My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. Both Quiche Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry) inhabit the village. The prevalent language is Spanish. Families in this village live in one or two room homes usually constructed of either wood or adobe. Although many of the people are farmers, the village contains several small and 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 extremely high, and the children are very needy.

Hello! My name is Gavanely Sofia Xitumul Pol, and I am glad to tell you about my life. I was born on November 28, 2015. Today, I am a healthy 8-year-old girl. I am in second grade. After classes, I enjoy drawing, riding my bike, and pretending to cook with my toys in my free time. My favorite color is pink. I like cats, and my favorite food is chicken soup with rice. The people who I live with are my parents. I am an only child. We are members of the Catholic Church. My father is Jairon Estuardo Xitumul Perez. He works as a farmer and day laborer to cover our needs and expenses. Our greatest needs are groceries and clothes. My mother is Juana Pol Velasquez. She is a great housewife. She sometimes embroiders typical blouses or sells hens to sell. She does her best to help at home with her income. Please pray for my parents and their recovery. They have suffered from helicobacter pylori for a long time. They already went to different doctors, but their health condition has not improved.

Thankfully, we live in our own house, which has one room and a separate kitchen. It is made of concrete block with a tin sheet roof and concrete floor. We have electricity, but no running water service at home. However, one of our neighbors shares it with us. My family and I raise hens, turkeys, and geese at home. Let me tell you that the feeding program is a fifteen-minute walk from my house. I am glad to be part of the project because it blesses me with delicious food. I say goodbye to you now, but I want you to know that my mom and I gave all this information to a teacher of the LW evangelism team so you could hear from me. See you later!

Kind regards,

Gavanely Sofia Xitumul Pol

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary