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

Dear Friends of BIEM,

1. Today Vitaly Bilyak is returning to Ukraine through Poland after being in the United States for 6 weeks. During this time, he was speaking to churches that were eager to hear firsthand from Ukrainian brethren who are doing so much to distribute aid and preach the Gospel to needy ones in Ukraine. He traveled to Poland from the U.S. with 4 suitcases packed with aid. In Poland he will stock his SUV and trailer with more items purchased in Poland, including three generators. Please pray for his travel home, especially for a quick and smooth border crossing from Poland into Ukraine.

2. This Sunday, Igor Fomichov and I will be speaking in a church in South Dakota. Yesterday a local paper interviewed us, and that article is slated for publication tomorrow, on Saturday. Please pray that this media exposure will bring people into the church to hear Igor tell his story and as he shares what he and other BIEM personnel are doing in distributing aid and sharing the Gospel.

3. In last week’s War Relief Updates, we asked you to pray for Misha, the unsaved nephew of one of our BIEM missionaries in Ukraine. Despite a Christian upbringing, this young man had continued to reject the Gospel and had often been in dangerous battles. Update: this past week, Misha finally trusted Christ as Savior! Thank you for praying!

4. Today Ukraine’s Prime Minister stated that 50% of Ukraine's power grid is down due to Russian missiles and drones. With temperatures dipping to freezing, countless citizens are without power. BIEM has purchased generators (mostly in Poland) for churches and our people. Prices of generators have nearly doubled in the last week.

5. Some of our Ukrainian pastors have relatives in the Ukrainian military. Based on the information they hear, these brethren are greatly concerned about another potential Russian invasion from Belarus. Along the border with Belarus, Ukrainian troops are on high alert. Several of our churches in western Ukraine have made contingency evacuation plans for their people in case this does take place.

Sam Slobodian
President - BIEM