My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. Both Quiche Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry) inhabit the village. The prevalent language is Spanish. Families in this village live in one or two room homes usually constructed of either wood or adobe. Although many of the people are farmers, the village contains several small and 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 extremely high, and the children are very needy.

Hello! My name is Jorge Cristian Ivan Castro Martinez, and it is a pleasure to introduce myself through this letter. I was born on August 31, 2014, so I am 10 years old. Fortunately, I am a healthy fourth-grade student. I enjoy playing soccer with my friends in my free time. My favorite color is red. I like dogs, and my favorite food is chow mein. I attend the Catholic Church with my parents and my youngest sister. I am the oldest child in my family. My parents are Jorge Francisco Castro de la Cruz and Fulvia Marisol Martinez Argueta. They work together by selling medicine in their own pharmacy. They do their best to support our family with their income. 

We live in our own house which has three rooms and a separate kitchen. It is made of bricks with a concrete roof and ceramic floor. We have electricity and get water from our artisanal well. Please pray for my family and our needs. One of our greatest needs is food. I am so glad because I am already part of Living Water-Adopt A Child. The feeding program is a ten-minute walk from my house. To end this letter, I want you to know that my mom helped me to give all this information to a teacher of the LW evangelism team. I will leave you now, but I hope to hear from you soon. 

Warm hugs,

Jorge Cristian Ivan Castro Martinez

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary