If ever there was an unassuming ragamuffin misfit whom God loves to use to display His glory to the nations it is Zhang Rong.
He has been working with us at Within Reach Global for over 13 years, planting churches in hard-to-reach regions. Zhang Rong and his family serve at The Edge outreach center, rescuing abandoned children whose parents have been jailed for drug abuse. They also hold weekly Sunday school classes and Bible studies and are shining the light of Jesus to families who know nothing of God’s love.
This week, Zhang Rong sent us an update about their ministry in Myanmar. This is what he says:
What an honor it is to share our story with our brothers and sisters around the world!
We have four children, two of our own, one who we have legally adopted after rescuing her from a child trafficking gang (read the story here), and another who we have recently taken into our home. This is the story of the latter, Ye Mei, a 14-year-old girl whose parents abandoned her after they were jailed for drug abuse.
Ye Mei is actually the first daughter that we adopted in Myanmar. The eastern part of Myanmar is the epicenter of narcotic production and abuse, a dangerous place to live under the ongoing Burma Conflict. Because this issue runs so rampant in our region, Ye Mei’s parents quickly became two of the many victims of this abusive lifestyle.
In fact, her parents lost their land and their home when it was seized by narco traffickers. Homeless and dejected they began sleeping on the streets, rummaging through garbage with hope to find discarded bottles that they could recycle for a few coins.
Their drug addiction grew so severe that they began stealing from nearby homes, plundering the place like pirates. Ye Mei’s father and mother were seized by the police and jailed for their crimes. The little girl now had no one to fend for her life.
Ye Mei had nothing to eat. Her clothing was worn and tattered and she near froze every year because of the extreme cold.
When we learned about Ye Mei’s family situation, our hearts were touched and saddened. How could we simply stand idly by while such horrific abuse was happening right outside our doorstep?
If you have children, you understand the feeling that panged our hearts. We desire that our own children are fed and clothed, that they are able to go to school, grow up with hopes and dreams, and experience the love of a family.
We rescued this precious little girl, took her into our home, and she began to experience not only the tender care of a loving family but the deep love of her Heavenly Father as well.
We are so thrilled that Ye Mei just gave her life to Jesus Christ, accepting Him as her personal Savior! We baptized her and are witnessing her grow in her love for God and people.
Every day she listens to worship and teaching on the Gospel mp3 player that we use to share the Jesus with our community.
I recently asked her what she wants to be when she grows up. Her answer brought such joy to our hearts.
“I want to be a teacher, or maybe a doctor so that I can help a lot of people know God.”
We are homeschooling her now, and will soon begin the Good New Series and School of Workers, our discipleship curriculum. She is excited about that! She has the heart to learn and grow as a child of God.
Ye Mei has become a blessing to many people around her. They have seen the transformation of a young life. She is a little lamp in a dark region of Myanmar, shining the love of Jesus to those who have never heard of Him before.
She is one of many more children to come as we continue to cast the light of the Gospel to the community we serve.
Do you want to bless Ye Mei? You can sponsor Zhang Rong and his family’s ministry in Myanmar here.
We also encourage you to sow into The Edge outreach center where they continue to rescue abandoned children in drug-infected areas of Southeast Asia.