President of international outreach ministry Operation Big Blessing (OBB), Harold Ximines, knows what it is like to do without basic necessities.
He remembers growing up in a poor family.
“I wasn’t able to wear shoes to school, even up to ninth grade I didn’t have shoes. I went to church without shoes. I know the experiences that people are having, especially here in Jamaica,” he shared during the Central Jamaica Conference (CJC) radio programme Lifeline.
His upbringing fuelled a strong desire to give back and an opportunity to do so presented itself ten years ago.
Ximines, who is also board chairman of OBB and his wife Dr. Sandra Stewart-Ximines who is vice president and chief financial officer, were part of an outreach activity using the same name at the Imani Praise Fellowship Seventh-day Adventist Church in California, USA in 2014.
Under then-pastor, Michael Mupfawa, OBB partnered with shoe company Sketchers to provide footwear for needy residents in the Moreno Valley community. They also provided food, clothes and school supplies. The outreach was successful and Ximines was inspired to continue it. He asked Pastor Mupfawa if they could continue using the name and having received his blessing they registered as a non-profit organisation in the state of California.
OBB hosts regular outreach events in Moreno Valley. Dr. Ximines explains that every other Sabbath they distribute boxes obtained from food banks starting at 9:00 am. There are usually long lines of cars and members of the OBB team pray with people as they wait.
“We have people coming in to worship with us after we hand out food and we're on time for 11 o'clock divine service. We believe that reaching souls is important and it doesn't matter the day of the week, so we integrate that into our Sabbath worship,” she says.
The ministry also does a community impact every fourth Sabbath in a local soccer (football) park. They set up a media van from which they broadcast music and distribute the book Steps to Christ and other SDA literature. Their website, operationbigblessings.org, states that they also host an annual summer programme for children which provides a free, nutritious lunch daily and gives each child school supplies at the end of the programme.
Though very active in California, Jamaica was never far from Ximines mind. In 2016, the international outreach arm of the ministry was launched and OBB travelled to Blue Hole SDA, his home church.
“We had a very good first event there. It was so good that we went back the second year and did another community impact which included health ministry, vacation Bible school and evangelism,” he recalls.
In 2018, OBB shipped a 40-foot container with supplies to Jamaica including medical supplies, non-perishable food, clothes, shoes, bedding, diapers, furniture, kitchen supplies, toiletries and more.
On other trips they have made an impact in Croft’s Hill, Clarendon, which is where Ximines was born and Old Harbour and Ewarton in St. Catherine.
“[A woman in Ewarton] was living in really deplorable conditions. There were holes in the wall and she used cloth to stuff them to keep out the breeze and the cold. The zinc was lifting off the ceiling and she had to set pans to catch water when it rains. We were able to raise enough funds to build her a new two-bedroom home with running water, kitchen and a little eating area,” Ximines shared.
This year, OBB partnered with the CJC Health Ministries department to host an outreach event leading up to the Blessed Hope evangelistic series, scheduled to begin August 4, 2024.
“We were scheduled to be in Jamaica on the fourth of July and the hurricane hit the third. The Montego Bay airport was closed and so we had to reschedule and so we lost four days,” Dr. Ximines explains.
But the ministry was still able to make a big impact in spite of the setback, from July 7-13, 2024, offering health checks and Vacation Bible School for over 300 children at the Spanish Town SDA Church.
OBB is sought after, receiving calls to go to other conferences in Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and as far away as Africa. Dr Ximines says they are willing to go ‘wherever’ but notes that it can be challenging to fund the ministry. However, they are undaunted.
“Mostly we're funded by our team members and our personal savings. There are also donors that sometimes give to us. We had a GoFundMe and we got some cash from that but otherwise it's funded by us. As the person who handles the finances I can tell you I have a very strong faith. I believe what the Bible says, that the Lord will provide. I live by that. And therefore I don't worry about it,” she says.
Elder Ximines has come a far way from his childhood days and he reflects on the journey with gratitude.
“Look at where God has brought me from to where I am today. I can change whatever shoes I want and wear whatever suit I want. I know where I'm coming from. We want to really and truly give back to Jamaica,” he says.
Persons who share a passion for helping others are welcome to join the group. Volunteers and/or donors can sign up and contribute at operationbigblessings.org or contact them at operationbigblessing@gmail.com.
Whether serving in Jamaica or elsewhere, OBB stays focused on their mission of “Restoring the body, empowering the mind and renewing the heart through Jesus”.
To view pictorial highlights from Operation Big Blessing, click HERE