Helping Those In Need

Hurricane Sandy – Hitting the Weak and the Strong

By Rod Thomas
The 700 Club

CBN.com —In the first few weeks following Hurricane Sandy, the folks in the small coastal town of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, began the long, painful process of putting their lives back together. From the start, Operation Blessing was there to help.

“When we arrived, and to this day, we are the only organization of this magnitude here to help them,” says Operation Blessing’s Sheila Griffin. “The minute we walked into the church, we were greeted with great tears and sobs from everybody saying, ‘somebody has finally come to help us. Somebody cares.’”

Al Capriotti, who lost both legs due to complications with diabetes, had nowhere to turn when several trees crashed down on his home. Insurance claims would take time and with water dripping into his house, he was out of options.

“It came through the back bedroom,” says Al. “It blew my skylight out, and it caused a leak in the roof over here, just below where my bed. That’s where I was sleeping and I started getting wet my wife was all upset. I said, ‘what are we gonna do? I ain’t got the kinda money to take care of this.’”

A friend told him that Operation Blessing was in the area, helping people recover from the storm.

“We gave them a call and they were here,” says Al. “I said, ‘wow!’ They said they could remove these trees off the roof. I said, ‘are you sure? Cause this one tree is awful big.’ He goes, ‘we’ll take care of it.’ And they came in here with a crew and they knocked that tree right out.”
Within hours, Operation Blessing volunteers were there to remove the trees. Then, a tarp was nailed in place to keep the rain and snow out until insurance could replace the roof.

“I was overwhelmed,” says Al. “I didn’t know what to say. Thanks you is not enough.  Then they prayed with us.  I knew right then and there that was it. That was Him. He was in my house, making sure everybody was safe, ‘cause God takes care of his own.”

Today, almost three months later, Operation Blessing is still in Little Egg Harbor and other devastated communities, helping families in this desperate time of need.

“Thank you for what you did,” says Al. “It was a blessing that you were here. I would have never thought that something like this would happen to me. I always believe that when you can’t handle it no more, there’s only one set of footprints in the sand, and that’s the Lord’s.”

CBN Partners provide practical help for families in need. This often opens hearts to receive the message of Christ. If you are not a partner, please join with us today. For a small investment of $20 a month, you can bring help and a message of hope to people throughout the world. Become a member today!

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