My Story

Pasojoc 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 more than a two-hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Pasojoc 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 Juan Byron Mendez Garcia. I was born on June 01, 2014, in Zacualpa, Quiche, and I am 9 years old. I am a healthy boy even though I have had some problems with my vision in the past. I visited the doctor, and I was under medical treatment, but I have not improved.  Currently, medicine is very expensive, and we do not have enough resources to buy it. I am in 2^nd grade at school. My favorite color is black, and I love dogs. I spend my spare time playing football and marbles. My favorite food is fried chicken. I have three brothers. Two of them are part of the Feeding program, and we walk to the program in fifty minutes.  As a family, we are attending Prince of Peace Church. I am under the care of my parents.

My father’s name is Romeo Mendez Garcia. He works as a farmer and day laborer. Moreover, he travels to the coast along with the whole family to pick coffee beans from November to January during the season harvest. My mother’s name is Leonza Garcia de la Cruz. She is a housewife and takes care of the family. We live in our own house. It has two rooms and one separated kitchen. Our house is made of adobe, tin sheet roof, and dirt floors. We do not have running water. We get it from a nearby river and we use candles for lighting because we do not have electricity. As a humble family, our needs are groceries and clothes. This is my personal information, and I hope you find it interesting to read. I want to let you know that my mother gave this information to the LW evangelism team.  God bless you and protect you everywhere you are!

Huge hugs,

Juan Byron Mendez Garcia

Translated by:  Gladys Chavez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua