When Hard Times Catch You By Surprise

CBN.com —As George Clegg serves overseas with the U.S. Army, he knows that back home his wife, Becca, and their three children are taken care of thanks to the steady income the military provides. However, the separation is difficult.

“It’s hard with my kids being younger, they don’t truly understand where he’s going and what’s going on,” says George’s wife Becca.

“God has a purpose in everything, and we know that we are going to come out of this better than we are,” says George.

“So it’s always a little bit hard leaving a family behind but we prepared in every way we could and just trusting at this point that god is going to pull us through it.”

Becca helps the kids create scrapbooks to encourage their dad, and they keep in touch through video chats. George joined the Army to offer stability for his family after enduring a difficult period a few years ago following the loss of his sales job due to the recession.

“There was no, ‘in a few weeks or we’ll give you another month or whatever,’ it was like he went into work one day and that was it. So we didn’t really have a fair warning.”

The Cleggs live in Perry County, Pennsylvania an area that’s been especially hard it by the economy. Becca works part-time as a hairdresser, but that income just wasn’t enough after George’s job loss. While George was looking for work, they turned to Operation Blessing partner Bread of Life Outreach for help. The Cleggs were able to pick up food and other household supplies when they needed it.

“Your first thought is always like, ‘I’ll go without before I let my kids go without.’  So knowing that they were taken care of and knowing that they had the things they needed makes you sleep better at night,” says Becca.

Operation Blessing teams up with Bread of Life to help over fifteen hundred families a month in Perry County. Pastor Gary Bellis says the food from Operation Blessing does more than just meet physical needs.

“The food gives us such a tremendous opportunity to show that we care, Jesus cares about them. And it opens their hearts to receive god’s word,” says Gary.

The Cleggs are doing well now thanks to the income from the Army. And while her husband serves his country, Becca makes it a priority to volunteer at Bread of Life. She says she’s grateful they were there for her family and wants to make sure others have the same kind of blessing they got when they needed it most.

“It was a relief to know that we had Bread of Life and Operation Blessing there to help us when we were in the trenches,” says Becca. “’Thanks’ doesn’t even really seem to cover it, that just seems like a small word to say because it is amazing the lives that are touched and changed through Operation Blessing.”

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!