A 100-Foot Problem

Gary Youngblood is a retired US Army vet living with his wife, Patricia, in Fletcher NC. They were sleeping in their home when Hurricane Helene ripped through North Carolina with high winds, torrential rain and flooding.   

“It was about five in the morning when I heard the crash of the tree, and it landed on the corner of the house, which is the master bedroom. It didn't take long to get out of bed and get out of the way, but, praise the Lord it didn't do any physical damage to us” Gary recalled. 

When they went outside, they found that a 100-foot tree had fallen in the storm.  The damage to the roof was minimal, but Gary wondered how he would ever remove the giant tree and debris from his yard, especially after his recent injury. 

“I had fractured my left ankle in a couple of places, and I had had to stay off my foot, but I used it getting out of bed that morning. We had a big debris problem,” Gary continued.

Hurricane Helene was one of the deadliest U.S. storms of the 21st century, with over 100 confirmed deaths in North Carolina alone.  Property damage was staggering.  

Operation Blessing’s Disaster Relief team was on hand to provide emergency assistance and to help people like Gary.     

“These guys, gracefully give up their time to come out and, give me a hand.  And they've really been working hard today,” Gary told us.  “You guys showed up today, and got this tree cut up and getting it rolled up to the highway to get it hauled off, really put in a lot of work.”

But it wasn’t until after we finished the cleanup, that we learned that Gary and his wife are CBN Partners 

“We've been, with CBN for quite a while. You know, we're monthly partners.  And I think it goes way back to when, Pat was running for president,” Gary explained. 

“We found out through this ministry of CBN with Operation Blessing, that it's doing good. It's going to people that need it, the people that need the help.  And you guys have really shown the love of Christ, you know, to us today.  Amazing,” he said with sincere gratitude. 

Do you know that CBN partners can reach people around the world for Christ every day? We invite you to join us in ministry together as we provide financial support to those in need through our life-giving surgeries, food and clothing programs, humanitarian aid, and so much more! When you give today and become a CBN partner, you’ll help transform lives in the name of Jesus Christ! Join us now!