My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiché 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.

Hello! I greet you, in the name of Jesus, hoping you are doing well wherever you are. My name is Cindy Azucena Gutierrez Gomez and I want to share a little about my life with you. I was born on August 4, 2017. I am in good health and attending kindergarten. I like playing with my toy cookware and my favorite food is fried fish. My favorite animals are chickens, and my favorite color is pink. I live with my mother and siblings. I have two and three sisters. My biological father does not live with my family and me because he separated from my mom some years ago. His name is Alejandro Gutierrez Garcia. He helps us economically every 15 days, but we do not know how he makes a living. My mother’s name is Dominga Gomez Benito. She works as a day laborer and weaves typical napkins to sell. Fortunately, we are in good health.

My family and I do not attend any church at the moment. We live in a rented house. My mother pays Q1200=$153.03 per month. My older siblings help my mom with the rent payment. The house has two rooms and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of bricks with a tile roof and concrete floors. We have electricity (we must pay for it monthly) and running water (we must pay for it annually). I would love to count on your prayers for my family, especially for my mom. She works hard every day to support our family. Our greatest need is groceries. My siblings and I usually walk 10 minutes from our house to get to the feeding program. I say goodbye to you now, but I want you to know that my mom helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. Have a brilliant and blessed day!

Kisses and hugs,

Cindy Azucena Gutierrez Gomez

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala