My Story

Nueva Esperanza, which means New Hope, is located in a slum area of Guatemala City, Guatemala. An extremely poor area, our program is squeezed in among the shanty dwellings built over an old city dump. Many houses in this area are without toilets or running water and are assembled with scrap wood, sheet metal, and cardboard. Zone 5, where Nueva Esperanza is located, is considered one of the most dangerous areas of Guatemala City. It is controlled by gangs and drug pushers. Robberies and murders are common in this area. Public education is available - however, many cannot afford it.  

It is a pleasure to greet you. I hope you are well and enjoying many blessings. I am so happy to be able to tell you about myself. I hope you enjoy getting to know a little bit about me. My name is Ian Josué Hernández Urías. I go to the feeding program at Nueva Ezperanza in Zone 5 in Guatemala City. I am 5 years old, and I go to preschool now. My birthday is May 20, 2020. In my free time I love to play soccer and watch TV. I also love playing with my little cars. I thank God that I am in good health along with my family. I want to tell you about them now. I have one brother and one sister. My brother’s name is Benjamin Sabdiel Garcia Hernández. He is the oldest. My sister’s name is Athalia Vanessa Garcia Hernández. I am the youngest out of the three. My mom’s name is Yaquelin Vanesa Hernández, and my dad’s name is Elery Guiovani Romero Rodriguez. He works selling car parts for repairs. He supports our family with what he earns. He also pays the rent and utility bills. My mom stays home and takes care of me and my siblings. Our home is very humble. We pay 700 quetzales per month to rent our house from our neighbor who owns it. That’s about $93. We have one room for all of us with a little place to cook and a bathroom. The roof is made of tin, and the walls are made of cement block. As a family, we would love to be able to get a new bed. My siblings and I love going to the feeding program each week. We walk to the program, and it usually takes us half an hour to get there. My favorite food is red beans with meat. Some of my other favorite things are the color blue and dogs. I love dogs even though we don’t have one of our own. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my letter. I pray blessings over you, and I pray you will keep me in mind. Thank you for what you do for children like me through Living Water. I send much love and big hugs.  

Hugs and kisses,  

Ian Josué Hernández Urías 

 Translated by: Olivia Gallardo, Missionary Intern / Antigua