FRANCES & CHARLEY
First Class Delivery: OB Brings Hope to Florida
By Andrew Knox
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– "When you have someone who has lost everything, it is hard for them to talk about hope, " says Charles Atkins. Charles is all about providing hope - and has had his work cut out for him lately running the Church of God shelter in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Back-to-back hurricanes have made this outreach a busy place. Just the other night, he had 600 people in the shelter -- and that is a lot of mouths to feed. Two hurricanes meant depleted funds, but Charles believed God to provide and he has seen miracles.
"Operation Blessing came out of nowhere. They just came."
CBN Partners, Operation Blessing is you. The money you give so graciously makes it possible to care for the devastated. Listen to how grateful Dorothy is.
"These people are angels of God. They truly are angels of God here. Nothing is too good for our comfort."
Dorothy is elderly and had to evacuate her home because of Hurricane Frances. It is especially hard because her husband Lester is in poor health. They had no where to go. And although it is not home, she kind of likes it here at the shelter.
"They make your breakfast and bring it to you; your lunch too. And then they make sure you have plenty of water. They just have everything here. We had no idea that this existed. A peace comes over you. The tension goes away when you know you are going to be here and someone will look after you."
Dorothy is also happy she will be able to return home soon. Not everyone is so lucky. At one point there were more than 600 in this shelter trying to avoid Hurricane Frances. Most of the folks have now gone home, except for people like Carol, who are here and need your help.
"I don't know how to do it. I don't know where I am supposed to be."
Carol has been on the run from hurricanes since August 11th. All she has left is in this shelter, which is her sixth since the Hurricane Charley. Her home was destroyed and because she uses a breathing machine, she needs electricity in order to breathe.
"You know what, I am not anxious anymore. I am not even anxious about where I am going. I have no clue where I would go if I weren't in temporary shelter. If somebody is not providing you with a roof over your head, there is nothing. We have nothing. The churches are the ones doing the work."
Operation Blessing is committed to assisting churches as they continue to help victims long after the hurricane has left.
"It is God's work," says Charles. "You know, He's not the author of confusion. He puts a plan together, and He put its together well."
Please help Operation Blessing continue to reach out to assist the churches in meeting the needs of the people affected by the storms in Florida. Your gift today means so much and will provide food and relief supplies to those whose lives have been devastated by the recent hurricanes. Thank you!
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