The Joy of a Healed Heart

A 2-year-old Mongolian girl named Bayarchimeg twirled in front of a sliding glass door, smiling at her reflection as she danced.

The toddler’s burst of energy is a stark contrast to how she felt prior to surgery through our Children’s Heart Project to repair multiple heart defects. Practically ever since she was born, she’s suffered from fatigue and other signs of heart trouble including purpling of her lips and hands, as well as squatting to conserve energy.

“She was struggling to walk,” recalled her mother, Byambaa. “She would squat and fall down. She liked to dance but after some time, her body gave out doing simple tasks.”

After her surgery, Bayarchimeg can run and play like never before. And, she’s dancing again, spinning and jumping without difficulty. She doesn’t even need music. She breaks out into a dance of her own making just because she’s happy.

A Leap of Faith

When Bayarchimeg was a couple of months old, Byambaa took her to a local doctor in Mongolia for routine vaccinations. The doctor identified Bayarchimeg’s heart conditions and referred her to a specialist in the capital several hours away from where they live in the countryside. The family found out that paediatric cardiac surgery of this kind isn’t performed in-country, which necessitated seeking options even farther away from home.

The family agonised about how they could possibly afford such an endeavour, even considering selling their livestock to pay for surgery and associated costs of an extended out-of-country stay.

“But how could we live?” Byambaa recalled. “We’re herders. Our livestock is our life.”

They tried to think of ways to raise funds for the surgery but hesitated to ask people for money.

When the specialist recommended our Children’s Heart Project to the family, they initially found it hard to believe that strangers would be willing to help, arranging for the surgery as well as travel and lodging, at no cost to them.

Our medical pre-screening of heart surgery candidates and home visits by in-country staff to explain the project reassured them as they decided to take the next step. In the spring of 2026, one of our project team members accompanied Bayarchimeg and Byambaa to the U.S. for the girl’s surgery. She served as their interpreter to guide them through the process, as well as to be a support and encouragement to them during this pivotal time.

A family who lives near the hospital volunteered to be their hosts, providing lodging, meals, and local transportation in concert with their church. In addition to taking them to medical appointments, the hosts arranged for fun outings, such as visiting a church member’s dairy farm that reminded Bayarchimeg and Byambaa of their herding lifestyle back home.

The One Who Sees Us

Byambaa hadn’t thought much about God before finding out about Bayarchimeg’s heart defect. Byambaa wasn’t sure He existed. If He did, He seemed far away. Her daughter’s diagnosis had caused her to wonder about Him and ask, “Why, God?”

While staying at their hosts’ home during Bayarchimeg’s recovery from surgery, Byambaa learnt more about God and read from His Word. She also read a booklet called The Greatest Journey that Samaritan’s Purse created for Operation Christmas Child shoebox recipients. By the time that she finished the 12 lessons in the booklet, Byambaa was ready to believe in Him.

“I learnt that God loves, God cares, God sees us,” she said. “This God sees me and my daughter.

“I never imagined that I would experience God,” Byambaa said, recalling her previous perspective that God seemed unreachable. “But, I have experienced God.”

Byambaa said she knows God cares about her and her daughter because she could see His love demonstrated through the care and prayers of her hosts.

A Vessel of God’s Love

“That’s what you hope for,” said their host, Bri. “But it isn’t me. I want them to see Jesus in the loving, caring, and giving.”

Hosting was an opportunity for not only her household but her church family at large to show God’s love and help a mother and child who live halfway around the world, Bri said.

That distance makes it hard to say goodbye, she said. Photos and videos become precious memories of a unique time spent together after Bayarchimeg, Byambaa, and their interpreter returned to Mongolia.

“When Bayarchimeg came to us, she couldn’t play like other children,” Bri recalled. “Now, she can run and play. That was fun to see. I’ll remember her running around the house, bringing joy to us.”

The sliding glass door that Bayarchimeg loved to dance in front of is in Bri’s home. That place holds a special memory of how a little girl’s heart was restored. Having these blessings occur in a host’s home is a lasting testimony of God’s faithfulness, Bri said.

“What we hope is that God’s love is shining through, with us as a vessel,” she said. “And, we get to share in the joy.”

Through Children’s Heart Project, Samaritan’s Purse pairs paediatric heart surgery candidates in Mongolia, Bolivia, and Uganda, where such procedures are not readily available, with partner hospitals in North America, Grand Cayman, Spain, and South Korea. Supported by donations to our Children’s Heart Project, Samaritan’s Purse covers the cost of airfare for the child, a parent or guardian, and one of our project interpreters who accompanies the group. The project also arranges lodging and care for the groups through local church partners.

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