Pastor John Cao Released After Seven Years in Prison

Originally from Hunan province, Pastor John Cao is a permanent resident of the United States and also happens to be married to an American citizen. Before his arrest, he served as a missionary in Myanmar's Wa State, building schools and caring for impoverished people in the region. As part of his ministry work, Pastor John frequently crossed the border between China and Myanmar. The Christian leader was able to continue his ministry activities for three years without encountering any problems from the authorities.

However, in March 2017, Chinese officials arrested Pastor John and a colleague of his on charges of illegal border crossings. Although his ministry colleague, Jing Ruxia, served one year in prison, Pastor John was sentenced to seven years. For more details on this case, you can review previously published reports.

After various failed appeals, Pastor John served his full prison term prior to being released on March 4th of this year. Throughout imprisonment, his relationship with the Lord remained strong as expressed in the poetry he regularly wrote. ChinaAid has published a collection of his poems under the title, Living Lyrics: Poems from Prison.

Upon his release, Pastor John was escorted from Yunnan province to Changsha, Hunan. He hopes to soon be reunited with his family in the United States. However, in order to do so, the pastor will need to obtain travel documents which may be purposely delayed by officials. Local police in Changsha have disclosed that they intend to supervise and "educate" him for five years.

ChinaAid recently released the content of an audio testimony Pastor John gave after his release. He started by proclaiming: "I have been separated from you all for seven years, but these seven years have been filled with joy, filled with God's grace, and everyday God's special presence has been with me." To read a transcript of Pastor John's testimony, go to VOMCanada.com/cao-testimony.

Praise God for the joy and peace Pastor John experienced over the past seven years, despite his incarceration. Pray that this faithful Christian leader will receive renewed strength and determination to continue living his life in dedicated service to the Lord. May Pastor John be able to obtain the necessary travel documentation without any delay so he can finally be reunited with his long-suffering family in the United States. Furthermore, pray that God will ensure the continuation of the humanitarian work near the China and Myanmar border, as well as the ministry that took place in the lives of the prisoners and guards who were touched by the love of Christ while Pastor John was in custody.