Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People
1. The youth at the church in Bilogorodka took the initiative to collect items to donate as aid to an orphanage-boarding school. The BIEM mission, and a few individuals donated money for this drive. When the youth arrived, orphanage workers showed them conditions in which the children there live. Thanks to the state and individual patrons, the conditions were quite good—including a roomy bomb shelter. (One family had bought and donated 5 blankets, which was exactly the number of blankets lacking in the shelter.) Each day, the children weave camouflage nets and make various things for the military, because nearly 20 graduates of this boarding school serve at the front. The director of the orphanage tearfully thanked the young people for this money and aid. She said they will use part of the funds to repair the washing machine, part to buy household cleansers, and part to purchase various items for the military, because the first people they help are their graduates. The youth went home glad for the chance they’d had to help others.
2. At Temple of Salvation Baptist Church in Kyiv, a tragedy recently occurred: a Russian drone exploded into the house of one of the pastors. The pastor and his wife survived, but their home was badly damaged. This tragedy became a great opportunity for the church to serve—not only did people begin raising funds for repairs, but others came to offer hands-on help. This pastor had repeatedly driven gifts of war relief to the front to help the military; now others are repairing his house. Instead of windows, there are wooden boards, but so far there are no other options. The church helps as much as it can, which is also a great testimony that believers care for each other.
3. After Russian forces were pushed out of Bucha, Ukraine, the world learned of appalling atrocities the occupiers had committed against Bucha’s townspeople. Survivors were left traumatized and in need of aid. Sergii Anokhin and his wife Alyona were among those who distributed war relief to survivors. But they wondered… would the Lord have them do even more? In February 2025, they felt God’s call to start a new church in Bucha. By April 3, they found an excellent location for rent. There, they planted Lamp Light Baptist Church. They believe this is just the beginning of a new story filled with multiple ministries. The following video provides a few glimpses of this new congregation:
https://vimeo.com/user37287229/lamp-light
4. Our recent Challenger featured a camp for disadvantaged kids from Kherson, which was severely ravaged by Russian occupation. To further help the Kherson church reach out to this community, BIEM’s Pasha Usach solicited potato donations from his area. He asked, could BIEM help transport potatoes to Kherson? Yes! As it turned out, the potato donations filled a huge semi-truck! Pasha and volunteers personally delivered this valuable cargo, which helped the needy and brought praise to the Lord. Praise God!”
Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM