My Story

Chixocol, where your child lives, is a very small village nestled in a mountain valley in the state of Quiché, Guatemala. Life in this state is very difficult. Most families live in one-room adobe houses with dirt floors and a small, attached kitchen. The extremely poor live in houses made of corn stalks. In the past few years electricity and water have become available to most people in the area - however, indoor plumbing is very rare. Most of the families are farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider it of value.  Life in Quiché is always a challenge.

Hello! My name is Juan Ismael Guanija Gutierrez, and I want to share with you a little about my life. I was born on August 2, 2019, so I am 4 years old now. I am in good health, and I am not attending school yet. In my free time, I enjoy playing with my toy cars. My favorite color is blue, and I love cows. What I like to eat the most is fried chicken. I have one brother and one sister, and they are registered at the feeding program too. My father, Jose Mariano Guanija Lopez, works in a grocery store to support us. He is living and working in another department, but he comes to visit us every month. My mother, Veronica Gutierrez Cuin, sells tomatoes in the local plaza to help with the income. My family and I are attending Prince of Peace Church.

We live in a house that belongs to my maternal grandmother, and we share it with her and her daughters (my aunts). The house has four rooms and a separate kitchen, and they are made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. Thankfully, we have electricity and running water services. We have hens and cows as domestic animals. We are a humble family, and our frequent needs are groceries. I walk for 20 minutes to arrive at the feeding program and enjoy a delicious lunch. I tell you that my mom helped me to give this information to the LW Evangelism team, and I am happy to be part of Living Water. I end this small letter hoping you find it interesting.

Kisses and hugs

Juan Ismael Guanija Gutierrez

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/A-A-C Secretary, Antigua Guatemala