Lupe Gonzalo was born in Guatemala in 1980, in a little village high in the mountains

called Lomalinda.

In Spanish, Lomalinda means lovely hilltop.

It's a special place where colorful birds sing in the trees and rivers zig-zag through

lush green forests.

Many people who live in Lomalinda are farmers.

They grow and harvest coffee beans in the fertile soil.

Lupe grew up in a big family with eight brothers and sisters, plus lots of cousins, nieces

and nephews.

Her family didn't have a lot of money, but they supported each other in any way they

could.

Lupe always had someone to play with.

She loved to be outside, sticking in the dirt, jumping in mud puddles, dribbling a basketball,

or swimming in a nearby river.

Lomalinda was a great place to be a kid.

But Lupe's school in Lomalinda only went up to the sixth grade.

She wanted to keep on learning, so for two years she walked a long mountainous road

to a different school.

Lupe had to cross multiple rivers to get there, and when it rained, the waters would rage

through the land.

Sometimes it rained so hard that everything, dirt, plants and rocks just slid down the mountain

side.

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