May Video Update

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Dear Pastors and Friends, 

Hello friends!   We are thankful for your prayers as we continue to be grounded from foreign travel due to the coronavirus.  It is a blessing to know that God is in control and has all things planned according to His glory.

This month's video once again comes from our home office where I share some excerpts from recent reports received from various churches which share a little bit about church life during these unusual times.  Our upcoming newsletter The Challenger which is being printed now contains more on this subject.

In Christ, 

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light May 2020

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• In Central Asia, Pastor River (not his real name) was wondering how to feed his flock and reach out to unbelievers. His country is strictly locked down. Still, he says, “We praise God for the trials…. No one can be out, but we have found ways to continue meeting and evangelizing on an almost nightly basis.” Over the past couple of weeks, they have led 6 Muslims to Christ!

• As in other parts of the world, many of our missionaries in Eastern Europe have turned to technology to hold online church services. And although online sermons lose part of the richness of worshiping alongside other believers, there is a plus. Unbelievers who have never stepped inside one of our churches are tuning in to listen!

• In the nation of Georgia, our missionaries the Hoblitzes report, “Our new church plant among Farsi speakers has been making a lot of progress. We have two Iranian pastors in training and two more who want to sign up for our Bible School.” Also, they have a number of believers in training who are holding home Bible studies in villages and planting churches. Praise the Lord!

• The economic slowdown in Ukraine brought about by the Coronavirus has resulted in lower construction costs that are benefitting church building programs in Smolen and Borschiv, Ukraine.  In both locations, homes are being converted into churches. Praise God for excellent progress.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Noah, a grandson of the Slobodians, has experienced serious challenges to his health almost since birth. Noah recently celebrated his 8th birthday, but behind the celebration is a hard reality. His parents write, “Noah’s heart is in rejection, and he has progressed into stage 5 full kidney failure. There are no viable options based on his overall medical complexity. Noah will be transferred to hospice. Based on his recent severe decline, they think things could go very quickly, but only God knows when He will call Noah to heaven…. Please pray for our family as we continue through this difficult journey.”

• Please pray for those unbelievers who are watching our missionaries’ services online. May God open their eyes to their need of Christ, the Savior from sin.

• Back in February, out of curiosity, 2 Turks began visiting services held by BIEM personnel in western Asia. At first, they asked questions out of mocking, but the answers were always serious, from God’s Word. In time the men dropped the mocking and asked sincere questions. Please pray for God to open their understanding of Christ and their need of the Savior.

• In the country of Turkmenistan, a tornado in one city has ripped off roofs and done other severe damage to buildings, including homes of believers. Please pray for them as they rebuild and as they demonstrate Christian kindness to others in need.

April 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/413176999

Dear Pastors and Friends, 

Warm greetings from the Slobodians! 

Since we have had to curtail our overseas travels during this time because of the coronavirus and all the travel restrictions in place, we are not able to personally bring you a video update from overseas. However, since some of our brethren were getting together to haul wood for one of our building projects in Ukraine, this brought an opportunity for us to bring you a video update from them. I asked Lyosha, who speaks English, to translate for these brethren as each shares a blessing that has come from the unusual circumstances that believers are experiencing during these times. This video features Eugene, Igor, Sasha, Anatoly, and Lyosha. 

Thank you for your part in this ministry. 

May God bless you! 

In Christ, Sam & Amy Slobodian

March 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/400343254

Dear Pastors and Friends, 

Hello again from the Slobodians! This month's video update features a report on how the Coronavirus is affecting the ministry of BIEM. As you can imagine this has had various effects on our office operation, our missionaries on the field, and our traveling personnel. This is a bit longer than our usual video updates but we do give a country by country description of the varying situations. 

Not mentioned in the video is that two of our families have been quarantined for two weeks because of recent travels outside their country of residence. Thankfully they are not showing any symptoms and so far none of our folks have contracted the virus. Praise God! 

Our Spring seminary session in Kyiv, Ukraine scheduled for late April may be affected as well. At this point if the Americans scheduled for that session cannot travel to Ukraine, the Ukrainian brethren will continue with the session as planned with all Ukrainian teachers providing that the prohibition of meetings larger than 10 people is no longer in effect. If that ban is still in place or if travel is still restricted, they will still have the Spring session, but it will be done online.

Thank-you for your part in this ministry. May God bless you! 

In Christ, Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light April 2020

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• We praise the Lord for the vision of our brethren in Central Asia. They are training men for ministry and have organized a Bible institute that meets for classes every three months. They actively evangelize village by village, and 4 young Muslim men recently came to Christ. In Western Asia, 4 other Muslims likewise placed their faith in Christ!

• The church in Desna, Ukraine, has often requested prayer for a believer with musical skills to lead their music ministry. God has sent them a young Christian soldier (literally) who plays multiple instruments and volunteered to help. Also, our missionaries’ teen daughter, Anya, is gaining confidence at playing a synthesizer, making this a double answer to prayer!

