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! This is Ender Josue Gomez De La Cruz, and I am so happy to introduce myself through this letter. I was born on June 6, 2016. Fortunately, I am a healthy 9-year-old boy. My favorite pastime is playing soccer with my friends. I am in second grade, and everything is going well at school. My favorite color is blue, I love eating fried chicken, and my favorite animal is the Quetzal (National Bird). I like many foods, but my favorite is fried chicken. I live with my parents and one brother. My father´s name is Ronaldo Gomez de la Cruz, and he works as a farmer or day laborer. My mother´s name is Maria Juliana de la Cruz Gutierrez, and she is a housemaid and takes care of my brother and me. In the coffee season, we travel to the coast to cut coffee beans. We go from November to March. My brother´s name is Andry Nehemias Gomez De La Cruz, and thanks to God, he is enrolled in the feeding program too. We are very happy and excited to be part of this program because they do different activities and they teach us about Jesus. We are members of the Pentecostal Prince of Peace Church. By the grace of God, we are in good health. We live in my paternal grandmother´s house and we do not pay anything for living there. My paternal grandparents, my uncles and cousins also live there. There are three rooms and we use one of them and a separate kitchen. We do not have running water or electricity. We use solar panels to brighten the house and we go to bring the water from my neighbor’s spring. My parents, grandparents, and uncles gather the money to pay for the water.

We have some animals at home like hens. I would appreciate your prayers for my family and me because we are a needy family, and sometimes we do not have the necessities. I would like your prayers for clothes and groceries please. We trust in God and in his power to make the impossible be possible.  My brother and I walk around 30 minutes to get to the feeding program, I get there with my mother, and other times, with my aunt.  I hope you are doing well and know that someone from far away might be thinking about you.

Sending love and prayers,

Ender Josue Gomez De La Cruz

Translated by: Magnolia Gómez, AAC Secretary/Guatemala