My Story

Duenas, 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. 

It is such a pleasure to greet you through this biography. I want to share some information with you about myself and my family. We are a humble family living in Guatemala in a small town called Dueñas, but we have been greatly blessed by God and His great love. My name is Gustavo Elias Lopez Pelen. I was born on May 9^th, 2017. I turned eight years old this year. I also started second grade at the beginning of the year, and I am excited to finish school soon. I have a little brother. His name is Adrian, and he is starting to go to the feeding program with me. I also have a baby sister. She is so cute. My mother’s name is Maritza Isabel Pelen Zuniga. She does not have a job. She stays home to take care of the house and to take care of me and my siblings. My father’s name is Pedro Antonio Lopez Ortiz. He is a construction worker, and he works to provide for our family. My favorite thing to do is play soccer.

I live in a house with my family and my grandparents, but they do not live in the same space. We live in a house that my mom inherited from her family. There are two floors, and my grandparents live on the first floor. We have two rooms on the second floor. The house is made of cinderblock, and the floor is ceramic tile. We have a small terrace on the roof, and thankfully, we are blessed to have running water and lights in our house. We also have one parakeet. We walk to the program each week, and it takes about seven minutes to get there. We love going to the program and eating the delicious food, but favorite food to eat is pizza. We do not get pizza in the program, but I love when we can get pizza for dinner at home. We go to church every weekend at Liberty Church of Dueñas. I love going to kid’s church and learning about the stories of the Bible and how much Jesus loves us. My favorite color is light green, and my favorite animal is the dog, even though we do not have any pet dogs. Maybe one day I can have one. I thank God that we are in good health. My brother was born with a deformation in his Achilles tendon. It was too short, so he had trouble walking well. He had an operation done this past April so they could elongate his Achilles tendon. The operation went well, but he is still recovering and receiving therapy so he can walk better. I am happy to say that we are so blessed, and God has provided in wonderful ways. I say goodbye now, but I want to thank you for taking the time to read my information. I send big hugs, and I pray God will bless you greatly.   

With much love,  

Gustavo Elias Lopez Pelen.

Translated by: Olivia Gallardo, Missionary Intern