(Tashi, left)

I first met Tashi in 2007 when she brought her daughter to one of our therapy trainings. She was concerned for her little girl. Born prematurely and having developmental delays, she learned to walk but had some pain in her foot and more falls than other children. Tashi wanted to see what else she could do. She was concerned for her daughter. I didn’t find any major problems but took some time to show her things she could do at home and to encouraged her.

A few years later when we started our next rehabilitation promoter training, I found Tashi in the class. Experiencing how our help had encouraged her and helped her family, she wanted to give back to those with problems worse than her daughter’s. In fact, she had hoped to study therapy in school, but she didn’t have the funds to study physical therapy. She had to settle for graphic design, but that wasn’t her passion.

Today, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you can find Tashi, working with the children with disabilities and their families. She brings the heart of a mother and the compassion and love of Christ in each interaction. She takes her work seriously and it shows. She is loved by us all, even when she runs in late and leaves her offering at the door.

When it comes to sharing about her work, she is known to quickly tear up and have difficulty sharing. Sometimes our staff teases her about it, but I am thankful as it’s an expression of her heart. I love seeing her so committed.

So this week, as we continue to look at our faithful rehabilitation promoters in Guatemala, we celebrate the life of Tashi, a woman that reminds us all of the heart of Christ. So the two words I used to describe Tashi this year: Love and Compassion.