A young boy’s faith becomes sight

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — An incredible story of faith recently unfolded beneath the cross at Evangel Church in Columbus.

It involves an 11-year-old boy named Eli Chavez, who helps out in the Wonderfully Made Sunday School class.

Ceretha Osborn helps teach the class. One Sunday, Ceretha shared about a lady she knew who was blind and needed eye surgery, but she had to have $1,200 up front.

Ceretha said, “All I knew to do was put the need out there and just ask them to pray. I wasn’t asking for any money. I just wanted them to pray that the Lord would lead me to somebody that could help this lady.”

After the prayer, Ceretha noticed Eli getting up from the table.

“I saw him go over to the counter and pick up a dry erase board and I saw him writing. I looked at the sign and he had written: Blind lady needs surgery. Will you donate?” Ceretha said.

Eli then went a step further and told Ms. Ceretha, “What if I were to take this box and go sit outside and collect money?”

But Ceretha said they hadn’t asked for permission to do that. Eli responded, “Yes we can because God wants this lady to have this surgery, and people are going to help her.”

And help they did. Before church was out, Eli had collected $400. Word spread quickly, and by the next morning enough donations had come in to meet the $1,200 need.

So, Ceretha was able to call the lady with the good news. “You can go ahead and schedule the surgery because of the faith of a little 11-year-old boy. When I didn’t have faith, Eli said God is going to do this. And God did! He honored Eli’s faith.”

Eli has a special connection to that Sunday School class. He says he’s the youngest person in the room. “Hearing all these people that have been in church for a good bit of time, hearing all these things that I’ve never heard before and all these Bible stories, it’s just amazing to me!”

Almost as amazing as getting your sight back.

The lady’s surgery was successful. She has gone from walking with a cane to not needing one. She hopes one day to be able to see Eli face to face.