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! This is your friend Emerson Eliezer Grave Aguilar, and I am glad to tell you a little about my life. I was born on November 29, 2012, so I am 11 years old. As for school, let me tell you that I am in fifth grade, and I enjoy playing soccer with my friends. My favorite color is blue, I like dogs, and my favorite food is chow mein. Now, let me tell you a little about my family. I have two sisters, but no brothers. My cousin, Esmeralda Aguilar, also lives with us. My mother is Ana Elizabeth Aguilar Chingo, and she keeps busy with the household chores and taking care of our family. My father is a hard-working baker who does his best to support our family economically. His name is Gabriel Grave de la Cruz.

We all together attend Bethel Christian Church. We live in a rented house, and we pay Q800=103.44 monthly. It is made of adobe, a tile roof, and a concrete floor. It has two rooms, a separate kitchen, electricity, and running water. Besides the rent payment, my father must pay for those services. We have one cat as a pet and raise chickens at home. I feel blessed to be part of LW-Adopt A Child because of all the benefits that I can get for free. To get to the feeding program, my sisters, cousin, and I usually walk fifteen minutes from our 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 so you could hear from me. See you later!

Many blessings,

Emerson Eliezer Grave Aguilar

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary