My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. Both Quiche Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry) inhabit the village. The prevalent language is Spanish. Families in this village live in one or two room homes usually constructed of either wood or adobe. Although many of the people are farmers, the village contains several small and 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 extremely high, and the children are very needy.

May the grace of the Lord be with you! My name is Ayelin Aidana Garcia Riz, and it is a blessing to tell you a little bit about me. I was born on July 22, 2018, so I am 6 years old. I still do not attend school because of my age. I stay home with my mom and play with my toys. What I enjoy the most is painting with my crayons. My favorite color is pink. I like dogs and my favorite food is fried chicken. I attend the Full Gospel Christian Church with my parents and youngest sister. I am the oldest child in my family. My father is Jose Arnoldo Garcia Tiu. He makes a living as a farmer and day laborer. He also works cutting sugar cane at the coast for three months to earn an extra income. My mother is Rosario Riz de la Cruz. She dedicates her full time to taking care of my sister and me. 

The house where we live belongs to my paternal grandmother, Catarina Tiu. My aunts also live with us, so we share the expenses with them. The house is made of adobe, a tin sheet roof, and a concrete floor. It has three rooms, a separate kitchen, electricity, and an artisanal well to get water. We are a low-income family, and our frequent needs are groceries and shoes. My cousins and I enjoy having delicious meals for free at the feeding program. We usually walk twenty minutes from our house to get there. I will leave you now, but I want you to tell that my mom and I gave all this information to a teacher of the LW evangelism team so you could hear from me. Have an enjoyable day!

Kisses and hugs,

Ayelin Aidana Garcia Riz

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary