I was working at my desk when the phone rang. It was Pat, Marta’s best friend from Guatemala, nearly hysterical. She said, “You have to do something! If you don’t do something, Marta is going to die!”

I knew that I, personally, couldn’t solve Marta’s health problems, only God could, but as Pat calmed down and told me about the situation, I realized how desperate it was.

Marta had tachycardia, and it was happening more and more frequently. It required a specialized heart surgery to find and correct a malfunctioning electrical system in her heart, and the procedure could not be done in Guatemala at that point in time. She had no insurance, no money for a plane ticket here, nothing!

I agree to pray, and hung up. My shoulders sank. “God, what can I do for someone in a foreign country who needs a specialized surgery that’s only done here, but who has no insurance?! Why is it MY responsibility?” As soon as I had voiced the prayer, I heard the Lord say, “Call _____.” She was a member of our S. S. class who was the office manager for a cardiology practice.

Left to Right: Marta, Pat, and Debi

I called, and apologetically said, “Do you have any idea who would do a free surgery for a worker from Guatemala?” Without missing a beat, she said, “Dr. A owes our doc a favor. I’ll call his office manager.” 10 minutes later, she called back, “He’ll do it, and the hospital won’t charge for it, either.” A surgery that normally costs $80,000!

People donated airline buddy passes to fly Marta up here with Pat, and others hosted them until the surgery, which was supposed to take up to 8 hours.

That day I arrived at the hospital with a large bag of activities to keep me busy during the surgery. We prayed with Marta, and I went out to the waiting room to set up my little “Debi-cave.” I ran to the cafeteria to buy a cup of tea, and when I returned, a nurse, said, “You may go see her now.”

I said, “What?! It’s not even been half an hour!”

“Well, she’s finished, and she’s in recovery.”

We walked in there, and very soon, Doctor A walked in. He said, “Mrs. Strickland, you are healed!”

She couldn’t believe her ears, and she said, “Can I walk up stairs now?”

He said, “Your heart is HEALED!”

She asked again, “Can I carry a bag of groceries?”

He said, “Mrs. Strickland, God directed me to exactly the spot in your heart that needed to be fixed. You are healed! You will have the energy that you had 25 years ago!”

The doctor was a believer, and at that moment, his face was shining as he gave praise to God for this miracle. We all joined in that praise, and her heart has worked fine ever since, with not another incident of tachycardia.

**About the Author: Debi Clifton is a fifth-generation cross-cultural worker. Raised on the Mexican border, Spanish is her first language.  She served nearly four years in Spain as a single gal before marrying one of her financial supporters, Jim Clifton. Jim and Debi have been married nearly 31 years and have two sons, Jim and Davey.  Debi’s hobbies include reading, travel, and embroidery. She taught Spanish at McClintock High School for three years and has been on the staff of Grace since 1999.**