My Story

Nueva Esperanza, which means New Hope, is located in a slum area of Guatemala City, Guatemala. An extremely poor area, our program is squeezed in among the shanty dwellings built over an old city dump. Many houses in this area are without toilets or running water and are assembled with scrap wood, sheet metal, and cardboard. Zone 5, where Nueva Esperanza is located, is considered one of the most dangerous areas of Guatemala City. It is controlled by gangs and drug pushers. Robberies and murders are common in this area. Public education is available - however, many cannot afford it.  

My name is Jeancarlos Ezequiel Ricardo Morales Castañeda. I am so happy to be able to greet you today and tell you about me! I am 7 years old now. I will turn 8 on November 8^th this year. I hope you are well. I want to thank you for taking the time to read my information. I am the middle child in my family. I have one older sister and one younger sister. My older sister is Emili Elizabeth Morales Castañeda, and my younger sister’s name is Genesis Abigail Morales Castañeda. I live with my mom and dad. Their names are Emilio Estuardo Morales Urías and Nincy Elizabeth Castañeda Bobadilla. My dad works in a shoe store, and my mom sells little pastries as a street vendor. We live together with my grandma and my aunt and uncle in my grandma’s house. Everyone helps to pay the bills and essentials like water and lights. Our house is very humble. There are three rooms, and we have one to share with my parents and siblings. We also share a small kitchen with my grandma where we can cook food. The walls are made of cement block with a tin roof, and the floor is concrete. It is not a big house, but we live near a ravine and a small field where we can play with other kids. We also have one pet cat. My parents work very hard, but we are still limited in resources. Something we would love to have is a new bed. As a family, we attend the Jehovah Ministries church. I also love going to the Nueva Esperanza feeding program every week with my sisters. We walk about thirty minutes to get to the program each week. This year I am in second grade. I love going to school, but when I am not studying, I love playing soccer with my sisters, playing with cars, and coloring. I also love to eat fried chicken. It is my favorite food. Some of my other favorite things are the color blue and dogs. I love dogs, even though we don’t have one. That is all I have to say for now but thank you for taking the time to read about me. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you will keep me in your prayers. I will be praying for you as well. Even though I don’t know you, I ask God to bless you for your heart to help the people of Guatemala. I pray you are well and have a blessed day.  

With much love,  

Jeancarlos Ezequiel Ricardo Morales Castañeda 

Translated by: Olivia Gallardo, Missionary Intern / Antigua