Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People
1. One of the congregations participating in our church project for providing warm clothing and Scriptures for soldiers is Awakening Baptist Church in the Obolon district of Kyiv. (This was BIEM’s first church plant in Ukraine, right after Ukraine gained independence.) Their list of 70 soldiers they have personal contact with included members of a Special Forces unit that paid a surprise visit to the church to personally thank the congregation for the warm clothing! They awarded the church a beautiful plaque with the signature and seal of their commander, a Major General. These visiting Special Forces soldiers told the congregation that the warm clothing they had provided was the best quality the soldiers had ever received!
2. On Wednesday of this week our container was finally received and unloaded at the church in Bilogorodka, near Kyiv. The trucker who delivered it arrived the night before and asked if he could stay the night since he had to fulfill a rest requirement. A deacon gladly received him and ended up spending hours talking, which proved to be a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel at length. By morning, a good number of trucks and cargo vans from various churches that will be distributing the aid were in place to receive the contents. In answer to prayer, the temperature had warmed to nearly 40 degrees, which helped the process. We are also thankful for God’s hand of protection, since on that day of unloading, Russia launched numerous missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, during which 4 people were killed and dozens injured. Praise God for His protection of our people!
3. While making his 15th evangelistic aid trip to the war-torn Donbas region of Ukraine, BIEM’s Vitaly Bilyak recorded various sights and sounds, plus his personal observations, to share with all of you who make such trips possible. At one point, a woman who put her faith in Christ during an earlier trip thanks Vitaly and others who do not forget them and bring both aid and the Gospel even though doing so is hazardous.
https://vimeo.com/user37287229/donbas-15
4. Some time ago, BIEM provided financial assistance to an 8-year-old girl named Marina. She lost a leg when her home in the Kherson area was bombed. On Tuesday, February 6, we had the chance to meet Pastor Sergei—this girl’s grandfather—and provide additional financial assistance since her growth and rehabilitation require periodically changing her prosthesis and other care. Pastor Sergei’s firsthand account of life under the Russian occupation was riveting and heartbreaking. They were eyewitnesses to horrific atrocities committed by the Russians as they mercilessly slaughtered civilians, including many children. Pastor Sergei and some other family members survived the bombing and fled with only their blood-stained clothing from carrying Marina and her mother Natalya, who was also badly wounded. This family is from one of the most severely attacked areas near Kherson, where a team of French journalists lost their lives covering the events this family lived through.
5. Today, February 9, Sam Slobodian returned to the BIEM office after ministry in Ukraine. During his time in Ukraine, Russia attacked several cities throughout Ukraine. Forty attacks on Kyiv alone included cruise and ballistic missiles and Shahed-type drones. In Kyiv, 4 people were killed and 35 injured, according to the city’s mayor. Sam says, “So once again we heard sirens just as all Ukrainians have become used to hearing since we were just miles from bombings when we were in Kyiv, as well as when we were in Dubno in Western Ukraine. We are thankful for God’s hand of protection in answer to your prayers.”
In Christ,
Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM