CEDAR is involved in equipping the local church leaders, seminary students, and believers of Yunnan China to personally care for the marginalized families. Axing Du (name obscured) is one of such victims not welcomed by the society.

Axing was a drug rehab who went through cycles of drug trafficking, mandatory rehabilitation, and labor detention. He was affected by AIDS and Hepatitis C as a result. Abusing drugs not only stripped Axing of his health and freedom, but also the trust of his family and friends. He hadn’t celebrated his birthday for a long time until he met the staff of the Fu-Kang (Rehabilitation) Home.

Axing was accepted and cared for in Fu-Kang Home, where the staff there prayed for him daily. He was also encouraged to rebuild his link with the society through different volunteering jobs. His parents were both thankful of Fu-Kang Home’s help and amazed by the changes exhibited by Axing, “Jesus is truly amazing! We thank Fu-Kang Home greatly. They helped us regain our beloved son.”

Though Axing was tortured by terminal Hepatitis towards the end of his life, brothers and sisters of Fu-Kang Home were by his side all the time. Besides, they also took care of his family after he passed away, which deeply moved the family with God’s love and grace.

CEDAR is actively mobilizing church and government resources of Yunnan in caring the drug rehabs and AIDS patients holistically, in the hope of dignifying them and reconciling their relationships with their families and the society. Fu-Kang Home, ran by the Yunnan Provincial Christian Council, Dali Prefecture Christian Council, is one of our partnering organizations.

Verses for Reflection:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

“Make disciples” are the only imperative verbs in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). To be a disciple, one must fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17) which includes the exercise of good will toward those who became poor and sell their property. They were not to be slaved, and their relatives were to redeem the sold land, otherwise the buyers were to return the land no matter what in the Jubilee. There were also clauses pertaining to the wellbeing of foreigners and the land (Leviticus 25).

Our hope is for the church to exercise justice and love in this broken world as taught by Jesus.

Thanksgiving and Prayer:

• Praise the Lord in mobilizing the Yunnan churches to care for the marginalized and serve the society and the lonely souls;
• Pray that God’s grace would continuously channel through the Yunnan churches to transform and rebuild more lives and families.