War Relief Updates - July 10, 2026

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

1. In our monthly video for June, we shared about a special day at the Derman camp that our Ukrainians organized for widows and orphans of those killed in the war. Over 200 attended. The event was a huge blessing for participants, and the video blessed viewers. During that event, it became clear that the campground needed a roomy, covered pavilion so that large crowds could gather, even during inclement weather. When Pasha Usach mentioned this need, we shared it with a friend of BIEM, who in turn immediately provided funds to construct a 3,000-square-foot pavilion over a concrete slab. All the labor was done by volunteers from the nearby church. Best of all, this work was completed in time for campers who arrived this week. Praise God!

2. Praise God, the container we shipped on April 6 has finally arrived at the recipient church in Desna, Ukraine. But there was an unusual development. The seal was missing! When it was shipped from our headquarters, the seal was firmly attached. In fact, we took a photo of it. Our folks thought this could be a major problem for Customs. Somehow, though, Customs overlooked what we expected to be a major problem and cleared the contents. Our folks decided not to ask any questions and thanked God for the result. This moment reminded us of several incidents in our Bible-smuggling days, when God blinded the eyes of Customs agents from seeing the Bibles we had in small stacks among our luggage! Thanks be to God that this container’s contents will now be shared and distributed by several churches.

3. The man in this video is a commander of an elite force of drone operators. Because he is the neighbor of one of our missionary families, we were able to meet him and thus learned of his unit’s specific needs. In addition to sharing the Gospel with him, we have been able to respond to some specific needs. For example, we assisted in purchasing a vehicle for transporting men, equipment, and the wounded. Here, he expresses thanks for this assistance, which we provide through our War Relief funds.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/commander

4. Because Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is a favorite target for Russia’s missiles and drones, BIEM’s personnel are frequently subjected to this terror. In BIEM’s monthly video for July, we shared horrific bombing videos that Vitaly Yurchenko filmed from his home. We offer the link again here for any friends who missed the July video:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/hits

There is still a need for prayers for the protection of all our personnel and for friends of BIEM in that war-torn land. We still have prayer cards and bookmarks with suggested prayer requests for Ukraine. If you or your group would like some, we will provide them free upon request.

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

July 2026 Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

On July 6, Russia once again bombarded Ukraine with a massive attack of missiles and drones, killing at least 26, injuring scores of others, and destroying homes. Kyiv was especially targeted. Our coworker Vitaly Yurchenko reported about 100 houses were destroyed in the vicinity of his own neighborhood. With his phone, he videoed part of the attack from his home, and we are sharing that footage here. Praise God, he and his family survived, and their home still stands.

Thank you for praying for the safety of BIEM personnel in Ukraine. Please keep praying now more than ever before since Russia has intensified its aerial barrages in Ukraine. We have a good supply of prayer reminders for Ukraine in bookmark and prayer-card form. Please let us know if you would like some for yourself or your group, and we will be glad to send them free of charge.

Here’s the link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/hits

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light: July 2026

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Last month we mentioned that our Bible Institute in Central Asia needed at least $4,000 to operate through the next session. God heard our joint prayers and moved in hearts to supply funds to meet that need. May He be praised!

• As BIEM aims to ship another container of war-relief supplies to Ukraine, we thank the Lord and you friends for the many, many clothing donations we have received in recent weeks. We are also thankful for various groups who have come and donated time to sort, fold, and pack these donations!

• A Ukrainian congregation we call “the forest church” reached so many for Christ they outgrew their palatka (the light-frame meeting place). BIEM was able to help with an expansion project. About the same time the church requested help to buy chairs, a church in Wisconsin offered BIEM 150 auditorium seats. The thrilled forest church said they would accept all 150. Another praise—a Christian brother in Wisconsin volunteered to truck these chairs to BIEM for shipment! 

• One of the most-requested items from Ukrainian soldiers connected with our churches are tourniquets. These are life-saving devices every soldier should carry. Sadly, not all tourniquets are reliable. Soldiers regularly request those made in the USA. During the war, we have supplied over 1,000 high-quality tourniquets. Thanks to you donors, we recently were able to purchase 100 more!

Prayer – Pray with us!

• The first summer camps overseas have begun. Praise God, we have received most of the $77,000 goal for funding these camps in multiple countries. Will you say a prayer for the $3,000 still needed to reach our goal? Please also pray for young hearts to turn to the Lord through these summer camps.

  In Belarus, Valery Ryzhuk—the 49-year-old brother of BIEM church planter Nikolai Ryzhuk—has passed away from cancer. Because Valery greatly helped in ministry, his absence leaves a huge hole, both in the church and at home, with his wife and children. Please pray for all of them.

  Vitaly Bilyak, who was drafted into the Ukrainian army, received permission from his commanding officer to travel to the USA to be at his son’s wedding. However, Vitaly also needs a new visa and other documentation to exit Ukraine. Please pray the process goes smoothly so that he can travel.

  Our church planter Yura Levtseniuk in Lviv, Ukraine, suddenly has a heavy load of ministry. He was already in the middle of building program. Then his pregnant wife Violetta had a medical issue that put their baby’s life in danger. She’s now home, but on bedrest, so Yura must tend the house and kids. Plus, he’s supposed to minister in summer camp the first Monday in July. Please pray for all these responsibilities.

