We went to Lake Atitlan again when our daughter Kara and her husband were here in October. We enjoyed our third visit to the lake for the same reasons we have liked it before: beautiful lake surrounded by three volcanoes, nice hotel, well-manicured gardens that bloom year-round, and Mayan culture that is seen in the people's dress and crafts.
We love to see the artisans working. When we've taken tours of San Juan which is on the other side of the lake, we always like to go to the women's co-op where twenty women display and sell their woven products. They explain the process of spinning the cotton, dyeing it using natural dyes--various flowers, roots, vegetables, fruits, seeds--each one giving the thread a certain color, and weaving the cloth. We also have a couple of favorite artists in this town, a husband and wife who paint Guatemalan sites; we've bought paintings from them three times!
We also visited a museum that has photos and relics from a city that is found under the lake. They believe it was buried underwater somewhere between 1700-2000 years ago--which certainly gives reason to pause and think.
We attended Church at the branch in Panajachel, and learned that it was their last meeting in this building. They will meet in a rented house while they tear this building down and build a new two-story chapel as they have outgrown this small building, and the lot will not accommodate more footage on the main level. Although it was a sentimental moment for some, it really is a good thing--it means they are growing. In fact, they had just had a baptism and that Sunday confirmed three new members. One was a young mother, and the other two were an older couple, much older...like maybe 80! This was a really neat experience, as they do not speak Spanish, only their native Mayan language. Their blessings were given by the branch president in their language. We also understand that he helped the missionaries by translating all the lessons for them, as missionaries do not learn Katchiqel. "Every man shall hear the fullness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language.." D & C 90:11
