My Story

Cuatro Caminos "four roads", where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiché, Guatemala. Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is a two hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Cuatro Caminos is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major crops. The Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiché - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello! This is Yostin Enrique Bernardo Riz Pablo, and I want to share with you a little about my family and me. I am in good health, and I am 7 years old; I was born on June 2, 2017. I am in 1^st grade this year. I stay at home playing with my toy cars. My favorite dish is the omelet. I like the hens, and I love blue. I have one brother and one sister. My father’s name is Santiago Riz Ruiz, and he works as a farmer or day laborer; he also goes to cut sugar cane at the coast from November to March. My mother’s name is Candelaria Pablo Xiquin, and she raises hens for selling. My parents are in good health.

We live in a house that belongs to my paternal grandfather, and we share it with my paternal grandparents and their children. The house has two rooms and one kitchen, and it is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We use candles at night and we use plastic jars to bring home water from a spring. We have sheep, hens and one dog as domestic animals. My family and I attend Prince of Peace Church. I would like to ask for your prayers for us so that we always have groceries at home. I tell you that I walk for 1 hour and 30 minutes to arrive at the feeding program. My mother helped me to give my information to the Evangelism team, and I hope you find my letter interesting. May God bless you!

Cordially yours 

Yostin Enrique Bernardo Riz Pablo

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua Guatemala