Praises – Rejoice with us!

On December 16, BIEM bookkeeper Amy Slobodian underwent an operation to remove a myxoma tumor from inside her heart. The operation went smoothly. On December 20, Amy was allowed to go home. She now works part-time as recovery continues. Thank you to the many who prayed!
Thanks for praying for coworkers attempting to receive visas to visit the U.S. In November we requested prayer for Katya Bilyak, who had been repeatedly denied. She has now received a visa. Plus, a BIEM missionary named Sasha who lives in a predominantly Muslim land has also received permission to come. Both will be blessings to supporting churches. Praise the Lord!
In Peru, missionary Wilber Quispe and his family praise God for a venture by boat into the rainforest, where they found and contacted members of a primitive tribe who have no contact with outsiders. On this first trip, only a few tribe members were brave enough to approach and communicate with them. The missionaries’ goal was to establish friendship and to bestow a few gifts to demonstrate friendly intentions. They look forward to repeat trips in the future with an eventual goal of sharing Christ.
In Chepen, Peru, Teodoro Rodriquez praises God that their relatively young church now has 23 attending. Teodoro says their ministry focuses on evangelism and discipleship: “We evangelize on the streets and in homes, and we disciple in three places.” Praise God for a vision for ministry!

Prayer – Pray with us!

Although prayer requests here are normally related directly to BIEM, we have a special request to share. Through one of our missionaries we’ve learned of a new video that has gone live in the Uzbek language. It’s geared for Muslim viewers and explains who Jesus Christ is, why He came, and what He accomplished. The potential is huge, with a possible audience of 50 million Uzbeks. Our missionary has seen it and says it’s worthy of our prayers. Please pray for Uzbek-speaking people to watch with open minds and open hearts. May the Lord draw souls to Himself.
Missionary Vitaly Yurchenko requests prayer for the puppet ministry organized by the church in Chervona Sloboda. They could use quality puppets and also a sound system so the audience can hear the voices of those working the puppets behind the scenes. Such a system would cost $500.
“Sasha,” a BIEM missionary serving in a Muslim land, often talks about God with an acquaintance from Azerbaijan. They have many points of disagreement, but the man continues to come back for conversations. Please pray for the Lord to open this man’s eyes to his need of Christ.
In 2016, the church in Drogichin, Belarus, will celebrate its 10-year anniversary. Missionary pastor Nikolai Ryzhuk is planning special activities, including a camp for children, a special conference for teens, and evangelistic outreaches to the community. He requests prayer for these outreaches.