Two Mongolian mothers praise the Lord for giving them the gift of salvation and for providing their children with a second chance at life through our Children’s Heart Project.
Nomin and Tsomo say that God has given them three gifts through the ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. They each received Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts in Mongolia when they were children. As adults, they both had little ones with heart defects that recently were repaired through our Children’s Heart Project. And, both of the mothers placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord through the witness of Children’s Heart Project staff and hosts.
“Thank you, Jesus, for these gifts,” Nomin said.
A Worrying Diagnosis
A self-described worrier, Nomin said that tendency went into overdrive a little over a year ago when her son, Itgelt, was diagnosed with a heart defect days after his birth. He had shortness of breath that would result in a blue tinge around his mouth and fingernails.
Tsomo’s daughter, Suvda, also was diagnosed with a heart defect at birth. As the toddler learned to walk, she would pause frequently to catch her breath, squatting to conserve energy.
Suvda reaches out to touch a bubble as she runs and plays, something she wouldn’t have been able to do before her heart surgery.
Our Children’s Heart Project personnel screened both of the children this past year to see if their heart defects could be corrected through surgery. The tests affirmed that they could, so this spring, we arranged for the mothers and children to travel to Grand Cayman with one of our project interpreters. Health City Cayman Islands is one of the hospitals that provides life-saving cardiac surgery through our Children’s Heart Project.
A Day of Celebration
Bakal, a Children’s Heart Project interpreter from Mongolia, led Nomin and Tsomo in Bible study during their time in Grand Cayman. The day before their children’s surgeries, they both accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts when they were reading John 1 about Jesus being the Word of God who is life and light to the world.
That was on Suvda’s second birthday. Their host church held a party to mark this milestone and ended up also celebrating Nomin’s and Tsomo’s new lives in Christ.
“I was the kind of person who didn’t have any religion or spiritual things,” Tsomo said. “But for some reason, I would pray when I had troubles. I would pray to God. I was thinking there should be a God, but I didn’t know where He was. So, I would pray to an unknown God.”
“I never knew that God’s Word is so deep and He’s so real. I didn’t know about Him like this.”
“I’m so excited to receive Jesus,” Tsomo said. She now prays to God with a certainty of who He is, her Savior. She asks Him for guidance when making decisions and prays for wisdom to share the Gospel with her family and friends.
Nomin said that her chronic worry, often expressed through wringing her hands, has dissipated since trusting in Jesus.
“Before I didn’t have peace, but now I have peace,” she said. “I had heard about Jesus before, but I never knew that God’s Word is so deep and He’s so real. I didn’t know about Him like this.”
A New Hope
When her son went into surgery, Nomin’s newfound faith helped calm her worries. She prayed to God, “giving my baby boy into Your hands.”
Prior to surgery, Itgelt had difficulty crawling because of shortness of breath.
“Now, his sibling will have an active brother to play with,” Nomin said. “He looks so healthy, and he is running around playing.”
The joy on Itgelt’s face as he laughs and plays is priceless to Nomin, who worried about her son’s future when he was diagnosed with a heart defect.
Tsomo’s daughter also is able to run and play after her heart surgery.
“Now, she moves around a lot,” Tsomo said. “She loves to raise her hands and dance during worship songs.”
Tsomo wants to teach Suvda the spiritual meaning of those songs.
“I received Jesus in my 20s, but I would love for my daughter to learn about God at her young age so that she doesn’t have to pray to an unknown God like me,” Tsomo said. “She will be clear in praying to Jesus. I want my daughter to follow God with her heart.”
