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! How are you? I am writing this letter to tell you about me. I am Alex Leonel Gomez Toj, and I am 6 years old. I was born on February 1, 2018. I am in good health, and I do not attend school yet due to my age. My personal tastes are fried chicken, the color red, and baby chicks. I love playing soccer and with my toy cars in my free time. At the moment, my family and I do not attend church. I have five brothers and four sisters, and three of them are registered at the feeding program too. My parents’ names are Francisco Gomez Benito and Martha Toj Benito; they are in good health. My father works as a farmer and day laborer while my mother works hard at home.

We live in a house that belongs to my dad, and it has three rooms and a kitchen. The house is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We have electricity service, and we use plastic jars to get the water from a well. We have domestic animals like hens, sheep and pigs at home. I have to walk for 10 minutes to arrive at the feeding program, and my oldest siblings accompany me on my way there. I would like to ask for your prayers for us since we are always in need of groceries, clothes and shoes. In this occasion, my mother helped me to give my personal information to an Evangelism teacher. I thank you for taking the time to read my letter. May God bless you!

Kisses and hugs

Alex Leonel Gomez Toj

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