My Story

Chuchuca, 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 more than a two hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Chuchuca is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major corps. 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 full name is Eliseo Gomez Garcia, and I cordially greet you. I am excited to share my information with you. First, let me tell you that my mom and a staff member of LW helped me write this letter. I was born on June 18, 2017. I am 8 years old. I attend the first grade at school. My favorite pastime is playing with marbles alongside some of my siblings. I have three brothers and three sisters. I love the color green. My favorite food is fried chicken. I like all domestic animals, but my favorite one is the sheep. My family and I raise a few of them at home. I am glad because we are all healthy. My father’s name is Camilo Gomez Cux. He works as a farmer and day laborer to support our family. My mother’s name is Tomasa Garcia Saquic. She is a housewife and tries to contribute to the expenses by raising and selling chickens. We are Christians and attend a nearby church called Prince of Peace.

Please pray for our needs. Most of them are groceries, running water, and electricity. We live in our own house. It is made of wood with a tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. It only has one room, so we have a specific space to prepare our meals there. We are grateful to one of our neighbors because she shares electricity and water with us. We use a bucket to carry water from her house to ours. We help her pay for the electricity monthly. I want you to know that I am pleased to attend the feeding program alongside my siblings. We usually walk for 30 minutes from our house to get there. I will leave you now, but I hope to hear from you soon.

Best wishes,

Eliseo Gomez Garcia 

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala