BIEMs of Light March 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Times of great pain and tragedy sometimes compel people to consider their souls and to come to God. We hear reports of this very thing happening in Ukraine during the invasion. May those foxhole decisions last forever!

• Although the world’s eyes are on Ukraine, our ministries continue in other places, too. Afghani refugees in Central Asia are coming to Christ. By email we received the photo of another who trusted Christ as Savior just yesterday!

• No one can predict how he will respond in trying times until such times come upon them. We rejoice that, even in the midst of crisis, there are selfless pastors in Ukraine saying, “We don’t pray that the war will end, but that the Lord will help us to shine in these dark days and glorify Him.” As one of our missionaries put it, our regular ministries are interrupted, but ministry does not stop!

• Praise God that, no matter what happens on earth, He gives us encouragement through verses like Psalm 46:1-2a, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed…!”

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Obviously, please pray for a cessation of the shooting and killing. Each unsaved casualty of war is one more soul sent to hell. How Satan must rejoice in the numbers going there without the Gospel.

• BIEM has already transferred thousands of dollars for relief aid to our churches in Ukraine. Pray for more to come in to help our missionaries as they serve suddenly needy ones in the name of Christ.

• Please pray that the aid we are sending our Ukrainian missionaries and ministry partners reaches them.  At a certain point, we may not be able to continue to send funds through banks.  We do have a way for them to access funds without the banks but what is available is nowhere what will likely be needed.  Just yesterday a possibility manifested itself.  However, we need more such opportunities so please pray for this.

• Pray for the peace of God to rule the hearts and minds of believers in Ukraine. May they see and use opportunities to share Christ with fearful ones.

February Video Update

Watch this video on Vimeo by either clicking on the following link or by copying and pasting it in your browser:

https://vimeo.com/674585167

Dear Pastors and Friends, 

Greetings everyone!  Currently, Ukraine is in the news and not in a good way.  You have probably seen the images of the Russian armies gathering at the borders.  We are deeply concerned for that nation and especially for our people there.  We have had many conversations with many of them and they are calm and firmly trusting in the Lord.

 This month's video features Eugene Buyko and Vitaly Yurchenko mentioning specific items to pray for regarding the present dangerous and serious situation.  Our February prayer and praise sheet called the BIEM's of Light also contains a list of what to pray for regarding Ukraine.  

 Following Eugene and Vitaly there is a song that is a prayer for Ukraine.  The song is sung by Eugene's daughters Solomia, Angelica, and Ivanka (from left to right). During the song, you will see pictures of our Ukrainian families that need your prayers.

In Christ, 

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light February 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• One of our BIEM missionaries has a fresh opportunity to travel within a restricted-access Muslim country to share the Gospel and distribute Gospel media. We praise the Lord for providing this opportunity. May He bless this evangelistic outreach with safety and spiritual fruit!

• In the nation of Georgia, our missionaries the Hoblitzes rejoice for a new opportunity: “We have acquired land in a completely Muslim village with a campground on it and a house for a potential church plant. We are praying for a young couple to come and work with us to develop this church plant and camp ministry.” Praise God for such vision and for making this property available. May He continue to lead and provide for this new ministry location!

• Praise God for opening doors. Over the course of time, the various needs of one of our Ukrainian national missionaries have enabled him to get acquainted with the mayor of their town. Recently, that unsaved mayor and his wife wanted to spend time with this missionary couple who state “It’s interesting that this couple doesn’t let anyone into their lives, yet they want to fellowship with us. Our request is that you pray for this couple and for God to help us speak about Him always and to everyone.”

• Despite recurring restrictions and concerns about covid, our missionary Vitaly Yurchenko rejoices that their church’s puppet team continues to receive invitations to put on evangelistic performances. The most recent show was in Kyiv, Ukraine, for adults and children with disabilities. Vitaly says, “Puppet performances are interesting for all ages. This is an accessible message of truth for everyone, regardless of age and intellectual development.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Although an unresolved military conflict continues in Eastern Ukraine, recent tensions threaten the possibility of a major invasion of Ukraine.  Regardless of whether the threat is real or a bluff, please pray no new war will come to this land and that the existing conflict will be halted.

• Pray for the peace of God to rule the hearts and minds of believers in Ukraine. Pray that churches and believers will perceive and act on opportunities to share Christ with fearful, unsaved ones around them and that no restrictions the government adopts would interfere with having services.

• Please pray for those nations behaving in a hostile way toward Ukraine and pray that the peace of God would rule in our hearts despite the circumstances.

• Please pray for our civic authorities, that those in positions of authority will have wisdom in this crisis, and that they will not adopt any laws that are contrary to the Bible.

January Video Update

Watch this video on Vimeo by either clicking on the following link or by copying and pasting it in your browser:

https://vimeo.com/666910757

Dear Pastors and Friends, 

Greetings again from the Slobodians.  This month's video comes from Russia at a Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center about 2 hours from Moscow.   In this video Oleg, one of the directors, shares about this ministry that currently has 14 men in the program.

This Center started as a ministry of one of the first BIEM church plants, a church planted on the outskirts of Moscow by Pavel Rumachik.   It has reached many men for Christ, several of whom have gone on to start other Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centers including two specifically for women.  Today, there are over 60 families who are members of Moscow area churches that have been reached through these centers.  Praise God for the power of the Gospel that redeems and delivers souls from the bondage of drugs, alcohol, and sin.

In Christ, 

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light January 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• In Central Asia, where our believers are ministering to Afghani refugees, another Shiite man trusted Christ as Savior today! Praise God for working in these refugees’ hearts.

• In December, God received glory through many public Christmas services and evangelistic presentations and through home visits, with gifts of groceries and Bibles. Seeds of Truth have been sown and continue to be sown. May God cause those seeds to put down roots and grow!

• In Desna, Ukraine, our church planters faced opposition right from the beginning. Recently, though, the city administration wrote the church a letter of gratitude, thanking them for positive contributions to the community: assisting men with drug and alcohol addictions, helping families with many children, organizing children’s camps…. While there are still individuals with negative opinions, the church is pleased to receive this written encouragement from the civil authorities.

• The Tuttles, BIEM missionaries in Tbilisi, Georgia, report they had a large turnout for their Christmas Eve service. Visitors included university professors, schoolteachers, and even a national government Cabinet member. All these heard God’s way of salvation presented in sermon and song. This praise item is also a prayer request that those hearts will embrace the truth they heard!

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Most, if not all, of our missionaries are continuing holiday evangelistic outreaches into January, since this is their traditional month for celebrating Christmas. These include holiday evangelistic programs, home visitations with gifts of food to needy families, and special services for orphans and foster families. Please pray for souls to understand the Gospel and to embrace the Savior.

• Please keep praying for funds for multiple building projects: (1) to complete the new church in Smolin, Ukraine, (2) to purchase a larger building to house the rehabilitation ministry in Desna, Ukraine, and (3) fund-raising for the newly organized congregation in Cherni, Belarus, to build a building. This small but active congregation currently meets in a cramped room. So far, they aren’t large in numbers, but they are conducting evangelistic outreaches with great zeal!

• Please continue to pray that the Ukrainian authorities will grant humanitarian-aid status to our next 40-ft. container of aid and supplies, which is packed and ready to ship. After submitting the initial thick bundle of required documentation, BIEM’s Vitaly Bilyak had to submit another 18 pages. We would like to ship these supplies without unnecessary delays.

• Our team in Central Asia has a heartfelt desire to increase their evangelistic outreaches throughout 2022. For the team, please pray for their health, strength, zeal, good articulation of Scripture, and protection from hostile opposition. For those with whom they share the Gospel, please pray for open minds, open hearts, and spiritual understanding of the truths they will hear.

Summer Camps 2021

Summer Camps 2021

BIEM’s missionaries and volunteers rejoiced that 2021 allowed us to resume widespread summer camps after the Covid restrictions of 2020. Whether overnighting in tents and cabins or ministering in day camp scenarios, camps provide unequaled opportunities to touch young hearts. In addition to fun games and activities, campers sing Christian songs, learn to pray, and hear daily Bible lessons with the goal of evangelism. If you would like to read a more extensive report on our 2021 camps, please click HERE.

Celebrating 40 Years

Celebrating 40 Years of Ministry

We praise God for 40 years of God's blessings upon this ministry. Countless souls have been saved, over 100 churches have been planted, and over 50 church buildings have been built for the glory of God along with many other outreaches. Follow this link for a historical overview: Challenger: BIEM’s 40th Anniversary