Several years ago, Cheryl Spence came to Leon, Nicaragua on short term a mission trip with her church. Upon walking into the local hospital and witnessing the conditions that the patients were living in and the type of care they were receiving, her heart shattered and she knew her life would never be the same.
After returning home to the states, there was little doubt in her mind that she would return to Leon, with a mission of her own. After taking some time to get herself established, she started working with the hospital in Leon and taking in special needs children that they would not or could not care for. In Nicaragua it is not uncommon for special needs children to be abandoned by their parents at the hospital or simply left to die if it’s determined that the child will never have a normal life. Cheryl has resolved that this is an unacceptable reality and is dedicating her life to doing something about it.
(Left photo isGriffin when Cheryl first found him, weighing only 12 lbs. Right is Griffin one year later.)
Our team from PA had the honor of going to Cheryl’s home throughout the week and interacting with the 12 children that she is currently caring for. That’s right – 12 special needs children. All under one roof and all under the total care of Cheryl and a select few volunteers. Most of these 12 children have been pulled out of the hospital or discovered in the trash dumps and nursed back to health by Cheryl herself. The team learned quickly that while the kids had barely survived their illnesses, they were now at full strength and had no lack of energy or enthusiasm.
One of the children that really captured the hearts of the group was Jauncito. Cheryl found Juancito several years ago when he was diagnosed with Meningitis. Not being able to afford the treatment, his mother had let it go for far too long and gradually Juancito’s condition worsened. She gave custody over to Cheryl and simply stated, “Send his body back to me when he dies.” Juancito has continued to deteriorate and no longer has the ability to move. His sole function is his hearing and he is racked by seizures multiple times a day.
While in the natural, the odds for Juancito aren’t looking good, the team was blown away by Cheryl’s resolve and faith. She states without hesitation or doubt that God will heal Juancito and that he will one day walk again, showing the world what kind of God she serves. While the team couldn’t play with Jauncito like they could with the other children, they took the time to speak to him, hold him, and pray for him. They loved on him as much and as best as they could, their hearts melting in the process.
Every day after returning from their time at Cheryl’s, the team was eager to share their stories from the day and which child they bonded with the most. It was clear to everyone that these kids had changed the lives of these teenagers and their leaders in a meaningful way. No one could leave the house unchanged.
That’s why one of the highlights of the trip came on the last night in Nicaragua. The team invited Cheryl back to the hostel they were staying at, as well as the children. Their arrival ignited the group with joy and they waited in eager anticipation to tell Cheryl that they had a special gift for her. What Cheryl didn’t know the whole time was that the team had announced to a children’s ministry in PA that they were coming to Nicaragua and coming to help Cheryl. Over the course of a week, those children (yes, children) raised thousands of dollars to send down to bless Cheryl and her ministry.
Not a single eye was dry as the team sat watching their leader hand over the money to Cheryl and proudly announcing, “We have a gift to give to you from our kids to yours!” An explosion of applause shook the walls of the hostel – the joy was uncontainable. It was a pure gift, given in pure love for a ministry that exists in the name of pure Savior.
