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

Dear Friends of BIEM,

Greetings from Ukraine! Due to problems with airlines, late and rerouted flights and delays, it took nearly 48 hours to get to Western Ukraine this trip. As we travel eastward towards Kyiv we are noticing one big change. When we stop at gas stations, we are no longer limited to just 5 or 10 gallons but can now fill up without a special permit. When I asked why the difference, the explanation is that now more fuel from Europe is flowing into Ukraine. We don’t understand exactly how these things work but we are thankful.
Our War Relief efforts involve not only the distribution of humanitarian aid but also involve the evacuation of refugees from occupied or embattled areas. Our men are bringing aid into such areas and exiting with refugees. This week and next week we are conducting such operations in the areas of Ukraine near Kharkiv, Kherson, and Mykolaiv.
Just when the westward flow of refugees has lessened, it appears that it will ramp up once again. This is because president Zelensky has requested that all Ukrainians in the entire Donbas region leave that area and is promising to compensate those who leave behind apartments and homes.
Our camps in Ukraine are in full swing now with many more campers than expected. In some places, they have double the amount of youth they expected. While this is a challenge, our folks are greatly blessed seeing that the decision to go ahead with camps despite the war was a good one that will have eternal results for the glory of God.
Thank you for your prayers concerning Vitaly Yurchenko’s request for special permission to leave Ukraine we mentioned last week. Praise God, this permission was granted, and today he and his wife Alona are flying to the United States, where they will have meetings in churches in Indiana and Minnesota. We hope that other national missionaries will also be granted such permission in the near future.

Sam Slobodian
President - BIEM