October BIEMs of Light

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• At last, the new church in Bilogorodka, Ukraine, has begun holding services. The first service filled the church because it was a special Harvest celebration service. Many guests from other churches attended, including an entire choir. The next week 22 people attended. May God bless and grow this brand-new ministry!
   
• Last month we requested prayer that tensions in east Ukraine’s war zone wouldn’t hinder students from attending the Fall session of the seminary in Kyiv. Praise God, after no students from that region for over a year, some students from the East resumed attending. There were 6 students from the East this current session.
   
• Good news from the Republic of Georgia: over 100 people attended an evangelism event, and God blessed with salvation decisions! Plus, students from India who attend the medical university in Tbilisi have discovered the international church. Nine of these have trusted Christ!
   
• Praise God that Brother Andrei, a Russian church planter recruited by Pastor Peter Rumachik for the new work in Shahovskaya, Russia has arrived and begun his ministry. This was no small task since they moved from faraway Siberia and have 13 children.
   

Prayer – Pray with us!

• Tolik, one of the sons of missionary-pastor Nikolai Ryzhuk in Drogichin, Belarus, is experiencing serious recurring back problems that now prohibit him from working. Doctors have performed surgery on it before, and now he may face another surgery. Please pray.
   
• In Peru, missionary Wilber Huillca Quispe is especially concerned for the indigenous people groups who live in the jungle. He and others have initiated ministry among some of these groups. Please pray for the salvation of souls.
   
• Please pray for the family of Pastor Almond in Central Asia. His son Samar accidentally electrocuted himself at home and died. However, Samar had recently repented of sin and put his faith in Christ, which has provided many opportunities to share the Gospel.
   
• Because floor hockey requires little equipment, it’s gaining popularity in Ukraine. Some of our church planters see potential for evangelism through floor hockey teams. They plan to try it, first in Gongarovsk and if successful in Desna. Please pray that God will guide and bless if this is a worthwhile means of touching others with the Gospel. 

September Video Update

Watch this video on Vimeo by either clicking on the following link or by copying and pasting it in your browser:

https://vimeo.com/183288244

Dear Pastor and Friends,

Warm greetings from the Slobodians!  

This months video update features Igor Fomichov, our national missionary in the military city of Desna, Ukraine.  This military base community has been drastically affected by the war going on in Eastern Ukraine.  Many soldiers from Desna have been deployed there along with tanks and other military equipment.  Though exact numbers are secret, it is no secret that there have been many lives lost and casualties suffered.  Please pray for the Fomichov family and this church in Desna as they serve the Lord in this community which is going through difficult times.

Slobodian Prayer Letter

Dear Pastors and Friends,

 Greetings from the Slobodians! We are glad to update you on how God is using the prayers and support you invest in this ministry. Praise God for how He answers prayer and blesses these efforts. For example, our brethren in Belarus have reaped a harvest of souls through evangelistic meetings they recently conducted despite some of the key participants being involved in a serious car accident. However, they are being subjected to recent pressure from the authorities that have been raising issues concerning their legal status. Please pray for wisdom for Nikolai and his brother Valerie as they deal with this situation. Pray as well for the baptismal service for 8 of these new converts which provides yet another opportunity to preach the Gospel to the lost. 

Thank-you for praying for Amy, Steve and I as we participated in Ukrainian summer camps in July.  The first camp was in Bilogorodka, Ukraine and was held on the grounds of the church being built. Even though the building is not complete, it was ready enough for this event. The neighborhood was canvassed and many invitations were printed and handed out.  None of us had any idea of what to expect. Praise God that 80 children and youth attended, most from walking distance from this new church! Many parents attended the closing ceremony and expressed gratefulness for the camp and listened attentively to the Gospel that was presented.  This turned out to be a very good advertisement for the new church in this growing community.

The other camp was a youth camp conducted by the church in Ternopil, Ukraine that was held in the Carpathian Mountains. What a beautiful setting for the 40 city teenagers who attended mostly from un-churched homes.  Praise God many made salvation decisions, which was one of the goals of this camp.  Another goal was that this effort would open the doors to reaching the parents and other family members of the youth who attended.  God answered this prayer as well as a good number of the parents of these youth have signed up to attend the churches family camp which is coming up soon. Please pray that whole families would be saved and added to the church.  

 In Desna, Ukraine our church planter Igor Fomichov received a phone call from a couple that had just received one of the handouts church members were distributing for their upcoming camp. The wife recognized Igor’s name on the flyer since years ago (before Igor was saved) they were part of his drug-dealing crowd. She had heard Igor had gotten religion, dramatically changed and was even a pastor! As it turns out their lives were so ruined by drugs that several drug & alcohol re-hab centers could not help them as they narrowly survived one overdose after another. They had given up and were sitting at their kitchen table discussing how to end their lives when they received the flyer and made the phone call. They begged Igor to meet with them right away.   That resulted in them eagerly receiving the Gospel and turning to Christ! Praise God! Please pray for this couple, Lena and Lyova as they are now attending church and rebuilding their lives for the glory of God.

 Please pray for our brethren in Russia as they must deal with the new anti-religious legislation that has been put into law there. They tell us that it is too early to know exactly how these new statutes will affect them but it is a real possibility that Christians there may once again have to decide between obeying God or Caesar. We plan to meet with them once the effects of this legislation become clearer. May God keep blessing each of you!

The Slobodians

August Video Update

Watch this video on Vimeo by either clicking on the following link or by copying and pasting it in your browser:

https://vimeo.com/179084016

 

Dear Pastors and Friends,
 
Warm greetings from the Slobodians!  Amy and I have recently returned from Ukraine where we were able to participate in a couple of camps, one in Bilogordka on the outskirts of Kiev, the other in Western Ukraine where the church in Ternopil conducted a wilderness camp for youth in the Carpathian mountains.  Both camps attracted a large number of youth from non-churched homes and had encouraging results you can read about in our current prayer letter.

This month's video update is from Desna, Ukraine and features Lyosha Savchuk who was saved in this ministry and is now planting a church in Chernihiv, Ukraine.  Brother Losha who speaks fluent English shares how the container shipments we send of humanitarian aid and church planting equipment are used to open hearts to the Gospel.  Praise God for the warm hearts and generous spirits of God's people in American that make this outreach possible.

BIEMs of Light August 2016

 August 2016

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Pastor Samuel, who has been leading a growing group of believers in a predominantly Muslim area, rejoices that they can participate in the Great Commission. The church has been committed to discipleship and now sees good results, especially in college-age members who have gone on to serve as leaders of home-churches in various countries.
   
• Praise the Lord’s protection through a cup of tea! One BIEM missionary couple serves in a mountainous region of Central Asia. After a female physician examined the wife, the doctor desired to become friends and invited her to tea. The husbanded regretted this delay—until on the drive home they discovered a rockslide had just occurred on their road!
   
• In Peru, missionary Wilber Huillca Quispe visits jungle villages with the Gospel. Recently a couple in a village of the Yaminahua tribe donated a plot of ground with a thatched-roof structure to be used for Christian meetings. Praise God for their heartfelt gift to God’s work!
   
• The church plant in Bilogorodka went ahead and conducted a camp on the church grounds even though the building is not complete. The neighborhood was canvassed, and our workers were thrilled with 80 campers from the community! Many parents attended the closing event.  Praise God for such wonderful results! This will open doors to homes and hearts of the community.

Prayer – Pray with us!

• Although at this point details concerning interpretation and enforcement remain unclear, reports suggest Russia’s new anti-terrorism law could also be used as a tool against believers. Please pray for Russian believers and for their witness to increase, not decrease, for God’s glory.
   
• Our first Central Asia home-church construction project is in progress. Pastor Barnabas owns a little plot of land next to his home, and the foundation for a small church building is already laid. Pray the building will be completed soon and allow believers a safe place to meet and worship.
   
• Final summer camps are taking place this month, and we are rejoicing in large numbers of campers and many salvation decisions. Please continue to pray for God to work in lives, both of campers who have already been to camp and for young people soon to be in camp. Praise God for supplying the finances needed and a heartfelt word of thanks to each who gave for this need.
   
• Elaine Smith, a pastor’s wife and the mother of a BIEM missionary, has been undergoing serious health issues. Praise God, physicians have located some blood clots and believe they can treat serious swelling she also has. Please pray for healing as she undergoes treatment.

Mary Slobodian: 1931-2014

Giving God the Glory, The life of Peter Slobodian now available

The year 2011 marks BIEM's 30th anniversary. What better time to publish the life story of our founder, Dr. Peter Slobodian? Giving God the Glory is the fascinating true story of how the Lord plucked one man from a poor Ukrainian family and an obscure background to touch souls on multiple continents with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you love the Lord and marvel at His works, then this is the book for you. Order your copy today!