War Relief Updates Email - April 8, 2022

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

Dear Friends of BIEM,

1. Our group of 9 Ukrainian refugees that were planning on getting to the United States through Mexico succeeded without major problems. They are now with family in the Seattle area. Thank you for praying.

2. Most of the families of our national missionaries that were in Krakow, Poland have since moved on to Germany, and other nearby European nations. Krakow is so overrun with Ukrainian refugees that housing is a huge problem. They are better off in the nearby nations which are just a few hours’ drive back to Krakow. They are still hoping for appointments for US visas from the Consulate in Krakow, Poland. Meanwhile, we have many in Western Ukraine that for now, do not want to leave Ukraine. We have a good number of churches in Western Ukraine that are assisting them.

3. Our folks continue to haul tons of aid from Western Ukraine, Romania, and Poland into the area of Kyiv and north of Kyiv which have been devastated by the Russian army (who are no longer in the city). We have many churches in those areas which were hit hard. Miraculously, none of the church buildings we’ve built have been hit and none of our missionaries or missionary families have been injured. Praise God for such a wonderful answer to prayer.

4. Today our national missionary in Lviv received a large group of refugees from Lugansk in Donbas that had been in hiding without electricity, gas, and running water for nearly two months until they were recently able to leave and head west. Yura said they were so glad to get showers and eat a normal meal. Please pray for these people to be saved as Yura shares the Gospel with these people.

5. Tim and Luda, an American BIEM missionary couple, have returned from Poland where they were assisting Ukrainian refugees, preparing shipments for aid for Ukraine, and helping other missionaries in the Warsaw area start Ukrainian language services. After being home for a few days they have now departed for Poland once again to do more of the same.
   

Sam Slobodian
President - BIEM

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Additional email Newsletters if you aren’t already receiving them:

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BIEM's of Light: Monthly Prayer and Praise sheet

Video Updates: Monthly Ministry Updates  from Sam Slobodian

Pray for Urgent Needs: Urgent Prayer Needs

We also post many written and video updates on our BIEM Facebook Page. Please feel free to visit, like and share to stay up-to-date on how BIEM Missionaries are doing.

War Relief Updates Email - April 1, 2022

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

Dear Friends of BIEM,

1. Our group of 9 refugees heading for the United States through Mexico is currently on their transatlantic flight.  Please pray for them as they need to pass through customs in Mexico when they arrive for their connecting flight in Mexico City which will take them to Tijuana.   We have trustworthy Christian people well known to our folks that will pick them up at the edge of Tijuana and assist them in crossing the border.  The line at the US border is currently 30 hours.  They have a vehicle that they will use to transport them from Tijuana to Sacramento.  This group of 9 all have relatives in the Seattle area who will receive them in Sacramento and drive them to Seattle.  Please continue to pray that all goes well. 

2. We have a smaller group that we are considering getting to the United States through Canada.  Please pray for God's direction in this matter.  This may take place next week.  It is an absolute shame that the Biden administration has yet to make a way for Ukrainian refugees to enter the United States easily even though they have made public statements that the United States is going to receive Ukrainian refugees.   Canada, Mexico, Poland, and a host of European countries are receiving Ukrainian refugees easily and quickly while the United States has not yet made a way for Ukrainian refugees to easily enter the United States.

3. Praise God for the generosity of contributors who made the purchase of a large generator possible.  It was a timely purchase because almost as soon as it was bought, a rocket hit the power grid supplying electricity to the church in Belogorodka which is feeding a lot of refugees.  They need their refrigerators running.  This generator was exactly what was needed to keep the church's refrigerators running while repairs were made.  You can view a video in the "War Video Updates" section of our website entitled "Power to God's People".

4. One of our American missionary couples, the Smiths, have just returned from Poland where they were helping other missionary efforts among Ukrainian refugees.  They report: 
   "Hi, we're back from Poland.  Made two trips into Ukraine with 5 tons of food and medications last week. We were able to start a Ukrainian service in a Polish church plant near Warsaw. Thank you for your prayers."

5. This week we have surpassed $300,000 in war relief aid directed to Ukraine.  We praise God for each gift, and we rejoice in the many souls that are being saved as the result of these efforts.  Thank you for your prayers, concern, and help!
   

Sam Slobodian
President - BIEM

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Additional email Newsletters if you aren’t already receiving them:

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BIEM's of Light: Monthly Prayer and Praise sheet

Video Updates: Monthly Ministry Updates  from Sam Slobodian

Pray for Urgent Needs: Urgent Prayer Needs

We also post many written and video updates on our BIEM Facebook Page. Please feel free to visit, like and share to stay up-to-date on how BIEM Missionaries are doing.

War Relief Updates Email - March 29, 2022

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

Dear Friends of BIEM,

1. Several of the families of our church planters are now in Poland and Western Ukraine where they continue to wait for any new developments from the US consulate in Krakow, Poland. They hope the consulate will soon disclose a path for them to enter the US through an emergency visa that the Biden administration has announced but which so far has not materialized.  They are hoping that the recent announcement stating that the US will allow 100,000 Ukrainians to enter the US, will result in some directive to the US consulate in Krakow, Poland that will allow them to begin processing some of these emergency visas.

   2. Meanwhile, since there appears to be an alternate route through Mexico, we have purchased tickets for 9 of our refugees (all women and children related to our church planters) to fly from Poland to Tijuana, Mexico.   When they land there (after almost 30 hours of flights) they will go directly to the US border where there is a special corridor for Ukrainians to enter the US through a "white passport" system that will allow them to stay in the US for 1 year.  Once they cross the border, we have people that will meet them there.  Please pray the group will make this journey successfully.   They depart this Friday.

   3.  Praise God for the generosity of God's people in the United States.  Thus far we have been able to transfer $250,000 of war relief aid to our missionaries and ministry partners in Ukraine.  This is but a drop in the bucket in comparison to the need so please continue praying for this and sharing about our efforts.

   4.  One of our recent war video updates on our website featured Pastor Vitaly leading a 5-vehicle caravan of humanitarian aid they hoped to get into Chernihiv.  If you viewed that video, you know that outside of Kyiv they were momentarily stopped by the military from entering Kyiv due to a military operation taking place along their route.  They had planned to meet up with others in Kyiv who knew how to get to Chernihiv more safely by going off-road at certain places.  While they were waiting, they learned that the last remaining bridge for vehicles to Chernihiv had been blown up by the Russian air force. So, they changed plans to leave some of the aid in Kyiv as well as reserve some for those who were still able to get aid to Chernihiv through the last remaining bridge which was a pedestrian bridge accessible only to Chernihiv residents.  One of the vehicles in their caravan was driven by a resident of Chernihiv so he remained in order to get some of the aid into Chernihiv through this method.  I spoke with Vitaly today and received this update: That remaining vehicle was able to get aid to those people. Now that pedestrian bridge has also been blown up, and the only remaining access to Chernihiv to get aid in and refugees out is by volunteer residents using boats under supervision by the Ukrainian military. 

   5.  Though most of Chernihiv has been heavily bombed, as of this morning the large apartment building in Chernihiv that we have remodeled a portion of into a church, has not been hit.  Therefore, once again we are glad to report that none of our people have been injured and none of our church buildings have been hit.  This is an answer to prayer so please keep praying.

Sam Slobodian
President - BIEM

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Additional email Newsletters if you aren’t already receiving them:

(Click to Subscribe)

BIEM's of Light: Monthly Prayer and Praise sheet

Video Updates: Monthly Ministry Updates  from Sam Slobodian

Pray for Urgent Needs: Urgent Prayer Needs

We also post many written and video updates on our BIEM Facebook Page. Please feel free to visit, like and share to stay up-to-date on how BIEM Missionaries are doing.

War Relief Updates Email - March 22, 2022

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

Dear Friends of BIEM,

1. Keep praying for the families of our Ukrainian missionaries who are waiting in Poland and Western Ukraine hoping to get visas to come to the United States. So far there are no emergency visas available. They are hoping that this will change when President Biden visits Poland on the 25th. They base this on the fact that when Canada's Prime Minister visited Poland, the government there quickly persuaded him to open Canada to Ukrainian war refugees. He did so, and so quickly that Canada was receiving Ukrainian war refugees in just 3 days! Pray that our government will do the same.
   

   2. We have more and more people taking trips from western Ukraine, where they buy food, medicine, and supplies, to the war-torn areas in Central and Eastern Ukraine. They return with their cars, vans, and buses full of refugees fleeing the war.
   

   3. Once again we are glad to report that none of our folks have been injured and none of the church buildings we have built have been hit. However, a bomb last night landed within 100 feet of the home of one of our families in Kyiv. An empty rocket shell landed in the neighbor’s garden. Please continue to pray for their safety.
   

