My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiché Indians and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry). The prevalent language is Spanish.  Families in this village live in one or two room homes generally constructed of either wood or adobe.  Although many of the people are farmers, the village contains several small specialized stores, a body repair shop for buses, mechanics, plumbers and many other small town tradesmen. It also has a large open air market which serves much of the area. Even with all of this, the poverty level is very high and the children are very needy.

Hello, my name is Julio Mardoqueo Ruiz Riz. I was born on May 1, 2016, and I am 5 years old. I would like to ask you to pray for my life because I have problems breathing. I was already assessed by LW Doctor, but I need to do some tests to have an exact diagnosis. I am already under a medical treatment. I am in kindergarten this year, and I am attending school once a week. I keep playing soccer and drawing in my free time. I love blue, and I like dogs and fish. My favorite food is cereal. I have two brothers and one sister. I live about 5 minutes away from the feeding program; my mother accompanies me to the program. We attend an Evangelical Church called Prince of Peace.

My father’s name is Julio Ruiz Chingo, and he works as a farmer; at the end of the year, he works as a driver at the coast for some time. My mother’s name is Sebastiana Isabel Riz Ruiz, and she is a housewife; she sometimes travels to the coast where she sells homemade food to help with the home income. We live in our own house which is made of concrete block with a terrace roof and concrete floor. It has three rooms and one kitchen, and we have running water and electricity. This is my personal information, and I hope you can find it interesting.

Kisses and hugs

Julio Mardoqueo Ruiz Riz

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/AAC Secretary, Antigua