It Is in Giving That We Receive

I woke up this morning thinking about Niña Tancho. Her real name is Transito. An unusual name, even for here. She is always leading her many grandchildren and daughters to the Tamarindo. We sometimes joke, “It’s food night, the Tanchos will be here.” And sure enough, they are.

They rarely say anything. They are overly polite in the food line. They often (on the sly) fill a bag or two with food to bring home. We never say anything about it. Tancho and her daughter may come with five little ones but we know there are others at home waiting for their return. We know that what they get at the Tamarindo is probably all the food they might get until their next meal (or maybe until the next day).

You know, as "sophisticated" as Guarjila seems to be getting - with a highway coming, kids with new clothes (not to mention the slicked back hair), crazy new smart phones, Facebook and Twitter pages - there are still those in need, great need.

So there is Tancho, who almost weekly asks for $25 for food. She speaks really slowly and looks you straight in the eye. How could anyone say no?

But who is Tancho?

She is the first person to get up when a stranger walks into the room to greet them with a firm handshake or most probably a huge hug. She is the first person to get up after a community soup or spaghetti night to wash the huge metal pot we have (which is always burnt black from being used over the open fire).

She is the woman that spends her days not only caring for her own “challenging family”, but also the one who walks the town, house to house, visiting the sick and most in need.

She is the woman at community prayer who is not challenged by knowing who to pray for; she usually has a list of people she visited that day.

She is also famous at the Cerro Verde National Park, where she climbed a volcano barefoot (the Park Rangers were amazed at how she was able to do that).

She is the woman who believes when most of us just wonder.

There is a painting on one of our walls which says, “It is in giving that we receive...”

As the oldest Tamarindo (no one really knows her age), Niña Tancho is the woman that gives. And hopefully from all of us, she gets something in return.