My Story

Dueñas, where your child lives, is a small farming village located at the foot of one of Guatemala's active volcanoes, Fuego (Fire). The fertile ground around the village allows for the cultivation of roses and coffee, two of Guatemala's largest exports. Most of the families in this area live in one or two room wooden or adobe houses with tin roofs. Electricity is available to those who can afford it. Running water is available - however, most homes do not have indoor plumbing. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider education of value. Life in Dueñas is quiet and sometimes difficult.

I fondly greet you through this letter, hoping the Lord pours a lot of blessings upon your life. My full name is Nancy Tomasa Borcel Jerez, and I am 10 years old. I was born on February 28, 2014. Fortunately, I am in good health. My favorite pastimes are watching TV and painting. My favorite color is purple, I like cats, and my favorite food is estofado (Guatemalan chicken or beef stew). I have not attended school yet because of a lack of economic resources. My mom is Patricia Jerez Gutierrez. She makes and sells tortillas at home to support our family economically. I have one brother and one sister. As for my biological father, let me tell you that he abandoned our family many years ago. We have not heard anything from him. His name is Manuel Borcel Vicente.

As for our spiritual life, let me tell you that we do not attend any church at the moment. We live in a rented house. My mom must pay Q300=$38.79 monthly for the rent, electricity, and running water services. The house is made of concrete block walls, tin sheet roofs, and ceramic floors. It has four rooms, but we can only use one room to save our goods and sleep. We set up an improvised kitchen on the patio. My mom is a brave woman who does her best to cover our needs and expenses, but it has been difficult for her. So please pray for us. Luckily, we live a fifteen-minute walk from the feeding program. I am glad and grateful to be part of the project because I can have tasty food for free and make new friends. To end this letter, I want you to know that a teacher of the LW evangelism team helped my mom and me to write this letter to you. See you later!

Kisses and hugs,

Nancy Tomasa Borcel Jerez

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala