OPERATION BLESS ING INTERNATIONALNOVEMBER 2015

Blessingsoperationblessing.org

Giving Thanks:

Lizzie’s story of

hope A young mother receives

help from Operation Blessing partners

in her time of need { P A G E 8 }

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A Message from THE PRESIDENT

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Thanksgiving Day has very special significance for me. On Thanksgiving Day in

1984, I went in search of a new book to read and found the only place open

was the local drug store. They had paperbacks displayed on a rotating book

rack. I was turning the rack and scanning the titles, when suddenly one book stood

out from all the rest. It was a thick paperback with an inviting bluish- green cover.

The title was simply — THE BOOK.

In case you haven't heard of it, THE BOOK is a contemporary Bible published

by Tyndale that uses The Living Bible translation. The Bible’s ancient language is

translated into everyday American English. I bought the book and began reading.

It was the first Bible I had ever read and it totally changed the course of my life.

THE BOOK lit my path back to God. I had lost my way 30 years earlier and the

Bible guided me back to Christ. Besides the spiritual fruit that began flourishing in

my life, lessons learned soon supercharged my business and transformed every aspect

of my life.

The most amazing part of this story occurred over 17 years later when I first met

Pat Robertson through a mutual friend while he and his wife were visiting Grand

Cayman where Laura and I had a home. Pat and I hit it off, and we talked nonstop

for days. One night I told Pat my whole life story, and when I got to the part about

how I found THE BOOK, I asked if he had ever heard of it.

He looked me in the eye, chuckled and said, “Yes, that’s our book; CBN

co-published it and we designed that cover to catch fish just like you.” I still get

goosebumps when I think about that moment.

There is so much more to this story, including how I eventually came to join the

Operation Blessing team after that first providential meeting with Pat — but I’ve run

out of space. Stay tuned and Happy Thanksgiving!

May God bless you,

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A Message from THE PRESIDENT4 Loving Little Mastula

Baby Mastula struggles to survive until a loving neighbor and Operation Blessing partners help

6 A Better Future for Little Feet A little girl in Brazil receives life-changing treatment

7 A Charity You Can Trust Take a look at Operation Blessing’s financials for fiscal year 2015!

12 Persecuted in Pakistan Operation Blessing brings hope to a family struggling in the wake of a church bombing

14 A New Place to Learn A school in Haiti provides life-changing opportunities for impoverished families

Inside this issue Cover PAGE 8

Giving Thanks: Lizzie's Story of Hope A young mother receives help from Operation Blessing partners in her time of need

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PAGE 14

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UGANDA

Loving Little Mastula

Baby Mastula struggles to survive until a loving neighbor and

Operation Blessing partners help

Little Mastula was born a perfectly happy and healthy baby, except for one thing — she had been born without the lower portion of either arm.

Because of this, the beautiful newborn girl was abandoned by her mother, an action that could have resulted in the girl’s death in rural Uganda.

But a kind neighbor, Amina, discovered the infant and brought Mastula into her home to raise as her own.

As much as she loved the child, Amina struggled to feed little Mastula. Without breast milk to offer her and with few resources to purchase the

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necessary formula, Amina watched Mastula lose weight and become sickly.Desperate to save the girl’s life, Amina sought help from a local organiza-

tion that was able to point her to Operation Blessing partner organization Abide Family Center.

Abide staff assessed little Mastula and began regular visits to Amina’s home — providing her with the formula and support the little girl needed.

Over the course of nine months, thanks to the support of Operation Blessing partners, Mastula began gaining weight, she became healthy and, as she grew, the little girl thrived.

Operation Blessing’s partnership with the Abide Family Center pro-vides meals for undernourished children; emergency housing for families in crisis; an early childhood development program for young children; parenting, business and tailoring classes for adults and more. ◆

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A Better Future for Little Feet

A little girl in Brazil receives life-changing treatment

Little Ana was born in Brazil with bilateral clubfeet, a condition that would keep her from walking properly as she got older — limiting not only her childhood and education opportunities,

but also her entire adult life. She was able to receive some treatment while still an infant, but

her parents knew they needed to take further action to give their daughter the best possible future and had her re-evaluated when she was just over a year old.

Thanks to Operation Blessing, a medical team was able to provide Ana with the treatment she needed free of charge to her family. She received a series of casts followed by braces that enabled her small feet to be fully corrected, and now Ana is an active four year old — running and playing with her friends. And she has a bright future awaiting her. ◆

BRAZIL

Before After

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A MISSION YOU CAN BELIEVE IN. A CHARITY YOU CAN TRUST.

REVENUES:• Contributions .......................... $ 20,443,786• Gifts in Kind ............................ $ 235,871,880• Other Revenue.......................... $ 147,188• Total Revenues ......................... $ 256,462,854

EXPENSES:• Programs ................................ ($254,669,186)• Fundraising ............................ ($ 2,151,268)• General and Administrative ..... ($ 1,395,116)• Total Expenses ........................ ($258,215,570)• Gains and Losses ..................... $ 5,811• Decrease in Net Assets ........... ($ 1,746,905)

Operation Blessing is dedicated to relieving human suffering by combating poverty, hunger, exploitation and oppression with the provision of food, clothing, shelter, medical care and more. And we're committed to fiscal

responsibility, efficiency and excellence.

• Forbes magazine ranks OBI as one of its “100 Largest Charities.”

• Consumers Digest named OBI one of “America’s Top Charities” based on financial efficiency.

• Charity Navigator has awarded OBI its highest rating of four stars for the ninth year.

Condensed Financial Information for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015:

For Operation Blessing International's complete financial statements audited by KPMG LLP, please visit ob.org/financials or request a hard copy by writing us at Operation Blessing International, Public Relations Department, 977 Centerville Turnpike, Va. Beach VA 23463.

