Guatemala 2009 - Day 5- Santiago Atitlan, Panajachel & Técpan

Boat Ride to Panajachel

Our time in Santiago had come to an end and I was so exhausted! After breakfast we set out on a long boat ride across the lake to Panajachel. As mentioned I have a tendency to motion sickness, so I took a Dramamine and stayed inside the boat and tried to stay distracted. Thankfully the hour went by quickly and we were soon in the tourist attraction of Panajachel. Well known for its open shopping market, we were given three hours to eat lunch and shop.

Everyone enjoying the view and the boat ride across the lake

Phoenix and I enjoying the boat ride from inside the boat

Viña Studios

After our time in Panahachel we began our journey into the mountains. We stopped at an immense and beautiful waterfall for some pictures then drove another short while to a unique organization called Viña Studios. At Viña we had the opportunity to experience firsthand the work they do and the impact they make in Guatemala and around the world. This organization has several programs… from recording audio versions of the Bible in new languages as they are being translated, to recording music from all different languages and ethnicities, to creating a fascinating children’s video series called “Deditos” that utilizes finger puppets to tell Bible stories (think Veggie Tales). These are then dubbed in a limitless number of languages and distributed across Guatemala and in other countries as well. Check their website at http://www.vinyastudios.org/en/ for more information on their programs.

Miniature set of "Deditos"

Arrival to Técpan

After our brief visit at Viña we piled back onto the bus and drove another hour and a half or so to Técpan. Técpan is a smaller community of only about 15,000 residents. I had been waiting for this visit since we first arrived in Guatemala. Last year I had developed some good friendships with the family of Pastor Francisco of the church there, specifically his youngest daughter, Haybi (pronounced Ivy). I had been so excited to go back and spend more time and develop those relationships more. When we arrived in Técpan it was so cold! The rain didn’t help, and even though I packed more appropriately this year, I still wished I had packed more clothes for the cold weather. After getting settled in our rooms we went to the church where we ate all our meals. The deaconesses of the church had assigned women to cook all our meals (cooking for 27 Americans is not the easiest of tasks!) and every meal was wonderful.

Where we enjoyed our meals cooked by the women of the church

Service at Iglesia de Dios

After eating we went into the sanctuary for a rescheduled church service. Iglesia de Dios in Técpan always blesses us in extremely special ways. They had ordered memorable gifts of appreciation for all us (they looked like trophies) and had our names in each one. They called us in front of the whole church individually to express their thanks. Then the women’s choir sang several songs. Wayne was also given the privilege to open gifts that our church had provided for Iglesia de Dios that included a heavy-duty copier and table for the copier. Abraham then gave a message as Maurice translated. I love getting to go to church in Técpan. After the service and briefly getting to visit with Haybi, her mother Rosalina, and Abraham’s wife Emy, I headed back to the hotel and fell asleep before 9:30pm.

Wayne opening up the copier for the church.

Maurice translating for Abraham as he preaches.