Praises – Rejoice with us! 

v On November 1, BIEM welcomed aboard 2 new missionary candidates, Dan and Marcia Escobar. Their destination country is Romania, where they will labor with our national workers to establish new churches and to run Mountain Air Bible Camp in Farcasa!

v     BIEM is expanding! In addition to laboring in Russia and Eastern Europe, we have also welcomed aboard an experienced missionary with many Christian contacts in the Muslim “stans” that once formed the southern portions of the USSR (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan). BIEM will be cautious in publicizing, but we praise God for this crucial outreach.

v     Praise God for an exciting milestone.  Several of the churches BIEM has started in the Moscow area participated in what is that area’s first regional missions conference. Dr. Sam Slobodian was invited to speak, and he reports an enthusiastic crowd from over a dozen churches who heard missionary challenges and updates from several countries.

v     Praise God for various decisions for the Lord recently reported in various areas: 4 baptized in Otradnoye, Russia; a large group from surrounding towns and villages baptized in Chervona Sloboda, Ukraine; 5 baptized by our Romanian workers; plus 2 more baptisms in Duralesti, Romania.

 Prayer – Pray with us! 

v     Pray for godly wisdom as we promote and expand God’s work in the Muslim areas formerly part of the USSR. The nature of the region requires that we not proclaim our exact activities and contacts openly, but the nature of missions requires us to pass along at least some information for our supporters to be aware of and to support this vital effort.

v     Please pray for $3,200 to upgrade BIEM’s office computer equipment. Our mission office network still uses Windows 98 and needs a new server and software to upgrade to Windows XP to remain current with technology and to maintain maximum effectiveness.

v     In October, Rick Barry visited and encouraged a group of 15 believers in Novograd-Volinsky, Ukraine. These friends regularly meet for worship but have no pastor. Please pray that God would provide a trained man to move there to provide leadership and establish a regular church.

v     Missionary Tim Smith is now back in Magadan after receiving a new visa. However, five individuals are working to have him expelled, so this item is a combination of praise and prayer request.