War Relief Updates - March 21, 2025

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

1. We received a nice thank-you note from Ihor Dudas, a soldier from Bilogorodka who is recovering from a knee operation. He expresses thanks for the crutches the church in Bilogorodka gave him from our container. He describes how these crutches have helped him and requests prayer for a quick recovery so he can rejoin his unit on the battlefront.

2. Our most recent container of war relief went to Fastiv, a large city southwest of Kyiv. Fastiv is a railroad hub serving much of Ukraine. BIEM has planted two churches there, and they are active in distributing the recently received aid. One of their points of distribution is 30 refugee families who have been displaced from Donetsk, Luhansk, and the Kharkiv regions. The refugees have been evacuated to Fastiv. The pastor in Fastiv writes about how extremely grateful these people are for the clothing and other supplies provided by the container.

3. Early in 2024, BIEM shared a story from Sergei Kostin, the pastor of the church in Vysokopillia, Ukraine. In it, he recounted how his home had come under fire by Russian artillery. His granddaughter ended up losing her leg. Here, Pastor Kostin joins BIEM’s Director in Ukraine Eugene Buyko (left) and our missionary Pavel Usach to thank all the American brothers and sisters in Christ who have blessed his village church with a portion of the war relief that arrived via container.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/leftwithnothing

4. The latest issue of our ministry newsletter, The Challenger, has now been printed and is going out in the mail. This issue emphasizes the war relief that BIEM ships in 40-foot containers from the viewpoint of the recipients. Because war relief is so crucial and is serving as such a valuable evangelistic tool for the churches distributing it, we hope you will take the time to read it. If by chance you are not receiving The Challenger but would like to, you can ask to be added to our mailing list by emailing your name and street address to missions@baptistinternational.org. Or simply call us at 317-718-1633.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

BIEMs of Light: March 2025

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Our latest container of war relief arrived in Fastiv in February, and the church there has been distributing its contents, both locally and through churches in other towns. May God be glorified through this aid!

• In February we requested prayer for our plans to bring one of our missionaries in a Muslim country here to speak in supporting churches and bring updates. God blessed, and Sasha has arrived safely. During March, he will speak in churches in North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

• Last week, men from Prairie Creek Baptist Church in Kingman, Indiana, delivered an auditorium’s worth of pews to BIEM. These pews will go to Awakening Baptist church in Kyiv. That church has been meeting in the basement while constructing their auditorium. Nearing completion, they had no idea how to provide seating. They rejoiced to see photos of the pews and thank God for this answer to prayer!

• Last winter, we provided 1,650 Ukrainian soldiers with $100 worth of warm clothing and New Testaments. Not just any soldiers but soldiers directly connected with members of our churches. In repeating the project this winter, we shared how we had received applications representing 1,076 soldiers and needed $16,000 to meet this need. Praise God, we received $16,890! The extra $890 will go toward additional applications that have since come in.

Prayer – Pray with us!

• After studying in John, one of the newest Afghani students in the Central Asia Bible Institute realized his faith was only a head knowledge about Christ. The next day, he gave testimony in front of 80 Afghans that he had previously not been born again but was now fully trusting Christ. Through tears, he challenged the church to not play games with Jesus but to truly know Him.

• Last year we shared the remarkable story of how the Lord used two elderly ladies to re-establish a church that had been closed and largely destroyed under Russian occupation in their town. Our missionary Pavel Usach requests for prayer for one of those ladies. Her health has suddenly deteriorated, and she can no longer walk. Please pray for Anna.

• BIEM director for Ukraine, Eugene Buyko, and others drove to within 10 miles of the fighting in Donbas. They set up a roadside kitchen, where they offered free hot soup and New Testaments. God gave Eugene many spiritual conversations. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to work via His Word.

• As Russia’s war against Ukraine enters its 4th year, please continue to pray for a fair conclusion to the aggression. If you’re interested, We have free postcard and bookmark reminders that list ways to pray. 

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March Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

I suspect that even among solid, Bible-loving believers there are those who feel there’s no point in attempting to evangelize Muslims. After all, their way of thinking, their beliefs, and sometimes their actions seem so different from ours. Add to that the extreme hostility of some in Islam, and various believers might conclude, “They will never change. Their hearts are too hardened to accept spiritual truth.”

However! Our church planter, Sasha, and his family live in a Muslim land, and he gives testimony that this is not true, at least not for every Muslim. As he meets people in the community and interacts with them, it’s not unusual for people to express curiosity about the Bible. They ask questions. Some accept invitations to Bible studies. Some with marital or other problems recognize Sasha’s sincere love for the Lord and ask him and his wife to pray for them. And, praise the Lord, some of these folks have felt the Holy Spirit’s calling in their heart and embraced Christ as Savior!

In addition to Sasha’s in-person ministries, he also leads a number of people to the Lord through an online ministry. But rather than go into all these details myself, the following short video presents Sasha sharing his heart for Muslims along with some news updates from his outreaches among them. We hope you will watch and praise the Lord for those who go to make Christ known and for those who embrace Him!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/advancing-kingdom

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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