Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People
1. The incoming applications from Ukrainian churches hoping to aid their members and friends serving at the war front are outpacing incoming donations. Under this program, churches may receive $100 to purchase warm clothing for each soldier with whom they are in direct contact. Yesterday we mailed out a special appeal for this project. So far, we have received about half of the $100,000 needed. The number of applications is quickly approaching our maximum of 1,000 soldiers. Please pray for a good response from this mailing so we can fulfill each application. (Also, we thank the Lord for all the volunteers who came to our headquarters to help with this mailing. Twenty people participated.)
2. Ever since November, Polish truckers have been blockading crossings at the border with Ukraine. The root cause for the blockade was the truckers’ demand for a return to the permit system, which regulated Ukrainian truckers’ permission to operate in Europe. However, the Polish truckers are lifting the blockade (at least temporarily) as the government tries to work out an agreement. This is good news for humanitarian-aid shipments and definitely an answer to prayer. The Kyiv Post offers this article on the topic:
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/26816
3. Vitaly and Natalia Khmelnitsky have helped to distribute aid from BIEM to adult civilians, to children, and to members of the Ukrainian military. This week’s video captures glimpses of their recent street outreach to soldiers. In addition to warm food, active military members were offered gospels, audio Scriptures, and a gift to take with them. Here’s the link:
https://vimeo.com/user37287229/streetoutreach
4. Praise the Lord, friends around the US have been sending BIEM very helpful items for our war relief efforts. Most recently, we received a shrink-wrapped skid load of aid from Calvary Independent Baptist Church in West Redding, Connecticut. It is 90% clothing, and the pastor personally helped to box those gifts. In doing so, he realized that some of his members had given their very best winter coats! And a tiny girl had given her own treasure—a little box of hairpins. What touching generosity! If you have good clothing you can donate to the ministry in Ukraine, the need has never been greater. But we need more than clothes. This link will open a printable list of a variety of items that are much in demand during the war in Ukraine:
In Christ,
Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM