My Story

Pasojoc III, where your child lives, is located in an extremely remote area of the mountains in Quiche, Guatemala.  Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is a 3-hour walk to the nearest market town.  The people who inhabit the area are Quiche Mayans who can trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche; however, Spanish is becoming more common.  The climate is basically warm, but it can get very cold at night.  Houses in this area are typically constructed of adobe with tin sheet or tile roofs and dirt floors.  Pasojoc III is an area rich with natural resources.  It is a farming area where the inhabitants grow staples such as corn, beans and other types of vegetables. Many families also raise domestic animals such as sheep, goats, cows and chickens.

Hello, my name is Russian Yeison Efrain de la Cruz Ruiz. I was born on November 27, 2019, and I am 4 years old. I am a healthy boy. I am not enrolled at school this year due to my young age. I spend my days going to collect firewood and grass for our cows. My favorite color is white, and I love birds. I enjoy eating fried chicken. I have 2 brothers and 4 sisters. Two of them are part of the Feeding Program. I want to tell you that I walk to the program about twenty minutes.  We are attending the Christian Church called Spring of Life. I am under the care of my mother because my father lives and works in Guatemala City as a “cargador” (carrying heavy packages of different items for others). He visits us every two or three months. He stays at home for fifteen days and then he returns to his job. He calls us every two days. He works as a farmer when he is in our home in order to earn extra money to cover our financial needs. His name is Jose de la Cruz de la Cruz, and he is a healthy man. My mother’s name is Carmela Ruiz Ajqui. She is in good health. She weaves and embroiders typical bags to sell and get some income.

We live in my father`s house. The house has two rooms and one separated kitchen. Our house is made of adobe, tin sheet roof and dirt floors. We do not have running water, but we get it from a natural spring by carrying it in jars. We have electricity because my older paternal uncle shares it with us, and he and my father pay for the service.  As a humble family, our current needs are groceries. We have hens, cows, turkeys a dog and a cat at home, and we would like to have some chicks because we have enough space in the house. This is my personal information, and I hope you like to read it. My mother gave this information to the LW evangelism team. May God bless you greatly!

Huge hugs,

Russian Yeison Efrain de la Cruz Ruiz

Translated by:  Gladys Chavez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua