Tomas and his rubber pants.

Tomas was born with legs that don’t work.
His legs don’t work, but he does. Ever since he was strong enough to pull himself around on his arms, Tomas has been on the move.

He learned to beg and earned enough to keep himself fed. Using a bicycle horn, he get’s peoples attention and pulls himself through crowded markets with modified sandals protecting his hands from the rough streets.

Now, Tomas is 38 and while he lives in the Guatemalan village of Chiché he is usually in a nearby town literally crawling the streets trying to get money to pay for his food and living expenses.

I (Michael) met Tomas when he arrived at the Father’s Heart Clinic at ASELSI last week. He was crammed into a small motor taxi with a lady and her two kids. I noticed him because of the rubber pants he was wearing to protect his knees from the rough terrain he crawls every day. As he crawled into the building, I had the pleasure of meeting him.

It turns out that one of his neighbors has her daughter in the physical therapy program at ASELSI and she told him how ASELSI is helping people like him.

After years of crawling about, he had come to ASELSI looking, not for handouts or financial help, but for a wheelchair to help him get around better.

When the ASELSI team met Tomas they helped him fill out the wheelchair application for the annual wheelchair distribution, but they quickly realized that he could use help right now.
When a basic wheelchair was found, they modified it for Tomas and showed him how to use it.

With his already strong arms, he was able to lift himself into the chair and push himself forward and back.

The smile on his face spoke volumes as this man who crawled into the building left sitting tall and strong and wheeling himself down the sidewalk.
Being part of a ministry like this is a blessing. I love that those who are receiving help are sharing with others about how this is a place where people are cared for, loved, healed, and equipped. It’s great to be part of a place where Christ is shared and people are helped.

We checked and Tomas is already a follower of Christ. At ASELSI we prayed for him and sent him out to follow Christ equipped with not only a wheelchair, but with a better opportunity to get where he needs to go without dragging himself through the filthy streets that have shredded his rubber pants.

We love being part of a ministry that is caring for the hurt, broken and sick both physically and spiritually! If you want to see more about ASELSI click here.