Well, welcome to the 700 Club.
Florida still has
a very long way
to go to recover
from Hurricane Irma.
Many homes, a majority
of them don't have power
and many are still
covered by flood waters.
TERRY MEEUWSEN: That's right.
President Trump is going to
see the devastation from Irma
firsthand when he
visited Naples yesterday.
CBN's Operation
Blessing was also there,
bringing food, water,
and other supplies
to those who are in need.
Gary Lane has the story.
GARY LANE: In Fort
Myers, the president
praised government responders
who acted selflessly
to save lives in the hurricane.
People thought thousands
and thousands of people
may have their lives ended.
And the number is a
very small number, which
is a great tribute to you.
GARY LANE: Then in Naples,
the president and First Lady
received a warm
greeting and cheers
as they arrived at
Estates Mobile Home Park,
looked over the damage,
and listened to residents
tell their stories about what
happened during the storm.
Then the president
and first lady
served up hoagie
sandwiches for lunch.
Let's make
America great again.
Come here.
God bless you, sir.
Don't forget to take one.
I got that.
Thank you, sir.
Take another one.
[INAUDIBLE] and good cheer.
Thank you.
GORDON ROBERTSON: The president
offered words of assurance
that America won't
forget Florida.
I just want to tell you,
we are there for you 100%.
I'll be back here
numerous times.
This is a state that I know
very well, as you understand.
These are special, special
people, and we love them.
Thank you.
Floridians were encouraged to
see President Trump serving up
meals to the people of Naples.
But perhaps more encouraging
was to know that CBN's Operation
Blessing was on the ground here
in Florida long before Irma
arrived.
Before Irma
threatened Florida, OB
staged supplies at its
distribution warehouse
in Ocala.
As the hurricane's tract
became more certain,
trucks were loaded and ready.
Evacuees got help
at school shelters.
Partnering with
local churches, OB
has already delivered water,
food, and other supplies
to 10 of Florida's
hardest hit cities.
In Naples Thursday,
a team of volunteers
unloaded an OB truck filled
with items like food and water,
ready for distribution
to those who need them.
Jody Gettys is Operation
Blessing vice president
for U.S. disaster relief.
Naples is known as one of the
wealthiest cities in America,
but it also represents
some of the poorest
populations in America.
So it's very diverse.
Today, we at Destiny Church
with Pastor Greg, and we're
delivering thousands
of pounds of product.
Emergency food, water
supplies, even heater meals
that people can heat up.
GARY LANE: Gettys
explains the ready to eat
meals are cooked
without electricity.
JODY GETTYS: These
are complete kits.
Spaghetti and meatballs.
It looks like a TV dinner you
would get at the grocery store.
But what is unique
about this is that it
has the water that you need
to pour on to the heating pad
to activate it.
And then what you do is you
slip it inside of these boxes
and that becomes the over.
GARY LANE: Pastor
Greg Ball told us
how residents reacted
when they also
received another hard to
get item: bottled water.
We went down the street
just handing water to people.
They were crying, hugging
us, trying to pay us.
We're, like, this
is not about money.
This is meeting the
needs of the community.
And that's what the Body
of Christ is all about.
GARY LANE: A donation from
Aloha Church of Kauai,
Hawaii, made the Naples
distribution possible.
Pastor Ball says it's
important for people
to demonstrate care and
concern for others in need.
GREG BALL: To be
able to help take
care of people,
that's what we're all
about in the Body of Christ.
And we're so grateful to
Operation Blessing and the 700
Club for all that they're doing.
They're on the ground, and
God is doing big things.
And we're so blessed to be
partnering with you to see all
that God's going to do.
GARY LANE: Gary Lane, CBN
News, Jacksonville, Florida.
While Operation
Blessing is in Florida,
we're also in Mexico in one
of the hardest hit areas
after that 8.1
earthquake last week.
Operation Blessing is
providing food, medical care,
and help for the elderly.
And we're still in Texas,
helping more people
in more than a dozen cities who
were hit by Hurricane Harvey.
And there's an urgent need
now for volunteers for Texas.
So if you want to be part
of the Operation Blessing
team providing relief in
Texas, all you have to do
is go to their website,
OB.org, and you
can find more information of how
you can volunteer this weekend.