Dear Pastors and Friends,

When we BIEM staff members visit churches or create newsletters discussing the desperate needs in Ukraine due to the war, so many of you reply generously. We regularly thank the Lord (and you!) for your war-relief contributions in the form of donated clothing & housewares, wheelchairs and walkers, funds for shipping, and your prayers.

However, as grateful as we are to see all of you demonstrating Christian love in action, our Ukrainian friends and coworkers are, of course, even more grateful. After all, they are the ones who are enduring the air raids, bombed apartment buildings, destroyed businesses, and loss of loved ones. So, whenever practical, we try to spotlight our Ukrainian personnel so they can express appreciation in their own words.

Thus, for our July 2025 video, we decided to highlight one of BIEM’s weekly video updates. In this video, our church planter Sergei Anokhin and Sam Slobodian are standing at the rear of a container loaded with aid bound for Ukraine on June 20. Because Sergei lives in Bucha, the city where Russian troops committed so many atrocities before being driven out, he certainly has firsthand knowledge of the heartbreaks and needs of the local population. You can view the video at this link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/moreaid

Also, although Sergei has already returned to Ukraine, you can view one of the presentations he did in U.S. church services. In it, he shares about Bucha and the beginnings of his own church-planting ministry there:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/sergeianokhin

Thank you again for caring and for sharing of your means for the Lord’s work.

Blessings to you!
Sam & Amy Slobodian