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 Raquel Nohemy Luis Gonzalez and my heart is overjoyed for having the opportunity to share my information with you through this letter. I was born on February 7, 2022 in Joyabaj, Quiche. By the grace of the Lord, I am in good health. I still do not attend school because of my young age. My favorite pastime is playing with dolls and I like rabbits. My favorite color is red and I love having eggs with sausages for my meals. I live about 30 minutes away from the feeding program. My mother accompanies me and we usually get there on foot, but other times we take a bus to get there fast. The people who I live with are my mother and young brother.

My mother’s name is Maria Luis Gonzalez. She is a single parent and works hard by embroidering typical napkins to sell and get an income to support our family. I tell you that I do not have any information about my biological father unfortunately. My family and I live with my grandmother at her house, which is made of adobe with a tin sheet and dirt floor. It has two rooms, a separate kitchen, and electricity. We do not have running water at home, but one of our neighbors shares the service with us and my mother pays him monthly. We have chickens and turkeys at home. My family and I do not attend any church at the moment. It is time to say goodbye, but I kindly ask you to pray for our needs. Some of them are groceries. In advance, thank you so much!

Cordially yours,

Raquel Nohemy Luis Gonzalez

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Guatemala