Further down on this page you can view some war updates from some of our missionaries. You will notice how grateful they are for the prayers of God’s people. These war updates will be updated as we hear from more of our Ukrainian pastors and friends and receive more information. This is a good way to get acquainted with Ukrainians directly who receive and distribute the aid that is sent.
Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,
We rejoice in Jesus, and we weep with Ukraine. God is very kind to us and to all Ukrainians who were able to flee from the war. Thank you for your prayers! We hear so many testimonies of God’s grace and mercy from the Ukrainian people around us here in Switzerland.
Warm greetings in Christ! This month's video update comes from the many we have posted on our website. You can view these by clicking on the "View Video Updates" section on our home page.
In case you do not already know, we have added a new email update called Ukrainian War Relief Updates. This will keep you updated on events in Ukraine and informed on how to pray. Thank you for your continued support and prayers as we lift up our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.
You can subscribe to this new mailing by clicking on the following link: https://www.baptistinternational.org/urgent-war-updates-sign-up
In Christ,
Sam & Amy Slobodian
LETTER #3 (Day #41 of the War)
Traditionally, each year, I make a summary of last 12 months and the spiritual lessons associated with it. In December, I shared with my Telegram channel subscribers my thoughts that if I were asked to describe 2021 in one word, I would say “acceptance”.
· Acceptance of my age.
· Acceptance of my place of residence.
· Acceptance of my unmarried status.
· Acceptance of His will for my life because He is my Master.
I didn't come to accept these things because I understood something previously unknown to me; rather, because of the realization that obedience is more important than understanding my situation. God’s word IS ENOUGH for me to be assured of the goodness of God.
The other day I realized that this lesson is still relevant for me. I need to accept the will of God without understanding it, without asking questions, without being indignant.
Peace to you, dear friends.
Thank you for praying and for financially supporting our ministry in Borschiv.
“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” Psalm 91:2
In recent days, these words from the Word of God have become very relevant, our God is our protection, our stronghold. And the church in the town of Borshchiv has become a refuge for many people, both adults and children. We are very grateful to our Lord that He is with us, giving us strength to serve our brothers and sisters who fled their homes during the war.
Our dear prayer warriors,
Greetings to you! We feel your support and your prayers. Many of you have become friends with us on Facebook and we appreciate each of your comments under the posts about Ukraine. We are grateful for every prayer. The Lord also hears your prayers and He answers.
As you know, we are in Switzerland now. It's strange to find ourselves in a country where everything is calm and peaceful. We are tormented by a sense of guilt and a desire to be among our people, where the fighting is going on. Pray for A's sister L. She stayed in Kyiv where she helps people with food distribution, shelter in the basement of the church and sending them out of Kyiv by bus. Pray for a young man Vitaly has been discipling named Zhenya. He is now in the military and is guarding a checkpoint in Kyiv. Please continue to pray for a turning point in the war. Pray that Ukraine will endure and have the victory. Pray against Satan who controls Putin. Beg God to intervene and protect our Ukrainian people!
Greetings in the Love of the Lord Jesus Christ!
At this difficult time for our country, and from each of us we and I personally want to express our gratitude. In some photos you see elderly people. When you don't have food, you have to make an effort to find it, and for the elderly who find it difficult to walk, it is a big problem. Therefore we thank you for the money provided so that we can buy food and fuel to deliver it to these needy people. We also thank the brothers from Western Ukraine who brought this food, putting themselves in danger. We are grateful to God that there is an opportunity to help by such means. But most of all we are grateful for your prayers. Now more than ever we feel them. Right now we are all whole, healthy and alive. In each of our journeys, and in any business in general, we see the Hand of God truly and guiding us. God continues to protect our home and so we hold youth meetings online, and there we read the Word of God, pray for our country, and support each other as much as we can.
Hello from the Slobodians! This month's video update is different from our typical monthly updates which usually feature our national missionaries reporting on recent events in their ministries. We have been posting many such video updates on our website. You can watch these by clicking on the "View Video Updates" section on our home page.
Instead, this month's video update is specially designed for you to share with others. It is a 1-minute video that tells how people can help BIEM's war relief efforts along with a very brief introduction to BIEM. In all of BIEM’s history, we have never faced a crisis so enormous. The needs are overwhelming. Please share this video with as many people as you can.
In Christ,
Sam & Amy Slobodian
Peace be with you! We sincerely thank you for your prayerful and financial support during this difficult time for us! We rejoice that in Christ Jesus we are one body, and all respond to the pain of one member of the body.
