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

1. BIEM’s Vitaly Bilyak is safe at home after surviving a drone attack while delivering aid and sharing the Gospel at the war front near Kherson. Praise God, Vitaly was unhurt! However, his vehicle sustained $5,000 worth of damage due to the exploded glass, tires, and extensive shrapnel holes in the car’s body. We here want to pay for the repairs needed on his personal vehicle. Any gifts towards this need would be greatly appreciated.

2. Some of you may remember how, during the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we evacuated some families from Bucha, the site of horrible atrocities committed by the Russian occupying force. This area is only 3 miles from Brother Vitaly Yurchenko’s church in Chervona Sloboda, so the congregation received and aided many refugees who were fleeing the area. After Bucha was liberated, the Lord enabled us to start a new church in that region in Nizhylovychi as a result of the war relief we were pouring in through our brethren. The Kyiv Post produced the following video about that area, and we believe you will find it both interesting and heartbreaking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9ieUX0wspM

3. In our video update for this week, BIEM’s Ukrainian missionary Pavel Usach shares how God used war relief and two senior sisters to open their doors for church services during the war in Ukraine. They began with just themselves, but God multiplied the number of people coming for worship to 70! Truly, where 2 or 3 are gathered in the Lord’s name, there is He in their midst:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/oneplusone

4. You might recall that we had requested prayer concerning a missing soldier Oleg, the brother of BIEM church planter Sasha Petrenko. Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Oleg went missing. For about two years the family didn’t know whether Oleg was dead or alive. But now Oleg’s name has appeared on a Russian list of Ukrainian prisoners who are scheduled to be released in the next prisoner swap. Praise God for this wonderful answer to prayer! Please keep praying that the next prisoner swap will take place soon and go smoothly so Oleg can finally return home.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM