East Asia

Hello,

Over the last 18 months I have written to all the Cuban church leaders who are listed in the current edition of Connect & Encourage. When I write, I commit myself to praying for each person I write to every day for the next month.

David Ripon,

China

Information courtesy of China Aid Association and other sources.

Pastor Wang Yi

Pastor Wang Yi was detained along with over 100 other members of Early Rain Church on 9 December 2018, in a large-scale crackdown by the authorities. He is serving a nine-year prison sentence for ‘inciting to subvert state power’ and ‘illegal business operations’. In October 2021, he was allowed to receive a visit from his wife for the first time.

UK

These are the words Pastor Wang Yi reportedly wrote after his trial: ‘If anyone attacks me, I will be as meek as a lamb. If anyone attacks the church, I will be as brave as a lion. If this is from the Lord, I will not open my mouth. I gave my opinion on those in power out of love rather than hatred... Only by being obedient when arrested could I let all see that I was truly motivated by love.’

Wang Yi

Jintang Prison

Huopen Road, Qingjiang Town, Jintang County

Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

610409

China

Be an encourager. Today.

Writing tip

Please don’t mention CSW or China Aid in your cards to Chinese people, and do not make any comment about the government or the political system. This could endanger the person you are writing to.

Pastor Zhang Shaojie

In 2013 over 20 members of Nanle County Christian Church, Henan, were detained after members attempted to petition a higher authority about a land dispute involving the church. Most were released, but Pastor Zhang Shaojie is in prison serving a 12-year sentence for fraud and ‘gathering a crowd to disturb public order’. Towards the end of 2021 his family received a letter from him, revealing that he is in good spirits and feels peaceful regarding his imprisonment for the Lord.

Zhang Shaojie

PO Box 841

61 Songshan Avenue East

Xinmi City

Henan Province

452370

China

Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church

In 2019 dozens of church members from Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church made the momentous decision to leave their home country of China to seek safety and freedom overseas. Years of harassment, intimidation and police raids had convinced them that they had no choice but to flee. They stayed in Jeju Island in South Korea for over two years and, in August 2022, travelled to Thailand after being denied asylum in South Korea.

pyg201904@gmail.com

Zhang Zhan

Zhang, a Christian lawyer, was arrested in May 2020 and later sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’, after reporting on the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan. In December 2020, Zhang said to her lawyer that she felt comforted from praying and reciting Bible verses. She has been denied access to her lawyer since January 2021.

In autumn 2021, she became critically ill after a prolonged hunger strike. In February 2022, it was reported that her health had improved slightly. However, she remains on a partial hunger strike, and there is still great concern about her health because she is still dangerously underweight.

Zhang Zhan

Area 5, Shanghai Women’s Prison No.1601, Zhangjing Road

Sijing Zhen, Songjiang Qu

Shanghai 201601

China

Chen Yu

Christian bookseller Chen Yu was sentenced to seven years in prison in September 2020 for ‘illegal business operations’. The authorities confiscated and destroyed 12,864 books. After Chen was arrested, officials began a nationwide investigation of those who had bought Christian texts from his online bookshop.

Chen Yu

Area 8 Sub-area 5

Shiliping Prison

Longyou County

Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province

324402

China

Be an encourager. Today.

Writing tip Please don’t mention CSW or China Aid in your cards to Chinese people, and do not make any comment about the government or the political system. This could endanger the person you are writing to.