Dear Friends of Nexus,

Lychee City Refugee Camp Work Report

Lychee City’s refugee camps are scattered widely among the high mountains and hilly areas, and the need in all the camps is much more than we could think of meeting. So through prayer we decided to put all our energy into serving four refugee camps where we’ve already experienced God’s leading: Love Camp, Kindness Camp, Peace Camp, and Joy Camp. Recently the Nexus team and eight people from a church in the Northeast have been working with local coworkers to serve in these camps.

Love Camp: We bought two pigs, cooking oil, peanuts, candy, eggs, and a lot of vegetables. We took them to the camp and talked heart-to-heart with the refugees, using God’s Word to strengthen their faith.

Peace Camp: We bought food for friends in the camp and candy for students. Also the school roof was leaking badly, and thank God we were able to help them repair it.

Joy Camp Orphanage: Some of the children are already teenagers. All have experienced war; some even saw their parents killed, injured, etc., due to the war. They have fled to this safe place for refuge, but it’s been very hard for them to find their relatives, so they ended up coming to the orphanage. Their hearts are still very wounded and they need the Lord’s healing. We’ve given them financial help and spoken words of comfort to them; may the Lord help these children to grow up healthy so that when they are grown they will love Him and others!
Thank you for your support! We’ve been able to buy school uniforms for the children.

Kindness Camp: Here also, we bought pork, cooking oil, vegetables, and candy. Because the camp is far from civilization and the altitude is about 3000 feet, there’s no road leading to it. Roads for vehicles are tortuous, winding mountain roads; and at the end you still have to walk three kilometers on a path which is also very winding and difficult to negotiate. The things we had bought were carried up the mountain by brothers and sisters from the camp, and then when they arrived at the camp our coworkers distributed everything.

At the Kindness Camp Kindergarten: We arrived just at lunch time. When we saw them eating their meager lunch of only rice and a vegetable, every one of the coworkers was deeply moved by the difficulty these children are in. Of course they need nutrition to grow! So the team from the Northeast decided to contribute a year’s worth of lunches for 20-plus children there.

Water Reservoir Construction: There is a clean water source outside the camp, but the water in the camp was unfit for drinking, and many of the refugees had gotten sick from it. So we help them build a reservoir and piped clean water into the camp to solve the drinking water problem.

Prayer items:
Among Christians there are no enemies, only brothers and sisters. Our one objective is to help the local refugees—that’s all. But our enemy, the devil, tries his best to stop us however he can, even sending people to threaten us; therefore may the Lord protect every mission team that comes, every visit from the Nexus coworkers, and every distribution of goods we do for the refugees! May we be kept safe in all circumstances and be able to fulfill our mission!
Thank God, He sent two Chinese coworkers to Kindness Camp to teach Chinese; they are planning to stay and live there. May the Lord prepare two more coworkers to serve together with these two in Kindness Camp.

Nancy & Zane’s newsletter – Chili City

On the evening of August 6th our place was robbed of a few dozen chickens, mostly full-grown hens; and now we’ve got 32 full-grown chickens and 11 chicks left. When I think about the robbery it makes me cry, and I don’t really understand… I used to collect a lot of eggs every day, but now I can only get one or two. I used to have to chop up two entire banana trees to feed the chickens, but now through clenched teeth I’m saying “Thank you, God, for helping me to learn to forgive and forget…” …but I admit I’ve also called those thieves a couple of bad names.

I’ve been feeling really bad about it…the thieves could have stolen a few chickens, but they stole so many that our chicken project is ruined…and who would steal our chickens anyway?? Drug addicts? Gangsters?… As a Christian I can only say that God permitted it!

Regarding my health, I was diagnosed with breast cancer two years and nine months ago. I’ve experienced God’s presence and healing, and I believe He is all-powerful! While I was going through three months in the deepest valley I’ve ever been through, I couldn’t eat or sleep and felt like I was living in total blackness—hopeless—I didn’t want to live. The doctor said I would have to have both breasts removed entirely plus two lymph ducts, which would make me unable to pick up anything heavy with my left hand. I decided not to have an operation and just left the hospital. Since that time, physically I’ve been doing very well—thank God for letting me live until now! Everything I’ve experienced has been a blessing.

Prayer Items
Every day, children come to study at our home from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 3 to 5 p.m. There’s a little sister from the Northeast who teaches them to write characters. Now the government is requiring children to go to kindergarten, or else they won’t be admitted to first grade. Please pray for the children who come to our home, and also pray that their parents will be happy about their coming.
Also pray for Zane and Brother Chen, who are going to the orphanage in Lychee City to do some teaching August 12 to 16.
Another prayer request—in October we’re building a kitchen, dining room, and lavatory for the kindergarten children, and the total area is about 900 square feet.

Proverbs 17:22: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Southeast Asia.
The three couples on the Nexus Southeast Asia Team work in Banana City, Lychee City, Chili City, and northern Thailand. They serve poor families, churches, refugees, and an orphanage. May the Lord give them hearts of unity—one vision and one direction—to make God’s Kingdom flourish!

Your Servant,
Nexus Mission