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.

Hello! It is a great blessing to share my story with you. Before introducing myself, I want you to know that a teacher of the LW evangelism team helped my mom and me to write this letter to you. My full name is Brandon Miguelangel Alonzo Palax, and I am 9 years old. I was born on September 29, 2015. Thankfully, I am in good health. I am in second grade and everything is going well at school. My favorite color is green, I like hippos, and my favorite food is fried chicken. I have a lot of fun playing soccer with my siblings and friends in my free time. I have one brother and one sister. I live with them and my parents. My mom is Marta Julia Palax Meletz. She is a housewife and takes care of our family. My father is Victor Manuel Alonzo Alonzo. He makes a living as a mason and fortunately, he has had a lot of work. 

Luckily, we live a twenty-minute walk from the feeding program. My family and I are grateful to the project for blessing my siblings and me with delicious food for free. Let me tell you that we live in a rented house. My father pays Q1,000=$129.31 of rent monthly. Besides that, he must cover the electricity and running water bills. The house is made of concrete block walls and roofs with ceramic floors. It has two rooms and a separate kitchen. At the moment, we do not have pets. As for our spiritual life, let me tell you that we are members of the Catholic Church. I will leave you now, but I ask you to pray for my whole family and me so the Lord keeps us safe. Take care of yourself!

With much love,

Brandon Miguelangel Alonzo Palax

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala