Posted in Italy by Catherine Zelvis on 11/13/2009
I have always needed direction. I've been accustumed to someone saying, "Go this way" or "Go that way". The same applies to ministry. With each month on the World Race, our ministries were assigned to us. There was some flexibility, but there were at least parameters on what we could do.
As we spend our last week of ministry in Florence, Italy, I'm hit with a challenge - not having someone telling me what I should be doing. It's not that I can't think for myself - actually, I probably think a little too much. It's just that I've come to rely on a superior to give me direction when it comes to ministry. So, I have been faced with the challenge this week to sit, pray, and wait on the Lord to give me that direction that I need. I never imagined it to be so hard. It's been a few days since we first arrived in this beautiful city. I've seen some incredible art, churches, and various other buildings that most people only to get to see in pictures. I've tasted the real Italian gelato, and, boy, is it amazing.
But, sight-seeing and tasting the local foods is not why I'm here. And I keep asking myself, "Why am I here?" To be honest, I have no clue at this point. We've only a few days left. I'd love to finish this Race strong and with an awesome story to share. Maybe that awesome story will come to pass, but maybe it won't. It's not to say that God isn't working, because this year has shown me that He definitely is whether I recognize it or not. Even if this year doesn't end in fireworks exploding to the tune of the 1812 Overture, I've got a ton to share with people of what the Lord can and does do with normal, average people like me. But, getting back to my dilema... Where's my direction?
Maybe this week is readying me for home. When I return to the familiarity of home, who's going to place in front of me an agenda for the ministries that I need to get involved in? Who's going to show me where the needs are in my community? The answer: no one. I've really got to seek out the Lord. He's got things lined up for me already. He's got people that He's going to bring into my path that need to hear my testimony, or simply need to know that they're loved and prayed for. The Lord has a plan for my life. I just need to ask. The asking is then followed by the harder part - waiting to hear from Him. He's speaking, but am I listening? The Bible says that He has a "still, small voice". Often times, I think I allow the noises of this world to drown out His sweet voice. It's not about finding a sound-proof chamber so that there is absolutely no other peep to distract me. It's about intentionally seeking Him and expecting a response. He's not a genie either who speaks upon command. The Master and Creator of this world seems to work from a different time frame than what I'm familiar with.
So, that's my lesson for the week...
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Posted in Czech Republic by Catherine Zelvis on 11/5/2009
Ok, so we arrived in Prague, Czech Republic last night. We're here only for a day in the city. We fly out early tomorrow morning, as in a 6AM flight for Milan, Italy.
Warsaw, Poland proved to be an awesome experience for our team. We worked with a married couple that are pastoring a church in the capitol city. We shared our testimonies of what the Lord has been doing in our lives over the past year. It was amazing to me just how hard it is to choose just one thing to talk about and just how easy it is to speak about the work that the Lord has done in my life over the course of the past several months on the Race. It's awesome to look back and see the Lord's hand moving through us. It gives me a lot of hope and excitement about the future. God really is so good!!
Well, I will check in with you all again!
Thanks for all your love and prayers!!
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Posted in Support Status by Catherine Zelvis on 11/5/2009
Noah and I still need your help!! We are still in need of $1162 before we are completely, entirely, fully, to the max, funded for the World Race. With only 20-something days remaining on the Race, time is running short.
How can you help? Of
course, we wouldn't be against you giving to support what we're doing
here on the World Race, but there are a couple other ways that you can
help us reach that goal of $1162...
First, you can join us in lifting up this need to the Lord.
Second, you can talk to some of your friends or contacts about supporting this ministry.
Will you join us? If you need more information from us, feel free to contact me through this website.
Thanks so much!
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Posted in Ukraine by Catherine Zelvis on 10/30/2009
Meet Ksusha and Ksusha, friends from Odessa. They are 2 of the sweetest girls that you'll ever meet.
 
Our team went to an Italian opera in Odessa. It was everyone's first real opera - there were mixed reviews. But the opera house, both inside and out was gourgeous.
Much like the Statue of Liberty in New York, Kiev has a statue that we came to know as "Big Momma".
My friend Natalka, whom I will always treasure and hope to see again one day.
The main religion in the Ukraine is orthodox. There are many, many beautiful orthodox churches.
Odessa is a port city on the Black Sea. Naturally, we had to check it out (and pose for a picture).
Tragedy struck when we all realized that the summer weather that we had experienced throughout most of the year was coming to an end. After 3 years of faithful service, Noah bid farewell to his 2 pairs of cargo shorts. These shorts had been resurrected from the dead so many times this year. There's a mended tear at every square inch. And the mends were of different colored threads, so you can imagine the uniqueness of these 2 sacred pairs of shorts.
Of course, it was also time to say goodbye to the walking sandals. They also did their job very well. They may have stuck around a little bit longer had it not been for the aroma that caused some to fall ill.
I say all this jokingly, but it really was hard for Noah to let go and say goodbye. One last hug...
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Posted in Ukraine by Catherine Zelvis on 10/21/2009
As we leave the city of Odessa today, we're a bit saddened. We have had a great time with the university students here and other people that we've met and befriended along the way. This city will always have a special place in my heart.
We are leaving today, boarding an all-night train ride to Kiev for debrief.
After debrief, we will be going to Warsaw, Poland for about a week. I'm pretty excited about going to Poland and being apart of some ministry there. After Poland, we plan to head to Prague in the Czech Republic. We could be going to another country as part of our final month of ministry here on the Race.
After our ministry time has come to an end on the Race, our entire squad will be getting together one last time for our final debrief in Vienna, Austria. (I can't believe that we've almost come to the end.)
So, we have a bit of travel ahead of us this next month. Could you please keep us in your prayers for this last leg of our journey? Could also pray for our final weeks of ministry, that the Lord would be glorified in all that we do? Thanks so much!
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Posted in Support Status by Catherine Zelvis on 10/13/2009
Noah and I need your help!! We are still in need of $2077 before we are completely, entirely, fully, to the max, funded for the World Race.
How can you help? Of course, we wouldn't be against you giving to support what we're doing here on the World Race, but there are a couple other ways that you can help us reach that goal of $2077...
First, you can join us in lifting up this need to the Lord.
Second, you can talk to some of your friends or contacts about supporting this ministry.
Will you join us? If you need more information, feel free to contact me through this website.
Thanks so much!
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Posted in Ukraine by Catherine Zelvis on 10/13/2009
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!!
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Posted in Ukraine by Catherine Zelvis on 10/9/2009
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.
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Posted in Ukraine by Catherine Zelvis on 10/2/2009
Before I really get started with this blog, I want to say thanks to everyone that prayed for us as our team journeyed from Brasov, Romania to Odessa, Ukraine! Nothing but smoothness in our travels and crossing of the Ukranian border. God has been so good!
Ok, now for the blog...
Since the moment we were dropped off at a bus station in Odessa, Ukraine, our team has been treated amazingly. We had plopped ourselves and our gear on the ground to wait for someone to take us to a place where we could rest for a little bit. Then the Lord sent an angel our way. Her name was Ann. She even looked like an angel with natural blond hair, blue eyes, and a face of innocence. She was waiting herself for a bus to take her to another location for a friend's wedding. Ann greeted us so warmly and in English. (By this point we hadn't fully come to the realization just what a blessing it was for a Ukranian to want to speak to Americans in English.) She was very kind and we chatted about various things. This woman whom we had just only met, gave us her cell number in case we should ever need help getting around the city or for help in translation. Before we parted ways, she even bought us all a box of chocolate as a gift because she said that she liked us so much.
As we were saying our goodbye's to Ann, we were saying hello to Natasha and Kasusha. These two fantastic young women have been taking such great care of us ever since. After a long night and day of travel from Romania, they took us to a nice little restaurant for our first real meal of the day. We then all crashed at Kasusha's flat (or apartment) for the night. The next day, Kasusha and her mom began making calls to help us find our own flat to live in for the duration that we are in Odessa. With an appointment setup with a landlord, we grabbed all our gear once again and headed out. Needless to say, we tried a few different flats in the city center, but none seemed to work out for one reason or another. Then Natasha called and said that she had received word on an available flat that would meet our needs and our budget. I need to mention here, that while Natasha was helping us locate a place to dwell, she was also moving from one flat to another that same day. This girl is amazing and selfless. She found the jackpot and within a matter of hours we were resting comfortably in our new space.
We have met a few more people that are much the same in how they just go out of their way to show us where the cheap places to eat are located or where to get our groceries. With only being here a couple days, God has shown us tremendous favor in every area. I know that I haven't really said much about the city of Odessa itself... Although the city seems incredible and has a lot of things that we hope to check out, it's the people that we've met thus far that have made this city so great. Unexpectedly, this could very well be one of my favorite places that we've been to while on the Race.
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