BIEMs of Light February 2020

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• With BIEM’s assistance, churches in Brest, Belarus held an evangelistic service for kids with disabilities. The result was a filled auditorium, with 80% unbelievers. Nikolai Ryzhuk praises God for opportunities to hold such events for outreach and God’s glory.

• We rejoice about the special evangelistic services during Christmas and New Year. Our missionaries have reported unsaved visitors, including some who had never stepped inside a church before. (One man’s mother had once been adamantly opposed to the new Baptist church but came!) Also pray that the Word sown in hearts will bear fruit.

• In Desna, Ukraine, a soldier was ordered to escort a new Christian recruit who wanted to visit the church. (The purpose of the escort was to ensure the new man didn’t desert or do anything forbidden.) But at the church, the soldier pulling escort duty got saved!

• In Goncharovsk, Ukraine, an influential woman in the local school phoned our missionary Ira Petrenko and asked to schedule a massage. (Ira has training in this.) Ira was tired, but her husband Sasha suggested it might be a good door for sharing God’s Word. Not only did that administrator listen, but later in a parents’ meeting, she even gave her personal endorsement of our missionary’s church!

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Micah, one of our missionaries in Tbilisi, Georgia, has been meeting with a number of young people with questions about God and salvation. Most are astonished to learn that salvation resides fully in faith in Christ, not in obeying the commandments 100% until death, etc. Please pray for him as he seeks to break through preconceived notions with Gospel Truth.

• Please continue to pray for Noah Harvey, grandson of Sam & Amy Slobodian. His January 29 surgery was successful despite complications that led to another week of hospitalization. The recovery will be slow and could result in missing a lot of school. Please pray for a quick recovery, and to gain weight, and to return to school soon.

• Our container in Ukraine is within one last document of having all the goods released. Much of the delay is due to procedural changes from the new presidential administration. Please pray that these changes will not hamper future shipments of aid for our churches.

• A BIEM missionary who labors in restricted lands is preparing to leave on a trip where he’ll be assisting a new church plant among Afghanis and helping to establish a Bible institute for Afghanis. Please pray for God’s protection and blessing in this dangerous area.

January 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/385531204

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Greetings! We trust this New Year finds you doing well and rejoicing in the Lord. This month's video update comes from the Republic of Georgia where we are privileged to have Brother Micah and his family serving for the glory of God. 

Georgia was part of the Soviet Union as one of the fifteen republics which made up the U.S.S.R. This is where Joseph Stalin came from. Praise God that the Republic of Georgia is now an independent country with religious freedom which permits the preaching of the Gospel and the establishment of Bible believing churches. 

At the end of the video you will hear Brother Micah's family singing in Georgian. Georgian is a very unique language with quite an artistic alphabet which you can see as the video ends with the text, "Thank-you for praying" in English and Georgian.

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light January 2020

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Last month we requested prayer for Customs agents in Ukraine to release our 40-ft. container of humanitarian aid. Praise God for encouraging progress. It has been released from the port city of Odessa and is now in the control of the Customs in Kyiv. Please pray that the Customs in Kyiv will soon release it so that the aid can be disbursed.

• Two new core groups of young believers have been organized in predominantly Muslim lands of Central Asia, as well as three Bible institutes that will operate on a modular basis.  Praise God for opening doors and touching hearts!

• Andrei Eliseev, the minister who oversees the Christian Rehabilitation Center near Ternopil, Ukraine, praises God for working in the life of a man named Vitaly. Due to substance addictions, doctors did not even expect Vitaly to live. But believers brought him to the Rehab Center, where he has been nourished with healthful food and the Word of God. He is now making good strides, both physically and spiritually!

• In December, Pastor Nicholai Velichko of Kyiv, Ukraine, underwent surgery to remove a tumor. Many friends of BIEM prayed for this pastor emeritus of the Baptist church called Temple of Salvation. Praise God, the surgery went well, and doctors expect a full recovery.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Due to long-standing tradition, many lands in Eastern Europe celebrate Christmas on January 7. Holiday festivities continue into January. So please pray for evangelistic outreaches that churches continue to make during this holiday season.  Pray as well for the January session of our seminary in Kyiv where BIEM is training nationals.

• In western Ukraine, our missionaries the Skripniks wrote about a young girl named Zhenya. This girl and her brother love to come to Sunday school.  The family is very poor.  As the church helps them with some legitimate needs, the Skripniks request prayer for Zhenya’s family that  God would open the hearts of the parents to the Gospel.

• One of BIEM’s missionary couples in a large Russian city report, “My main need right now is to build a team of devoted laborers to start new small [Bible study] groups.” As always, the fields white unto harvest outnumber the workers. Please pray for more active believers.

• On January 29 the Slobodians’ grandson Noah, who has medical issues related to his heart transplant, will be undergoing a procedure where surgeons bypass his stomach so that the nutrition he currently receives through a tube will go directly into his intestines.  Please pray that this surgery will go well and improve processing and maintaining of nourishment.  

December 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/379040811

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Warm Christmas greetings from the Slobodians!

This month's video comes from Borschiv where the Lord has enabled us to purchase a property which is ideal for the new church being planted by the Skripnik family. There is a special article in our current newsletter The Challenger which gives more information on this project. This building has an interesting history. You can access this newsletter on our website (BaptistInternational.org). You could also request to be on the mailing list to receive this newsletter which is sent out quarterly.

In this video, Brother Sergei asks for prayer concerning funds needed to complete enough of this building so the church can begin to meet there. The estimated need is between $15,000-$20,000. Please pray concerning this need and for the Skripnik family as they serve the Lord and share the Gospel in Borschiv.

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light December 2019

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Praise God for 2,500 illustrated Ukrainian Children’s New Testaments that friends have arranged to be delivered to our brethren in Kyiv. May God use them mightily as they are distributed in upcoming holiday events!

• Although BIEM’s Bruce Tuttle administrates the Pastors’ Training Institute in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine, he rejoices in many recent invitations for other ministries—speaking to youth groups, a university outreach, bi-weekly marriage seminars, plus an upcoming chance to teach pastors and their wives in the Republic of Georgia. An old saying says, “Busy people are happy people,” and Bruce praises the Lord for opportunities to be so happy.

• We praise God for the good number of orders that have arrived for the new CD, Sound the Trumpet at Christmas. (If you’re interested, ordering information is available online at BaptistInternational.org and also in our upcoming newsletter.)

• A church in the Indianapolis area recently donated over 200 good-quality auditorium chairs to BIEM! These will go to churches in Ukraine aboard our next container shipment.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• The Bilyaks in Ternopil express many reasons to praise the Lord. However, they do have a concern for prayer: There are people who have attended the church for years, but who hesitate to take the step of placing faith in Christ. Others have trusted Christ and pray in church and even try to participate in certain ministries, yet they shy away from baptism. Regardless of the causes, pray for these individuals to desire to follow Christ openly and without reservation.

• In Belarus, BIEM missionary Nikolai Ryzhuk continues to experience debilitating back pains. Although physical therapy helps somewhat, so far doctors seem unable to pinpoint the exact cause of the pain or to suggest a specific treatment. Please pray for the Ryzhuks.

• Please pray concerning the 40-foot container of goods we shipped to Ukraine in September. It’s in country, but the commission that approves such containers as humanitarian aid is backlogged. Because of that, we will soon begin to incur storage expenses of $130 per day until it can be released.

• All of BIEM’s missionaries will be involved in evangelistic outreaches around Christmas, New Year, and the beginning of January. Please pray for those who will be preaching and for all unbelievers who hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ explained to them.

November 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/375481980

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Warm Thanksgiving greetings from the Slobodians.

This month's video comes from an undisclosed location which is in a country which severely restricts propagation of the Christian faith. Nevertheless as you can tell from this video, God is blessing the work of the brave and dedicated missionary family we have laboring there.

We would like to give you more details about the need for remodeling the building mentioned in the video. Though some of the needed work is due to wear and tear, much has do with mandated changes required by the city. This building serves not only as a meeting place for Sasha's church, but it is also large enough to hold training seminars for others serving in other restricted countries nearby. Beyond that this is our designated "safe house" in the event that we would need to evacuate a family in danger. This location was chosen with that in mind because we would be able to quickly obtain visas if such a situation were to occur. Of course, we hope and pray that this would not ever happen but just the same we want to be prepared. The $25,000 needed includes changing over to gas heat from electric. At least $3,000 is also needed to cover some medical and dental needs of this family. Please pray concerning these needs.

Thank you!

Sam and Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light November 2019

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• We praise the Lord that so many friends gave to construct a church in Siberia. That building is now open and proclaiming God’s Word. Our next Challenger newsletter will have photos!

• Last month we requested prayer for our missionary in Belarus, Nikolai Ryzhuk, who needed to replace his failing vehicle. The search was not short, but we praise and thank the Lord for guiding Nikolai to an affordable replacement vehicle.

• In September we requested prayer for the Skripniks, our church planters in Borschiv, Ukraine. They needed somewhere bigger than their home for services. A generous believer who loves God’s work volunteered to assist with buying a building, and negotiations are done. Praise God for providing both a suitable building and the finances to buy it!

• The new CD, Sound the Trumpet at Christmas! is now ready. We hope and pray this CD helps bring peace and joy as you and loved ones celebrate the birth of our Savior. To order, please visit our site, BaptistInternational.org.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• In Ternopil, Ukraine, missionary pastor Vitaly Bilyak writes, “Please pray for resources for the ministry in the Rehabilitation Center. Winter is coming, but we have a whole list of material needs. Right now, we have 6 men undergoing rehabilitation.” The needs mentioned are a chainsaw for logging (theirs broke), an uninterruptible power supply for the boiler, which stops when they lose power ($140), and various items to prepare for winter ($400).

• In November, a BIEM missionary who oversees evangelistic outreaches to restricted-access lands will be making a trip into a difficult area. We can’t elaborate, but please pray for safety and for God to bless projects to make Christ known in local languages of these places.

• A church in York, Pennsylvania, recently blessed us by sending a truck full of donated supplies for shipment to Eastern Europe. Yet, there’s a need for more. Pray the Lord will prompt others to provide new or gently used clothing, shoes, musical instruments, and other items that will aid needy believers and will open doors for sharing the Gospel.

• Friends of BIEM have traveled to Desna, Ukraine, where they installed new walls and a ceiling in the church’s large foyer. We rejoice that yet another portion of this building is now modernized and beautified for God’s glory. (Although the project focused on construction, one soul came to Christ after these workers shared their testimonies!) Please pray for this church, which longs to lead more Ukrainians to faith in the Lord.

October 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/366484918

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Greetings! Our video update this month comes from the city of Lviv which is in far western Ukraine. There Brother Yura and his wife Violet are laboring for the Lord. They both grew up in western Ukraine, though from a different part. Yura grew up in the same church in Dubno as another of our church planters Vitaly Bilyak did.
He is one of 7 brothers, several of which are now serving as pastors.

In this video, Brother Yura asks for prayer for the need they have to redo the heat in their building. This is a big project since it involves pulling out a large rotting floor and replacing it with cement which will cover heating pipes and then installing ceramic tiles. Circulating heat through piping in the floor is currently the most economical way of heating a building in Ukraine when gas is available. Since the first floor of the entire building is involved between 15 and 18 thousand dollars is needed for this project. Please join with us in prayer that God will supply this need.

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light October 2019

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Just days before school in Ukraine began, our missionaries Lyosha and Alusia Savchuk learned that their son Kirill had meningitis. In September he spent 3 weeks in the hospital, but is now home with no apparent harm from the meningitis. We praise God for Kirill’s recovery.

• We praise the Lord that, according to our latest update, over 60 Muslims came to Christ in Central Asia this summer!

