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.

My full name is Juan Moises Eliseo Pu Simaj, and in this opportunity, I will be telling you a little about my life. I was born on December 20, 2011, so I am 12 years old. I attend school as a fifth grader. I love eating fried chicken and my favorite color is red. I like domestic animals, but my favorite one is the horse. My favorite pastimes are playing with my toy cars and soccer with my friends. Now, let me tell you about my family. I have two brothers and three sisters. My father is Moises Pu Ixparpuac. He makes a living as a farmer. Besides that, he works for other people by selling cows to earn an extra income. He does his best to support our family economically with his income. My mother is Gregoria Simaj de la Cruz. She keeps busy with the housework and looks after my siblings and me. We are members of the Full Gospel Christian Church. Fortunately, we are all doing well.

We live in our own house. It is made of adobe, a tile roof, and a dirt floor. It has two rooms, running water, and electricity. The feeding program is a 15-minute walk from where I live. I feel blessed to be part of the project because I can eat delicious food for free with my siblings. Most of our family needs are groceries. So, I ask you to pray for us. I say goodbye to you now, but I want you to know that my mom helped me to give all this information to a teacher of the LW evangelism team. See you later!

Huge hugs,

Juan Moises Eliseo Pu Simaj

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary