About the Author
Gregorio López y Fuentes was a writer from Mexico. He was born in 1897 and lived until 1966. He loved writing stories about simple people from villages and farms. His books show how ordinary folks face big problems in life, like bad weather or money troubles. "A Letter to God" is one of his famous short stories. He wrote it to make us think about faith and kindness in a fun way.
What’s the Story About?
This story is about a poor farmer named Lencho who lives in a small valley with his family. He works hard on his corn field, hoping for a good harvest to feed his wife and kids. One day, dark clouds come, and it starts raining. Lencho is happy at first because rain means his crops will grow well. But soon, the rain turns into big ice balls from the sky, called hailstones. They fall hard and destroy everything— the corn plants, the flowers, and even the trees.
Lencho stands there watching his whole field turn white like salt. He feels very sad and says, "That's what they say: no one dies of hunger." But deep down, he knows it's a tough year ahead. After the storm, the family has nothing left to sell or eat. Lencho has strong faith in God. He thinks God will help him. So, he sits down and writes a letter to God. In the letter, he asks for 100 pesos (that's money) to sow his field again and buy seeds and food.
Lencho takes the letter to the post office in town. The postmaster, who is a kind and helpful man, reads the letter by chance. He laughs a bit at first but then feels sorry for Lencho. He decides to help. He collects money from his friends and office workers—everyone gives a little. In the end, they collect 70 pesos. The postmaster puts the money in an envelope and writes on it: "A letter for Lencho from God." He sends it to Lencho's house.
When Lencho gets the letter, he is overjoyed. He counts the money and sees only 70 pesos. He gets angry and thinks the post office people stole the rest. He writes another letter to God, saying not to send money through the post office next time because those workers are a bunch of crooks. He asks for the full 100 pesos again. The postmaster reads this new letter and feels sad and surprised. The story ends there, leaving us to think about Lencho's blind trust and the kindness of others.
The story is short but full of twists. It shows how one man's hope can touch many hearts, but also how a little doubt can spoil things.
Who’s Who in the Story
- Lencho: The main character. He is a strong, hardworking farmer with big faith in God. He lives with his family in a house on a hill and trusts no one but God.
- Lencho's Wife: She helps Lencho on the farm. She doesn't say much, but she shares his worries after the storm.
- Lencho's Children: There are five boys and a little girl. They run around happily in the rain but feel the family's pain later.
- The Postmaster: A cheerful and smart man who runs the post office. He has a kind heart and leads the effort to collect money for Lencho.
- Post Office Employees: A group of helpful workers who give money from their own pockets to help Lencho. They stay quiet about it.
Themes and Moral
The story talks about a few big ideas in a simple way:
- Faith in God: Lencho believes God will always help, no matter what. His letter shows how strong hope can keep us going, even in bad times.
- Human Kindness: The postmaster and his team show that good people exist everywhere. They help a stranger without asking for thanks.
- Irony (A Funny Twist): Lencho calls honest people "crooks" by mistake. This makes us laugh and think—sometimes we don't see the good around us.
The moral is: Trust and kindness go hand in hand, but we should also notice the help from people in our lives. Don't let small doubts ruin big blessings.
Important Vocabulary and Phrases
Here are some key words and phrases from the story. I explain them in easy words, like chatting with a friend:
- Hailstorm: When ice balls (hail) fall from the sky with rain, like a heavy attack from clouds. It can ruin farms.
- Crestfallen: Feeling very sad and let down, like your face drops when something goes wrong (Lencho feels this after the storm).
- Drench: To make something very wet, like clothes soaked in rain.
- Prosperous: Doing well with money or luck, like a good harvest year.
- Intuition: A gut feeling or hunch about something, without proof (Lencho has this about God helping him).
- Armoury: A store of weapons, but here it means the storm's power like an army attacking.
- Resignedly: Giving up without a fight, just accepting bad luck calmly.
- Crooks: Bad people who steal or cheat (Lencho wrongly calls the postmen this).
- Solitary: Alone, with no one around (Lencho's house is solitary on the hill).
- Stamped Foot: Hit the ground hard with your foot in anger, like a kid throwing a tantrum.
These words make the story lively. Try using them in sentences to remember better!