My Story

Chuchuca, where your child lives, 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. Chuchuca is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major crops. 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 Loyda Felipe Ajqui Benito. I am so happy to be able to greet you today and wish you many blessings. I want to take this opportunity today to tell you a little bit about myself. I am a little girl. I was born on May 1st, 2020. I am 5 years old. I am in pre-kinder. I have two sisters and two brothers. I am very happy to be part of this ministry, and thanks to God, my two sisters are enrolled in it too.  Thanks God, we are a healthy family. We are members of the Full Gospel Church. I love my family and being able to spend time with my siblings. I like playing toy dishes. My favorite color is purple, and my favorite animal is the sheep. I like many foods but one of my favorites is fried chicken.  I live with my parents. My father´s name is Pedro Ajqui Chic. He works as day laborer and plants coffee and corn. My mother´s name is Gregoria Benito Luis. She is a housewife and does the chores at home and takes care of us. We live in my maternal grandfather´s house with him and my grandmother. There are three rooms and a separate kitchen. It is made of adobe walls, tile roof and concrete floor. We do not have running water; we obtain it from the spring. We have electricity and my parents and my grandparents pay for it. Our house is very humble, but we feel blessed to have it.

My family and I have some needs but one of our biggest needs as a family is groceries, because sometimes we don’t have enough money to buy them. We raise hens and turkeys.  My sisters and I are part of the feeding program of Living Water and are very happy to attend and enjoy our delicious food. It is 15 minutes away from our house. I have seen some of the activities they do at the program, and I am so happy that now I get to participate in these activities. They look so fun, and they always learn about fun Bible stories. I hope you have enjoyed learning about me, but I must say goodbye now. It has been a pleasure to share my information with you, and it makes me smile.

With much love

Loyda Felipe Ajqui Benito

Translated by: Magnolia Gómez, AAC Secretary/Guatemala