Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People
Dear Friends of BIEM,
1. Praise God, the Buyko family has made it safely from Ukraine to here in the United States. However, Pastor Sasha—who drove them to the Polish border and was planning to deliver them to the airport in Warsaw—was not allowed to enter Poland even though he had made two similar trips recently. Border guards did allow the Buykos to drive Sasha’s car to the airport so they could make their flights. But Sasha himself had to wait at the border for Yura, another of our Ukrainian pastors, to come and get him. Such are the adventures of border crossings these days.
2. The Buykos will be in churches in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and Missouri. Please pray that God will bless these meetings. They have a lot to share as brother Eugene is heavily involved in our War Relief distribution efforts. Their church is in the Bucha region, where the Russian army committed many atrocities that have been reported on our media. Eugene put Sofia and the girls on a train heading west after rocket shells were landing in their yard and their house was shaking from rocket blasts. Plus, stories of Russian soldiers abusing women not far away were spreading like wildfire. The train was so packed that officials ordered all passengers to leave their suitcases behind. Abandoned suitcases littered the train station. Sofia and their daughters had to stand the whole trip, pressed shoulder to shoulder with the mass of other passengers. Of course, Eugene and Mikhail stayed in Kyiv, where God has greatly used them.
3. Bruce Tuttle reports that there has been a very noticeable decline in bombings and sirens in their area. Perhaps it is because the Russian army is having difficulty in the South and East, where Ukrainian forces have been successful recently in pushing the Russians back. Whatever the reason, they are thankful.
4. One of the men in brother Sasha’s church (which is on a Ukrainian military base) was awarded a medal by President Zelensky for his efforts in leading his brigade in defending Chernihiv. He was also promoted from major to colonel. His testimony is featured on this week’s video update, which you can view at the following link.
5. Praise God that we have been informed by Operation Renewed Hope that they are in the final stages of securing and delivering $30,000 of much-needed medicines to Ukraine. Of that, $10,000 will go the hospital where Vitaly Bilyak has connections and will be used by the Christian doctors at that hospital for wounded soldiers.
Sam Slobodian
President - BIEM