• BIEM has now received and translated all the reports and statistics regarding the summer camps we helped to sponsor. Hallelujah, out of several thousand children and teens who attended Christian summer camps in multiple countries, 1,019 are known to have made professions of repentance and faith in Christ! Praise God! Others who were already saved had opportunities to deepen their understanding of the Bible and to grow in grace. For those who didn’t make outward professions, we pray the Lord will water the seeds of Truth planted in their hearts and bring forth more fruit in the future.

• Praise the Lord, in September the Seminary in Kyiv enrolled 12 new students, bringing the total number of those who are studying in order to be used of God in ministry to 45. New students are a special blessing since there was a large graduating class last spring.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• After some medical challenges, the mother of BIEM missionary Vitaly Keller has passed away. Thank you for your prayers for the encouragement and comfort of that family.

• In the country of Georgia, missionary Micah Tuttle urges us to pray for God to raise up Christian leaders who were born and raised in that nation. Right now, there are more sheep than there are doctrinally-sound shepherds who are trained and able to lead them.

• In Belarus, missionary Nikolai Ryzhuk has an aging vehicle that has become undependable. He hopes to sell it and to purchase a replacement vehicle. In Ukraine, church planter Anatoly Kosyanchuk is facing the same dilemma with his ministry vehicle. This is a serious need, since a missionary/pastor needs dependable transportation. Please pray for God to bless in this.

• The film King of Glory is currently being translated into two of the languages of Afghanistan. Please pray for all those involved in this process, and ultimately for the distribution, that this film will be seen and open the eyes of people who need its message.

Challenger Update

Here is an excerpt from our most recent Challenger publication.

Summer camps provide a wonderful way to introduce children, teens, and young adults to the Gospel! Camps lift young people out of their routine and provide a wholesome atmosphere where they enjoy nourish- ing food, fun games, God-honoring music, Bible teaching, and handcrafts — all with adult leaders who reflect God’s love for them. We can’t thank you enough for your prayers and donations to make summer camps possible, but let us share quick peeks at some of the camps. This year, combined reports indicate 1,019 souls repented of sin and accepted Christ as Savior!

“My name is Julia. I’m 17. This summer I served in a camp with disabled children. My ministry was leading games. In order for this to be fun and interesting for them, I tried to prepare games accord- ing to their abilities. With great joy I observed each camper. A few moments were difficult for them, but then my team would assist them. Even the grandmothers and moms who accompanied them would get involved. This camp united us and created camaraderie. In the end, when you see a tired smile, your heart just rejoices at their joy.

“It’s so painful and hard to be in their situation. How thankful I am to God for my salvation and health.

“Thank you very much for your financial blessing, that I could help such kids at least a little bit and have a share in their difficult lives.”

More pictures and stories from this summer’s camps are featured in the Challenger.

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/360277016

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Greetings from the Slobodians! This month's video comes from Drogichin, Belarus where Brother Nikolai has planted a church that is reaching souls and thriving for the glory of God. In this month's video, he expresses his thankfulness for what the Lord has done.

Pastor Nikolai Velichko, the long time pastor of the large church in Kiev which houses our seminary, is from this area. In this video, he shares an interesting account of how Americans played a huge role in building churches in this area back before the Soviets took control of the area and makes note of the fact that now through BIEM, Americans have returned to help our Belorussian brethren in reaching souls and building churches in this needy area.

In Christ,

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light September 2019

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Thanks to friends of BIEM who donated specially needed items, Sam Slobodian and our director in Ukraine, Eugene Buyko, were able to deliver a much-needed computer, projector, and brand-new flannelgraph to our church planters in Lviv, Ukraine. We praise God for opportunities to provide helpful tools for our missionaries!

• The church in Desna, Ukraine recently baptized 8 people. This church has lost many previous members as they have gone on to become missionaries in other places, so this was an exciting development!

• Praise God, a memorial gift given to BIEM in memory of a longtime friend of this ministry will cover the cost of sending the next 40-ft. container of supplies to Ukraine. We also rejoice that 2 Ukrainian coworkers, Igor Fomichov and Eugene Buyko, will be here to help load the container in the second half of September.

• In Central Asia, a Muslim fellow who made no decision in camp during August came to talk to our missionary after church on September 1. He said, “I can longer go through life without Christ.” Hallelujah, he put his faith in the Savior!

Prayer - Pray with us!

• The same missionaries mentioned in the first praise item above, Yura and Violetta Levtseniuk, are facing a problem as the seasons change. The church’s heating system needs to be replaced. Please pray that God will supply the $15,000 needed for this project, which includes an energy-efficient furnace, new pipes, and a new cement floor over the pipes.

• This month, Sam Slobodian will be recording a new trumpet CD of Christmas music. Please pray for Sam and the other musicians involved that God would bless and be glorified through this project.  Look for details concerning this in our next issue of The Challenger.

• BIEM church planters Sergei and Vika Skripnik have been laboring for several years in western Ukraine with no suitable meeting place. Currently worship services are held in their home. Recently a new, but unfinished building went on the market for $50,000. The price is excellent, but BIEM funds are currently earmarked for other projects. Please pray for wisdom as we consider this building and the need in that region.

• Summer camps are now over! We haven’t received all the statistics from camp leaders, but we know the Gospel seed was sown and that many accepted Christ while others did not. Please pray for both kinds of campers, that God will work in their hearts and lives.

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/353585009

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Warm greetings from the Slobodians! Recently I had the opportunity to visit Oleg, one of our church planters in St. Petersburg. This was on the way back to the US after being in Belarus. Since brother Oleg speaks English fluently, we did not need to interpret for him as he shares a word about his ministry.

St. Petersburg is a huge city with a lot of history. This is the city Russian Czar Peter the Great made the capitol of the Russian Empire. When World War I broke out in 1914, the Russians changed the name to Petrograd because they thought St. Petersburg sounded too German. In 1917 the Bolsheviks seized control of Russia and introduced Communism. In 1924 they changed the name to Leningrad to honor Lenin. In 1991 after the Soviet Union collapsed, the name was changed back the original and it has been St. Petersburg ever since.

Besides many beautiful historic buildings St. Petersburg is known for its dreary weather with an average of only 17 days of sunlight a year. Praise God for brother Oleg and his family who are bringing the glorious light of the Gospel to this needy place.

In Christ,

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light August 2019

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• We praise the Lord for quite a few recent donations of musical instruments, such as pianos, guitars, and orchestra instruments. These will go onto our next 40-foot container shipment, and they will enhance the musical ministries of various churches in Eastern Europe. If you have a good, used instrument you would like to donate, churches are always appreciative! (Tax deduction statements are available for each donation.)

• Right on the first night of a tent camp near Desna, Ukraine, a tremendous thunderstorm blew in. Leaders led their panicking campers to the vehicles for protection from the elements. But God worked through the storm. Leaders maintained their calm and led the kids in prayer. Later, when fearful parents arrived to check, they were amazed at everyone’s calmness in camp. God used the storm to strengthen faith and to glorify Himself!

• Once again, BIEM had opportunity to sponsor a service for widows, this time in Kodra, Ukraine. These women heard a Gospel message geared to their situations, and also enjoyed music, conversation, a complimentary meal, and a sack of groceries. The attention helped to soften hearts of the women and their relatives. May God work through such events!

• In Lvov, Ukraine, a clogged sewer line at the church at first presented a headache but turned into a wonderful chance to share Christ with workmen. Praise the Lord for such coworkers who seek Gospel opportunities even in the midst of difficulties!

Prayer - Pray with us!

• One of our Ukrainian missionaries, Vitaly Yurchenko, will be in the U.S. to accompany Sam Slobodian as they visit churches and bring live reports. Please pray for safe travels and mutual blessings. Perhaps more believers will catch a vision for overseas ministry!

• At the end of July, the sister-in-law of one of our missionaries in a Muslim land (Sasha) died in childbirth. This death was a shock. She leaves behind 2 sons (ages 7 and 4), who are currently with missionaries Sasha and Julia. Please pray for this husband and his children.

• On July 10 one BIEM missionary texted to say that 22 youth in Central Asia had come to Christ through camp! Since then, others have accepted Christ, too. Please pray for these young people, who face religious opposition at home and in their communities.

• BIEM plans to ship its next container in September. The contents will all be used for Christian ministry. The receiving church still has to complete some legal work with customs in order to receive this shipment.  Please pray that they can complete this in time.

July 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/348373188

Dear Pastors and Friends,

It was a blessing to be in Belarus recently where BIEM has done some church planting and was able to build two church buildings. Of all the countries which made up the Soviet Union, Belarus has been the slowest to move towards democracy and other reforms that came with the collapse of the Soviet Union. For example, in Belarus you can still see statues of Lenin standing and they still have the KGB. This does make for a difficult field but nevertheless, praise God that the Gospel is being preached and souls are being saved.

When I was visiting Nikolai, one of our church planters, I had the opportunity to make a video featuring their garden. In Eastern Europe, many people including pastors depend upon their gardens for much of their food. We thought you would find it interesting to see this.

In Christ,

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light July 2019

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Due to a wonderful response to the tribute article about Peter Rumachik and the generosity of other donors, BIEM will be able to provide a church building for a new church in Siberia, near where Peter was once exiled for his faith. How wonderfully ironic that the USSR’s method of punishing a Christian eventually resulted in a new church in that place!

• When our warehouse was getting filled with donations of good, used clothing to ship overseas, a youth group from Pennsylvania stopped here during their mission trip. That group sorted and packed a huge amount of those clothes. A local church also plans to send volunteers soon, so before long the next shipment should be ready to go!

• An answer to prayer—BIEM missionary Bruce Tuttle has received word the Ukrainian embassy approved another 90-day visa for him. When he returns to Ukraine, step 2 will be to apply for a new 1-year visa to live in Ukraine, so this praise item includes a prayer need.

• We praise the Lord for the start of a new project—dubbing the film King of Glory into the Turkmen language. This will require patience, wisdom, technical prowess, and safety.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Please pray for one of our missionaries in Russia. Although prudence suggests we not name him, an elderly man happened to pass away during a church service. As a result, local police summoned the missionary for interrogation. (Just after BIEM received this news, we received an email from a friend who told us he was prompted to pray especially for the missionary, sensing he was in danger. This happened right during the time he was being interrogated!) Please pray there will be no negative repercussions from the authorities.

• Summer camps are being held by our personnel in various countries. There have been a few early reports of souls saved. Please keep praying!

• Let’s never forget to pray for those evangelizing. As one example, BIEM’s Vitaly Keller and fellow church members often use various methods to strike up conversations in the parks and on sidewalks in Kyiv, Ukraine. (They meet people from all over!) Please pray that the Scriptures shared will put down roots and grow in the hearts of those who listen.

• The First Baptist Church in Bilogorodka, Ukraine, received a list of about 50 disabled children in their area. Believers visited all of these children to greet them and to deliver gifts, which included Christian children’s literature. The children (and most of the parents) received the visitors with joy. Please pray for the salvation of parents and kids.

June 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/342755891

Dear Pastors and Friends, 

Greetings from the Slobodians! We trust the Lord is blessing you with a wonderful summer. 

This month's video comes from Desna, Ukraine. This is the military city where a church has been established. One of the truly amazing blessings of this effort was that we were able to purchase property so that church could meet in its own building. 

Over the years many souls have come to Christ here. A good number have ended up in full-time ministry. This video features Igor and Lyosha who both grew up on this base. Both were saved and then went on to full-time Christian service. Igor now pastors the church in Desna and Lyosha is our church planter in Chernihiv a large city to the north. 

In Christ, 

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light June 2019

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Last month we requested prayer for Julia, one of our missionaries in a Muslim nation. She had been experiencing a difficult pregnancy. On May 30 she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Praise the Lord, and thank you for praying!

• In our previous BIEMs of Light we still needed nearly $29,000 to meet our minimum amount necessary for summer camps. We praise God that friends responded. We have now received the $40,000 needed for camps this year!