0.8% Fundraising

0.6% General &

Administrative

98.6% Programs

8.0% Contributions

0.1% Other Revenue

91.9% Gifts in Kind

For OBI's complete FY15 Annual Report visit ob.org/financials.

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As a young single mother and nurse, Lizzie knows what it means to have a full schedule, but every Saturday morning she makes sure she has time to spend with her favorite cook — her 10-year-

old son, Ethan. Ethan loves learning how to cook and Lizzie cherishes those mornings

in the kitchen, knowing that without Operation Blessing they wouldn’t be possible.

When Lizzie made the decision to go to nursing school to make a better life for herself and Ethan, she knew finances would be tight, but she also knew that

In spite of Lizzie’s best efforts and her hard work to become a nurse, she sometimes struggles to provide enough food for young Ethan.

LOUISIANA

A young mother receives help from Operation

Blessing partners in her time of need

GivinG Thanks: LIZZIE’S STORY

OF HOPE

!

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God would provide for them. She turned to an Operation Blessing-supported ministry in Louisiana and found the food, support and encouragement she and Ethan so desperately needed.

Every two weeks, Lizzie con-tinues to receive the groceries they need to get by — extremely grateful for the source of hope and help it has been for her as she raises a growing boy on her own.

“I definitely would say thank you. I’ve seen the food from Operation Blessing bless not only

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myself, but also others that struggle on a financial level,” Lizzie said. Knowing that struggle all too well and experiencing God’s provision

firsthand, Lizzie now gives back by helping other single moms. “God has given a special place in my heart for the single mothers.”

Lizzie said.So for the past

several years, she has been an integral part of a single moms group at her church, reaching out to mothers with similar circumstances.

Lizzie also volunteers to share her story and help other churches start single moms groups, which she believes to be an indispensable resource for mothers in her position.

Without the food she receives through her own single moms group, Lizzie knows there are times she would be at a loss of what to put on the

table for young Ethan. “I can’t express my

thankfulness enough,” Lizzie said, “Just seeing the generosity from Operation Blessing that is given in faith…you have no idea who you are reaching, and I can’t express my gratitude for all you have done.” ◆Ethan loves learning to cook with his mom every Saturday morning.

Lizzie and Ethan receive food and supplies from an Operation Blessing-supported ministry at their church in Louisiana.

“Just seeing the generosity from Operation Blessing that is given in faith…you have no idea who you are reaching.” – Lizzie, single mother

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One of every eight children under age 12 in the U.S. goes to bed hungry each night.*

This holiday season, help feed a hungry child.

Visit operationblessing.org today.

*U.S. Department of Agriculture, Household Food Security In The United States, 2011: www.ers.esda.gove/publications/err125

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PAKISTAN

Operation Blessing brings hope to a family struggling in the wake of a church bombing

PERSECUTED IN PAKISTAN

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It was a typical Sunday morning in the Pakistani city of Youhanabad. Qaisar, a young father of two, had offered to serve as a volunteer security guard for his church — a precautionary

measure to keep Christian families safe.But things went terribly awry. That morning a terrorist set off a

bomb just outside the church gates, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more including Qaisar, who was badly burned and was left with several pieces of shrapnel in his legs.

Unable to return to work right away, the 34-year-old husband and father didn’t know how he was going to pay for all the medical bills and still afford basic necessities like food for his family.

Through Operation Blessing’s initiative to bring hope and help to the oppressed and persecuted around the world, Qaisar and his fam-ily are receiving all the groceries they need until Qaisar is able to return to work. He is even receiving all the medicine he needs to heal free of charge thanks to partners like you. ◆

Qaisar is recovering from his burns but is unable to work until he is healed.

PERSECUTED IN PAKISTAN

Qaisar’s young daughter.

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HAITI

A school in Haiti provides life-changing opportunities for impoverished families

L ess than a year old, the new building at Ecole Nouvelle Lac Azuei (ENLA) School in Haiti is making a huge impact on the students and families in the community.

With over 190 students and more expected to enroll in the coming months, ENLA is a beacon of hope for the impoverished region — providing education, nutritious meals and safe water for its students. And now, thanks to the additional space, an adult

A New Place to Learn

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literacy class is now offered for anyone willing to learn.

Many families in the area are thankful for the difference it is making in their lives. One mother of three, Moseline, is able to send her all of her kids to school and attend the literacy class for adults — a life-changing opportunity that will help break the chains of generational poverty.

The school, which was built by Operation Blessing and its partners in Haiti, consists of two separate kindergarten and primary

school buildings, a kitchen, water cistern, latrines and a food depot.

Students receive nutritious meals each day at breakfast and lunch with special atten-tion given to children suffering from malnourishment, and water at the school is 100% safe to drink as it is delivered straight from OBI’s well at Za-nmi Beni in Port-au-Prince. OBI also furnishes the salaries for all of the teachers and staff,

including Moseline who works as a janitor for the school to help provide for her family.

Moseline’s eldest daughter, Daphkali was recently given a baby goat at an awards ceremony for being one of the top students in her class — an honor and gift she and her family were very excited to receive. ◆

A New Place to Learn

Moseline and her family.

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Copyright © 2015 by Operation Blessing International, P.O. Box 2636, Virginia Beach, VA 23450. For more information, call (800) 730-2537 or visit our website at operationblessing.org

Few gifts have the power to change lives and demonstrate God's love to those most in need, but that's what you can do through Operation Blessing this year.

Teach a person to read, nourish a family or quench an entire village's thirst – there's something for everyone on your list!

Visit ob.org/givingcatalog to browse our 2015 gifts.

This Christmas, give a gift that changes lives