MEXICO – How do you start over after 43 years?

With hard work, a little encouragement, and a helping hand.

Laura was 57 years old when her employer of more than four decades went bankrupt. (more…)

HONDURAS – Lourdes had no idea how she would provide for her five children after her husband tragically passed away last fall.

Unable to read or write, she struggled to find a job that would allow her to also care for her children, from 12-year-old Belkin all the way down to little Rirsi, who is only three. (more…)

For two weeks we are sharing a series of inspiring stories and videos as part of our annual partnership drive. As you reflect on these stories, consider joining our efforts and renewing your support as an Operation Blessing Monthly Partner.

GUATEMALA – Elsa lost nearly everything she loved in only a few short months.

A tropical storm flooded her home, destroying all of her family’s possessions and the house itself. After salvaging what they could, her family moved to a new area. There they set up a small store for Elsa to run, supplementing their depleted income. (more…)

JAPAN – The severed bow of a fiberglass fishing boat jutted out from under a huge pile of mangled ropes and rotting fishing nets. Under mounds of smashed plastic crates and pieces of foam were fragments of countless other boats. These vessels, once afloat and filled with fishermen’s catch, were now in a boat graveyard filled with the wreckage of the local fishing industry. In a separate pile, mangled metal had been separated for recycling. (more…)

MOTOYOSHI, Japan – For coastal fishing communities in Japan devastated by the tsunami, replacing their boats is a crucial step toward getting back to work—and eventually rebuilding their lives.

Because of the long waiting list for purchasing new boats in Japan, it can take months to get a fishing vessel. (more…)

HONDURAS – Denis and his wife, Mirna, were waiting for us to arrive so that they could prepare pastelitos (patties made of wheat flour). As soon as we got to their house, Mirna began filling the pastelitos with different things such as beans, corn, rice and potatoes. (more…)

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. (more…)