War Relief Updates - June 20, 2025

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

1. Hlib, the son of a church family in Lviv, is one of the soldiers we have helped with warm winter clothing. They are from Mariupol, which is under occupation and has suffered much destruction. Though he is not a believer, Hlib recently stated, “My parents pray for me, the church prays for me, I need to stop by to pray too.” It is evident that God is working in his heart. Therefore, we ask you to pray that God will protect and continue to work in his heart.

2. In this week’s war-relief-update video, Sam Slobodian interprets for Sergei Anokhin. Sergei is BIEM’s church planter in the city of Bucha, where occupying Russian troops committed horrible atrocities. Sergei took part in loading our next container of war relief for Ukraine and shares his thanks.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/moreaid

3. The container that BIEM shipped (June 20th) today contains 8 wheelchairs, which are in high demand. We are grateful that we have been able to put a good number of wheelchairs on every load to Ukraine. We often receive testimonies like the following:

When my wife and I went to Fastiv, we had a chance to talk with people at the River of Life Church, where a container had arrived. As it turned out, while we were there a family in need of a wheelchair arrived. This family received a used wheelchair that had come in the container. It was for the grandmother in that family; because of her age she can no longer walk, so she was granted this assistance. Also, a man and woman received a wheelchair, too, for their son, who went to this church as a child and graduated from Sunday school and knows about God. And when the pastor of the church was bringing medicine to the hospital, this boy was in the hospital with a serious injury. He saw the pastor, they talked, prayed, and he requested a wheelchair. He has a complicated injury, but the doctors did everything possible, and in the future everything should be fine. But the Lord is mighty, and He connected this man with the pastor. The young man goes to church while undergoing rehabilitation. Therefore, the church sincerely thanks American believers for the container and requests prayer for their ministry.

4. As our full slate of camps are underway in Ukraine, we are hearing that many campers come from homes where the fathers are active military and are fighting in the war. In some camps, as many as 50% of the children have fathers who are away in the war. Going to a Christian camp is a huge blessing for such children and youth. As one of our workers said, “The war and the devil are trying to steal the youth from our children. It is our goal to bring some joy into their lives and the peace of God into their hearts as we introduce them to Christ.”

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

BIEMs of Light: June 2025

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• We praise God and thank you friends that we have received 100% of the funds needed to host camps this summer. So, no need to send more funds, but please continue to send up more prayers for the Lord to bless and protect all the camps throughout summer.

• On May 30, a 40-ft. container of clothing, medical supplies, and other forms of aid for Ukraine departed from our BIEM warehouse. Today, the next empty container was dropped off. This week, this will likewise be filled with aid for another area in Ukraine. Praise God for all the needed, donated supplies!

• After a “dry spell” of no Muslims embracing Christ in our Central Asia ministries, on June 8 eight people from various ethnic backgrounds placed their faith in Jesus! Praise God!

• Starting this week, Christian camps are starting in the “-stan” countries of Central Asia. Of course, Christian camps are forbidden, so this is also a prayer request for God’s protection.

Prayer – Pray with us!

• In Central Asia, civil authorities still seek to persecute Christians. Recently, plainclothes police visited the neighbors of one of our church planters to dig up dirt against him. However, Muslim neighbors declared that pastor is a model citizen! Pray for protection.

• The Gospel puppet theater run by the church in Chervona Sloboda, Ukraine, often receives repeat invitations from school, churches, hospitals, and others. So, they are searching for fresh plays with recordings in Ukrainian. They request prayer for God to work in hearts.

• Displaced Afghanis who have trusted Christ in Central Asia are in difficult straits: they are not accepted where they are but returning to Afghanistan and as believers, it will mean persecution and possibly death. Please pray for God’s wisdom and guidance for them.

• Our newest Ukrainian church planter is Sergii Anokhin, who is planting a church in Bucha, Ukraine, which was brutally occupied by Russian forces. Russian atrocities committed in Bucha made international headlines. Sergii was interviewed by 15 international organizations and eventually testified before the UN in Belgium. Please pray that we would be able to raise the support needed for Brother Sergii. If you would like to support Sergii, please contact us.

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June Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

I’m sure all of you realize the value of reaching out to children with the Gospel. Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and other events for children provide wonderful opportunities to capture kids’ attention and to direct their thoughts toward the Savior. By introducing children to God’s Word while they are young, we get to impress the Truths of Scripture onto their hearts and minds before they have a chance to become cynical, worldly, or captivated by habits of the flesh that war against the soul. 

But just imagine the worldview of kids growing up in Ukraine, which has been defending itself in a war that has been raging for over 3 years. Younger Ukrainian kids can’t recall a time when there was no war. They have grown up hearing air raid sirens and rushing to basements or bomb shelters before the explosions start. The mere sound of thunder strikes terror into kids who can’t tell the difference between the sound of bombs and the rumble from lighting. Such young ones are living through a terrible time, and they need solid Scriptural answers to questions about God, Jesus, Heaven, Hell, and the way of salvation.

Praise the Lord, you friends have provided 100% of the funds needed to host camps in the various countries where BIEM is active in Eastern Europe. Thank you! But we still need your prayers. Please pray for God to bless and empower leaders who will be teaching the Bible lessons, leading game times, preparing the meals, and simply chatting with the kids. May everything done in camp please the Lord and edify young hearts. Please pray, too, for God to prepare the kids who will be coming, so they will be open and receptive to the Word. Of course, concerning Ukraine, please pray for the safety of all camp kids and leaders, as no one knows when or where Russia’s airborne attacks may fall.

In our video for June, Sergei and Vika Skripnik talk more about the camp ministry. Here’s the link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/2025camps

Blessings to you!
Sam & Amy Slobodian

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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