I am not a fan of beets.  I don't know if it's how they've been prepared for me in the States, but they have never tasted good to me. 

I am a huge fan of borscht, at least the Ukranian version of the soup.  Guess what the key ingredient is in borscht?  Yeah, beets.  I liked borscht so much that I asked a couple of the friends we've made here in Odessa if they would be willing to teach some of us Americans how to prepare it.  Natalka, who loves to cook, was only too excited by our proposal.  Anna, Kim, and I got to learn the secrets of the making of the Ukranian favorite.  It starts with a meat.  We chose chicken - a whole, raw chicken.  For whatever reason, I volunteered to tackle the whole, raw chicken.  As I crunched the knife down on the rib cage, I couldn't help but cringe and think back to my high school biology class.  Dissecting wasn't fun then and I found out a few days ago that it still isn't.  (As a forewarning, the next little bit may be too much for those having weak stomachs.)  As I got to the part where the legs had to be separated from the body, I just couldn't get the knife to slice through.  I tried to twist and pull the leg off, but God made a pretty robust design when he made the chicken.  So, Natalka, having done this so many times before, gave the bird leg a good twist and off it came.  The other ingredients were easier to handle, and were chopped and diced, with Natalka directing her sous chefs at each step.  The entire process from start to finish took about 2 1/2 hours.  I had never made soup from scratch before, so I was really excited for the final product.  When everything was the right consistency, the fragrant borscht was dished out.  It was soooooo good.  I can't wait to try to duplicate it at home.

Natalka and I are getting the raw chicken ready for cooking.

Anna, being a good sport, smiles just before slicing into some potent onions.

Kim's preparing the beloved beets for the soup.

Here's our good friend and head chef Natalka.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the actual borscht when it was done, because we kinda just ate it and it was gone.  But, trust me when I say that Ukranian borscht is excellent!!

wednesday nights, some Christians get together to go out into the streets to share the gospel.  for our team, this past wednesday was our first night out.  we were to act like we were taking a survey, having a list of questions.  the suvery questions, however, aren't your typical questions.  we asked about their church background, whether or not they believed they would go to heaven, and if they believed that there was life in the hereafter.  my group consisting of a ukranian, a pole, and myself, faced a lot of rejection.  many said that they didn't have the time to talk with us.  one lady vented out her anger on us over a past hurt before we really said anything.  some didn't say anything, but gave us the "talk to the hand" gesture.  a few people did stop to "take the survey".  one man seemed to become nervous when the focus of our questions were realized, and even more nervous when my ukranian friend began to actually spell out the gospel to him.  although everything about his body language said that he was uncomfortable, he listened.  max, about 20 years of age, stopped to talk.  he seemed genuinely interested in what we were saying and after receiving an invitation to attend church service this sunday, said that he had time to come.  that made us all feel pretty good. 

some of the responses that we received just blew me away.  when asked what "happiness" meant to them, we heard things like "children", "love", and "health".  most either didn't claim to attend a church or were attending an orthodox church.  when asked if they thought they would go to heaven if they were to die today, we heard "i'm thinking about it", "i don't believe there is a heaven or a hell, it's something hollywood created", and "i don't know".  one man said that he doesn't have any thoughts whatsoever about the future, he only cared about the past.  he didn't want to have to worry about what was to come.  i was so puzzled by that answer.  when we asked why they thought that God would allow them into heaven, we generally heard that it was because they were a good person.  i was later told that these were the common responses from talking to random people walking down the street.  there is so much deception here and also a lack of concern about God, having a relationship with Him, and our final destination once we leave this earth.  the apathy is overwhelming.  we tried our best to share the truth of Jesus Christ and God's desire for His people.  seeds have been planted.  much like the rest of our experiences while on the race, the rest is up to God.  i really believe, though, that there is huge potential for a transformation here in odessa.  i think the ukranians need to hear the truth, because they're not hearing it in their homes and, in some cases, they're not hearing it in their churches. 

as i write this, i can't help but think about the passage in the Bible from romans 10:14-15...
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!""

and then also in romans 10:17...
"...faith comes from hearing the message, and the message  is heard through the word of Christ."

we've got to tell them.  there's not much time left.  none of us are guaranteed another breath.