Delivered from Devastation and Blessed to Prosper
Gisella is a single mom raising her daughter, son and a granddaughter in a remote community near Iquitos, Peru.
Before COVID hit she earned money for food by selling hand-made crafts to tourists. When the pandemic hit, all international travel stopped and her business dried up.
“We are not selling much,” she told CBN getting emotional. “Handicrafts is the only job I have, with that I support my children, honestly when I don't sell, I don’t eat.”
To make things even more challenging the roof of the shanty where they had been living for 22 years was torn off by strong winds and rain. “My oldest daughter started crying when she saw the roof blow away. I will never forget what we went through. All of our clothes and my crafts got wet,” she added with tears in her eyes. “I thought the house was going to fall down on us. I left everything there and ran to safety with my children.”
When Operation Blessing came to help members of the community affected by the pandemic, we provided training and new materials for Gisella to begin making and selling crafts again. “I learned to weave better. I learned how to make bracelets, bags, earrings, necklaces.”
Then Operation Blessing built Gisella and her family a new house with a kitchen, bathroom and new beds. “I have never lived in a house like this! Only a hut! God has given me a house where my children live in peace—without fear of storms.”
6-year-old Jose added his thoughts about their new house: “Now I can sleep without getting wet! I am happy in my new house!”
As travel restrictions lifted and tourists returned, Gisella said she’s now selling her crafts again. “I can produce and sell even more crafts than before and I can buy food for my children,” she said. “I´m grateful to God and to everyone who made these gifts possible.”
