‘A Letter to God’ story written by G.S. Fuentes highlights the level of trust and faith one can have in God and how the humans react to this. Here you would find the story with explanation, vocabulary and practice questions. Click here for textbook exercise solutions and other notes.
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 north-east.
Vocabulary:
- Crest: The highest point of a hill or ridge.
- Dotted: Having small marks scattered across a surface.
- Harvest: The time of year when crops are collected.
- Downpour: A very heavy rainfall.
- Shower: A light rain.
- Intimately: Having a close and detailed knowledge of something.
Source-Based Questions:
- Where is the house located in the story?
- What kind of crop is growing in the field?
- What does Lencho seem to be hoping for?
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- The house in the story is located on:
a) a mountain peak
b) a valley floor
c) the top of a low hill (Correct)
d) a forest clearing - The flowers in the cornfield are a sign of:
a) a bad harvest
b) an upcoming drought (Correct)
c) a recent flood
d) a change in seasons - Lencho’s actions suggest he is:
a) a city dweller
b) a forgetful farmer
c) an experienced farmer (Correct)
d) a playful child
“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.’’
Vocabulary:
- Supper: The last meal of the day.
- Predicted: To say that something will happen in the future.
- Huge: Very large in size.
- Fresh: Having a pleasant, clean smell.
- Exclaimed: Said something loudly and suddenly, often because of surprise or excitement.
- Ten cent pieces and fives: Denominations of currency (likely coins).
Figurative Language:
- Metaphor: Lencho compares raindrops to coins (new coins, ten cent pieces, fives). This emphasizes his strong desire for rain to bring financial prosperity through a good harvest.
Source-Based Questions:
- What is the woman in the story doing when the rain starts?
- How does Lencho react to the rain?
- What does Lencho call the raindrops and why?
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- The rain begins to fall:
a) before dinner
b) during dinner (Correct)
c) after dinner
d) late at night - Lencho goes outside because he wants to:
a) check on his crops
b) help his wife with chores
c) enjoy the feeling of rain (Correct)
d) avoid getting wet - By calling the raindrops coins, Lencho is suggesting the rain will bring:
a) a flood
b) good luck
c) financial benefit (Correct)
d) a change in seasons
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. ‘‘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. 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.’’
Vocabulary:
- Hailing: Falling heavily as hail (ice balls formed in the clouds).
- Resemble: To be similar in appearance.
- Frozen pearls: A metaphor comparing hailstones to pearls, emphasizing their roundness and whiteness.
- Curtain: A large sheet of fabric hanging across a window or doorway.
- Draped: Covered loosely.
- Plague of locusts: A large number of locusts (grasshoppers) that damage crops.
- Soul: The spiritual part of a human being.
- Devastating: Causing great damage or destruction.
Figurative Language:
- Metaphor: Hailstones are compared to “frozen pearls” (emphasizes their beauty despite their destructive nature).
- Simile: Lencho says the field is “white, as if covered with salt” (describes the aftermath of the hailstorm).
Source-Based Questions:
- What replaces the rain in the story?
- How does the hailstorm affect Lencho’s field?
- How does Lencho feel after the storm?
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- The initial rain changes into:
a) a light drizzle
b) a strong windstorm (Correct)
c) a period of sunshine
d) heavier rain - The hailstorm leaves the cornfield:
a) undamaged
b) partially damaged
c) completely destroyed (Correct)
d) ready for harvest - Lencho’s statement about locusts suggests he:
a) welcomes the locusts
b) is used to dealing with hardship (Correct)
c) believes the storm is over
d) has given up hope entirely
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.”
Source-Based Questions:
- What is the mood of the family after the storm?
- What is the biggest concern for Lencho’s family?
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- The night after the storm is:
a) a night of celebration
b) a night of fear
c) a night of sorrow (Correct)
d) a night of peace - Lencho’s family worries most about:
a) repairing their house
b) not having enough food to eat (Correct)
c) facing another storm
d) losing their land
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.” All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God, whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience. Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields, but still he knew how to write. The following Sunday, at daybreak, he began to write a letter which he himself would carry to town and place in the mail. It was nothing less than a letter to God.
“God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year. I need a hundred pesos in order to sow my field again and to live until the crop comes, because the hailstorm….”
He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town. At the post office, he placed a stamp on the letter and dropped it into the mailbox.
Vocabulary:
- Solitary: Existing alone.
- Hope: A feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.
- Conscience: The inner feeling of what is right or wrong.
- Ox: A large, strong domesticated animal of the cow family, used for pulling plows and carts. (Used figuratively to describe Lencho’s hardworking nature)
- Dazebreak: The time when daylight first appears.
- Hundred pesos: The amount of money Lencho believes he needs.
- Sow: To plant seeds in the ground.
- Troubled: Worried or upset.
Source-Based Questions:
- What does Lencho decide to do to find help?
- How much money does Lencho request from God?
- Why does Lencho write a letter to God?
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- Lencho’s hope for help comes from:
a) his family
b) his neighbors
c) God (Correct)
d) the government - Lencho writes to God because he:
a) is angry at the hailstorm
b) believes God can help him (Correct)
c) doesn’t know who else to turn to
d) wants to complain about the weather - The amount of money Lencho needs is for:
a) repairing his house
b) buying food
c) planting new crops (Correct)
d) paying off debts
One of the employees, who was a postman and also helped at the post office, went to his boss laughing heartily and showed him the letter to God. Never in his career as a postman had he known that address. The postmaster — a fat, amiable fellow — also broke out laughing, but almost immediately he turned serious and, tapping the letter on his desk, commented, “What faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. Starting up a correspondence with God!”
So, in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster came up with an idea: answer the letter. But when he opened it, it was evident that to answer it he needed something more than goodwill, ink and paper. But he stuck to his resolution: he asked for money from his employees, he himself gave part of his salary, and several friends of his were obliged to give something ‘for an act of charity’.
It was impossible for him to gather together the hundred pesos, so he was able to send the farmer only a little more than half. He put the money in an envelope addressed to Lencho and with it a letter containing only a single word as a signature: God.
Vocabulary:
- Heartily: With great enjoyment or enthusiasm.
- Amiable: Friendly and pleasant.
- Faith: Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
- Correspondence: The exchange of letters between two people or organizations.
- Shaken: Made uncertain or doubtful.
- Resolution: A firm decision to do something.
- Goodwill: Friendly feelings of support.
- Obliged: Forced or compelled to do something.
- Act of charity: An act of kindness or generosity.
- Signature: A person’s written name used to identify themselves on a document.
Source-Based Questions:
- How does the postman initially react to the letter?
- How does the postmaster react to the letter? Why does he decide to help?
- Why can’t the postmaster send the full amount Lencho requested?
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- The postman finds the letter to God to be:
a) a sign of great faith
b) extremely funny (Correct)
c) a waste of time
d) a cause for concern - The postmaster decides to answer the letter because he:
a) wants to trick Lencho
b) admires Lencho’s faith (Correct)
c) believes God will reimburse him
d) has extra money at the post office - The postmaster is unable to send the full amount because:
a) he doesn’t believe Lencho needs that much
b) he doesn’t have enough money himself
c) his employees refused to contribute (Correct)
d) he wants to test Lencho’s faith
The following Sunday Lencho came a bit earlier than usual to ask if there was a letter for him. It was the postman himself who handed the letter to him while the postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a man who has performed a good deed, looked on from his office.
Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence — but he became angry when he counted the money. God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.
Vocabulary:
- Contentment: A state of peaceful happiness and satisfaction.
- Deed: An action, especially one that is good or kind.
- Slightest: Very small.
- Confidence: A feeling or belief that you can rely on someone or something.
- Denied: Refused to give something to someone.
Source-Based Questions:
- How does Lencho react upon receiving the money?
- Why does Lencho get angry?
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- Lencho is not surprised to receive a letter because:
a) he was expecting a reply
b) he often gets letters (Correct)
c) he doesn’t believe in God
d) the postman told him about it - Lencho is angry because he believes:
a) the money is fake
b) God sent the wrong amount (Correct)
c) the postman stole some money
d) the postmaster is playing a trick
Immediately, Lencho went up to the window to ask for paper and ink. On the public writing-table, he started to write, with much wrinkling of his brow, caused by the effort he had to make to express his ideas. When he finished, he went to the window to buy a stamp which he licked and then affixed to the envelope with a blow of his fist. The moment the letter fell into the mailbox the postmaster went to open it. It said: “God: Of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But don’t send it to me through the mail because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks. Lencho.”
Vocabulary:
- Immediately: Without delay.
- Wrinkling: Making small creases or folds in something.
- Brow: The area of skin above the eyes.
- Effort: The amount of mental or physical strength needed to do something.
- Express: To communicate or make known ideas or feelings.
- Affixed: Attached or fastened securely.
- Licked: To moisten something with your tongue.
- Crooks: Dishonest people, especially thieves.
Figurative Language:
- Simile: “with much wrinkling of his brow, caused by the effort he had to make to express his ideas” (compares the effort of writing to the physical act of wrinkling one’s brow)
Source-Based Questions:
- What does Lencho accuse the post office employees of?
- Why does Lencho ask God not to send the money through the mail?
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- Lencho writes another letter because he wants to:
a) thank God for the help
b) complain about the missing money (Correct)
c) ask for more money than before
d) explain how to plant crops better - Lencho suspects the post office employees of being:
a) lazy
b) unhelpful
c) dishonest (Correct)
d) overworked