Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People
1. During Sasha Petrenko’s many war-relief projects, he got acquainted with Mykola, the chief of the local fire department in his area of Smolyn/Goncharovsk. This week Sasha received news that Mykola has been diagnosed with a stage 4 cancer and did not have long to live. Sasha, burdened for Mykola since he was not saved, arranged to visit him. He also asked that all of our Ukrainian brethren pray for Mykola to respond to the Gospel. When Sasha met with Mykola yesterday (Thursday), God answered prayer and Mykola received the Lord. Sasha soon sent out a message to our Ukrainian brethren, thanking them for their prayers and sharing that the angels in heaven are rejoicing as another soul has come to Christ!
2. For this weekend Angelica Buyko (oldest daughter of Eugene Buyko) has organized a special evangelistic concert entitled “A Musical Evening.” On Saturday, June 6, a group of volunteers will be distributing invitations and New Testaments for this special meeting, which will take place at the Temple of Salvation Baptist church in Kyiv on Sunday evening. Recipients of invitations include many contacts in the area whom our people have become acquainted with through our war-relief distribution efforts. Please pray that God would bless this special event. You can see one of the invitations being distributed here:
3. Last month, with financial aid from BIEM, Ukrainian believers organized a special camp for mothers, widows, and children of Ukrainian men and women who died fighting to defend Ukraine from invaders. The speakers emphasized that hope is not gone, for our true hope is in the Lord. It’s just another of the many ways this campground is being used to help, uplift, and evangelize for the glory of the Lord. In this video, missionary Pasha Usach shares briefly about this moving camp.
https://vimeo.com/user37287229/ourhope
4. Yesterday we received the following video clip of a low-flying, Russian Shahed drone passing over the Petrenko’s area in Smolyn. Because it was flying so low, Ukrainian radars did not catch it, so there were no attempts to shoot it down. Thankfully, it went on its way to some other target, but as you can imagine from the video, such a sound and sight strike a lot of fear into hearts. Please continue to pray for the safety of our missionaries and workers in Ukraine.
https://vimeo.com/user37287229/smolyn-drone
Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM