(First Flight)
Chapter 1
A Letter to God
By G.L. Fuentes
“Faith Is Like Wifi, It Is Invisible But It Has The Power To Connect You To What You Need”.
A Letter to God Introduction
The story, “A Letter to God” by G.L Fuentes revolves around the idea of having unquestionable
belief in something. The story is set in a Latin American country. Lencho, the farmer, who is the
protagonist of the story, writes a letter to God seeking help from the almighty after discovering
his entire crop yield destroyed by a devastating hailstorm. Although, his wishes get fulfilled
partially, if not completely, he is ungrateful in the end and questions the honesty and modesty
of the post-masters who actually helped him with money (anonymously) in the name of god.
Theme of the Lesson
The lesson demonstrates three points. It demonstrates Lencho’s steadfast confidence in God.
His trust is confirmed by the fact that those who assist him are people. Second, it demonstrates
Lencho the farmer’s complete innocence. Thirdly, the lesson illustrates that even charity might
go unnoticed at times. You might not receive any recognition for your kindness and giving. On
the other hand, people can mistake you for a “bunch of crooks.”
A Letter to God Summary
A Letter to God Summary – The story, “A Letter to God” by G.L. Fuentes depicts the
unwavering faith of a farmer in God. It begins with a farmer, named Lencho expecting for a rain
shower to nourish his field of corn. He is confident that his harvest is going to yield him huge
profits just like it does every year. To his utmost excitement, rainfall did happen but sooner, it
turned into a hailstorm destroying his entire crop field. The damage posed a threat to the
family’s survival as their entire livelihood was dependent on the year’s produce. Although
disheartened, the family had robust belief in the almighty. Lencho, despite having worked day
and night at the field, knew how to write and thus, decided to write a letter to God explaining
his situation and asking for help. He went to town to post his letter addressed “To God”. The
letter on being noticed by the postmaster, at first amused him, but then motivated him want to
do something for the farmer so as to keep his immense belief intact. He contributes from his
salary and collects money from his colleagues and friends who willingly contributed for an act
of charity. To his dismay, he could only collect 70 pesos which he wrapped in an envelope to
make it seem like a reply from the deity. On having found the letter, the writer (Lencho) is not at
all shocked, but instead, he gets angry on finding that the amount is less than what he had
expected. He again writes a letter to God conveying his disappointment and distrust in the
employees of the post office who he thought had stolen the remaining amount.
,A Letter to God Lesson Explanation
Passage: The house – the only one in the entire valley – sat on the crest of a low hill. From this
height, one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that always
promised a good harvest. The only thing the earth needed was a downpour or at least a
shower. Throughout the morning Lencho – who knew his fields intimately – had done nothing
else but see the sky towards the northeast.
Word Meaning
crest: Top of a hill
dotted: Full Of
downpour: Heavy Rain
intimately: Closely
Explanation of the above Passage: Lencho, the farmer, lived on the only house that was there on
the top of a hill. The hill was low-heighted. From there, a river and a ready-to-harvest corn field were
visible. The field belonged to Lencho and he had the utmost confidence that the harvest would reap
great profits. The only thing that he awaited was rainfall. In this hope, he spent an entire morning
gazing at the sky in the north-east direction from where a drizzle was expected to shower on his field.
Passage: “Now we’re really going to get some water, woman. The woman who was preparing
supper, replied, “Yes, God willing”. The older boys were working in the field, while the smaller
ones were playing near the house until the woman called to them all, “Come for dinner. It was
during the meal that, just as Lencho had predicted, big drops of rain began to fall. In the north-
east huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching. The air was fresh and sweet. The
man went out for no other reason than to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body, and
when he returned he exclaimed, “These aren’t raindrops falling from the sky, they are new
coins. The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones are fives.”
Word Meaning
exclaimed– cry out suddenly in surprise, strong emotion, or pain.
Explanation of the above Passage: The man, while looking at the sky, confidently tells his wife
that they are going to have a rain-shower to which the lady replies by saying, only if everything
happens as they hope and expect. Their elder children were working at the field and the younger
ones were playing near the house when Lencho’s wife calls everyone for dinner. It is during that time,
drops of rain begin to fall, hereby proving the farmer’s prediction to be true. The wind was pleasant
and clouds could be seen approaching from the north-east sky. Lencho goes out of the house to take
pleasure in feeling the droplets on his body. He refers to the drizzle as coins, large droplets being
equivalent to ten cents and the smaller ones, five cents. He says so because these raindrops would
ensure a good crop which would eventually get them a lot of money.
Passage: With a satisfied expression he regarded the field of ripe corn with its flowers, draped
in a curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large
hailstones began to fall. These truly did resemble new silver coins. The boys, exposing
themselves to the rain, ran out to collect the frozen pearls.
, Word Meaning
regarded– Consider Or Think Of In A Specified Way
draped – Adorn, Cover, Or Wrap (Someone Or Something)
hailstones – A Pellet Of Hail
resemble– Have A Similar Appearance To Or Qualities In Common With (Someone Or
Something); Look Or Seem Like.
exposing – make (something) visible by uncovering it.; reveal
Explanation of the above Passage: On seeing everything go as expected, Lencho reflected upon the
field and the flowers covered with droplets which seemed as if they were wrapped in a curtain.
Unexpectedly, strong wind started blowing, leading to a hailstorm. Satirically, the writer refers to
these pellets of frozen rain as “new silver coins. The innocent boys became playful and went out in
the rain to play and collect these hailstones which looked like “frozen pearls”.
Passage: “It’s really getting bad now,” exclaimed the man. “I hope it passes quickly. It did not
pass quickly. For an hour the hail rained on the house, the garden, the hillside, the cornfield, on
the whole valley. The field was white as if covered with salt.
Explanation of the above Passage: The farmer now starts worrying and hopes that the storm gets
over quickly, which, to his utmost disappointment, didn’t. The hailstones covered the entire valley
including the house, garden, hillside, and cornfield. It made everything look so white that it seemed
as if it was covered in salt.
Passage: Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were
gone from the plants. Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he
stood in the middle of the field and said to his sons, “A plague of locusts would have left more
than this. The hail has left nothing. This year we will have no corn.” That night was a sorrowful
one. “All our work, for nothing. There’s no one who can help us”.”We’ll all go hungry this year.”
Word Meanings
plague– a destructively numerous inflow or multiplication of a harmful animal, infestation
locusts- Insects which fly in big groups and destroy crops
Explanation of the above Passage: Lencho became stressed and disappointed as everything went
against the plan. The trees had shed their leaves, corns were smashed and the flowers had also
fallen from their plants. While standing in the withered fields, he conveyed his dismay and sorrow to
his sons by commenting that the effect of the storm proved to be worse than that of crop-destroying
insects. All their hard work had gone in vain. He felt helpless as no corn had been left and feared,
that they might have to starve this time.
Passage: But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley,
there was a single hope: help from God. “Don’t be so upset, even though this seems like a total
loss. Remember, no one dies of hunger.”
“That’s what they say: no one dies of hunger. ”
Word Meaning
solitary: Existing alone; lonely.
Explanation of the above Passage: Even after everything had gone southwards (gone wrong), the
family still had hope in their hearts of hearts. They had faith in the almighty even after nothing was
Chapter 1
A Letter to God
By G.L. Fuentes
“Faith Is Like Wifi, It Is Invisible But It Has The Power To Connect You To What You Need”.
A Letter to God Introduction
The story, “A Letter to God” by G.L Fuentes revolves around the idea of having unquestionable
belief in something. The story is set in a Latin American country. Lencho, the farmer, who is the
protagonist of the story, writes a letter to God seeking help from the almighty after discovering
his entire crop yield destroyed by a devastating hailstorm. Although, his wishes get fulfilled
partially, if not completely, he is ungrateful in the end and questions the honesty and modesty
of the post-masters who actually helped him with money (anonymously) in the name of god.
Theme of the Lesson
The lesson demonstrates three points. It demonstrates Lencho’s steadfast confidence in God.
His trust is confirmed by the fact that those who assist him are people. Second, it demonstrates
Lencho the farmer’s complete innocence. Thirdly, the lesson illustrates that even charity might
go unnoticed at times. You might not receive any recognition for your kindness and giving. On
the other hand, people can mistake you for a “bunch of crooks.”
A Letter to God Summary
A Letter to God Summary – The story, “A Letter to God” by G.L. Fuentes depicts the
unwavering faith of a farmer in God. It begins with a farmer, named Lencho expecting for a rain
shower to nourish his field of corn. He is confident that his harvest is going to yield him huge
profits just like it does every year. To his utmost excitement, rainfall did happen but sooner, it
turned into a hailstorm destroying his entire crop field. The damage posed a threat to the
family’s survival as their entire livelihood was dependent on the year’s produce. Although
disheartened, the family had robust belief in the almighty. Lencho, despite having worked day
and night at the field, knew how to write and thus, decided to write a letter to God explaining
his situation and asking for help. He went to town to post his letter addressed “To God”. The
letter on being noticed by the postmaster, at first amused him, but then motivated him want to
do something for the farmer so as to keep his immense belief intact. He contributes from his
salary and collects money from his colleagues and friends who willingly contributed for an act
of charity. To his dismay, he could only collect 70 pesos which he wrapped in an envelope to
make it seem like a reply from the deity. On having found the letter, the writer (Lencho) is not at
all shocked, but instead, he gets angry on finding that the amount is less than what he had
expected. He again writes a letter to God conveying his disappointment and distrust in the
employees of the post office who he thought had stolen the remaining amount.
