My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. Both Quiche Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry) inhabit the village. The prevalent language is Spanish. Families in this village live in one or two room homes usually constructed of either wood or adobe. Although many of the people are farmers, the village contains several small and 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 extremely high, and the children are very needy.

Hello! This is your friend Yanira Maria Aurelia Barrera Ruiz, and it is a big pleasure to introduce myself. I was born on November 8, 2015, so I am 8 years old. I have three siblings: a twin brother, and two sisters. My favorite pastime is playing with my toys and pretending to cook. I attend school as a second grader, and everything is going well. My favorite color is purple, I like cats, and my favorite food is fried chicken. My father works hard as a mason to support our family economically, and my mom dedicates her full time to take care of my siblings and me. My parents’ names are Alfredo Barrera Velasco and Miriam Ruiz De La Cruz.

As a family, one of our greatest dreams is to own a house someday. Therefore, I ask you to pray for us, so the Lord helps us to make it come true. One of my uncles allows us to live at his house. We are grateful to him because he does not charge us rent. The house is constructed of bricks, a concrete roof, and a concrete floor. It has one room, a separate kitchen, running water, and electricity. My parents pay for the household expenses. Fortunately, we can raise hens at home for our consumption. One of our frequent needs is food, so my family and I are grateful to LW-Adopt A Child for blessing my siblings and me with tasty meals for free. I live a little bit far from the feeding program, so my mom takes us to the feeding program by motorcycle. It takes us 30 minutes to get there. I say goodbye to you now, but I hope to hear from you soon. 

Warm hugs,

Yanira Maria Aurelia Barrera Ruiz

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary