Facing the Challenge

By Julianne Winkler Smith
Physician Magazine
September/October 2001

At first glance, Randy and Ginger Robinson seem to live a typical, suburban doctor's family life: He has a thriving cosmetic surgery practice, and she, a former cardiac and critical-care nurse, keeps pace with their two teenage sons and preteen daughter. She also operates all aspects of Face the Challenge, their "on the side" medical ministry, which is anything but typical.

In early 1993, just after beginning his private practice in Denver, Randy joined a team of surgeons and traveled to Costa Rica to do facial surgeries. He then met up with a surgeon friend in Bolivia for more of the same. But when he had to send a local doctor to the hardware store to procure additional "medical" supplies — in this case, chicken wire — Randy knew he could do more. And better. Upon his return home, he and Ginger decided it was time to put into action the vision they had shared for more than a decade: to organize and travel on their own medical missions trips.

Since then, the Robinsons have coordinated and led multiple trips to Bolivia, Vietnam and China, and have performed 306 facial surgeries to date. The surgeries are mostly performed on children who are severely deformed and medically fragile due to cleft palates or other deformities and injuries. But the medical miracles Randy and his teams achieve are not the primary purpose of Face the Challenge's outreach. Their true focus is on the miracle of eternal life.

"[It's] a spiritual journey that happens while we're using our gifts," Dr. Robinson says. "Surgery gets us in these countries, but that's not what it's really about."

What is Face the Challenge really about?

Actually, it's not what, but whom:

The children on whom they operate. Their lives are dramatically changed as their health and appearance improve. Because of their deformities, many of these children — and their families — are overtly ostracized by their communities. In correcting the anomaly, Face the Challenge helps heal the family, too.

The local doctors in the countries Face the Challenge teams visit. Many surgeries are done specifically to train the on-site surgeons in procedures they've never before performed. Local facilities are supplied with new skills and precious supplies. And, of course, there are moments when the door opens to the gospel message.

The Face the Challenge doctors, nurses and specialists. On any given Face the Challenge trip there are 15 to 20 individuals who all want to help people. "We structure each team so that only about half are believers," Randy says. "We do this on purpose. Half the team is there to 'do good,' and while we never questions anyone's willingness to serve, it gives believers a platform to say, 'What's your purpose in going?' and 'Here's my purpose for serving.' "

Though Face the Challenge teams have become more diverse over the years, they include what you might expect — surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists. Now they also include those gifted in other ways, such as feeding specialists, play therapists, evangelists . . . even teenagers.

The in-country missionaries. In many developing countries, missionaries are seen as propagandizing, evangelizing or just plain disruptive to the communities. "By inviting them to work with us," Ginger says, "we enhance their credibility. They are seen making a contribution to people who have needs, and it elevates them in the eyes of the those they are trying to reach."

Face the Challenge financial donors. "When people see pictures of these kids with facial deformities, they want to help them," Randy says. Much like the team members who don't have a relationship with Christ, these individuals may not initially recognize the Robinsons' motivation for the trips. "So we get to share the gospel with them, too," he adds.

Seeing is believing

With the facial transformations they've witnessed over their years of service with Face the Challenge, you'd think that the surgical outcomes are what most affect Dr. and Mrs. Robinson. Not so.

"Face the Challenge teams go into huge areas of oppression," Ginger explains. "Bolivia, for example, has great spiritual persecution. In Vietnam and China, the governments are horribly tyrannical. You never hear about Christians being tortured and dying for their faith [in the United States]."

"But we encounter these people overseas!" Randy interjects. "They take a risk in identifying with the compassion of Christ or even giving us a clue that they have a relationship with the Savior."

Both Randy and Ginger agree that what they have seen and experienced defies verbal description. "The torture and murder have become real as we've met these people face to face," Ginger says. "Their sacrifices are much greater than us being chided for not being politically correct."

It is difficult to comprehend what believers around the world have to face on a daily basis. "It's not what we expected to experience by helping heal someone's deformity," Ginger says. "It's just something that's part and parcel of traveling to developing countries."

Sharing the wealth

"Sometimes I feel the surgery is almost a sideshow for us to get into the countries," Randy says. Doors are closing on traditional ministries. And, because of their medical focus, Face the Challenge has gone where other missionaries have not been allowed.

In fact, Face the Challenge has gone where even other medical missions have not. "Some of our trips are 100 percent P.R.," Randy says, "just to create relationships. This way we are able to go back later — with a larger team, for a longer period of time."

Face the Challenge is currently concentrating on travel to Bolivia, Vietnam and China. However, when necessary, the organization sponsors children to come to the United States for surgeries too complex to be done in their home country. Face the Challenge also provides surgical supplies and equipment to foreign doctors and facilities.

And invitations to other nations keep coming. But because Face the Challenge is a small organization — what the Robinsons believe is God's directive at this time — the ministry remains selective as to the number of trips they take and to where. They are eager, however, to help others do likewise. [See "So You Want to Be a Medical Missionary?" below.]

"We're willing to be a resource," Randy says. "We'll send instruments and equipment if we can't send a team. We want to share what we have."

Randy and Ginger Robinson and the myriad participants of Face the Challenge have made an indelible impact on numerous individuals. The extent of their effect and the number of changed lives is yet to be determined. Two things, however, are certain: The needs are great, and they can't do it all themselves.

"So you want to be a medical missionary?"

Julianne Smith is a freelance writer in Colorado Springs
Photo of Ginger and Randy courtesy of Gaylon Wampler.