Breakthrough From Zero – Friendship Country, Tree City

Friendship Country – G City – Abraham and Margaret – Ministry to the Marwari and Bhil Tribes – Breakthrough From Zero

Dear friends of Nexus, here’s Abraham and Margaret’s newsletter:

In 2020 we started a reading center for children of the Marwari tribe with 31 children, and so began our contact with the Marwari community.

Within two years, the community had experienced some changes — first, that the children could read and write in both basic English and Marwari. And then many of the children came to know Jesus and receive him as their personal Savior. They stopped going to the local Hindu temple for worship.

Every Friday students and adults come and participate in weekly worship. Last Friday we heard some good news: one of the community leaders destroyed his household shrine! He had realized that what he worshiped wasn’t worth worshiping — it was just an idol that couldn’t hear and couldn’t help! He even suggested that they tear down the idol in the center of their community and set up a Cross in its place.

However, at this point, that would not be a wise choice — the harm might outweigh the benefit. Doing so could stir up protest in the community and cause religious hatred.

But we’re very happy to see their zeal and desire to demonstrate their faith in the community. So most recently we’ve been teaching them to follow Jesus’ example and use their testimonies and their love to rebuild the community. When the community understands our faith and Christ’s love, then it will be time to replace that idol with the Cross.

Friendship Country – The Bhils – Breakthrough From Zero – Children’s Ministry

Friendship Country – many of the Bhils of G City area beg for a living. In the morning, women and children go to G city or the nearby towns and beg for money or food. 99% of the children are illiterate and unschooled and know just one English phrase — “Give me”!

This is why we started two children’s reading classes in G City beginning in October 2021. We also teach them some basic courses in health, manners, etc, so when they grow up they’ll be able to function and get along in society.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

The ministry is progressing slowly and there are many difficulties, but finally we see some light at the end of the tunnel. The children have made noticeable progress in their language studies. They’ve learned a lot of basic Urdu and English and have started using some basic English expressions. Our desire is that the children can come to know the Lord through our teaching.

The next phase of ministry is to build strong relationships with the children’s parents. Then we can build a relationship of mutual trust with the community.

Please pray for our “Breakthrough From Zero” for the Marwari tribe and the Bhil tribe. Pray parents can understand the importance of education and children can get used to going to school, so that “Light at the End of the Tunnel” will appear. Pray that believers will have firm faith in God that we can come in contact with more people in this dark place.

Tree City Newsletter

“Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be counted as a forest?” Isaiah 29:17

The Huge Breach

The people of Tree City voted May 15 in the first legislative assembly since the economy here collapsed, but since the election the country has remained in turmoil.

Tree City Coworker Sister Vera shares:

The thought was running through my mind, “Should I stay in the boat, or should I run away?”

Our lives as Christians are very important. If we are not where we’re supposed to be, how can we do God’s will? If I want to go find a better life and a better future for myself, I can do it because I have the right to emigrate. But I’d be saying to God, “Can You really meet my needs, right here in Tree City?”

Tree City is the only Christian country in the Middle East. It is mentioned in the Bible seventy-five times. If one more God-fearing person emigrates, it will just enlarge the already huge breach in this country’s ability to be what it should. We need to be loyal to our mission in life and know that when a crisis comes, we need to take the opportunity to preach the Gospel. This is our chance now in Tree City to lift up the Cross and build God’s kingdom.  So we need to pray about this, and we need more believers and servants of God to come stop up the “huge breach” here.

Hiram King of Tyre sent cedar wood to King David, and also messengers, masons, and carpenters to help build David a house. 1 Chron. 14:1 (Tyre is in the southern part of Tree City.)

Education Will Never, Ever Be Too Late!

Nexus Center has a young people’s class teaching Arabic, math, English, geography, biology, computer, citizen’s education and Bible courses, teamwork cooperation, how to conduct small group activities, etc, to teenagers from the refugee camp who had to stop their schooling or had never had the chance to attend school. Young people learn to cooperate, to accept others, to respect, to help — they learn new ways of thinking, working together, taking responsibility…

One teenage student shared, “I never experienced anything like these activities before in my life! This is the most wonderful time of my life, and I will never forget it. When I get home, I tell my family members what we’ve learned at the Center, and I teach them the same activities because I want them to experience this happiness and love — it’s hard to describe. I have learned that every person is very valuable and has gifts and abilities granted by God — we are each unique as well as all equally valuable. Working together, we can do something worthwhile!”

Olive City – the House of Hope: “Looking back, I know it was You who never let me lose hope!”

Mama Nazha Syed from northern Olive City is 50 and has six children, four boys and two girls. Eighteen years ago, her husband traveled alone to Kuwait to make a living. But there he married another woman, and afterwards they never heard from him again. Then five years ago, Mama Syed became homeless.

Mama Syed’s farm job was providing barely enough to feed her family. But then ISIS invaded their area and began mistreating the people — killing the men, making slaves of the women, and starting business selling human organs. Also, mines and explosive remained all over the place. Mama Syed decided to flee in order to save her children. But on their trip to escape, one son was kidnapped by terrorists, and then another soon developed leukemia. Mama Syed, determined to find some way to save this son, took him to the hospital for chemotherapy. But his condition worsened until he died when he was 18.

After Mother Syed lost the two boys she became fearful and very depressed because she had to bear the heavy burden of all her children’s lives alone. She relates, “I wanted to commit suicide. But how could I leave my children? Who would take care of them?”

Mama Syed came to the House of Hope (Women’s Reading Class and Psychological Help Course) When the House of Hope ministry team heard her story, they began praying for her. The team knew she needed a touch from God and the Holy Spirit; without Him there was nothing, and nobody, that would be able to help her. After spending five months at the House Of Hope, her situation changed significantly. Her health and her psychological state improved greatly.

Mama Syed shared, “I lost hope and faith. I was always asking God ‘Why?’ I blamed Him for everything, but now I am thanking Him. I have come to know Christ’s plan, and when I look back at my past, I see God was with me at every step. He protected me and gave me and my family a second chance, and He led us to know Him. Now I’ve come to know that not only is He with us, but that now I can overcome all the ups and downs of life.”

Seeds Project

Dear friends, Thank you all, for the past four years of your continual support and prayer for the Seeds Project! Because of these we have been able to conduct reading classes or run Learning Centers in Tree City, Olive City, Friendship Country, Water City, Coconut City, Lychee City, Chili City, etc. The first half of 2022 has been a very difficult six months. Food and fuel crises caused by war, plus the pandemic, have wreaked havoc on the economies of these places. Yet with our tight and somewhat clumsy support system, we’ve still been able to keep up our support — and not only to keep it up but to do even more than we were doing before. Thank you all for partnering and walking with us!

“What can the ‘Seeds Project’

“What can the ‘Seeds Project’ amount to, and what can this ‘small, weak group’ accomplish, that ‘you’  could give this kind of offering? Everything comes from You, we have only given of what we received from Your hand.” (1 Chron 29:14)

Please respond right away – let’s send what is in your heart to each one of these children who need help!

Sincerely,

Your servant, Nexus Mission  

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