,A Letter to God Lesson Explanation
Passage: The house – the only one in the entire valley – sat on the crest of a low hill. From this
height, one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that always
promised a good harvest. The only thing the earth needed was a downpour or at least a
shower. Throughout the morning Lencho – who knew his fields intimately – had done nothing
else but see the sky towards the northeast.
Word Meaning
crest: Top of a hill
dotted: Full Of
downpour: Heavy Rain
intimately: Closely
Explanation of the above Passage: Lencho, the farmer, lived on the only house that was there on
the top of a hill. The hill was low-heighted. From there, a river and a ready-to-harvest corn field were
visible. The field belonged to Lencho and he had the utmost confidence that the harvest would reap
great profits. The only thing that he awaited was rainfall. In this hope, he spent an entire morning
gazing at the sky in the north-east direction from where a drizzle was expected to shower on his field.
Passage: “Now we’re really going to get some water, woman. The woman who was preparing
supper, replied, “Yes, God willing”. The older boys were working in the field, while the smaller
ones were playing near the house until the woman called to them all, “Come for dinner. It was
during the meal that, just as Lencho had predicted, big drops of rain began to fall. In the north-
east huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching. The air was fresh and sweet. The
man went out for no other reason than to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body, and
when he returned he exclaimed, “These aren’t raindrops falling from the sky, they are new
coins. The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones are fives.”
Word Meaning
exclaimed– cry out suddenly in surprise, strong emotion, or pain.
Explanation of the above Passage: The man, while looking at the sky, confidently tells his wife
that they are going to have a rain-shower to which the lady replies by saying, only if everything
happens as they hope and expect. Their elder children were working at the field and the younger
ones were playing near the house when Lencho’s wife calls everyone for dinner. It is during that time,
drops of rain begin to fall, hereby proving the farmer’s prediction to be true. The wind was pleasant
and clouds could be seen approaching from the north-east sky. Lencho goes out of the house to take
pleasure in feeling the droplets on his body. He refers to the drizzle as coins, large droplets being
equivalent to ten cents and the smaller ones, five cents. He says so because these raindrops would
ensure a good crop which would eventually get them a lot of money.
Passage: With a satisfied expression he regarded the field of ripe corn with its flowers, draped
in a curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large
hailstones began to fall. These truly did resemble new silver coins. The boys, exposing
themselves to the rain, ran out to collect the frozen pearls.
, Word Meaning
regarded– Consider Or Think Of In A Specified Way
draped – Adorn, Cover, Or Wrap (Someone Or Something)
hailstones – A Pellet Of Hail
resemble– Have A Similar Appearance To Or Qualities In Common With (Someone Or
Something); Look Or Seem Like.
exposing – make (something) visible by uncovering it.; reveal
Explanation of the above Passage: On seeing everything go as expected, Lencho reflected upon the
field and the flowers covered with droplets which seemed as if they were wrapped in a curtain.
Unexpectedly, strong wind started blowing, leading to a hailstorm. Satirically, the writer refers to
these pellets of frozen rain as “new silver coins. The innocent boys became playful and went out in
the rain to play and collect these hailstones which looked like “frozen pearls”.
Passage: “It’s really getting bad now,” exclaimed the man. “I hope it passes quickly. It did not
pass quickly. For an hour the hail rained on the house, the garden, the hillside, the cornfield, on
the whole valley. The field was white as if covered with salt.
Explanation of the above Passage: The farmer now starts worrying and hopes that the storm gets
over quickly, which, to his utmost disappointment, didn’t. The hailstones covered the entire valley
including the house, garden, hillside, and cornfield. It made everything look so white that it seemed
as if it was covered in salt.
Passage: Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were
gone from the plants. Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he
stood in the middle of the field and said to his sons, “A plague of locusts would have left more
than this. The hail has left nothing. This year we will have no corn.” That night was a sorrowful
one. “All our work, for nothing. There’s no one who can help us”.”We’ll all go hungry this year.”
Word Meanings
plague– a destructively numerous inflow or multiplication of a harmful animal, infestation
locusts- Insects which fly in big groups and destroy crops
Explanation of the above Passage: Lencho became stressed and disappointed as everything went
against the plan. The trees had shed their leaves, corns were smashed and the flowers had also
fallen from their plants. While standing in the withered fields, he conveyed his dismay and sorrow to
his sons by commenting that the effect of the storm proved to be worse than that of crop-destroying
insects. All their hard work had gone in vain. He felt helpless as no corn had been left and feared,
that they might have to starve this time.
Passage: But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley,
there was a single hope: help from God. “Don’t be so upset, even though this seems like a total
loss. Remember, no one dies of hunger.”
“That’s what they say: no one dies of hunger. ”
Word Meaning
solitary: Existing alone; lonely.
Explanation of the above Passage: Even after everything had gone southwards (gone wrong), the
family still had hope in their hearts of hearts. They had faith in the almighty even after nothing was
