BIEMs of Light: July 2024

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• We have requested prayer for Oleg Petrenko, the brother of BIEM missionary Sasha Petrenko. Recently, Russia returned Oleg to Ukraine as part of a prisoner-of-war swap. Oleg is weak and was taken straight to a hospital, but he and his family thank you for all prayers!

• On July 18 we received word from Central Asia of a family of 6 Afghanis who put their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior. Praise the Lord!

• The Christians who print our Challenger newsletter do a wonderful job, for which we receive many compliments. The current issue featuring last winter’s distribution of warm clothing and New Testaments may be their most attractive effort ever. We had so many photos and thank you’s that it was a tall order to fit a sampling even into 6 pages. Somehow, they formatted a beautiful and informative issue featuring a creative, bulletin-board layout. We thank and praise God for the outstanding work on this newsletter. May it warm the hearts of all who gave and prayed for this project.

• Various Ukrainian pastors whose churches helped to distribute winter clothing to soldiers have established ongoing connections with some of the recipients. In one case, a soldier asked the pastor if the church could post videos of church services online to watch them from the war front! May God work and bless through these new connections.

Prayer – Pray with us!

• The Christian camps for children and teens are continuing overseas. Through quick updates, we are hearing of salvation decisions and fun times. Please pray for God to give energy to the camp leaders and to work in the hearts of the campers.

• We have occasionally shared news about Misha, a young Ukrainian believer who is the nephew of a BIEM couple. He has been serving in the army since the early days of the war. His uncle writes, “Please pray for Misha. He is still on the front line, in the heat of battles. Hot, tired, filthy.”

• In mid-July, our missionary Eugene Buyko and his family plan to be in the U.S. for a month to visit supporting churches and bring updates. Please pray for smooth travels with no glitches.

• In the Republic of Georgia, the Pro-Russian parliament has passed a new law, which will severely restrict our missionaries. This is despite massive protests and warnings from the US government and many other nations that this law will end democracy and religious freedom. Please pray that elections in October will bring in a new government that will overturn this law and that God will direct missionaries there how to respond.

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June Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

For this month’s video, we wanted to share a heartwarming moment recorded by one our missionaries. While between flights in the Istanbul Airport in Turkey, he and his family passed time by relaxing in a crowded airport lounge. There, one daughter spotted an unattended grand piano. Without asking, she simply walked over, sat down at the piano, and began to play Christian hymns. An adult might have hesitated to play Christian hymns in a spot where most listeners were Muslims. Nevertheless, many stopped and listened appreciatively. When this young daughter noticed Ukrainian travelers among the crowd, she switched and played a well-known Ukrainian hymn. Her music brought the Ukrainians to tears, and they expressed heartfelt gratitude for her “wonderful concert.” Praise God!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/makingmelodies

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

War Relief Updates - June 28, 2024

Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People

1. Much of the war relief that we provide for those suffering the consequences of the war in Ukraine goes towards expenses like food, clothing, medical supplies & costs, repairs to damaged homes, protective gear, and equipment for soldiers connected to our churches—generators, power banks, and coal and wood for heating. This week we received heartfelt thanks for war relief of a different type. Expressing thanks were several soldiers who received high-end First Aid kits and a Christian volunteer for whom we helped to purchase a vehicle (a used 4x4 Lada Niva), which he uses to transport wounded from the front lines to where they can receive medical care.

2. Sergiy Koop in Ternopil continues to stay in touch with numerous soldiers who were helped through our war-relief distributions. Several are now tuning into his church services online. Please pray for their salvation. One has been transferred to the Ternopil area, so he has been attending the church services. When the church has sufficient funds, they plan to upgrade their equipment to improve the quality of these broadcasts.

3. Shortly after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Sofia Buyko accepted her husband’s wishes and departed for Poland with their 3 daughters. In Poland, and later in Germany, the 4 were safe from the aerial bombings and atrocities being committed by occupying forces. But as time passed, they decided to leave their place of safety and return to Ukraine even though war was still raging. Why would they do that? Listen to their own answer in this 3-minute video, “The Decision to Return.”

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/thedecision

4. More than once, we have requested prayer for Oleg, the brother of BIEM missionary Sasha Petrenko. Oleg disappeared soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, and for a long time the family didn’t know where he was or even whether Oleg was still alive. Praise God, Oleg was among the 90 POWs that Russia this week swapped soldiers that Ukraine had captured. Of those released back to Ukraine, Oleg was one of those in the worst physical condition. He was transported to a hospital, where Sasha was told that his brother faced a long recovery period. Of course, the family is rejoicing that Oleg survived his ordeal and that he is back in Ukraine again!

If you would like to see a mass media news article with a heartwarming video about this exchange, here is one such link:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russia-ukraine-each-return-90-prisoners-of-war/ar-BB1oTvDH

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

May Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

When you plant an acorn and water it, you don’t know for sure how fast it will sprout, how tall the tree will grow, or whether that acorn will grow at all. But what a joy to return years later and discover that the thimble-sized acorn has grown into a healthy tree that is now providing protective shade and new acorns of its own! Similarly, when BIEM missionaries plant a new church, they trust and pray that the Lord will magnify their efforts and establish a thriving, new ministry where unbelievers find Christ and believers grow in grace and knowledge of the Word of God.

In our monthly video for May, we take you back to Borschiv, Ukraine, where some years ago BIEM purchased a large, unfinished house to plant a church in an area where there wasn’t one. The building needed much work, both to finish it and to correct some construction flaws. The property needed a lot of work, too, before it could be used for outreach. However, the Lord has steadily provided the funds and muscles that have been needed. He also has been blessing this ministry with fresh fruit for the Kingdom of God.

As you watch the following video, we invite you to join us in praising God as church planter Sergei Skripnik reviews many of the blessings that the Lord has showered on this church since the purchase of the property.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/farther

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

March Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Although the war in Eastern and Southeastern Ukraine continues to wipe out businesses, homes, and lives, for the March video we want to turn your attention elsewhere, to something more uplifting. Years ago, the mayor of a town in Ukraine visited the church where BIEM’s Anatoly Kosyanchuk preaches. At the conclusion of the service, that mayor approached Anatoly with an unexpected proposal: “If you start another Baptist church on the opposite side of town, I’ll give you the land to build on!” 

In the years following that surprise offer, God has taken the Second Baptist Church in Bilogorodka from a mere idea, to an empty plot of ground, to a construction project, to a thriving congregation. Now the Lord has blessed that growing group of believers with an ordination service—one assistant pastor and four deacons! Two of those deacons are neighbors who live within eyesight of the church. Both were unsaved when the church’s construction began. But through this ministry, God has drawn them and other residents of that neighborhood to Himself!

Our latest issue of our Challenger newsletter features an article about this same special ordination service. But for our March video, we decided to let Pastor Buyko and his new assistant pastor, Roman, tell more about God’s blessing that day. You can view that video here:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/morehands

Thank you for your prayers!

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light: September 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Our new missionaries in Ukraine, the Koops, operated a 3-day children’s camp in Druzhba, which they have targeted for a new church. The first day, 65 attended; the 2nd day up to 85, and the third day over 100 participated, including about 20 mothers who were asking, “Where is the church?” When those moms heard that church services will be starting soon, some replied they will come.

• Praise God, attacks from Russia on Ukraine’s Independence Day were not as bad as some feared. Although Russian rockets and missiles hit 58 cities and communities on that day, the next day there was only one. Since then, it seems things have died down.

• In Ukraine, the Slobodians report a wonderful baptism at the new church in Bilogorodka. Nine adults were baptized. Praise God for souls being accepting Christ in this time of war. Previously, the Russian army had come within a few miles of Bilogorodka, which is in the Bucha area.

• Praise God for a fruitful trip Vitaly Bilyak took to the military front in Donbas area with a trailer full of aid. He and those with him helped civilians, wounded ones in a hospital, plus soldier friends for whom he brought much-needed supplies and requested items. Vitaly plans two more such trips in September. Pray for safety. His videos from the front include sounds of artillery and explosions.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Sources predict that the next week will be an especially dangerous time for the military cities of Desna and Goncharovsk, where BIEM missionaries have planted two churches. Both towns have already suffered attacks by missiles, rockets, and planes. More attacks are expected. Please pray for our missionaries, the churches, and the community, that lives would be spared.

• Pasha Usach conducted a special one-day event for mothers and wives who had lost sons and husbands in the war. Over 50 attended. The event was a huge blessing and provided a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel, so much so that Pavel is planning another such an event. Pray that God will use these outreaches to draw souls to Christ, the source of the greatest comfort.

• Plans are underway to bring the Buyko family to the United States, where they will visit churches for one month. Sophia and the three girls have already received visas; now we are working on getting the special permission needed for Eugene to temporarily exit Ukraine during wartime. Please pray that this permission will be granted, just as it was for Vitaly Yurchenko.

• Some of our contacts are witnessing of Christ to Muslims in Afghanistan. Please pray for God to open eyes and illumine hearts with the Gospel.

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BIEMs of Light: August 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Praise God, our personnel in Ukraine have received another 40-ft. container of humanitarian aid from us here in the United States! This is the 7th container our dedicated Ukrainians are distributing to needy places. This one went to the city administration of a region that contains several settlements that were occupied by Russian forces, so these goods will reach some of the neediest recipients.

• BIEM president Sam Slobodian heads back to Ukraine on August 2. The main focus of this trip will be humanitarian aid, but praise the Lord, he will also participate in a baptism and an ordination!

• Today BIEM personnel drove another 5 tons of food from Poland into Ukraine, this time for the Kharkiv region. We praise God for thoughtful donors and for those driving and distributing.

• So far, we are receiving reports of young people coming to Christ in BIEM-sponsored camps in Estonia, Ukraine, and Russia. Although the Lord touches hearts in a special way through such camps every summer, we never take that blessing for granted. To God be the glory!

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Despite the war in Ukraine, one of our seminary graduates is deeply burdened for a particular district in a large city in Western Ukraine that has been flooded with refugees. Many of them plan to stay. This brother has recruited others to help start a new church, and they are praying and fasting every Friday for God’s direction and provision for that goal. Please join them in praying.

• A pastor named Aleksander emailed us today from the Intensive Care section of a hospital in central Russia. He has a weak heart, and their summer camps and other ministries may have taxed him too much. Let’s uphold this worthy servant of the Lord with our prayers.

• In Central Asia, the manager of our Christian shelter for hurting women is named Julie. She is a big blessing—talented, yet with a servant’s heart and love for Jesus. She devotes herself to running the shelter and ministering to these women and their children. It’s a big job. Please pray for her.

• In another nation of Central Asia, one church recently baptized 9 former Muslims who had put their faith in Christ. Please pray that more hearts in those regions will soften and consider their need of the Savior.

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