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