My Story

Hello! I greet you in the name of Jesus through this and I hope you and your lovely family are doing well! Praise the Lord my family and I attend Assembly of God Church; we go on Wednesdays. We trust our salvation in God. Fortunately, we are healthy. My mother is Claudia Paola Hernandez Calel, and she is 32 years old. She does the housework and raises hens and pigs to sell and help herself economically. My father is Victor Adelso Gutierrez, and he is 38 years old. He does farm work, but he abandoned us about a year ago, and now, he has another partner. He gives us a little amount of support, but it is not enough to supply our needs.

I am Cristian Mariano Gutierrez Hernandez, and I am 13 years old. This year I attended 6^th grade; my classes were at school which helped me a lot because I could solve my doubts with my teacher´s help. Since my mother is a single parent, it was hard for her to buy what I needed for school. Due to this situation, I started to work by delivering tortillas on Sundays to get some money and help my mother. I speak Spanish as my native language, but I would like to learn K'iche´ Mayan dialect; it is very interesting. My dream is to learn how to drive and become a good driver. I enjoy playing football, which is the sport I like the most. I like drinking sodas, and my favorites are Coca-Cola and Pepsi. I love my family; on my birthday, they buy a cake to celebrate my special day. What I love at Christmas is that my family gets together, and we prepare “tamales” (a typical dish) to eat at Christmas Eve dinner; I love spending time with my loved ones. Being part of the Living Water program has blessed my life in many ways, and it is a great help for my mother who is a single parent. We are in need of groceries, corn and black beans. I send much love and I hope to receive news from you very soon. May God bless your daily activities!

Lots of love,

Cristian Mariano Gutierrez Hernandez

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala