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 Quiche 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 Armin Martin Gomez Grave, and I hope my letter finds you well. I want to tell you about my life. I was born on July 17, 2015, so I am 9 years old. I am in good health. I do not attend school, so I keep busy doing different chores like gathering firewood. My favorite color is green, and I love hens. I really enjoy eating scrambled eggs with sausage. We live in a house that belongs to my oldest brother who is already married and has a baby boy. We share the home expenses with them. The house has five rooms and a separated kitchen. It is made of concrete block with a concrete roof and ceramic floor. We have electricity service but no running water; we use plastic jars to bring water from a stream to home.

I have four brothers and three sisters, and one of them is part of the feeding program too. We walk for 30 minutes to arrive at the program. My father’s name is Manuel Gomez Ajqui, and he works as a farmer and day laborer three or four days per week. My mother’s name is Juana Grave de la Cruz, and she works as a day laborer and does the laundry of others. My parents are both in good health. We believe in God, and we attend Assembly of God Church. We have one cow, one pig and ten hens as domestic animals. We are a humble family, and we are frequently in need of groceries. My mom helped me to give my information to the Evangelism team. Please keep us in your prayers. I say goodbye to you for now.

With much love

Armin Martin Gomez Grave

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua Guatemala