My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiche Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry). The prevalent language is Spanish. Families in this village live in one or two room homes generally constructed of either wood or adobe. Although many of the people are farmers, the village contains several small specialized stores, a body repair shop for buses, mechanics, plumbers and many other small-town tradesmen. It also has a large open-air market which serves much of the area. Even with all of this, the poverty level is very high and the children are very needy.

Hello! I am Dylan Salvador Lindo Gutierrez, and it is a pleasure to greet you through this letter. Before telling you my story, I just want to say thank you so much for taking the time to read it. I was born on July 19, 2021. I am 4 years old and I am a healthy boy. I am in preschool and my favorite hobby is playing with my toy cars. I love having eggs and avocadoes for my meals. My favorite animals are chickens and I like the color orange. I live with my parents and sister. We are just two children in my family. My sister is a deaf-mute girl, but her condition does not stop her from doing what she loves.

My father works hard as a cook in the United States. He traveled to that country about two years ago. His name is Salvador Lindo Tino, and we are in touch with him. My mother is a housewife and weaves typical clothes to earn a little income to complement the financial support that we receive from my father. Her name is Estela Gutierrez Garcia. We are a Catholic family and by God’s grace, we are healthy.

We live in our own house, which is made of concrete block walls, metal tin sheet roof, and concrete floor. It has three rooms and a separated kitchen. We have electricity, which we cover monthly, and running water, which we cover annually. As for domestic animals, let me tell you that we have one cow. The feeding program is about 35 minutes far away from where I live. To get there, I usually walk a little until find a motorcycle taxi. To end this letter, I kindly ask you to pray for my family and our needs. Most of them are groceries. May God bless you richly!

In the name of Jesus,

Dylan Salvador Lindo Gutierrez

Translated by: Hillary Popol, A-A-C Secretary / Guatemala