My Story

Hello! How are you? This is Aura Maria Simaj Bartolo, and I want to update you information about my family and me. Currently, we are members of the Catholic Church, and we attend the mass on Tuesday. My father’s name is Martin. He is 38 years old, and he is in good health. He works as a farmer and day laborer, but he only sometimes helps financially because he has alcoholic problems. My mother’s name is Isabel. She is 30 years old, and she is in good health too. She weaves typical blouses, belts and blankets every day to contribute with the home income. We are a humble family and our basics needs are corn and groceries. We have pigs at home, but we do not have any type of crop because we do not have a suitable place to sow.

Now, I will tell you about myself. I am 15 years old, and I am healthy. I no longer attend school because my father does not want to support me with it. I keep at home helping with the chores. I can weave, but I want to learn more techniques. My favorite celebration of the year is Christmas because we light fireworks and prepare “tamales”. I love soft drinks, and I prefer soccer as a sport. I would like to improve my Spanish since I speak Quiche dialect as my first language. My birthday is a special day for me, so I want to share it with my friends. As previous years, a LW Evangelism teacher collected this information for you, and they took advantage of this opportunity to evangelize to us, and we are happy to know that the Lord is taking care of us. This Ministry and you are very important for our family since you support us with delicious meals and medical care. I am closing my letter wishing you the best.

With much love

Aura Maria Simaj Bartolo

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC/Antigua