PA1921

Pasojoc is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiché, 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.  Pasojoc is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major corps.  The Quiché Indians who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak an Indian dialect called Quiché - however, Spanish is becoming more common.  Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello, my name is Gustavo Eduardo Morente Gutierrez.  I was born on October 29, 2011 and I am 7 years old.  I am in good health and I attend the Pasojoc feeding program.  My father’s name is Samuel and he works on the coast harvesting coffee.  My mother’s name is Gregoria and she is a housewife.  She also raises chickens to sell and help with the household expenses.  We own the house in which we live.  It is adobe with a tin roof and a dirt floor.  The house has two rooms and a separate kitchen.  We have electricity, but we do not have running water.  We use a hose to draw water from a nearby well.  I have only one brother.  My mother is the one who brings me to the feeding program.  I am in first grade this year, and when I am not in school, I like to play with my toy cars and with my balls.  My favorite color is yellow, and my favorite animal is the rabbit.  The foods that I like to eat the most are cantaloupe and beans with rice.  My family attends a church called “Prince of Peace.”

With much love and many blessings,

Gustavo Eduardo Morente Gutierrez

Translated by: Edwina Lyons/AAC Missionary