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! My name is Daikin Edrey Eliel Tino Chitic and I want to share my information with you. By the grace of the Lord, I am a healthy 4-year-old boy. I was born on November 13, 2020. Because of my age, I still do not attend school. So, I stay home playing with my toy cars and ball. My favorite color is yellow and my favorite food is grilled meat. Cats and dogs are lovely, so I like them very much. The people who I live with are my parents and siblings. I have two brothers and one sister. My father’s name is Agustin Tino Gomez. He makes a living by selling chicken and fast food. My mother’s name is Sara Manuela Chitic Pol. She also works hard at home with the chores and taking care of my siblings and me. Almost my whole family is doing well, except my father. Since he had Covid, he has not felt well. The illness goes away for a short time, but after a while, it comes back. He has visited a doctor and got medicine to treat his condition, but he has not felt better.

My family and I are members of a Christian Church called Prince of Peace. We live in a rented house that belongs to my uncle, Nehemias Tino. We pay Q1000=$129.72 monthly. The house is made of concrete blocks with a concrete roof and a granite floor. It has three rooms, a separate kitchen, electricity, and running water. Please pray for my family and our financial situation because my parents have to pay back a debt every month. We would love to have our own house someday, so please add this to your prayers. The feeding program is close to our house, so we only walk five minutes to get there. I say goodbye to you now, but I thank you so much for reading this letter. Until next time!

Huge hugs,

Daikin Edrey Eliel Tino Chitic

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala