My Story

Cuatro Caminos "four roads", where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, Guatemala. Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is a two hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Cuatro Caminos is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major crops. The Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system. 

My name is Yessica Carolina Gutierrez Mendez, and I greet you with much love; I tell you that my mom helped me to write this letter. I am 4 years old, and I was born on December 23, 2020. I am in good health, and I am not attending school yet due to my age. I enjoy playing with my toy dishes at home. My favorite color is red, and I like hens. I enjoy eating fried chicken. I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters, and three of them are registered at the feeding program too. We have to walk for one hour to arrive at the program. We are a humble family, and our frequent needs are groceries and clothes.

My father’s name is Domingo Gutierrez Morente, and he works as a day laborer at the coast. He continues working in the coffee plantations, and he comes home every 2 or 3 months. My mother’s name is Maria Mendez Riz, and she is a housewife; she raises hens and sells them to help with the income. I would like to ask for your prayers for my mom because she is having problems with her thyroid. She is not under a medical treatment, but she sometimes has had checkups at LW clinics. As a family, we attend Full Gospel Church. We live in our own house, and it is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor; it has two rooms and a kitchen. We have running water and electricity services. We have hens at home. I hope you find my information interesting.

In Jesus name

Yessica Carolina Gutierrez Mendez

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua