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 having a fantastic and blessed day. My name is Jostin Josue Garcia de la Cruz and this is my story. I was born on October 20, 2016. I am a healthy boy, and my favorite pastimes are playing with my toys and soccer. I love dogs, my favorite dish is fried chicken, and my favorite color is red. The people who I live with are my biological parents and siblings. I have one brother and two sisters. My father’s name is Rene Garcia Benito. He works hard as a farmer in our community to support our family. My mother also does her best for our family by doing the chores and preparing our meals. Her name is Ilaria de la Cruz Benito de Garcia.

As for health, let me tell you that my family is doing well. We attend a Christian Church called Ebenezer. We live in my mom’s house. It has two rooms and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of concrete blocks with a tin sheet roof and concrete floors. We have running water but no electricity. However, one of our neighbors shares that service with us, and at the end of every month, my parents and he share the payment. We raise hens and pigs and have one dog as a pet. Some of our needs are groceries. I attend the feeding program with my siblings. We usually walk 20 minutes from our house to get to the program. I will leave you now, but before doing it, I want you to know that my mom helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. See you later!

With many blessings,

Jostin Josue Garcia de la Cruz

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala