When 11-year-old Mohammed arrived in the United States from Ethiopia, he wore a ski mask—he preferred to get stares for the strange hat than for what it concealed. Childspring International had brought him to the United States for surgery to repair his broken body, the result of a vicious hyena attack that killed his family and left him severely disfigured. What Mohammed did not expect was the emotional healing he would experience: his host family fell in love with him and ultimately adopted him.

     Sammie Chandler, Childspring's co-founder, has been instrumental in arranging surgical care for over 1,000 Third World country children with catastrophic needs. Miracles, which are anything but rare in this line of work, never become humdrum to her. And though Sammie has been in this ministry for the better part of two decades, she continues to learn the ins and outs of matching providers and patients. "I've gotten smarter and more efficient over the years," she says, recalling challenges, missteps, and her first miracle: one-year-old Kalina Boneva from Bulgaria. "She was how God taught me to do this ministry. He humbled me, and I needed it."

     The child's file arrived two weeks before Christmas—not exactly the best time for securing surgeons and operating rooms. Kalina had retinoblastoma, a life-threatening cancer, behind both eyes, and emergency surgery was critical. With no time to lose, Sammie's partner, Rose Emily Bermudez, ordered, "You get the hospital; I'll get the surgeon." Sammie remembers thinking, How am I going to get a hospital in a week? Now she laughs as she recollects using the word "I." She had forgotten that this was God's ministry, not hers.

     The pieces of the puzzle started fitting into place, even before Sammie recognized seemingly random details were related to her search. One morning, she answered the phone and found herself engaged in small talk with an acquaintance of her husband. When she spoke of her ministry, he casually mentioned he served on the board of a local children's hospital and the group would convene the following day. Not until she hung up did Sammie realize what God had just revealed. She rose early the next morning and delivered a packet of information to the hospital in time for the meeting.

     The following evening, Sammie hosted a dinner party. Her company "happened" to include two board members of the same hospital, and one, in fact, was the chairman. When she showed her guests Kalina's picture, they agreed to help. The baby arrived in America a week later, too weak even to cry, and underwent surgery within two days. One eye was saved, and today, years later, she remains cancer-free. Through Kalina, Sammie learned that no problem is too big or too small for God, and that He is still very much in the business of performing miracles.

MADE FOR A PURPOSE

     Even as a girl, Sammie had a heart for babies and children in need. She recalls, "Before I ever came into this ministry, I read about a child that was in trouble. It just ached in me, hurt me. Then I realized I was created for this purpose—I can't not do it! If it didn't hurt me, I wouldn't have the passion."

     She and Rose Emily work long hours to arrange medical treatment for children all over the world. Situated in separate offices, the women stay in close contact by email but are so busy they seldom meet in person. When they do, however, it's non-stop chatter, mostly about all the miracles God is working before their eyes. They recognize His hand in every facet of their work, whether it's in the restoration of a shattered life or the discovery of a surgeon who is a perfect "fit" for a patient's condition.

NEEDS AND RESOURCES

     Though doctors affiliated with the ministry provide services at no charge, there are nonetheless numerous expenses, the most prohibitive being hospital costs—some facilities are able to offer only reduced rates. Other necessities include medicines, exit fees, passports, and transportation. (Certain airlines, however, accept donated frequent flyer miles, which can be pooled to cover fares.)

     Childspring's limited funds might seem discouraging, especially as the waiting list of children needing treatment is always long. But Sammie has learned that the ministry is about God's inexhaustible resources and miracles, not about how much money there is or whether she'll be able to convince the right parties to help. "Now I don't look at a child and say, 'Can I find a doctor?' or 'Is it possible?'" she says. "I'll work on a child until [the assignment] is taken away."

    Sammie keeps a stack of over a hundred file folders rubber banded by category (plastics, cardiacs, orthopedics) and sub-category (orthopedic hand, orthopedic foot, craniofacial, maxillofacial…). To her, these are not simply "classifications" or "cases"; they are 8-year-old Rosa in Mexico, anxious to have her melon-size facial tumor removed before it destroys her jawbone; Alahi Mohammed Ali, a Somalian baby whose bladder is outside her body; 5-year-old Yabsira Bemnet in Ethiopia (whose name means "God provides by faith"), awaiting corrective surgery for her twisted legs and hands . . .

ABREHAM

     Sammie spends hours on the Web investigating medical facilities and surgeons. She is no longer shocked at how often she discovers a doctor whose specialty perfectly mirrors the particular need of a child. Two-year-old Abreham Tadesse, whose left eye was pushed to the bottom of his cheek by an unidentified growth, is a case in point.

     Based on just two photographs of Abreham, Dr. Weinberg, a specialist in ocular plastics, consented to operate. Within a month, the toddler was flown to the United States and plunged into a strange culture. Before his "adventure" ended, he had endured extensive surgery without the comforting presence of his mother or father. But Abreham was blessed with three loving host families—one in the temperate South and two in snowy New England—who showed him God's love while he was so far away from his home in Ethiopia.

MINISTERING LONG-DISTANCE

    "We accept and help all God's children out of love for Jesus," Sammie says. From her point of view, each child brought for surgery is a potential spiritual ambassador who might turn out to be "another Billy Graham." She notes that young ones who have received Christian love and service "have been handpicked by God, and they go back to their native land." Indeed, their families recognize that wonders have been wrought in their life. Abreham's mother originally considered his severe deformity a curse; now she has witnessed a miracle—her son is no longer disfigured, and he sees through both eyes.

    For some people, the obvious question is, Doesn't so drastic a defect indicate some sort of divine mistake? But our loving, all-powerful God makes no errors. Seeing the future perfectly, He knows what effect Christian love will have on the children, their families, and their communities. He also knows the enormous impact in store for everyone even remotely connected to these walking miracles—host families, medical personnel, and onlookers are all blessed to experience the heavenly Father at work. Jesus' declaration concerning the man born sightless has clear application to Childspring's ministry: "He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him" (John 9:3 NLT).

by Sandy Feit

To learn more about Childspring International, visit their website at www.childspringintl.org.