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.

My full name is Marta Luisa Rodriguez Gonzalez, and I am delighted to greet you through this letter. I hope you are doing well. I am a healthy 10-year-old girl, and I want to share with you a little about my life. I was born on November 17, 2015. I attend second grade at school and I have a lot of fun playing freeze and ball tag games. I enjoy having meat with my meals. My favorite color is red and I love dogs. I live with my mother and siblings. I have two brothers and one sister. Unfortunately, my father passed away about two years ago because he had problems with his kidneys. His name was Carlos Rodriguez Ruiz.

Since then, my mother has been the one who has covered our family needs. She works as a domestic employee and her name is Enma Gonzalez Luis. She is a strong woman, but she has health problems. She has gastritis, but she is not under treatment because of a lack of financial resources. We are very a humble family and I kindly ask you to pray for my mother’s healing and our needs. Most of them are groceries and clothes. About our spiritual life, let me tell you that we attend a nearby Christian church.

My family and I live about 20 minutes away from the feeding program, so we usually walk to get there. Thank God, we live in our own house. It is made of concrete block walls and roof, and the floor is made of ceramic. It has four rooms, but no separated kitchen. Fortunately, we have electricity and running water services. There is enough space at home for a few domestic animals, so we raise chickens. It is time to say goodbye, but I hope you found my information engaging. Have a blessed day!

In the name of Jesus,

Marta Luisa Rodriguez Gonzalez

Translated by: Hillary Popol, A-A-C Secretary / Guatemala