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.

My full name is Brayan Eliseo Morente Jimon and I am so happy to share my information with you through this letter. I was born on February 14, 2021. Due to my young age, I still do not attend school. My favorite color is green and I love eating black beans with cheese. I like chickens and my favorite pastime is playing soccer with my siblings. I have four brothers and three sisters. Thankfully, my siblings and I are all in good health. Some of them are enrolled at the feeding program. We usually walk for about 20 minutes to get there. We sometimes get there on a bus. About my parents, I tell you that my father suffers from hypertension and does not take any medicine because of a lack of financial resources. His name is Julio Morente Saquic and he works as a farmer to support our family.

My mother is doing well, and besides taking care of our family, she sells chickens that she raises to contribute to the expenses. Her name is Juana Jimon Morente. We live in our own house, which is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. It has two rooms, a separate kitchen, electricity, but no running water. Fortunately, there is a nearby spring and we can get water there. At the moment, we do not attend any church, but I hope we can do it soon. Please pray for my family and our needs. Some of them are groceries and new metal sheets to fix our kitchen. In advance, thank you so much.

From the bottom of my heart,

Brayan Eliseo Morente Jimon

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Guatemala