite phones for communications.

As our vehicle pulled into the parking lot of the Stumpy Point fire station, we were met by two ladies from the community that began to tell us their situation. They were definitely the “get it done” ladies of the community.

After introducing ourselves, we asked our famous question, “What are the greatest needs in this community and how can we help you meet those needs?” The ladies explained that 90 percent of the homes had water damage and mentioned that there were no resources to do laundry. The other significant need was for volunteers to help residents remove contents and begin to clean and gut their homes.

In answer to their needs Operation Blessing delivered two washers and two dryers by that evening. We set up a community “washateria” for the residents. The fire chief is getting them hooked up to power.

Further, OBI teams will begin running clean-up and construction crews tomorrow to help the residents remove contents and begin cleaning out their homes. We also delivered 200 cardboard boxes for the residents to use for packing and salvaging belongings.

At the request of the residents, we gathered for a Town Hall meeting, which went incredibly well. Our team really brought a strength of focus and education for the residents regarding clean-up, FEMA assistance, our services, and volunteer management. The residents here are so precious! They are very kind, resilient and appreciative.

Our mobile kitchen is already serving hot meals and will be serving lunch and dinner daily. Our team will also be coordinating all the volunteers for Stumpy Point.

We need your help! We are asking for volunteer teams of two or more. We will provide the lodging, food, work coordination, equipment and tolls; all we ask is that each volunteer provides their own transportation. Volunteers should meet at the Stumpy Point Fire Station located at 255 Bayview Dr., Stumpy Point, NC at 8:15 AM each morning Monday – Saturday. For more information call 757.374.0944.

If you would like to volunteer with us and need lodging please call ahead to reserve your spot so we can plan ahead. The volunteer building is located on the waterfront, hot and cold showers are provided, along with a cot to sleep on. Please bring all of your bedding, shower supplies and towels.

To register to volunteer for the day with lodging or if you need additional information, please call us at 757-374-0944.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A day after Hurricane Irene knocked down trees and flooded many areas of Hampton Roads, Operation Blessing crews were on the scene surveying damage and helping homeowners clean up debris.

To learn more about our relief efforts, visit: operationblessing.org

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Early this morning, Hurricane Irene made landfall in North Carolina, bringing rain and strong winds, and even spawning tornados. As Irene takes aim at the eastern seaboard all the way up to New York, we’re urging everyone in the path to stay safe. Jody Herrington-Gettys, Operation Blessing’s director of U.S. disaster relief, offers advice she has learned from years of experience responding to hurricanes.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Operation Blessing disaster relief teams are readying equipment and supplies as Hurricane Irene barrels its way toward the Eastern Seaboard.

Now staged in Virginia Beach, home of Operation Blessing headquarters, a complete team of disaster specialists are prepared to help our neighbors in their hour of need.

The team has an entire fleet of equipment vehicles including a mobile command center, a mobile kitchen that can serve more than 2,500 hot meals in a single day, and a truck packed full of relief supplies such as meals-ready-to-eat, water and hygiene kits.

Two more trailers are packed full of clean-up and construction supplies, tools, and equipment. On top of that, the team has a skid steer, a CAT loader for clearing roadways and removing fallen trees, and a 20 ton crane.

In short, the team is prepared to respond to whatever Irene brings.

“We have incredible equipment and supplies to be able to help people during probably one of the hardest times of their lives,” said Jody Herrington-Gettys, OBI’s director of U.S. disaster relief. “We have resources that we can literally hand families to help them during a time of disaster when the power is out and there’s no access to water.”

Check back here and at www.ob.org for real-time updates on our disaster relief efforts.