Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People
1. On May 8, Russia targeted Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure with a massive wave of 55 missiles and 21 explosive drones, according to CNN and AP reports. This largest attack in several weeks struck 6 different geographic regions. Although Ukraine’s Energy Minister states Russia is attempting to halt Ukraine’s ability to generate and transmit energy, civilian homes are also getting pounded, and civilian lives are lost. BIEM is thankful to the Lord for protecting our seminary students in Kyiv as well as Sam Slobodian and those traveling with him to various cities and ministries across that country.
2. Two months ago, BIEM shared a proposed project from Awakening Baptist Church in the Obolon District of Kyiv, Ukraine. Pastor Nikolai Rozhnyatovsky was praising God for new opportunities to aid and evangelize refugees from Bakhmut with help from an unlikely source—the city administration. In the following video, Pastor Nikolai gives an update on the development of this new outreach.
https://vimeo.com/user37287229/responding-2
3. In 2023, we told of an especially distraught family of refugees from Berdyansk, Ukraine (in the east), who had arrived in the western city of Lviv. There, the church pastored by BIEM’s Yura Levtseniuk extended assistance and humanitarian aid provided by BIEM. The mother, Nelya, told how Russian troops had captured her daughter, whom they abused and killed and dismembered into pieces before calling the family to come and fetch what was left of her. Now we have received additional news: Eventually, 18 members of Nelya’s extended family likewise ended up in Lviv, where Yura and the church minister to them as well. Many of these 18 are attending church, and several have put their trust in Christ. Some are planning to be baptized in the next few weeks, along with other converts who were first drawn to the church through our war relief efforts. Praise God!
4. Container update! Our latest container of war relief and supplies for churches (which we shipped on March 21) has cleared Ukrainian Customs and arrived today at its destination in Zdolbuniv. Its cargo includes secondhand clothing & shoes; medical items such as disposable masks, disposable diapers, wheelchairs, canes, crutches, and walkers; household items such as blankets, sheets, pillows, and basic tools; children’s toys, foodstuffs such as rice, macaroni, canned soups, and baby formula; mixed sports equipment for children’s camps; office equipment; plus various miscellaneous useful items. After the cargo has been unloaded, the metal container itself will be transported to the church’s nearby campground, where it will become a solid storage unit for the camp. Thank you for praying for this shipment!
In Christ,
Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM