My Story

Pasojoc is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, 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 corps. The Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello! I hope you are well, and I feel so pleased to write you this letter so you can get to know me better. My full name is Nelson Oliver Yeison Chivalan de la Cruz. I was born on October 7^th, 2019, so I am 5 years old, and I am in good health. I am in pre-kindergarten this year; I like to play with toy cars in my free time. My favorite meal is fried chicken, I like blue, and the animal I like the most is the dog. I live 30 minutes away from the feeding program, so I walk to be there. My mother comes with me, or sometimes my aunt Hilda goes with me. 

About my family, I want you to know that my biological father was not responsible for my mother and me, so I do not know anything about him; he did not legally recognize me nor help us economically. My mother struggles to cover my basic needs by selling products by catalogue. We need groceries, clothes, and corn; we are not members of any church. We live in my maternal grandmother’s house that is made of adobe and wooden board walls, tin sheet roof, and dirt floor. It has two rooms, and a separate kitchen that is made of wooden boards. We have running water and electricity that my grandmother pays for every month. My aunt lives with us. We have domestic animals like a cow, pigs, hens and a dog that belong to my grandmother. This is what I want you to know about us, and my aunt, Hilda, gave this information to the Evangelism team for my enrollment. I hope you like my letter; may God Bless you, and I wish you the best in everything you do.

Sincerely Yours,

Nelson Oliver Yeison Chivalan de la Cruz

Translated by: Luisa Reyes de Solis, A-A-C Secretary/Antigua