   4. Last night one of our families received 37 refugees from Chernihiv who came in four vehicles. One vehicle broke down and they had to tow it which slowed them down so much that they did not arrive until 1 AM - well past the curfew. This band of refugees does not want to go to the west. They want to stay nearby so we are finding Christian homes willing to take them in that are not that far from Chernihiv but still considered safer.

Sam Slobodian
President - BIEM

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Additional email Newsletters if you aren’t already receiving them:

(Click to Subscribe)

BIEM's of Light: Monthly Prayer and Praise sheet

Video Updates: Monthly Ministry Updates  from Sam Slobodian

Pray for Urgent Needs: Urgent Prayer Needs

We also post many written and video updates on our BIEM Facebook Page. Please feel free to visit, like and share to stay up-to-date on how BIEM Missionaries are doing.

War Relief Updates Email - March 17, 2022

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

Dear Friends of BIEM,

1. Right now we have one of our former national missionaries who is fluent in Polish, English and Ukrainian working with the US Consulate in Krakow where we have about 20 family members (women and children) of our missionaries waiting to get visas. There are others from war areas under attack who have been evacuated to Western Ukraine that may join them if these 20 succeed in getting visas. Initially we thought that we would get some of these refugees into the US within a couple of weeks. However, our people working with the US consulate in Krakow have been informed that the Biden administration abruptly ended the emergency visa program for Ukrainians almost as soon as it started. The press release about Biden opening his arms for Ukrainian refugees is simply not true. Our people in Poland waiting for visas have been told that their only options are the standard B1 & B2 visas which will take much longer. The best we could hope for is the end of April. We just don't know. Once they get an appointment at the Consulate we will know more. Currently all are waiting for appointments. Please pray that they will get appointments soon.

2. Most of our national Ukrainian missionaries with young families have been able to get their families made up of women and children to Western Ukraine or Europe with most in Poland. The men all remain in Ukraine where most of their churches serve as bomb shelters where they provide food and lodging along with prayer and sharing of the Gospel. Many are being saved.

3. The areas where 3 of our churches are, have come under such heavy attack that the focus is on evacuation.

4. Several of our men are making dangerous trips from the south and west into Kyiv and north of Kyiv to bring in badly needed food, supplies and medicine. Check the War Video Updates section of our Website to view some of their efforts.

Sam Slobodian
President - BIEM

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Additional email Newsletters if you aren’t already receiving them:

(Click to Subscribe)

BIEM's of Light: Monthly Prayer and Praise sheet

Video Updates: Monthly Ministry Updates  from Sam Slobodian

Pray for Urgent Needs: Urgent Prayer Needs

We also post many written and video updates on our BIEM Facebook Page. Please feel free to visit, like and share to stay up-to-date on how BIEM Missionaries are doing.

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/686472802

Dear Pastors and Friends,

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

BIEMs of Light March 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Times of great pain and tragedy sometimes compel people to consider their souls and to come to God. We hear reports of this very thing happening in Ukraine during the invasion. May those foxhole decisions last forever!

• Although the world’s eyes are on Ukraine, our ministries continue in other places, too. Afghani refugees in Central Asia are coming to Christ. By email we received the photo of another who trusted Christ as Savior just yesterday!

• No one can predict how he will respond in trying times until such times come upon them. We rejoice that, even in the midst of crisis, there are selfless pastors in Ukraine saying, “We don’t pray that the war will end, but that the Lord will help us to shine in these dark days and glorify Him.” As one of our missionaries put it, our regular ministries are interrupted, but ministry does not stop!

• Praise God that, no matter what happens on earth, He gives us encouragement through verses like Psalm 46:1-2a, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed…!”

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Obviously, please pray for a cessation of the shooting and killing. Each unsaved casualty of war is one more soul sent to hell. How Satan must rejoice in the numbers going there without the Gospel.

• BIEM has already transferred thousands of dollars for relief aid to our churches in Ukraine. Pray for more to come in to help our missionaries as they serve suddenly needy ones in the name of Christ.

• Please pray that the aid we are sending our Ukrainian missionaries and ministry partners reaches them.  At a certain point, we may not be able to continue to send funds through banks.  We do have a way for them to access funds without the banks but what is available is nowhere what will likely be needed.  Just yesterday a possibility manifested itself.  However, we need more such opportunities so please pray for this.

• Pray for the peace of God to rule the hearts and minds of believers in Ukraine. May they see and use opportunities to share Christ with fearful ones.