Praises – Rejoice with us!

v  Last month we asked you to pray for believers who would be excited about traveling to Ukraine to help with summer camp in 2008. God has already answered—from an unexpected direction. Missionary Steven Maldoff contacted BIEM from Australia and says his church would love to send a group to assist. They are now making their plans to go! 

v  BIEM has helped to fill another need. When the American pastor of a non-BIEM church in Moscow learned he had to leave Russia for 2 months for legal purposes, he turned to BIEM in search of pulpit supply. We put him in contact with one of our co-workers, who happily agreed to shepherd that church while the pastor is away. Praise God for each ministry opportunity! 

v  Two BIEM missionaries thank the Lord for the opportunity to serve Him in ministry for five months in ***, in 2007. They labored at first to Russian speakers from ***, then to *** also. Out of those Muslims who received Christ as Savior, five were baptized! 

v  A business that is upgrading their telephone system is donating their current phone system to BIEM. This means BIEM will receive a welcome enhancement to its phone system—at no cost!

Prayer – Pray with us!

v  In Ternopil, Ukraine, Vitaly Bilyak wrote about a young man who borrowed a car and crashed into another. Due to the $2000 in damages, he leaped from the 8^th floor of a building and ended his life. Vitaly says, “Thousands of students are wandering the streets, looking for something. They fight in the bars, take drugs, drink vodka, smoke cigarettes….” This church has a regular outreach to college-age youth, and they would sincerely appreciate prayer. 

v  On December 13 in ***, a friend of BIEM named *** was put on trial for operating a Christian library and evangelizing Muslims. The lawyers and police have branded him a terrorist and are trying to put him in prison for up to 7 years. The judges have not yet announced their decision. Please pray for ***, his family, and other active believers in ***.  

v  On December 13, the church in Otradnoye, Russia, rented a public auditorium and hosted a Christmas presentation. Of the 300 people who attended, 112 (36 adults, 27 young people and 49 children 8-14 years old) turned in response cards indicating they had prayed the sinner’s prayer of repentance. Please pray for those individuals and the local church as it does follow up work. 

v  In Chervona Sloboda, Ukraine, a woman named Lydia (the relative of a church member) who considered herself Russian Orthodox and had not accepted the new Baptist church’s presence repented and accepted Christ at a recent service!