My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiche Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry). The prevalent language is Spanish. Families in this village live in one or two room homes generally constructed of either wood or adobe. Although many of the people are farmers, the village contains several small specialized stores, a body repair shop for buses, mechanics, plumbers and many other small-town tradesmen. It also has a large open-air market which serves much of the area. Even with all of this, the poverty level is very high and the children are very needy.

Hello! I am so happy for having the opportunity to share a little bit about my life with you. Before starting, thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter. I am Cristian Angel Morente Jimon and I am a healthy 7-year-old boy. I was born on December 2, 2018. I am in first grade and my favorite hobby is playing soccer. I love having fried chicken for my meals, I like rabbits, and my favorite color is red. I live with my parents and siblings. I have four brothers and three sisters. My father is the main supporter of my family. His name is Julio Morente Saquic and he works as a farmer. He suffers from high-blood pressure, but he is not under treatment because he does not have enough resources to pay for it.

My mother is a housewife, but she also strives to contribute to the expenses by selling chickens that she raises. Her name is Juana Jimon Morente and she is doing well. We live in our own house, which is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. It has two rooms, a separate kitchen, electricity, but no running water. Fortunately, there is a nearby spring and we can get water there. Please pray for my family and our needs. Some of them are groceries and new metal sheets to fix our kitchen. In advance, thank you so much. The feeding program is about 20 minutes from where I live. My siblings and I usually walk to get there, but we sometimes take a bus too. It is time to say goodbye, but I hope you enjoyed my information.

Huge hugs,

Cristian Angel Morente Jimon

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Guatemala