Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People
Dear Friends of BIEM,
1. This week Russia used Iranian-made “kamikaze drones” to strike all over Ukraine. Over 80 missiles struck cities across Ukraine. Ukraine’s emergency services stated that the overall toll was 19 dead and more than 100 wounded, a figure that’s bound to grow. Once again, civilians were targeted. One of our men not far from an area that was hit said, “This is the last gasp of a dying army.” This was a reference to the impressive advances being made by the Ukrainian military as it continues to push the Russians out of occupied territories. We sure hope our brother is right. Please pray for peace and for an end to this bloodshed.
2. Last week, brother Igor shared what happened when he delivered war relief aid to an elderly lady in Desna. Her son Ruslan, a major in the Ukrainian army, showed up drunk as he often was. Touched by the compassion shown by the church, he and the whole family began to attend church and Ruslan was saved. Now Igor adds more good news: Katya, their neighbor, was so impressed by the change in Ruslan that now she and her family are also attending church. Praise God!
3. Starting tomorrow, brother Tim, one of our BIEM missionaries, is speaking to a group of 300 teenagers at a youth conference in Rivne, Ukraine. Rivne has been bombed for 3 days. Please pray for God’s protection and that many young people would trust Christ and for many to be called into His service.
4. Please pray for our container bound for Ukraine. It’s due in the port at Gdansk, Poland, on October 21st. This is the container we mentioned before that has proven very difficult to ship because, instead of renting it, we bought the container to leave it as a storage facility at the Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center near Ternopil in Western Ukraine. Other containers we have shipped were not owned by us and so were promptly unloaded upon arrival. As it turns out, shippers all down the line of those needed to get a container from the USA to Poland or Ukraine are very hesitant to handle a container that is privately owned. Nevertheless, despite severe challenges, the ship carrying our container is nearing the port. Please pray that our men can organize getting it across the border to Ukraine.
5. A question people often ask is what is happening to Ukraine’s harvest in light of the war? As it turns out, the harvest this year has been plentiful because the war did not stop farmers from planting. Some brave farmers lost their lives when their tractors hit mines. There are areas where crops have gone to waste because it was impossible to transport it due to closed shipping lanes and hostilities that block shipment. On occasion, Ukrainian news has shown videos of farmers burning or plowing under perfectly good produce. However, there is good news. Much of Ukraine’s harvest has been able to be moved by truck. The last few times I crossed the border from Poland into Ukraine, I witnessed unbelievably long lines of trucks leaving Ukraine for Poland lined up at border crossings. One time, I videoed the line as we drove more than 60 miles an hour in the other direction. It took more than 6 minutes of driving at that speed to see the end of the line of trucks! Another time, we decided to count the trucks. We stopped at 1,000! It is taking truck drivers days to cross the border because of these backups. Nevertheless, a good amount of Ukraine’s harvest is getting to market. Praise God!
Sam Slobodian
President - BIEM