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. Life in Zone 5 is very difficult. This child lives on top of an old rubbish dump in Zone 5 of Guatemala City. It is an extremely dangerous area where criminals, prostitutes and drug addicts live.

I am so excited to be able to greet you today. I hope you are doing well along with your family. I am so happy to share some of my information with you. It makes me feel so good to think that someone from so far away could be thinking of me. I am Cristian Israel Can Chub. I live in Guatemala in Zone 5 of the capital city. I was born on July 27, 2017. I just turned 8 years old! I am very excited to be eight years old now. I go to school in first grade. I like going to school and learning new things, and I especially love when we get to color. My favorite color is white and blue. I also love going outside to play soccer and playing the card game called memory. I have two sisters who I play with sometimes. My mom’s name is Margarita Chub Choc. She does not have a job. She stays at home to take care of me and my sisters. My sister’s names are Marllory Dadiana and Kimberly Marleny. They both go to the feeding program as well. My dad’s name is Manuel Domingo Can Sub. He works as a gardens keeper for a company. He is the one who pays for our expenses and provides for us financially. We do not always have the resources, but I am grateful that God keeps us in good health and always provides for us. We live about twenty minutes away from the feeding program. We always walk to get there.

Our house is very humble. We rent it from someone we know for Q800 quetzales per month, which is about $104. There are six rooms in the house, but we only have one of them, and we have a small area in the room for our kitchen. Our house is made of cinder block walls and concrete floors, and we have a small terrace on the roof. We get lights and water as a part of our rent. We do not have any pets, but I would love to have a dog one day. They are my favorite animal ever. We are a very needy family, especially in these times. Our biggest needs right now would be groceries, shoes, and we would love to be able to get a bunkbed. We continue to pray that God will keep providing our needs in miraculous ways. I tell you that I love going to the feeding program each week. It has been such a blessing to me already. I love the delicious food they serve us and the other resources we can access through the program, like the medical and dental clinic. My favorite food ever is chow-mein, and I also love eating eggs and beans. They serve us these dishes in the program sometimes, and I love when that happens. That is all for now. I hope you have enjoyed reading my information and learning a little bit about me. I hope God touches your heart to sponsor me and make me the happiest boy in the world. I pray God will bless you wherever you are and in whatever you do. I send much love and big bear hugs! 

With much love, 

Cristian Israel Can Chub

Translated by: Olivia Gallardo, Missionary Intern