I have been in Guatemala for a week and a half now and let me just say it is not what I expected.  I always plan for the worst case scenario.  With that being said, the worst case scenario for Rachel Short would be…camping.  Living on dirt grounds, and eating animals over an open fire.  I have been pleasantly surprised. I feel like a million bucks here in Guatemala.  I feel so blessed that God sent me to this beautiful country, I could be so many other places.  I didn't realize that I had expectations coming in, but clearly I did.  I thought I...

I walk a block and am surrounded by colors, reds, blues, oranges, pinks and greens. Mangos, pineapples, and bananas are sold on the street. Ice cream is pushed around in a cart, as kids line up to indulge after a day of school. I look across the lake to see volcanoes surrounded by fog. Beauty. This is what I see in this country, this culture.   We have not been in Guatemala long, but already I am beginning to find the beauty in the people as well. The other day some teammates and I walked the streets, praying and asking the Lord for direction on where He would like to lead us....

A little over a year ago I would have never thought that I would have left the country on a mission trip, and for sure not Guatemala or any Central American country. God grabbed a hold of my heart on the way home late one night and asked me what I was doing for him and his kingdom. That hit me hard and broke me because this whole time I was claiming to be a Christian, but I wasn’t bearing much fruit and was more selfish than loving. Before I was saved I mainly cared about myself and only me and I was starting to get back to where I came from which was a scary place. I knew it was...

Well this gringa is definitely a sight here in Guatemala!  With my blonde hair, and pale/freckly skin I’m already on show… But it’s like they’ve never seen blue eyes before!  People just come up and stare, it’s hilarious!  (It did help me sell raffle tickets, as well as picking up a few 9 year old boyfriends! Haha) My team was even on the news!!!! This week has been exhausting, in all honesty.  Constantly doing ministry is something that I’m psyched about, but I didn’t expect it to be so tiring!  Thursdays are my free...

    The generosity of the people here in Puerto Barrios amazes me. Although I've only been here a little over a week I feel like I have encountered more generosity than I have for most of my life. I have been given a feast, coconut, bread, tortillas, soda, juice and so many other things… all from people who probably don't even have enough for their own families. On the street which we live on, most houses have front porches where strangers like my team and I are welcomed to come and relax and be treated like family. Many people...

Week 2 in Guatemala. Wow. I can’t believe we’ve only been here two weeks. It only took a couple of days and it feels like life has always been this way. At the same time though, time is flying by. Before we know it we’ll be on our way home, although I don’t want to think about that just yet.  We have done some crazy things this past week. We have gone to a “Old Folks Home” (literally translated Home of the Ancients), performed programs for kids at the school by where we live, a children’s hospital, and at a church in the jungle. ...