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March Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Although the war in Eastern and Southeastern Ukraine continues to wipe out businesses, homes, and lives, for the March video we want to turn your attention elsewhere, to something more uplifting. Years ago, the mayor of a town in Ukraine visited the church where BIEM’s Anatoly Kosyanchuk preaches. At the conclusion of the service, that mayor approached Anatoly with an unexpected proposal: “If you start another Baptist church on the opposite side of town, I’ll give you the land to build on!” 

In the years following that surprise offer, God has taken the Second Baptist Church in Bilogorodka from a mere idea, to an empty plot of ground, to a construction project, to a thriving congregation. Now the Lord has blessed that growing group of believers with an ordination service—one assistant pastor and four deacons! Two of those deacons are neighbors who live within eyesight of the church. Both were unsaved when the church’s construction began. But through this ministry, God has drawn them and other residents of that neighborhood to Himself!

Our latest issue of our Challenger newsletter features an article about this same special ordination service. But for our March video, we decided to let Pastor Buyko and his new assistant pastor, Roman, tell more about God’s blessing that day. You can view that video here:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/morehands

Thank you for your prayers!

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light: September 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Our new missionaries in Ukraine, the Koops, operated a 3-day children’s camp in Druzhba, which they have targeted for a new church. The first day, 65 attended; the 2nd day up to 85, and the third day over 100 participated, including about 20 mothers who were asking, “Where is the church?” When those moms heard that church services will be starting soon, some replied they will come.

• Praise God, attacks from Russia on Ukraine’s Independence Day were not as bad as some feared. Although Russian rockets and missiles hit 58 cities and communities on that day, the next day there was only one. Since then, it seems things have died down.

• In Ukraine, the Slobodians report a wonderful baptism at the new church in Bilogorodka. Nine adults were baptized. Praise God for souls being accepting Christ in this time of war. Previously, the Russian army had come within a few miles of Bilogorodka, which is in the Bucha area.

• Praise God for a fruitful trip Vitaly Bilyak took to the military front in Donbas area with a trailer full of aid. He and those with him helped civilians, wounded ones in a hospital, plus soldier friends for whom he brought much-needed supplies and requested items. Vitaly plans two more such trips in September. Pray for safety. His videos from the front include sounds of artillery and explosions.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Sources predict that the next week will be an especially dangerous time for the military cities of Desna and Goncharovsk, where BIEM missionaries have planted two churches. Both towns have already suffered attacks by missiles, rockets, and planes. More attacks are expected. Please pray for our missionaries, the churches, and the community, that lives would be spared.

• Pasha Usach conducted a special one-day event for mothers and wives who had lost sons and husbands in the war. Over 50 attended. The event was a huge blessing and provided a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel, so much so that Pavel is planning another such an event. Pray that God will use these outreaches to draw souls to Christ, the source of the greatest comfort.

• Plans are underway to bring the Buyko family to the United States, where they will visit churches for one month. Sophia and the three girls have already received visas; now we are working on getting the special permission needed for Eugene to temporarily exit Ukraine during wartime. Please pray that this permission will be granted, just as it was for Vitaly Yurchenko.

• Some of our contacts are witnessing of Christ to Muslims in Afghanistan. Please pray for God to open eyes and illumine hearts with the Gospel.

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BIEMs of Light: August 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Praise God, our personnel in Ukraine have received another 40-ft. container of humanitarian aid from us here in the United States! This is the 7th container our dedicated Ukrainians are distributing to needy places. This one went to the city administration of a region that contains several settlements that were occupied by Russian forces, so these goods will reach some of the neediest recipients.

• BIEM president Sam Slobodian heads back to Ukraine on August 2. The main focus of this trip will be humanitarian aid, but praise the Lord, he will also participate in a baptism and an ordination!

• Today BIEM personnel drove another 5 tons of food from Poland into Ukraine, this time for the Kharkiv region. We praise God for thoughtful donors and for those driving and distributing.

• So far, we are receiving reports of young people coming to Christ in BIEM-sponsored camps in Estonia, Ukraine, and Russia. Although the Lord touches hearts in a special way through such camps every summer, we never take that blessing for granted. To God be the glory!

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Despite the war in Ukraine, one of our seminary graduates is deeply burdened for a particular district in a large city in Western Ukraine that has been flooded with refugees. Many of them plan to stay. This brother has recruited others to help start a new church, and they are praying and fasting every Friday for God’s direction and provision for that goal. Please join them in praying.

• A pastor named Aleksander emailed us today from the Intensive Care section of a hospital in central Russia. He has a weak heart, and their summer camps and other ministries may have taxed him too much. Let’s uphold this worthy servant of the Lord with our prayers.

• In Central Asia, the manager of our Christian shelter for hurting women is named Julie. She is a big blessing—talented, yet with a servant’s heart and love for Jesus. She devotes herself to running the shelter and ministering to these women and their children. It’s a big job. Please pray for her.

• In another nation of Central Asia, one church recently baptized 9 former Muslims who had put their faith in Christ. Please pray that more hearts in those regions will soften and consider their need of the Savior.

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