A widow was facing daily fines because a relative had used her home to dump trash and debris. Her yard had a significant amount of rotting and rusted junk. People over the years had dumped trash and used the widow’s property to store things without giving her any sort of compensation. The widow’s other family members refused to help her with removing the trash.

The widow’s neighbors were tired of seeing all of the junk in her yard, but instead of helping her, they complained to the city, and the city officials were quick to take action. Unfortunately, the widow was threatened with fines of more than $2,000 each day the awful mess was not cleaned up.

The widow’s name was Agnes Maples and at the age of 90, she was desperate for someone to come and help her. Her problems were not limited to just the junk in her yard. Many parts of her home were also in total disrepair. This was making her life difficult. She had no air conditioning and her roof required major repairs. Animals were regularly getting into her house. All of this created a bad situation for someone at her age with health concerns.

Agnes was also physically in bad shape as she not only struggled to walk but cooking and cleaning, as well as getting dressed on her own was a real challenge for her. Removing the trash by herself was impossible. Since her husband had passed away, Agnes had nobody in her life who was willing to help her, and her remaining family paid no heed to her.

Agnes knew she needed to do something about her situation but did not know where to turn. Thankfully, however, she came across Operation Blessing, which according to The Christian Broadcasting Network, got some help from Regent University volunteers and did a few little extras for Agnes.

Operation Blessing is a charity and according to their website, they are a “nonprofit, humanitarian organization headquartered in the United States. Operation Blessing provides strategic relief in dozens of countries around the world. Through core programs of disaster relief, medical care, hunger relief and clean water, OB is dedicated to demonstrating God’s love by alleviating human need and suffering in the United States and around the world.”

The organization’s mission involves providing hunger relief, disaster relief as well as medical and health care, community development, care for vulnerable orphans and children as well as safe drinking water and more. With their faithful supporters, the organization is dedicated to providing physical relief to any individual in immediate need of help.

Once members of Operation Blessing heard about Agnes’s situation, they immediately took action. They went to her property and tore down an old trailer as well as a shed that had been major problems. That is the only work they had agreed to perform at the beginning.

Then a miracle occurred. Agnes went out to her property and discovered many more volunteers began showing up. These were individuals who Agnes never requested to help or expected would show up at her house. It appears the people at Operation Blessing had not told Agnes they were going to request some extra assistance.

Not only did these volunteers do the bare minimum of what Agnes needed, but they also were busy building her a brand new pathway to her backyard. They also planted some flowerbeds in Agnes’s garden. All the debris that had been laying outside of her home had been removed. They even repaired her roof. This helped Agnes to have a long-term fix for the state of her home and definitely improved the quality of her life overall.

“They started working and they sure did do a good job,” Agnes said according to the Christian Broadcasting Network. “And they’re all my little angels. And I never will forget them. And I love them.”

These were all people willing to help and provide assistance to a widow in her 90s in a very difficult situation. Volunteers from this organization did more than was requested of them. They did this to help in a selfless and loving manner and were able to drastically change the life of a woman in the process. It may have been a small thing for the volunteers but it was a huge thing for Agnes.

Agnes had only one request when asked, “They asked me what I needed. And I said, ‘I need an air conditioner. Please get me an air conditioner. And they surprised me with one,” Agnes said. “God bless them and they’re wonderful. And I love them all. I’ve been blessed and blessed and God has never left me. He’s still with me.” This story shows that the power of community coming together cannot be overlooked and is worth celebrating!

Seeing the willingness and help provided by these good people can be a real inspiration! Have you ever volunteered or had someone volunteer to help you? Tell us about your experiences and pass this along to your friends!