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 Lesbia Melisa Garcia Chingo and I am pleased to share a little about my life with you. I was born on November 21, 2020. Thankfully, I am in good health. I still do not attend school because I am younger. I am 4 years old. My favorite pastime is playing with my stuffed toys. I love having fried chicken for my meals and my favorite color is fuchsia. I love dogs because they are lovely and playful. I live with my parents and half-siblings. I have one half-brother and one half-sister. My father is Tereso Garcia Garcia. He is healthy and makes a living as a farmer. To earn extra money, he travels to the coast and cleans the coffee plantations for three months. My mother is Ana Maria Chingo Garcia. She is a housewife and washes clothes for other people twice a week. I beg you to pray for her health since she has felt severe pain in her heart lately. She has not gone to the doctor because our family lacks money.

Our needs are many, but the most demanding are groceries and clothing. By the grace of the Lord, we live in our own house. It is made of concrete block with a tin sheet roof and a concrete floor. It has two rooms and a separate kitchen. Our home lacks running water and electricity, but we are grateful to God and our closest neighbor for sharing these services with us. We help pay half of the electricity bill every month and the water bill once a year. We raise a few chickens and hens at home for our consumption. The feeding program is 10 minutes from my house. So, my half-siblings and I take a tuk-tuk to get there. I will leave you now, but I send you many blessings from the beautiful mountains in Guatemala. Until next time!

With much love,

Lesbia Melisa Garcia Chingo

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala