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.

Hello! My name is Gladis Yohana Tzoy Grave. It is so nice to greet you by this means, and I hope you are keeping well. Today, I want to share some news about my family and me. Thankfully, I am in good health, I was born on November 15^th, 2020. I am 4 years old, and due to my age, I am not attending school yet. I stay at home, and I spend most of my time playing with my dolls. My favorite color is pink, the animal I like the most is the cat, and I enjoy eating rice with “chorizo” (a type of sausages). I have two brothers, and they are also registered at the feeding program. We walk five minutes to arrive. 

Fortunately, my parents are in good health; my father works both as a farmer and as a day laborer to cover our needs. He also occasionally travels to the coast to pick coffee beans to improve our income. My mother works very hard at home, doing the chores and looking after us. We live in a house that belongs to my paternal grandparents, and they live close to us in a different house. Fortunately, they allow us to live here without paying rent. The house has two rooms and a kitchen; it is made of adobe, tile roof and dirt floor. We do not have running water, so we carry it from my grandparents’ house with jars because we are only a few minutes away from them. They also share electricity with us, and we pay for this service every month. At home, we have some hens; our needs are groceries and clothes for me, but we put everything in God’s hands, and we have they certainty that He will provide what we need. Thankfully, we are members of Christian Life Church. I also want to tell you that my mother provided this information for my enrollment. Well, it is time to say goodbye. Thank you for reading my letter, and I wish you many blessings in everything you do.

In Jesus Name,

Gladis Yohana Tzoy Grave

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