Bantey Mean Chey Province, Cambodia
12-year-old Vanny, his brothers and his cousin are all being raised by their grandparents in rural province in Cambodia.
Vanny said there were many days every month during the pandemic when they ran out of food.
“Normally we would have some porridge because that’s what grandma sells,” Vanny told CBN.
When COVID-19 began spreading in the country, Grandpa lost his job, and Grandma’s café in her home was also forced to shut down.
“No one comes to my place anymore,” said Grandma sadly. “Everyone is scared they will catch the virus.”
Watching her grandkids go hungry has been the hardest thing for Grandma.
Athens, AL
The worldwide pandemic has been tough on everyone, but as she recovers from breast cancer surgery, it’s even harder for Victoria Burks and her husband.
Victoria explains, “With him, he lost his job around April, so we’ve been out, both of us, with no job.”
As a result, their food was running out fast.
Victoria said, “Cupboards was getting a little low and there s nothing you can do when you can t work. It hurts. It makes you want to cry. Frustrated. You get to the point you don t know where to turn, so you have to–have to look for somewhere to help.”
Lake Charles, LA
“Looked like a bomb went through the whole city and surrounding areas,” said Trudy Faulk.
Trudy Faulk’s home was left in ruins. Collapsed ceilings buried everything she owned.
“It s just kind of heartbreaking to think that I invested so much and then it s gone to waste,” explained Trudy.
Insurance will cover the damage to her house, but Trudy couldn’t find anyone to help her salvage what she could. Contractors’ schedules were full, her siblings are older and have health issues, and her neighbors were busy working on their own homes. Then Operation Blessing came to her aid.
January 12th marked one year since the devastating Taal Volcano eruption in the Philippines. It forced tens of thousands from their homes and the evacuation cost 39 lives.
Then, the pandemic hit shortly after which has hurt recovery efforts, especially among fishermen who lived right on the volcanic island.
Operation Blessing was among the first to provide disaster relief efforts, and on the first anniversary, it helped these fishermen get back in business.
The island used to be a famous tourist spot and home to 6,000 families, but now it s a no man s land because it s been declared a permanent danger zone.
GORDON ROBERTSON is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Christian Broadcasting Network, as well as a member of CBN s Board of Directors. He is also President of Operation Blessing, CBN s humanitarian organization.
The son of Pat and Dede Robertson, Gordon graduated from Yale University in 1980 and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Washington and Lee University in 1984. He then practiced law in Norfolk, Virginia, for 10 years.
In 1994, Gordon had a profound encounter with the Lord and moved to the Philippines, where he established CBN Asia. The following year, he founded the Asian Center for Missions (ACM), dedicated to training and sending Asian missionaries throughout the world. ACM is now one of the largest missionary agencies in the Philippines with more than 2,000 graduates trained in cross-cultural missions.