A petite little girl named Amira hid behind her anxious mother standing in the middle of the clinic’s exam room.
The Syrian refugee woman had taken her daughter to countless hospitals and clinics. Doctors said the girl needed major heart surgery, but the mother still didn’t understand what was wrong with her child.
Silently, I listened and pieced together Amira’s medical history. It seemed she was born with a heart condition that had been recently complicated by rheumatic heart disease, a condition that begins with strep throat. While rarely seen in the developed world, this disease is a common cause of death among children in less developed countries.
She knew her daughter needed major heart surgery, but she didn’t understand why.
Doctors may have explained all this to Amira’s mother—but not in a way that helped her understand. “When I ask questions,” she said, “the doctors yell at me.”
Now she was afraid. “What if my child dies in surgery?” she asked, tears forming in her eyes. “What if Amira never grows up and gets married?”
I grabbed a notepad and drew a simple picture of the human heart to explain what was happening in Amira’s body. I showed her what surgery could do for the small girl. Looking at that illustration, listening to my words, the mother’s eyes brightened as she nodded in comprehension.
“It’s likely that Amira will grow up,” I said to her, “and she will likely even get married one day!”
Relief flooded the mother’s face. She wiped her eyes and stood a bit taller as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
I could have left her hoping in surgeons and medical intervention. But Jesus Christ has more than good health for Amira. He offers eternal life. After I shared that Jesus came as the way, the truth, and the life, the mother welcomed my offer to pray in His name for Amira’s healing and for eternal life.
- Ask God to heal young Amira’s heart—and pray that she and her family would discover the power of Christ to heal bodies, hearts, and souls.
- Pray for more opportunities for Frontiers workers to enter into the lives of Muslims and bless them with their skills and abilities.
- Ask the Lord of the harvest to raise up more workers to go and bring the Gospel to Muslims who desperately need the eternal hope of Jesus Christ.
Aisha is just the right mother for the daughter God has entrusted to her. Click below to read her story.
This account comes from a long-term worker. Names have been changed for security.