• In Belarus, before the coronavirus situation became critical, BIEM’s Nikolai Ryzkuk took part in two conferences for Christian youth from small churches. In villages and small towns, such young Christians might rarely see believers their own age. These conferences not only delivered appropriate teaching from God’s Word but provided these youth with good, spiritual fellowship.

• Before quarantine began in Ukraine, the 40-foot container of supplies we shipped months ago was recently cleared by Customs and released to our BIEM personnel. Among the contents for churches are tables, chairs, and even two pianos. Also, much gently used clothing will open hearts to share the Gospel.  We praise God for allowing us to receive these items!

Prayer - Pray with us!

• During these odd times, please pray for the health and safety of all our BIEM missionaries and their children. The mission fields need every possible light for the Gospel. We don’t want any of our missionaries or volunteers to be hindered by sickness.

• Our missionaries had already been planning spring and summer evangelistic outreaches. The quarantine situation changes many of those plans. Please pray for wisdom as they consider ways to reach their countrymen with the Gospel.

• One BIEM missionary family recently learned that their 2-year-old son Luke has autism. While they are thankful finally to have a diagnosis that seems to answer multiple questions, they are also in need of prayer as they help their little guy to communicate, to interact with others, and as they prepare him for a lifetime of service to God.  

• Please pray about our upcoming seminary session in Kyiv scheduled to begin on April 27.  Ukraine has just extended their quarantine until April 24.  If public meetings of more than ten people are allowed after that and transportation is restored, our session can take place.  Otherwise this session will be conducted on an online basis.

BIEMs of Light March 2020

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• The church on the military base in Desna, Ukraine, continues to receive visitors who are there for military training. Two female soldiers showed up for church and stayed for a birthday celebration for the pastor. Pleasantly surprised, they said how well they understood the sermon and prayers. They didn’t know such churches existed!

• The Rehabilitation Center near Ternopil rejoices that individuals with addictions continue to come to them. One recent case is a man named Vladimir, a well-educated man who had been a dentist before getting hooked on substances. May God lead them to freedom in Christ!

• The Hoblitzes, BIEM missionaries in Tbilisi, Georgia, report that, since the holidays, 15 souls have followed Christ and been baptized. God is blessing in other ways, too!

• BIEM missionaries Vitaly and Alexandra Keller evangelize on the streets of Kyiv, Ukraine. One day a woman approached. Maria shared that in 2019 she had considered herself a good Orthodox believer, but in reality she thought about God only on church holidays. After hearing the Gospel from Vitaly, Maria visited a Protestant church and repented of her sins. Now Maria is active in her church and joins the Kellers in street ministry. Praise the Lord!

Prayer - Pray with us!

• A BIEM missionary in Central Asia met an elderly woman who trusted Christ in 1989, after her son got saved and overcame heroine addiction. She directed the local movie theater and allowed Christians to hold services there. For that, Muslims beat her, knocking out her teeth. For years she has feared letting anyone know she is a believer. Pray for her faith to increase, for fears to decrease, and that she would forbid her daughters-in-law from practicing witchcraft in her house.

• Electricians recently ran a powerline to the uncompleted building purchased in Borschiv, Ukraine, to use as a church. Electricity will enable work to continue inside even during cold weather. The Skripniks request prayer for funding and experienced workers to complete the building so it can be used for church services.

• The arrival of March means BIEM must begin plans for summer camps for children and teens. Praise God, of the at least $40,000 needed, over $9,000 has already been received as year-end gifts in 2019. Please pray for God to prompt some of His people for the remaining $31,000 needed for camps.

• One of our experienced church planters has expressed a desire to start a church in very populated area of Kyiv which has no Gospel witness. This would be a major undertaking as far as building costs yet would have truly amazing potential.  Please pray for direction as we consider this and that God would lead and provide.

February Video Update

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https://vimeo.com/389798064

Dear Pastors and Friends, 

Hello from the Slobodians. This month's video finds us in Ukraine for the winter session of our seminary where we are training nationals for ministry in churches. Abbas in one of our students from Iran. Ukraine has a small community of Iranians who were able to obtain refugee status which they treasure as it allows them to escape the tyranny of their homeland and live in freedom. Better yet it is here that some have found the Lord and obtained a citizenship in heaven! Abbas is one of those and has a hunger to learn God's word and to serve Him. 

Currently we have 60 students in the seminary. 32 are Theology students, 14 are Christian Education majors, 13 study music with the goal of preparing them to be choir directors and 2 are missions majors. Over these years this school had graduated over 300 students which are now serving in nearly 70 cities and towns in Ukraine as well as a handful of foreign countries. This school functions as a partnership of BIEM and the Brotherhood of Independent Baptist Churches of Ukraine so the students come from all over Ukraine, which is the size of Texas. Therefore many of our students come from a long way.

Praise God for this opportunity to invest in the lives of young people willing to serve God. 

Sam & Amy Slobodian

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

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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

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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

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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

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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.