• In May, BIEM held a missions conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, primarily for seminary students, but also for others interested in ministry in Muslim nations where Russian is spoken. God blessed that conference, where a number of attendees expressed that they will pray concerning the possibility of ministry among Muslims. Others who attended also became more sensitive to the needs and promised prayers for these restricted lands.

• In May and June, BIEM was able to host two of our church planters from Ukraine, Vitaly Bilyak and Eugene Buyko. Praise God for the warm responses from churches they were able to share their ministries with in Michigan, Missouri, Indiana and Illinois. 

Prayer - Pray with us!

• In the Republic of Georgia, BIEM missionaries declare, “We need Georgian helpers!!!” Along this line, the Lord has prompted a man named Zauri to ask that Micah train him in how to preach. They meet weekly. Pray for God to confirm this calling if it’s truly from the Lord, and for more Georgian believers who wish to be used in God’s service.

• In Drogichin, Belarus, the church held evangelistic meetings for the community under a large tent. Praise God, there was a sunny break in a week full of rainy weather for these services. The believers praise God for the weather and good attendance, but wish more people had trusted Christ. Please pray for God to continue to work in hearts.

• Some summer camps have already begun. Workers are thrilled for the excellent weather and large turnout of campers! Please pray for safety during the camps, for all the adult workers, and for God’s Word to bear fruit in campers’ lives.

• On June 16 there will be an evangelistic outreach aimed at widows in Kodra, Ukraine. Local widows will be invited to the church for a meal, for testimonies, a Gospel message, and a complimentary bag of groceries. Pray for softened hearts and responses to the Gospel.

Challenger Update

Here is an excerpt from our most recent Challenger publication.

Recently one of BIEM’s dear friends, Pastor Peter Rumachik, passed away. This Challenger includes a special tribute to his life. For the rest of the article, please read the Challenger!

If you were asked to name just one Christian from our time who had lived an exemplary life for God despite great pressure, which one would you name? For many believers around the globe, the choice would be Peter Vasilievich Rumachik.

On January 29, this faithful servant of God (and long- time friend of BIEM) passed to his eternal reward at the age of 87. But who was Peter Rumachik? What makes him so respected among believers? Let’s glorify God by taking a brief look at how He led in Peter’s life.

Early life

Peter was born in the Soviet Union in 1931, the period when Stalin’s atheistic government was already working to strangle the church and eradicate faith in God. Because his mother was a Christian, Peter heard the Gospel from a young age. He and his closest childhood friend Victor regularly met to read the Bible together.

So, even as a boy, Peter believed in God, and he understood the only way to Heaven was by God’s grace through faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, he saw the reality as the atheistic authorities imprisoned active Christians, confiscated Bibles, and seized places of worship. Understanding how difficult life could be for a Christian in the Soviet Union, at age 16 Peter made a decision about becoming a child of God. “Not right now, and not even in my youth or when I’m middle aged, but I’ll follow the path of Christ when I am per- haps 50 or 60.”

However when his best friend died at age 18, Peter realized he had no guarantee of living to old age. He could die any time. Three months later, cutting through snowy woods, he knelt in the snow and prayed, putting his trust in Jesus Christ. In 1948 he was baptized.

Becoming active

Peter once recalled, “From the very beginning of my turning to the Lord, I believed deeply in my Savior, loved Him, and strove to serve Him in any way.”

The period from 1955– 1960 became particularly memorable for him. During those years he played an active role in preaching and assisting to start a house church in the Moscow suburb of Dyedovsk. By the end of the 1950s, the authorities had fined Peter and the other preachers multiple times. In 1961 the authorities began conducting searches of their homes. The authorities brought criminal charges against Peter and four others: starting an illegal church, holding crowded meetings in a home, allowing children to be present at church, and for disobedience to the VSEKhB (the government-registered and controlled group of Evangelical Christian- Baptist churches). He and the others were put on trial and punished by being exiled to Siberia’s primitive Krasnoyarsk region.

Continued in the Challenger.