We work in Kyiv. About 80 members of our church remained in the city. We deliver food to those who need it (not only to church members, but also to unbelievers). We feed people with hot food in the basement of our church building which is equipped as a bomb shelter where not only believers, but also non-believers find shelter. We hold 2 prayer meetings a day: we sing, we preach, we pray…
We are so grateful for the concern and prayers so many have expressed for Ukraine and for the many Ukrainian national missionaries we have there. We are also very grateful for the kind and generous donations many of you have contributed to our Ukraine Relief fund. It’s a fund we never expected to create, and it’s one we wish we had never needed to create. However, in light of all the destruction, displaced persons, and hardship now happening in Ukraine, we believe this fund will be crucial. By the end of the banking day today we will be approaching $150,000 that has already been wired to those in Ukraine positioned to provide assistance. We will resume when banking opens on Monday.
Many have contacted us asking about the status of our church planters and ministry partners in Russia. We are purposely limiting our contact with our Russian personnel to just absolutely necessary details. They are certain that they are being monitored and have reason to believe so. Keep in mind that as Putin cracks down on opposition, jailing thousands who protest and banning the use of the words "war" or invasion, our people are in danger. That is because anybody with connections to the United States is suspect and could be targeted. Therefore, our people are very, very vulnerable. Following is a statement from one of our pastors who needs to be anonymous.
On February 23, I felt that this history was repeating itself in the life of my country. Ukraine is sinking while the whole world stands and watches it, not trying to save it, only because we are not in NATO. That day, I woke up around 5 AM to the sound of explosions. Thinking that someone was merely trying to scare us, I began to get ready for college. The first call from relatives, however, dispelled my naivety: a voice on the phone said that Russia was bombing airports and aiming at strategic objects - Ukraine is on fire. Nobody could believe it. Life turned upside down in an instant. We fell asleep on February 22 in the world, and woke up on the 23rd in a new reality that no one wanted.
Further down on this page you can view some war updates from some of our missionaries. You will notice how grateful they are for the prayers of God’s people. These war updates will be updated as we hear from more of our Ukrainian pastors and friends and receive more information. This is a good way to get acquainted with Ukrainians directly who receive and distribute the aid that is sent.
As we write this letter our hearts along with everyone else are deeply concerned over the developments we are watching on the news as Russia has launched an invasion of Ukraine. We are especially concerned for our missionaries whose lives are in danger as Russian forces advance. Currently, we have many Ukrainian families supported by BIEM and numerous Ukrainian partners American in Ukraine as well as one American (Bruce Tuttle) that need your prayers.
Greetings everyone! Currently, Ukraine is in the news and not in a good way. You have probably seen the images of the Russian armies gathering at the borders. We are deeply concerned for that nation and especially for our people there. We have had many conversations with many of them and they are calm and firmly trusting in the Lord.
This month's video features Eugene Buyko and Vitaly Yurchenko mentioning specific items to pray for regarding the present dangerous and serious situation. Our February prayer and praise sheet called the BIEM's of Light also contains a list of what to pray for regarding Ukraine.
Following Eugene and Vitaly there is a song that is a prayer for Ukraine. The song is sung by Eugene's daughters Solomia, Angelica, and Ivanka (from left to right). During the song, you will see pictures of our Ukrainian families that need your prayers.
In Christ,
Sam & Amy Slobodian
One of our BIEM missionaries has a fresh opportunity to travel within a restricted-access Muslim country to share the Gospel and distribute Gospel media. We praise the Lord for providing this opportunity. May He bless this evangelistic outreach with safety and spiritual fruit!
In the nation of Georgia, our missionaries the Hoblitzes rejoice for a new opportunity: “We have acquired land in a completely Muslim village with a campground on it and a house for a potential church plant. We are praying for a young couple to come and work with us to develop this church plant and camp ministry.” Praise God for such vision and for making this property available. May He continue to lead and provide for this new ministry location!
Praise God for opening doors. Over the course of time, the various needs of one of our Ukrainian national missionaries have enabled him to get acquainted with the mayor of their town. Recently, that unsaved mayor and his wife wanted to spend time with this missionary couple who state “It’s interesting that this couple doesn’t let anyone into their lives, yet they want to fellowship with us. Our request is that you pray for this couple and for God to help us speak about Him always and to everyone.”
