My Story

Dueñas, where your child lives, is a small farming village located at the foot of one of Guatemala's active volcanoes, Fuego (Fire). The fertile ground around the village allows for the cultivation of roses and coffee, two of Guatemala's largest exports. Most of the families in this area live in one or two room wooden or adobe houses with tin roofs. Electricity is available to those who can afford it. Running water is available - however, most homes do not have indoor plumbing. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider education of value. Life in Duenas is quiet and sometimes difficult.

Hello, my name is Emmanuel Andree Apen Alvarez. I am so happy to be able to greet you and tell you a little bit about myself today. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a child of the program of Living Water Adopt-A-Child. It has already been such a blessing to me and my family. I have been able to eat a delicious meal each week, and the teachers are always so nice. They make us feel so loved and welcomed. My favorite food is fried chicken, and I love when they serve it in the program. It is my favorite day. I was born in 2020. On October 5^th I will turn 5 years old. I am so excited to be five years old soon. I want to tell you that my favorite color is red. It is the best color there is. I have one sister and one brother. My dad is Juan Gabriel Apen Canás. He is a delivery person for a distributor of products for convenience stores. He works hard to make money so he can provide for our family, because he is the only one who sustains us financially. My mom does not work, because she is a stay-at-home mom. She watches me and my siblings, and she does the housework and chores. She works very hard as well. I don’t go to school yet, because I am still too young, but one day I will start going to school. For now, I like staying home because I get to watch TV. We live in a small house in a town called San Miguel Dueñas. We rent for Q600 a month. That is about $78. We have two rooms and a small area inside where we can cook. The walls are made of cinderblock. The floor is concrete, and we have a little terrace on the roof. We don’t have any pets, but I love seeing the horses around town. Horses are my favorite animals. They are used often in my town for agriculture and carrying produce and other cargo. Our greatest needs as a family are a bed and clothes. Sometimes it is difficult to make the money stretch to cover all our needs and especially for big purchases like this. So, we pray God will provide like only He can so we can buy a bed and some good clothes one day. Thankfully, my family and I have been in good health. We get sick sometimes with colds and viruses, but nothing very serious. My mom is also very grateful that I can be in the program now. We are grateful for the opportunity to see the doctor or the dentist whenever we need and get the help or medicines we need to get better. I have to say goodbye now, but I send big hugs. It means so much to me that you would take the time to read my information and consider sponsoring me. It feels like I’m being hugged when I think that someone from so far away knows my name and is thinking of me. I pray God will bless whoever is reading this and will watch over you always.

With much love,

Emmanuel Andree Apen Alvarez

 Translated by: Olivia Gallardo, Missionary Intern / Antigua