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Finally, Stephens uses the metrics of "cost per person served" to assess how well Mercy Ships does its work. He said costs are kept to a minimum because Mercy Ships staff raises their own financial support, and corporations donate millions in medical devices each year.

But no one argues with results. After Angelle's surgery, local authorities hardly recognized her, and she got a new ID card. One patient with extensive facial scars from acid burns wrote to thank his Mercy Ships surgeon: "May God, the Almighty, bless you and your family. My family and I are praying for you to make me a normal man to give me a hope—what I lost after my accident."

For the patients, a cost-benefit analysis of such surgeries transcends the metrics. A new face gives them an unimaginably fresh start on life and a transforming perspective on Christian faith.

Deann Alford is a senior writer for Christianity Today. She is based in Austin, Texas.

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Christianity Today previously reported on Mercy Ships in "Hope for the Living Dead" and "Against the Tide." The organization was one of our 100 Things the Church Is Doing Right.

Mercy Ships has photos, stories, and more about its ministry.

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December 2007, Vol. 51, No. 12