My Story

I greet you on this beautiful day hoping you are doing well; God bless you! Praise the Lord my family and I attend a Christian Church; we go twice every week. We trust our salvation in our Lord. Thankfully, I am healthy and so is my family. My mother is Juana Simaj Toj, and she is 37 years old. She usually does the housework at home, and she also raises hens to eat at home. My father is Samuel Garcia de la Cruz, and he is 46 years old. He is employed as a day laborer in our village to supply our needs. At home, we harvest lemon, corn and black beans for the family's consumption.

I am Herson Misael Alexander Garcia Simaj, and I am a 14-year-old boy. This year I was in 6^th grade; my classes were at school and my learning went better. Supporting me at school was hard for my parents because of a lack of resources, especially now that school supplies have increased. I speak the K'iche´ Mayan dialect as my native language and have some knowledge of Spanish. However, I would like to enhance my proficiency in Spanish to communicate better with others. When I grow up, I would like to be a teacher. I like Christmas time; I light some firecrackers, and my family and I enjoy eating “tamales” (a typical dish) at Christmas Eve dinner. Something I love on my birthday is to have a cake to share with my family and break a “piñata” (it is a kind of puppet filled with candies). I want to tell you that my favorite juice is the orange-flavored one. Football is the sport I like the most. I take this opportunity to give thanks for all the support I receive through Living Water; I am so blessed to receive my meals and medicines for free. At home, the primary need for us is groceries, clothes and footwear. I send huge hugs. Every kind of blessing to you!

Warm greetings,

Herson Misael Alexander Garcia Simaj

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala