“Compassion. Collaboration. Community.
These beacons serve as a guide for Move Together.”
~ Impact Report 2018, Letter from our CEO, Efosa Guobadia

Compassion, collaboration, and community guide Move Together and resonate within our associated programs and the people who join. The people experience these three beacons while serving alongside us, but it does not stop there. Years later, they still share about the compassion and gratitude filling their daily lives, the collaboration that transcended the experience, and the community that is ever engraved in their heart.

As we celebrate the 2-year anniversary of our first collaboration with the Municipality of Villa Nueva and the establishment of a new 3-building rehabilitation clinic, we reflect on the sustainable and continued presence of these three beacons in Christina’s life and the connected communities. In May 2017, Christina joined a diverse group of people travelling from the US to Guatemala for a Move Together Clinic Development Program (CDP) Cultural Immersion and Service Experience. The experience actualized the idea of increased access to physical therapy (PT) in Villa Nueva, Guatemala with the one-day construction of the Jairo Rodríguez Municipal Physiotherapy Clinic.

Christina was excited to embark on a new journey of discovery, compassionately serving and collaborating with the Municipality of Villa Nueva, Guatemalan PTs and PT students, and the US family. Open to hear, see, and feel what the people, community, and surroundings would spark in her heart. Christina continuously shares the inspiring quote, “Go forth and set the world on fire” by Ignatius Loyola. The challenge placed before her while in Guatemala by Efosa, who empowers people to take that spark in their heart to make a rippling impact in the world, maximizing movement to maximize lives.

Two years later, Christina continues to speak of the humbling journey experienced in Guatemala and the continual impact in her life, the people she treats today, and the people of Guatemala. The week embraced the universal language of love through compassion, gratitude, a smile, a touch, and simple gestures. She continues today to share these acts of compassion with not only her patients but the people at the grocery store and beyond. Christina says the simple act of holding the door open at the store, greeting another, or sharing a smile speaks volumes and can make unknown measurable impacts in another’s life. It represents signs of welcome, respect, and interest. It is an opportunity as Mother Teresa expresses to “spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”

Collaboration guides people to leave happier than when they came. Each of us and our communities face barriers to be transcended, and through our collective efforts, they can be transcended as any and all is possible with compassion and collaboration. Efosa and Mayor Escobar inscribed on the wall of the Jairo Rodríguez Municipal Physiotherapy Clinic these words:

When passionate hearts come together with good intentions, anything is possible. Everything can change. We can better the world.
Cuando corazones apasionados se mueven juntos con buenas intenciones cualquier cosa es posible! Todo puede cambiar por un mundo mejor.
~ Efosa Guobadia (English) & Mayor Edwin Escobar (Español)

The communities within Villa Nueva and beyond continue to transform, bettering lives and exemplifying how with collaborative efforts focused on a common purpose and shared values, anything is possible.

Christina’s experience affirmed her desire to further pursue work and learning of neurological and vestibular conditions and patients. In the Winter of 2018, she joined Good Shepherd Penn Partners where she works with neurological and oncology (cancer) patients. Each patient has their own barriers to transcend as no patient even with a similar diagnosis has the same needs. She focuses on listening and hearing where the patient is and where they want to go. She may not be able to promise everything but knows with collaboration and motivation together they will achieve things once inconceivable.

A patient of Christina’s affected by cancer wanted nothing more than to “get [her] life back.” Her condition led her husband to give away all of her snow skiing gear believing she would never ski again. This did not stop Christina. Day by day, Christina and her patient began to develop a relationship. She showed her patient that she had that “fire” in her; she possessed the abilities to conquer her goal; and she was able to conquer the slopes again safely.

Taking the lessons that Christina learned from Guatemala on passion, compassion, faith, and hope, Christina helped her patient’s dream come true. Just as Christina did not speak Spanish well, she did not know much about skiing. However, the language of faith, hope, and love speak stronger than verbal communication. Christina said, “The care and love of the community of Guatemala can be alive in each of us. When we show love and care to one another, dreams can come true. Just like the clinic was built on a bare foundation, as physical therapists, we can build up our patients through working together and moving together. As a clinician, it is my role to help patients put all the pieces together in order to make history and conquer their goals.”

Like Christina, the Villa Nueva community and clinic continue to transform and grow and the impact ripples throughout lives and across Guatemala. A year later in 2018, we collaborated with Mayor Buch and the San Pedro Sacatepéquez, Guatemala community to enhance a multidisciplinary medical center and add a physiotherapy clinic. You can learn more about the San Pedro Sacatepéquez collaboration in this podcast, Global Service: Building a Sustainable Clinic in Guatemala, by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). APTA and Move Together are proud collaborators helping fulfill the mission and vision for healthier movement near and far.

Through compassion, collaboration, love, passion, and purpose, a powerful transcending community is built. When we share each other’s strengths and help lessen one another’s loads, authentic happiness and joy is infused in every being and transforms the community. We see our vision of a clinic in every community and community in every clinic come to life.

Christina was sparked by the sense of community amongst the Guatemalan people. The love and compassion shared with one another. The smiles and happiness reflective in the gratefulness for what they have and the desire to help one another were profound. She began to share in that gratitude and expressed how grateful she was and is today. Gratitude expressed for the opportunity patients provide her to serve them and the opportunity to come to Guatemala and share in the Guatemalan dreams for a better world through movement.

We together guided by compassion, collaboration, and community in the pursuit of good can make anything possible and change things for a healthier world. Thanks for reading and sharing in this journey. Collaboration involves many with that same vision and passion. “We would love to collaborate and share community with you on this journey.”

Learn more by reading our Impact Report 2018 inclusive of the Letter from our CEO, Efosa Guobadia.

Ready to “set the world on fire” & collaborate with us? We have four core programs and fives ways to engage:

• PT Day of Service (PTDOS) ~ A global initiative bringing together nearly 4,000 people together annually to serve in their local communities for a global effect. Join us on October 12, 2019, for our 5th Annual Global PT Day of Service as an ambassador, sponsor, and/or participant.
• Catalyst Club ~ Our critical mass of servant leaders collaborating with compassionate hearts to bring our mission and vision to life.
• Clinic Development Program (CDP) ~ Collaborative endeavors with local clinicians and community leaders for the development of sustainable access to rehabilitation medicine in the area.
• Pro Bono Incubator ~ Supports sustainable, innovative ideas to increase access to rehabilitation medicine in the US through mentorship, grant funding, and development resources. Grant applications are open yearly, March through April.
• Financial Support ~ Helping support the operations, enhancement, and management of Move Together, Inc. and these programs. Click the Donate button above.

We look forward to developing community and collaborating with you soon!