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.

My name is Gael Francisco Calva Hernandez, and I am excited to tell you about myself. Before continuing, I want you to know that a teacher of the LW evangelism team collected all my information thanks to my mom. I was born on January 3, 2019. Today, I am 5 years old and I attend school as a pre-kindergartener. After school, I like playing with my toy cars and watching TV with my grandmother. My favorite color is blue, I love eating chicken soup, and my favorite animals are cats. The people who I live with are my parents and brothers. I have two brothers, but no sisters. My mother's name is Dalila Hernandez Lopez, and she keeps busy with the housework. My father is Jose Luis Calva Mejia, and he makes a living by assisting masons to support our family. Fortunately, we are all in good health. We are members of the Catholic Church.

The house where we live belongs to my maternal grandmother, Maria Lopez. She allows us to live there for free, but we help her to pay the electricity and running water bills. The house is made of adobe, a tile roof, and a concrete floor. It has two rooms and a separate kitchen. We are a humble family and some of our greatest needs are groceries. I am glad to be part of the feeding program because I can go there to enjoy delicious food and make new friends. My mother and I usually walk ten minutes from our house to get there. I say goodbye to you now, but if you want to hear something else about my life, feel free to ask me.

Warm hugs,

Gael Francisco Calva Hernandez

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary