My Story

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

Receive a cordial and affectionate greeting. My name is Mikeyla Mariela Petronila Luis Ajqui, and I am so happy to write you this letter so you can get to know me better. I am in good health, I am 5 years old, and my birthday is on April 16^th; I am attending pre-kindergarten at school this year, and my favorite color is pink. I love eating fried chicken, my favorite animal is the cat, and what I like to do in my free time is play with my dolls and toy dishes. I have one brother and one sister; It is a blessing for me to be part of the feeding program. My brother is also registered, and my aunt takes us to the program since it takes us 45 minutes walking to be there. 

Now, I want to tell you more about my family. Thankfully, my parents are hardworking people, and they are in good health; my father covers our needs by working both as a farmer and as a day laborer. My mother contributes to our home expenses by selling her hens, and we also have cows at home. We live in my paternal grandmother’s house that consists of two rooms and a separate kitchen. It is made of adobe walls, tile roof, and dirt floor. We do not have running water, so we get it from a water spring through a hose; we do have electricity, and my grandmother pays for it every month. Our needs are groceries, but we trust that we will have provision to have the necessities every day. We are not members of any church, so we were encouraged by the Evangelism teacher, but we do not know when we will take the decision of being part of one. My mother came to enroll me, so she provided this information to the Evangelism team. Thank you for reading my letter, and I hope you like it. I wish you many successes in your daily activities.

Lots of love,

Mikeyla Mariela Petronila Luis Ajqui

Translated by: Luisa Reyes de Solis, A-A-C Secretary/Antigua