My Story

Cuatro Caminos "four roads", where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiché, Guatemala. Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is a two-hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Cuatro Caminos is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major crops. The Quiché Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiché - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello! My name is Manuela Roselia Ruiz Mendez, and I am in good health condition. I am 4 years old since I was born on July 13, 2019. I am not attending school yet because of my age; I spend most of my time playing dolls and toy dishes with my sister, I also have one brother, so we are three of us in total. My favorite color is red, I like ducks, and what I enjoy eating the most I black beans with eggs.  My father works so hard to supply our needs; his name is Nazario Ruiz Garcia, and he earns a living by working both as a farmer and as a day laborer. He also improves our incomes by traveling to the coast to pick coffee beans for two months. My mother’s name is Lucia Mendez Morente, and she is a housewife and takes care of us.

We live in a rented house that is made of adobe walls with a tile roof and dirt floor; it has two rooms and a separate kitchen with wooden board walls and tin sheet roof. My father pays Q.300. ($.40.0) for rent every month. We have electricity and running water, and my father covers these expenses too. At home, we have some hens and a duck. We are a Christian family. We attend Prince of Peace Church, and we pray for God to help us to have the necessities at home; currently, we are in need of corn, beans, sugar, oats, soap and other groceries, but we trust that God will hear our prayers. I enjoy attending the feeding program, and we walk one hour to be there. I want you to know that my mother came to register me, and she gave all this information to the Evangelism teachers. I say goodbye to you for now, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Many Blessings,

Manuela Roselia Ruiz Mendez

Translated by: Luisa Reyes /A-A-C Secretary/ Guatemala