Despite recurring restrictions and concerns about covid, our missionary Vitaly Yurchenko rejoices that their church’s puppet team continues to receive invitations to put on evangelistic performances. The most recent show was in Kyiv, Ukraine, for adults and children with disabilities. Vitaly says, “Puppet performances are interesting for all ages. This is an accessible message of truth for everyone, regardless of age and intellectual development.
Although an unresolved military conflict continues in Eastern Ukraine, recent tensions threaten the possibility of a major invasion of Ukraine. Regardless of whether the threat is real or a bluff, please pray no new war will come to this land and that the existing conflict will be halted.
Pray for the peace of God to rule the hearts and minds of believers in Ukraine. Pray that churches and believers will perceive and act on opportunities to share Christ with fearful, unsaved ones around them and that no restrictions the government adopts would interfere with having services.
Please pray for those nations behaving in a hostile way toward Ukraine and pray that the peace of God would rule in our hearts despite the circumstances.
Please pray for our civic authorities, that those in positions of authority will have wisdom in this crisis, and that they will not adopt any laws that are contrary to the Bible.
Greetings again from the Slobodians. This month's video comes from Russia at a Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center about 2 hours from Moscow. In this video Oleg, one of the directors, shares about this ministry that currently has 14 men in the program.
This Center started as a ministry of one of the first BIEM church plants, a church planted on the outskirts of Moscow by Pavel Rumachik. It has reached many men for Christ, several of whom have gone on to start other Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centers including two specifically for women. Today, there are over 60 families who are members of Moscow area churches that have been reached through these centers. Praise God for the power of the Gospel that redeems and delivers souls from the bondage of drugs, alcohol, and sin.
In Christ,
Sam & Amy Slobodian
In Central Asia, where our believers are ministering to Afghani refugees, another Shiite man trusted Christ as Savior today! Praise God for working in these refugees’ hearts.
In December, God received glory through many public Christmas services and evangelistic presentations and through home visits, with gifts of groceries and Bibles. Seeds of Truth have been sown and continue to be sown. May God cause those seeds to put down roots and grow!
In Desna, Ukraine, our church planters faced opposition right from the beginning. Recently, though, the city administration wrote the church a letter of gratitude, thanking them for positive contributions to the community: assisting men with drug and alcohol addictions, helping families with many children, organizing children’s camps…. While there are still individuals with negative opinions, the church is pleased to receive this written encouragement from the civil authorities.
The Tuttles, BIEM missionaries in Tbilisi, Georgia, report they had a large turnout for their Christmas Eve service. Visitors included university professors, schoolteachers, and even a national government Cabinet member. All these heard God’s way of salvation presented in sermon and song. This praise item is also a prayer request that those hearts will embrace the truth they heard!
Most, if not all, of our missionaries are continuing holiday evangelistic outreaches into January, since this is their traditional month for celebrating Christmas. These include holiday evangelistic programs, home visitations with gifts of food to needy families, and special services for orphans and foster families. Please pray for souls to understand the Gospel and to embrace the Savior.
Please keep praying for funds for multiple building projects: (1) to complete the new church in Smolin, Ukraine, (2) to purchase a larger building to house the rehabilitation ministry in Desna, Ukraine, and (3) fund-raising for the newly organized congregation in Cherni, Belarus, to build a building. This small but active congregation currently meets in a cramped room. So far, they aren’t large in numbers, but they are conducting evangelistic outreaches with great zeal!
Please continue to pray that the Ukrainian authorities will grant humanitarian-aid status to our next 40-ft. container of aid and supplies, which is packed and ready to ship. After submitting the initial thick bundle of required documentation, BIEM’s Vitaly Bilyak had to submit another 18 pages. We would like to ship these supplies without unnecessary delays.
Our team in Central Asia has a heartfelt desire to increase their evangelistic outreaches throughout 2022. For the team, please pray for their health, strength, zeal, good articulation of Scripture, and protection from hostile opposition. For those with whom they share the Gospel, please pray for open minds, open hearts, and spiritual understanding of the truths they will hear.
BIEM’s missionaries and volunteers rejoiced that 2021 allowed us to resume widespread summer camps after the Covid restrictions of 2020. Whether overnighting in tents and cabins or ministering in day camp scenarios, camps provide unequaled opportunities to touch young hearts. In addition to fun games and activities, campers sing Christian songs, learn to pray, and hear daily Bible lessons with the goal of evangelism. If you would like to read a more extensive report on our 2021 camps, please click HERE.
